Ways to Donate

The Coalition Current: December 2025

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Kids helping kids succeed Crystal has eight-year-old triplets. “Which is an adventure.” Crystal’s family—her three triplets, Noah and Carter and Simone, and her husband, Dominic—volunteered for Project Cool for the first time this year. Crystal knew about the Coalition thanks to her work. She’s an Endowed Associate Professor at the UW’s Evans School of Public Policy & Governance. Now that their children are old enough, Crystal and her husband were looking for kid-friendly volunteer opportunities to get their whole family engaged with their community. They adopted a street about a year ago and do neighborhood cleanups every month or so. She heard about Project Cool from a friend who has been trying to find ways for people to engage and educate themselves, “and do what we can” in this time of federal upheavals, Crystal explained. Project Cool was a great opportunity for their family, Crystal said. She talked to her kids about who gets the backpacks and why they need them. She explained that they were going to be helping other kids. “Kids that are like them.” Homelessness has come up with her children before, Crystal said. “Just being out in the world,” she said, “we all see that a lot.” When people were living in tents next to the triplets’ preschool, Crystal and Dominic would talk to them about what theysaw on their walk to school. One of the kids thought the people were camping. Crystal and her husband explained: “It’s not what it’s like when we go camping.” For Crystal and her husband, Project Cool was a chance to say to their children: “This is a small thing that we can do to help in our community because we can’t help everyone. We can’t fix this problem on our own, but this is a way that we can …

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Introducing Maggie Malone, the Coalition’s Summer Intern

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Hi all, My name is Maggie Malone, current summer intern at the Coalition on Homelessness, primarily working with Project Cool. I am extremely excited to be a part of the team and hope I can use the knowledge I gain through this experience to better support and advocate for people who are homeless in King County. I am currently entering my Sophomore year at Gonzaga University, where I intend to earn a bachelors degree in Human Physiology. I like music, travelling, hanging out with friends, running, and playing with my dog. I am originally from Seattle and it is very important to me that I take care of my home. I first heard of the Coalition through a family friend who volunteers for Project Cool each year with his coworkers. Project Cool especially sparked my interest because I saw it as a hands-on opportunity to give homeless students the preparedness and confidence to be able to get an education, which I wanted to be a part of. There is so much more to Project Cool than filling up backpacks. The form of advocacy that Project Cool exhibits, allows education to flourish and expands the horizon of support systems. I wanted to join the Coalition because it provides the chance to support a vulnerable population and enlighten others on how they can participate. This summer, I will be coordinating Project Cool donation drop-off/pick-up sites, managing volunteer events, and providing general support for the Coalition’s database, website, social media, and fundraisers.   If you would like to get involved with Project Cool, here is what you can do: Register to volunteer. Backpack filling days are July 14-21. Host a school supply drive or fundraiser. Email us at projectcool@homelessinfo.org for tips and suggestions, or take a look at our 2017 Wish List Donate to Project Cool securely online. Tell your friends!  

Mi Casa es tu Casa – A night of vibrant Latin Jazz to benefit the Coalition on May 18

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Get your tickets today! Mi Casa es Tu Casa, Thursday May 18 at The Royal Room, will be more than just a high-energy Latin Jazz party to benefit The Seattle/King County Coalition on Homelessness. The Wayne Horvitz/Simon Henneman Quintet opens the evening recreating Marc Ribot’s legendary 2000 release of Marc Ribot y los Cubanos Postizos (Marc Ribot and the Prosthetic Cubans). The original project was in honor of Arsenio Rodriguez, one of the chief popularizers of the Cuban musical form known as son, who wrote nine of the 10 tunes. Postizos, according to the Miami New Times, “doesn’t so much reproduce Rodriguez’s music as it reimagines it from a decidedly avant-garde perspective.” As such it’s a fitting project for local luminaries Horvitz and Henneman, both steeped in mainstream jazz and a range of underground traditions, who have a fondness for interpreting the work of fellow genius travelers. Check it out and read on for more artists: Subsequent sets by Todo Es and EntreMundos Quarteto will ramp up the party. Todo Es plays original material combining Afro-Cuban, Caribbean and Brazilian sounds with contemporary Latin Jazz improvisation. EntreMundos Quarteto features traditional Brazilian music with jazz, funk, soul and world influences. Listen to Todo Es here and check out this video of EntreMundos Quarteto in studio with KNKX Public Radio: Tickets for the benefit show are $15 in advance and $20 at the door. Doors open at 6:30, the music starts at 8. Advance tickets are available at tinyurl.com/musicforagoodcause.  Please note: Tickets do not guarantee seating during shows at the Royal Room. For sold out shows standing room may be the only available space. If advanced tickets are sold out, limited tickets will be available at the door on a first come, first serve basis. Please come early to ensure you get a table. Reservations can be …

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Volunteer Days are over for 2016, but you can help make back-to-school cool throughout the year!

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These are Katherine’s reflections on Project Cool 2016: Last Wednesday, a volunteer placed the final Project Cool backpack into a case manager’s van and I began to reflect on this year’s Project Cool Volunteer Days. As we transition to the next phase of Project Cool, I am able to appreciate Project’s Cool full year cycle and the breadth of people and communities the program touches. We have enjoyed each Project Cool volunteer day, and I feel lucky to have organized, packed and inventoried supplies alongside such fantastic volunteers! As we look forward to the next few months and connecting to community members through supply drives (want to host one where you work or play? Contact Hillary – hillary[at]homelessinfo[dot]org), we know that 1,417 colorful backpacks will enter the first days of school swung over the shoulders of students ranging from Pre-K to 12th grade. Having only joined the Seattle/King County Coalition on Homelessness a few weeks ago, I entered my first volunteer day with enthusiasm, excitement, and a bit of nervous anticipation of the amount of work to be accomplished in just a week. I could not wait to see the weeks of donation and volunteer coordination I had supported, as well as the year-long effort Hillary and Julia contributed to Project Cool, come to bloom! My expectations were surpassed and my qualms eased by the awesome volunteers that arrived with enthusiasm for each shift. I feel hopeful for the future of the children that Project Cool serves after discussing many volunteers’ commitment to ending homelessness. Over the past week I learned more fully how raising a child can require mobilization from an entire community. Participants demonstrated how volunteering quickly builds community amongst initial strangers. Participants bonded over their passion for service to form productive, fun work teams. For many of …

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2016 Community Resource Exchange: Wed. April 6 at CenturyLink Field

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The 2016 Community Resource Exchange will be held Wednesday, April 6th at CenturyLink Field.  Please register HERE as a service provider. Download, post, and share the 2016 Community Resource Exchange Outreach Poster. This is a day where barriers are reduced to haircuts, dental checks, free shoes, a hot meal, transportation, and so much more! Click here for more info about the exchange, run by United Way of King County, or email exchange [at] uwkc [dot] org. The Coalition on Homelessness will be hosting a Voter Registration table!  Email Hillary if you’re interested in more information about our voter registration work for people who are unstably housed, or if you’d like to volunteer.

Recap: General Meeting and Street Drugs 101 Case Manager Training – June 18,2015

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What a meeting!  Among the friendly faces were representatives from SHARE, YWCA, Plymouth Housing Group, Housing Development Consortium, Child Care Resources, Compass Housing Alliance, Housing Justice Project, Hopelink, REACH/Evergreen Treatment Services, North Helpline, Catholic Community Services, Recovery Cafe, Washington Low Income Housing Alliance, Jewish Family Services, Aridell Mitchell Home (Goodwill Development Association), Washington Family Counseling Service, ROOTS, YouthCare, El Centro de la Raza, Multi-Service Center, Year Up, and 2-1-1. Following the General Meeting, representatives from even more organizations and community members joined us for our Street Drugs 101 + Naloxone + Related Laws training. Both were informative meetings – Here’s a brief recap . . .  [Psssst! Don’t miss out in the future — add our General Meeting dates to your calendar.] June 18, 2015 General Membership Meeting Report-back Smoking Ban update – On Thursday, May 28, the Board of Park Commissioners voted unanimously (8-0) to pass a smoking ban in Seattle Parks. This ban will take effect 30 days after the vote, likely beginning in July. While this is still a disappointing outcome, it’s important to remember the impact of our collective action. By speaking up with many community members and organizations, we were able to influence the removal of the $27 citation, ensure a “Right to Dispute” be made available, and see to it that there is oversight of enforcement. An emphasis of education is also a feature of this policy. Read the Seattle Parks and Recreation’s release about the new smoking ban.  Now, we all have continued work to do to ensure that what is “in writing” is put into action, and that whatever plays out is brought to light. This means we need you, your colleagues, your friends and family, and, certainly, the people you serve who are (likely) most impacted by this policy to keep us informed about how the implementation and enactment of …

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Recap: Coalition’s General Membership Meeting — May 21, 2015

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You packed the room at our May 21 General Membership Meeting. Among the friendly faces were folks from Farestart, Sound Mental Health, Community Lunch on Capitol Hill, Harborview, City of Redmond, Housing Development Consortium, Hopelink, 2-1-1, Solid Ground, Seattle Community Law Center, Compass Housing Alliance, ROOTS, Catholic Community Services – Aloha Inn, Jewish Family Services, YearUp, Lake City Taskforce on Homelessness, Real Change, Global to Local, City of Seattle Human Services Department, Seattle Parks Department, resident of Pioneer Square, UW Center for Pediatric Dentistry, 45th Street Youth Clinic (Neighborcare), Low Income Housing Institute, REACH, UW Law School, YWCA Landlord Liaison Project. This broad representation from our member organizations and community as a whole helped facilitate important, timely dialogue with Seattle Human Services Department Director and Deputy Director as well as Acting Parks Superintendent. Here’s a brief recap . . .  [Psssst! Don’t miss out in the future — add our General Meeting dates to your calendar.] I. Discussion with Director Catherine Lester & Deputy Directors Heidi Albritton Catherine stared by sharing her background, starting at age 4, to help us understand her motivations, perspective, and reasons why she does what she does. She has five over-arching focuses/goals for HSD: Results. Generate results that are measurable, and that increase equity and decrease disparity. Measures vary, and need to be properly applied (e.g., quality vs performance vs outcome). Public Stewardship. HSD has had audit findings each year for the last four years. This isn’t good for many reasons, two of which are: 1) calls the question about whether HSD can do the job, and 2) risks money that flows to providers. Preferred Employer. Create a working environment that is positive and productive. This absolutely includes ensuring that providers have better, positive experiences working with HSD staff. Innovation.(Let’s continue to honor innovations that already exist.) Spoke specifically towards …

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What does it take to fill nearly 1,300 backpacks?

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What does it take to fill nearly 1,300 backpacks? A lot of planning, a lot of supplies, a lot of backpacks, but most of all A LOT OF FANTASTIC VOLUNTEERS! During our five volunteer days, we had over 90 volunteers help stuff backpacks for nearly 1,300 homeless children. We had volunteers from age 4 – age 70+ volunteer with Project Cool this year to make sure that every homeless child served by Project Cool could go back to school in September equipped with the same tools for success as every other child in his or her class. Our youngest volunteers were truly some of the best volunteers, they worked hard and had excellent attitudes, even through the long 3 hour shifts when they had to carry heavy backpacks up long flights of stairs. One of our youngest volunteers even came up and asked me, “Can I volunteer with you again soon?” I told her that we would be happy to have her again next year, and she quickly told me, “But next year is SOOOOO far away!” Project Cool is truly a volunteer-powered project, and without these fantastic, hard-working, and enthusiastic volunteers, we would not be able to provide something so critical – a brand new backpack with school supplies – at the beginning of the school year to 1,300 homeless children in preschool – twelfth grade.  The gift of a new backpack gives both the parents and the kids one less thing to worry about – the parents don’t have to worry about one more thing to purchase that they can’t afford, and the kids don’t have to worry about being stigmatized at school because they can’t afford the right supplies or a backpack. Even though the backpacks are all stuffed, Project Cool isn’t over yet! As you are …

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