Ryther - Healthy Children, Stronger Families

Each year, the nearly 18,000 Walmart associates in Washington state are asked to vote on which local non-profit organization should receive the Associate Choice grant.  It’s part of a process that takes place over seven weeks, throughout the country, where thousands of associates weigh in online on which organization in their state most deserves Walmart’s support.

This year, Walmart’s Associate Choice program awarded a total of $7 million in grants to organizations across the country, including $100,000 to Ryther in Washington State.

Part of Walmart’s mission is to give back in the communities where we operate.  As Walmart’s director of public affairs and government relations for Washington and Oregon, I have the privilege of working with many fantastic Northwest non-profits—organizations that all do extraordinary work.  Ryther stands out, not only because of the amazing work that takes place there every day, but because of how well its mission aligns with Walmart’s own giving priorities.

In all of our giving efforts, we strive to address the unmet needs of underserved populations by supporting organizations that give individuals access to a better life.  This is exactly what Ryther does for so many children and families who have nowhere else to turn.

Ryther’s mission and the work conducted by its entire staff, volunteers and those in the Ryther League, reflect each of the areas where we focus our charitable giving—education, workforce development and economic opportunity, environmental sustainability, and health and wellness.  With the most recent Associate Choice grant, Walmart has provide a totally of $185,000 in grants to Ryther since 2008.

Walmart Associates receive the Mother Ryther Home Award, being accepted by Jennifer Spall.

I want to express my gratitude for Ryther’s recognition of our company with the Mother Ryther Home Award.  It was an honor to accept the award on behalf of Walmart and our foundation at the recent fundraising luncheon.  We’re grateful to be able to play part in helping carry on Mother Ryther’s tremendous legacy of helping children in need.

Yesterday, November 10 2011 Ryther had its annual fund raising luncheon and thanks to so many kind and generous people it was a huge success. I want to especially thank our inspirational keynote speaker John Stanton, Jean Enersen for her customary outstanding job as emcee, and Josh our client speaker for his compelling story. Of course I also want to thank everyone who attended and donated to the cause.
IIt was a good event and I think told the Ryther story effectively.

A few years ago, I was looking for a fun and innovative way to volunteer and give back to my community. The Women’s Philanthropic Investment Group of Seattle (WPIG) was the perfect fit for me. Founded in 2008, WPIG is committed to serving the emotional, developmental and physical needs of women and children by contributing financial donations and donations of time and energy. Our intent is to help women and children move from places of need to self sufficiency and stability. We meet our goals through smart investment practices, fundraising, volunteering and our annual silent art auction, Pigture Perfect.

Pigture Perfect Silent Art Auction is on Nov. 4

WPIG seeks out organizations with values and goals that align with our mission of supporting women and children. Our 2010 and 2011 charity is Ryther. WPIG has chosen to carry out our mission through volunteering our time, energy and compassion to support the amazing work that happens at Ryther.

Volunteering at Ryther has been a wonderful experience for me and for the rest of our members. Last year, WPIG planned and facilitated a night of fall and Halloween themed arts and crafts activities for the children living at Ryther. The night was such a hit that WPIG will be planning another similar event at the end of this month. In addition to the Halloween night, WPIG also had a great time washing vans and cleaning up the Ryther campus during the summer of 2010.

A WPIG member washing a Ryther van

In addition to volunteering on the Ryther campus, WPIG will be donating funds raised at our annual art action, Pigture Perfect. The auction will be held November 4^th, 2011 at the Fremont Abbey Arts Center. WPIG members have been working hard to procure art and other donations for the event. Our blog is currently featuring a “sneak peek” of current art donations. Check it out at http://www.wpigseattle.blogspot.com/. For more information about Pigture Perfect, please visit our website at http://www.wpigseattle.org/WPIG/Events.html.

- Edna Merrick Maddalena

Ryther is very fortunate to have a dedicated board of trustees, whose members each year comb their address books and convince colleagues, family, friends and corporate VPs to come together for a good cause:

Ryther’s annual fundraising luncheon. This year, it’s November 10th at the Grand Hyatt Seattle.

Without our board, we would not be able to present such inspiring keynote speakers as Diane Irvine, Bill Gates Sr., Jim Donald, Blake Nordstrom, Howard Schultz and many other upstanding citizens and business leaders. This year, Ryther Trustee Karl Quackenbush connected with John Stanton, our keynote speaker. A wireless industry pioneer, Stanton co-founded three top 10 wireless operators in the United States in the last 25 years and is presently chairman of Clearwire. The theme for the luncheon is Connect for Kids, with the obvious allusion to Stanton’s wireless industry. But it’s also a very relevant and important aspect to the children and families Ryther serves.

At Ryther, connections are everything.

It’s the earliest connections we have to a caregiver that helps our brains connect the way they should.  Conversely, our brain can be wired to expect the worse if that’s what we’ve experienced daily.

It’s how we connect our thoughts and feelings to our behaviors. It’s how children at Ryther try to connect what they’ve experienced to their sadness or rage and how to deal and work through these emotions. It’s the connection a child here makes to a therapy dog – a warm-blooded animal they can touch and hug and receive affection from in a safe, unconditional way.

It’s the moment a teen in Cottage B realizes that some of his past connections are detrimental to his future success. Positive change happens when parents learn the skills to reconnect with a child they haven’t parented for years or their sullen, distant teen. When a teen that has masked his depression with drugs or alcohol can connect with his own sense of self, new avenues open.

We invite everyone who wants to help foster healthier connections for those who need them most to come together and connect for kids on Thursday, November 10th. Connect with your circle and if you can host a table, bring a guest, please connect with Clay Thompson at Ryther at clayt@ryther.org.