Updated June 10, 2012, 4:42 p.m. PST

Congratulations to the winners of this year’s “So You Think KENT Has Talent” competition. The event raised $600 for Kent Youth & Family Services. The winners are:

Overall winners 

1st Overall NFI Enterprise winner ($1,000) – Cameron Sterling (vocal)

2nd Overall Intimate Pilates winner ($500) – Nathan Jacobsen (vocal/piano)

3rd Overall Baldwin Chiropractic winner ($250) – Andrey Chebotarev (Saxophone)

Divisional winners

Youth division Lance Timmerman Cosmetic Dentistry winner ($100) – Cameron Sterling (vocal)

Teen division Nigel Cooper Photography winner ($100) – Bhangra Royalty (bollywood dance)

Adult division Lemon Drop Skin Care and Massage winner ($100) – Nathan Jacobsen (vocal/piano)

Audience Favorite’ winner sponsored by Baldwin Chiropractic ($50) – David Hall & Cody Moody (vocal/guitar)

Updated May 29, 2012, 7:59 a.m. PST

On May 12, Allegro Performing Arts Academy served as the host for the preliminary qualification round of the second annual So You Think Kent Has Talent competition. More than 50 individuals and groups performed, hoping to win a spot in the final competition set for June 2. Judges for the preliminaries were Suzanne Smith (Arts Commissioner), Jamie Perry (Kent City Council), and Andrea Keikkala (Kent Chamber of Commerce). The winners (in alphabetical order) by category are:

Youth Division

Teddy Gutterud (piano)
Maria Victoria Kovalsky (vocal)
Jillian Marcotte (vocal)
Alexia Samuels (vocal)
Cameron Sterling (vocal)
*Honorable Mention – Czarina Ignama

Teen Division

Bollywood Royalty (dance)
Connor Gormley (dance)
David Hall/Cody Moody (vocal/guitar)
Theresa Soto (vocal/piano)
The Voice of Reason (band)
*Honorable Mention – Benjamin Phanivong

Adult Division

James Bacher (vocal)
Andrey Chebotarev (saxophone)
Carolyne Igama (vocal)
Nathan Jacobsen (vocal/piano)
Esther O’Farrell (vocal)
*Honorable Mention – Verna Benson

The final competition will be held at the Kent-Meridian High School Performing Arts Center on Saturday, June 2 starting at 6:30 p.m. Tickets can be purchased at the door for $10 each, or you can reserve your tickets by calling 253-813-9630. All proceeds benefit Kent Youth & Family Services, a nonprofit serving youth and families in South King County. The judges for the final competition will be Mayor Suzette Cooke, Dana Ralph (Kent City Council), Bill Boyce (Kent City Council), Dave Hobbs and more.

Winning performers will also particulate in the Kent International Festival (June 16), Kent’s Fourth of July Splash (July 4), Kent Cornucopia Days (July 14) and the Kent Cornucopia Parade (July 15).

Prizes include:

$1,000 NFI Enterprise Grand Prize
$500 Overall 2nd place – Intimate Pilates
$250 Overall 3rd place – Baldwin Chiropractic
$100 Youth 1st place – Lance Timmerman DMD Dental Excellence
$100 Teen 1st place – Nigel Cooper Photography
$100 Adult 1st place – Lemon Drop Skin Care & Massage
$50 Audience Pick Winner – Baldwin Chiropractic
Theater & Advertising Sponsor – Allegro Performing Arts Academy
Award Sponsor – West Coast Awards and Athletic

For more updates, visit So You Think Kent Has Talent on Facebook.

Contributed by Nathan Box, Kent Youth & Family Services

On May 2, 1,200+ nonprofits will ask for your support during the Seattle Foundation’s 2nd Annual GiveBIG. We are one of those nonprofits. Our difference is clear though. We are right here in your community. Every dollar donated to Kent Youth and Family Services stays right here in South King County. In fact, your dollars go to work providing Youth/Family & Substance Abuse Counseling to residents of Covington and youth and families throughout the Kent School District. They also provide Outreach services at three King County Housing Authority sites, as well as transitional housing to homeless single moms and learning opportunities to 400+ kids in our Head Start/ECEAP program. Our services powered by your generosity supports 8,000 individuals in our community every year.

So, from midnight to midnight (Pacific Time) on May 2, join the Seattle Foundation as they host their 2nd annual GiveBIG. The goal is to turn out thousands of new and returning individual donors to help support local nonprofits. Donations will be stretched further thanks to individuals donors and business sponsors like Seattle Sounders FC, Microsoft, Seattle International Foundation, JP Morgan Chase, Russell Investments, Starbucks and more.

KYFS is excited to participate in this local day of giving. To support us directly, visit our Seattle Foundation page on May 2.

Thanks in advance for the support. Happy Giving.

Working toward a better future,

Nathan H. Box
Fund Developer and Community Relations Manager
Kent Youth & Family Services
nathanb@kyfs.org
(253) 859-0300 Ext. 3045
www.kyfs.org

Kent, Washington, December 8, 2010 – Kent Station is sharing its holiday spirit this season by giving back to children and families in the community. The popular Kent-based shopping center is sponsoring a Giving Tree, accepting donations for holiday meals for families in need, and offering a gift wrapping station. All donations benefit programs supported and operated by Kent Youth & Family Services, a nonprofit serving Kent and South King County families for 40 years.

Located in Kent Station Plaza just outside AMC Theatres, the Giving Tree holds tags for over 250 families and children. Each tag lists all the pertinent information, along with a need (e.g., warm coat) and a wish (e.g., Barbie doll). Local businesses and community members are encouraged to participate by fulfilling wishes and needs and depositing the unwrapped gifts in the Big Red Box inside AMC Theatres by December 15.

To kick off the holiday season, Kent Station eagerly selected a family from the Giving Tree. “Our goal is to give our chosen family the best and biggest Christmas ever,” said Kent Station general manager John Hinds. “And we encourage other local businesses to participate in this worthwhile program that truly makes a difference for families in need who are located right here in Kent.”

For those who want to help but do not have time to shop, you can provide a holiday meal for families. Kent Station has partnered with BECU, Angel Food Ministries and the Calvary Community Church of Sumner to accept monetary donations. Just $39 will purchase a holiday meal for an entire family. To participate, contact Kent Station at 253-856-2301, ext. 101 for more details.

From December 17 through 19, Kent Youth and Family Services will offer a gift wrapping station to help shoppers get their purchases ready for giving. Kent Station will donate the space and resources for the gift wrapping with 100% of the proceeds benefiting Kent Youth & Family Services. Hours for gift wrapping are published on the Kent Station website and Facebook pages.

“This has been a difficult year for so many Kent and Covington children and families,” said marketing manager Sommer Ueda. “We want to help make the holidays a little brighter for those who need it the most. We invite our community to join us in providing needs, wishes and meals for local families this year.”

Located on 18 acres in the heart of downtown Kent, Kent Station is an urban shopping village developed by Tarragon a Seattle based company. The 470,000 sq. ft., mixed-use development features locally-owned and national retail stores, professional office space, and dining and entertainment, including a 14-screen AMC Theatres Cineplex and a branch campus of Green River Community College. For more information about Kent Station or its holiday festivities, visit the Kent Station website at http://www.KentStation.com or contact marketing manager Sommer Ueda at 253-856-2301.

Founded in 1970, Kent Youth & Family Services is a Kent-based nonprofit serving children, youth and families in South King County, Washington. The agency offers counseling, Head Start and early childhood education and assistance, substance abuse programs, housing for homeless young mothers and more. In 2009, Kent Youth & Family Services provided services to more than 4,000 children and families. For more information about Kent Youth and Family Services, visit KYFS online at http://www.kyfs.org or contact executive director Mike Heinisch at 253-859-0300.

For more information, please contact:

Sommer Ueda, Marketing Manager
Kent Station Management Office
417 Ramsay Way, Suite 110
Kent, WA  98032
253-856-2301
www.KentStation.com
sueda@kentstation.com

At its annual awards luncheon yesterday at Golden Steer, Soroptimist International of Kent presented its community service awards. With 45 or so guests in attendance at the luncheon, including Mayor Suzette Cooke and Kent City Council President Jamie (Danielson) Perry, the following individuals and organizations were honored for their work in improving the lives of women and girls in the Kent community:

• Volunteer of the Month:  Kenyanna Brown, Kent Phoenix Academy
• Children’s Therapy Center/Dynamic Family Services
• Domestic Abuse Women’s Network (DAWN)
• Kent Youth and Family Services
• SKCAC Industries
• Master Gardener Foundation, Tribal Life Trail

Jon Botten, executive director of Children’s Therapy Center, accepted the award on behalf of his organization by reading a letter from MacKenzie, a recent graduate who utilized the center’s services for many years.

“Children’s Therapy Center gave me hope when there wasn’t any,” she writes.

Mike Heinisch, executive director for Kent Youth & Family Services, accepted the award for KYFS’s Watson Manor, a transitional housing program for homeless teen mothers.

“These mothers don’t have a place to call home – home is where our root is, our security and shelter,” Heinisch says.

Each of the honorees also received a donation from the Soroptimists to help them to continue their work. For more information about the local Soroptimist group, visit them online at www.soroptimistnwr.com.

Kent Youth & Family Services is celebrating its 40th year in business in 2010, and will host a birthday party on September 25 to celebrate.

Executive Director Mike Heinisch is hoping that those who have been involved with KYFS in the past will come to the celebration, including counselors, past clients, board members, staff and members of the community.

To learn more about the event, contact Mike at KYFS at 253-859-0300 ext. 3002 or via email.

To read more about KYFS, view this recent column by editor Laura Pierce in the February 20, 2010 edition of the Kent Reporter.