News graphic for post announcing leadership transition

Leadership Transition

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Current Leadership Exit

At the end of 2024, Bryan Flint, who has served as our Executive Director for over five and a half years, will be stepping down. The Sound Outreach Board is deeply grateful for Bryan’s exceptional leadership during a pivotal time in Sound Outreach’s history. He navigated us through the challenges of the pandemic, strengthened the organization’s reputation for delivering impactful services, and led the development of a strategic plan that sets us up for a bright future. His dedication, hard work, and expertise have been invaluable, and we cannot thank him enough.

Incoming Leadership

The Sound Outreach Board has engaged Archbright, an experienced executive search firm, to identify our next Executive Director. In collaboration with a dedicated sub-committee of the Board, Archbright will oversee the discovery and planning phases this winter. We anticipate posting the position early in the first quarter of 2025 and actively recruiting top candidates. The entire Board will participate in the interview process and the final selection to ensure we find the best leader for Sound Outreach.

Interim Director

Recognizing that this process will take time, the Board has recruited an Interim Executive Director to provide experienced leadership during the transition. The Board has selected William Towey, a previous Board Member. William is a  a seasoned professional who has successfully guided organizations through similar periods of change. Sound Outreach is happy to have assistance during this time of change.

If you have questions or concerns about this transition, please: CONTACT US.
Sound of Progress Luncheon 2024

Sound of Progress Luncheon – Reg Open!

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2024 SO Luncheon

Sound of Progress Luncheon

Date: Tuesday, September 17th   |   Time: Doors Open 11:30am, Program Starts at Noon.

Location: Hotel Murano – Venice Ballroom – 1320 Broadway, Tacoma 98402

RSVP by: September 6, 2024 on our event page Sound of Progress Luncheon

Invite your community to join us! LinkedIn Event | Facebook Event

Registration is now open for our highly anticipated luncheon on September 17th at the Hotel Murano! A heartfelt thank you to everyone who has already secured their spot—we can’t wait to see you there!

This luncheon is more than just a gathering; it’s a celebration of our collective journey toward building vibrant, thriving communities through financial empowerment. We’ll be sharing exciting updates on our program successes, and unveiling our newly refined strategic plan.

Also join us in shining a spotlight on our incredible 3rd Sound of Progress Award winner Michael Mirra, the Executive Director of the Tacoma Housing Authority (THA) for seventeen years from 2004 until his retirement in 2021!   Before that he served for two years as THA’s general counsel.  Prior to joining THA, Michael practiced law for about 25 years with Columbia Legal Services in Washington State and legal services in Tennessee representing low-income persons and organizations in civil matters.  Michael graduated from Greeneville High School in Greeneville, Tennessee, the University of Chicago and Vanderbilt Law School.  He grew up in Queens.

This is an event full of inspiration and purpose, and you won’t want to miss it. Join us as we continue to make a meaningful impact together!

We look forward to seeing you there and sharing this special event with you!

Warm regards,

 

Kirsten Willis

kirsten@soundoutreach.org

(253) 720-2452

Event Page: https://support.soundoutreach.org/Custom/2024Luncheon

Invite your community to join us!    LinkedIn Event   |   Facebook Event

Center for Strong Families meets 100 clients for 2 locations.

100!

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Center for Strong Families meets 100 clients for 2 locations.

𝐂𝐒𝐅 𝐌𝐞𝐞𝐭𝐬 𝟏𝟎𝟎 𝐂𝐥𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐬 𝐆𝐨𝐚𝐥 𝐚𝐭 𝟐 𝐋𝐨𝐜𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬! ✅ ❤️ 🎆

We are thrilled to announce that we have achieved our ambitious goal of reaching 100 clients per Center for Strong Families at both the Sumner-Bonney Lake and Bethel locations! Hilltop is also close behind, with an impressive 85 clients. We wholeheartedly applaud the dedication and hard work of our clients and staff, as well as the invaluable support from our referral partners for Financial and Employment Coaching.

Opening the Sumner-Bonney Lake location in 2021 amidst numerous Covid restrictions was no easy feat, but Sound Outreach is overjoyed to witness our clients’ remarkable engagement and progress in building financial stability. Here’s to celebrating this significant milestone and looking forward to even greater achievements ahead!

Sound Outreach participates in the Center for Strong Families initiative, funded by the United Way of Pierce County.

SO Receives WA State Dept of Commerce Grant to “support financial coaching for underserved communities”

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Many thanks to the Washington State Department of Commerce for our grant to “support financial coaching for underserved communities that have been impacted by ‘enforcement of state criminal laws and penalties for drug possession,’ according to a Commerce release. The grants are being funded by the Washington State Community Reinvestment Account. Financial resources will prioritize Black, Latine, and tribal communities but are not limited to these communities alone, the release noted. Mentorship and financial coaching offered by the funding looks to recognize and honor cultural heritage and backgrounds and will include homebuyer education, business coaching, debt remediation, construction loans, and more, the release added.” More information on South Sound Magazine:

https://www.southsoundmag.com/wellness/washington-state-community-reinvestment-project-9-million/article_c5341734-a010-5f2e-9b33-476cd00b4429.html

Candid Platinum Transparency Seal

Sound Outreach Achieves a Platinum Transparency Rating

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We recently earned a Candid Platinum Seal of Transparency! Candid is an organization that supports nonprofits with information, resources, training, and data to find funding opportunities. Nonprofits earn Seals of Transparency by contributing information about their mission, staff and leadership, programs, goals, and more, with Platinum being their highest rating for transparency.  You can view our Candid profile here: www.guidestar.org/profile/91-1741624

Learn more about our annual fundraising luncheon! This year is "Dreams Reached!"

Dreams Reached Luncheon Recap

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WFTC Program on City Line

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Working Family Tax Credit in the News

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Working Family Tax Credit Opens Feb 1, 2023!

City of Tacoma Press Release

𝐀𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐏𝐢𝐞𝐫𝐜𝐞 𝐂𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐭𝐲 𝐑𝐞𝐬𝐢𝐝𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐬!
Did you earn less than $59,187 in 2022? You could be eligible for up to $1,200 in tax refund. 💵
The Working Families Tax Credit is a new tax refund that helps Washington workers and their families get more money back after filing taxes.
You are eligible to apply if you:
✅ Lived in Washington state for more than 6 months
✅ Are between 25 and 65 years old or have qualifying children
✅ Filed tax return with social security number or individual taxpayer identification number
✅ Have low to moderate income
✅ You do not have to be currently employed, but you must have earned income in 2022
✅ You do not need to have children
Follow the link below to learn more!

 

Sumner-Bonney Lake Center for Strong Families United Way Partnership

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Download Press Release

View Tacoma Weekly 

 

Our research has revealed that in addition to the 8 percent of families living in poverty, there is another 23 percent who live above the federal poverty level and are employed but struggle to provide their families with basic needs such as food and shelter. With a focus on employment and financial coaching and access to income supports, the Sumner site joins a strong network of organizations working together to implement proven strategies that respond to the problem of persistent poverty, financial instability and low-wage stagnation among families,” said Dona Ponepinto, UWPC President and CEO.

CSF’s innovative and integrated model educates the family on their financial behavior and encourages them to make a long-term commitment to increasing monthly net income, building credit, and acquiring assets or “Earn It, Keep It, and Grow It.”

The Sumner Bonney Lake School District is partnering with Sound Outreach, who hired an Employment and Financial coach to round out the income support services the Sumner- Bonney Lake Family Center offers. “Working together, we will bundle services to provide a multi-faceted approach to income and wealth building,” said Bryan Flint, executive director of Sound Outreach. “Each participating family can access these
services over an extended period, potentially two to three years.”

Platinum Seal Achieved

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Sound Outreach was recently awarded a Platinum Seal of Transparency from Candid (formerly GuideStar). A respected entity for 88 years, Candid helps change the world by giving donors the information they need to do good. By assisting with vetting nonprofits’ transparency, Candid cuts down on the time donors need to make decisions. Sound Outreach is proud to hold the Platinum Seal, the highest level of transparency.