Community Orgs

Since
1988, Rise n' Shine, has been providing emotional support programs,
stability, advocacy, and AIDS education for children and teens affected by
HIV and AIDS. 
This includes children and teens
who have been orphaned by the disease, children and teens who live with a 
parent or other close family member with HIV or AIDS, and those who are
infected themselves.

The mission of Positive Solutions is to empower individuals to make
educated choices, remove disability-related barries and enhance their
lives through self advocacy.

Positive Solutions succeeds in its mission by providing people with disabilities:

• opportunities to share their concerns
• accurate benefit-related information
• self-advocacy training through on-to-one disability benefits counseling, workshops/forums, and Internet technologies

PRINCIPLES

The League of Women Voters Believes...

• in representative government and in the individual liberties established in the Constitution of the United States.
• that
  democratic government depends upon the informed and active
  participation of its citizens and requires that governmental bodies
  protect the citizen's right to know by giving adequate notice of
  proposed actions, holding open meetings and making public records
  accessible.
• that every citizen should be protected in the right to
  vote; that every person should have access to free public education
  which provides equal opportunity for all; and that no person or group
  should suffer legal, economic or administrative discrimination.
• that efficient and economical government requires
  competent personnel, the clear assignment of responsibility, adequate
  financing and coordination among the different agencies and levels of
  government.
• that responsible government should be responsive to the
  will of the people; that government should maintain an equitable and
  flexible system of taxation, promote the conservation and development
  of natural resources in the public interest, share in the solution of
  economic and social problems which affect the general welfare, promote
  a sound economy and adopt domestic policies which facilitate the
  solution of international problems.
• that cooperation with other nations is essential in the
  search for solutions to world problems, and that the development of
  international organization and international law is imperative in the
  promotion of world peace.

HOW WE BEGAN

Arthur Denny,
founder of Seattle, proposed woman suffrage in the first legislative
meeting in Olympia in 1854. He lost on an eight to nine vote. The
Washington Territory Woman Suffrage Association was formed in 1871 in
Olympia. The territorial legislature gave women the vote in 1883. Women
lost their vote in 1887 when the Territorial Supreme Court ruled that
Congress did not intend to give territories the power to enfranchise
women.

Women were unable to vote for delegates to the State
Constitutional Convention in 1889. Woman suffrage was submitted to the
voters as a separate amendment to ratification of the constitution. It
failed again in an 1897 vote.

In 1895 the first convention of
Washington State's Equal Suffrage Association was held. Washington
Territory was known for its suffragists. With differing styles, the
persistent Emma Smith DeVoe and the direct and indomitable May
Arkwright Hutton worked for the common cause of women's suffrage in
Washington State. By 1907, the Washington Equal Suffrage Association
had several thousand members, and in November of 1910 the amendment to
the state constitution allowing women to vote carried by nearly two to
one. This made Washington the fifth state to give women the right to
vote - nine years before the 19th Amendment to the US. Constitution
extended the vote to all the nation's women.

The League of
Women Voters of the United States was first projected at the Jubilee
Convention of the National American Women Suffrage Association in 1919.
The League of Women Voters of Washington was organized the next year.
Seattle and Tacoma were the first two local Leagues in the state. In
the early days the League of Women Voters of Washington supported state
legislation pertaining to protection of children in fields of labor,
health and education. At the present time there are twenty-one local
Leagues around the state.

MISSION: Advancing a powerful nonprofit sector

VISION: A nonprofit sector that delivers its full benefit to the community

EA carries
out its work through the following program areas:

1. Leadership Effectiveness : Enhancing
   leadership effectiveness, professional networking, leadership
   recognition, shared identity and values as a sector and peer-to-peer
   learning and support.
2. Voice and Position of the Nonprofit Sector:
   Strengthen the position and voice of the nonprofit sector relative
   to:
   a) Community events and issues
   b) Planning and decision-making that affects the community
   c) Issues internal to the nonprofit sector.
3. Public Policy: Advocate for the nonprofit
   sector in governmental actions with significant impact on the
   nonprofit sector.

EA provides access to
an inclusive sector-wide venue that provides a forum for peer support,
opportunities to share knowledge, and a structured means to extend
members personal and professional networks. When envisioning the
future, executive directors have often have done so without the
benefit of others’ perspective or knowledge, and without fully
considering their organization in the context of the nonprofit sector
and the community at large. EA helps to address the challenges that
nonprofit leaders face and to provide context and perspective relative
to the sector as a whole through a variety of leadership enhancement
activities

History:
Executive Alliance is a membership association that was founded
in 2000 by nonprofit leaders united in the vision of a community
that values the role of nonprofits and evidences that through adequate
funding, prioritization in policy setting, positive public image
and active involvement of nonprofit leaders in civic and community planning.

EA evolved from the long standing Executive Director’s Coalition
(EDC), which served as a liaison between United Way of King County
(UWKC) and what were then member agencies. Launched with a pledge
of membership from thirty nonprofits, EA original focus was executive
directors from the human services, health, and housing areas of
the nonprofit sector in the Puget Sound region.

EA has since expanded
its focus to include other organizations that share a commitment
to EA’s mission – advancing a powerful nonprofit
sector. As a result,
the membership mix now includes a wide spectrum of nonprofits, including
the arts, civic organizations, and education, as well as some for-profit
and public agencies.

In the fall of 2004, Executive
Alliance also began operating many of the programs previously offered
by The Evergreen State Society, operationalizing its commitment
to continue the legacy of TESS. EA expanded its membership to include
individuals who supported the mission of EA.

EA’s membership
has grown from the original thirty to 200 and includes many of the most
respected and influential organizations and leaders in the community.
Organizational representation continues to be tied to the leadership
of the organization. While the geographic focus is still primarily
the Puget Sound Region, members’ scopes of service include
local, state, national, and international.

These funds are raised throughout the year by various fundraisers and donations from individuals and corporate sponsorships. The Court of Seattle annually provides educational scholarships to deserving high school or post high school undergraduates who reside in the state of Washington. We believe that by encouraging the pursuit of post high school educational goals we are helping tomorrow's individuals develop their potential and thus further enhance our community. The long-range purpose of these scholarships is to enhance self-esteem, recognize diversity, support personal development and acknowledge and support sensitivity and acceptance of human rights. For this reason, preference will be given to self-identified gay or lesbian students.

The Court of
Seattle General Membership Meeting is held the first
and third Tuesday of every month at
Neighbours Nightclub, 1509 Broadway, Seattle (Martini
Lounge entrance).
Meetings start at 7:00 pm and is open to the public.

The Board of Directors Meeting
is held every last Monday of every month at the Cuff Complex, 1533 13th Ave,
Seattle. Meetings start at 7:00 pm and is open to the public.

The mission of Families Like Ours, Inc. is to make change by breaking down the barriers within the adoption and foster care communities. Therefore, reducing the amount of time our children are waiting for a stable and safe forever family.

We do our best to provide families interested in adoption with a network of principled placement agencies, ongoing education, support, advocacy and resources that are a cut above the rest.

We mentor all adoptive families. We guide you through the process, help you figure out the adoption maze and get you connected with the right people. Think of us as your adoption buddy. We are the single constant that is always there no matter what direction you head and what placement or state agency you choose.

By January 2000, these activists established Communities Against Rape and Abuse (CARA), an organization spearheaded by survivors who are marginalized from mainstream sexual assault services.

CARA creates spaces for our constituencies — including people who are young, of color, queer, incarcerated, poor, and/or have disabilities — to invest in the power of collective action, critical dialogue, and community organizing to undermine rape, abuse, and oppression.

CARA pushes a broad agenda for liberation and social justice while prioritizing anti-rape work as the center of our organizing. CARA is spearheaded by survivors of sexual and domestic violence who have led organizing efforts against forced institutionalization of people with disabilities, against racist sterilization abuse of women of color and poor women, and against the alarming criminalization of young people. Organizers and activists demonstrate how these issues are intricately connected to the process of undermining sexual violence.

CARA also uses community organizing as a tool to reconnect people to each other with a common goal of building safe, supportive, and accountable communities. Community members participate in support group facilitation training; in-depth dialogue about family/friend-based accountability strategies; and projects that emphasize positive sexuality.

Camp Ten Trees (CTT) is an overnight summer camp located in Washington State. It features one week for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, and questioning (LGBTQ) youth and their allies, and one week for the children of LGBTQ and/or non-traditional families. It is a place for diverse youth who share common experiences to come together and form a community that is truly their own. In addition to typical camp activities, campers will engage in age-appropriate workshops centered around diversity, homophobia, identity, and youth coalition building.

CTT is a fiscally-sponsored project of the Seattle LGBT Community Center/Queen City Community Development, a 501(c)3 non-profit organization. Donations, grants, and other contributions allow Camp Ten Trees to maintain acessibility and low cost for our youth. We appreciate any donations either financial or in-kind. To make a tax-deductible donation, or to find out more about how you can
help CTT, click here

Camp Ten Trees was founded in 2000 by four Co-Directors and offered its first summer camp in August 2001 with 20 campers. We have recently grown to over 200 campers and continue to grow year after year. Camp Ten Trees was the first of its kind in the world and is the only summer camp of its kind in the United States.

We, are service members and Veterans of the United States Armed Forces,with our Civilian allies provide Veterans and current service members with representation,advocacy,involvement and promote equality and awareness of  Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Trangendered, Questioning, Inter sexed and Two-Sprited interests,needs,welfare and assisting the community to provide a physical,social environment,while modeling patriotism.

Founded by Quakers in 1917 to provide conscientious objectors with an opportunity to aid civilian war victims, AFSC's work attracts the support and partnership of people of many races, religions, and
cultures.

AFSC's work is based on the Quaker belief in the worth of every person and faith in the power of love to overcome violence and injustice. The organization's mission and achievements won worldwide recognition in 1947 when it accepted the Nobel Peace Prize with the British Friends Service Council on behalf of all Quakers.

The AFSC is directed by a Quaker board and staffed by Quakers and other people of faith who share the Friends' desire for peace and social justice.

The GLBTQ Youth Program develops the leadership of gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender youth through internships, experiential learning and community involvement. The GLBTQ Youth Speakers Bureau
educates youth and youth serving agencies on the special needs and concerns of GLBT youth.