
A Rising Advocacy Star: Mahad Dahir
Expect great things from Mahad Dahir. Mahad ran for Vice President of the Associated Students of Highline College (ASHC) and won! He is not only the first person from the Highline Achieve Program, a program for students with disabilities, to serve on the ASHC…he now serves as President of ASHC!

Making Friends While Exploring the Outdoors
During the Summer, the outdoors beckons us. This past summer, our Youth Team partnered with Outdoors for All to host a series of outdoor outings as a part of our Friendship Club program. Youth including Alice, pictured here with her mom, ventured into the outdoors.

Providing Opportunity via Friendship Circle
“I am very happy to have your support. My son does enjoy Friendship Circle so much and always looks forward to signing on Zoom.”

Bringing Family Voice to Olympia
Our Family Leaders showed us the power of their voices during a recent trip to Olympia. Family Leaders took time out of their busy schedules to join us for two days to meet with Legislators, and when they spoke, Legislators listened.

Connecting a Family to Critical Services
Our Arabic and Kurdish speaking Family Support Specialist, Qaydar Ali, helped a family new to Washington state settle-in to life here. He connected the mother and daughter to necessary disability-related services.

A Youth Self-Portrait: “The Earth is My Eyes”
Jason displayed remarkable artistic potential in a recent session of Friendship Circle. He shared about his painting, “It makes me feel happy. And it looks like space. This is the sun. The earth is my eyes. The moon is my mouth. Here is a galaxy as my stomach.”

Growing Together: A Place of Belonging
When Anthony got his license, he was so excited to share the news with his Growing Together community.

Keeping Families Safe and Together
Saadiya Hirsi was struggling to find the right services for her 9-month-old, Fadumalaki. She was waiting for services to be delivered in-person but became homeless after COVID-19, and Fadumalaki was then hospitalized.
Cultivating Friendships and Connection
During the pandemic, we held sessions for youth over Zoom where we provided social emotional learning via arts and music. We are now back in person!

COVID-19 Relief Program
During the pandemic, we provided families with emergency assistance to keep them fed, housed, and digitally connected.
We have provided more than $15 million in emergency rental assistance in King County and employment opportunities for people who lost work.