Category: PIERCE COUNTY CONNECTED
29
A Face-to-face, Family-to-family, Friend-to-friend Approach To COVID-19 in Pierce County
The Tacoma-Pierce County Health Department held a vaccination clinic on Key Peninsula a couple weeks ago where they vaccinated eighteen people and saw that as a success. She asked many questions and got good information and then made her decision when she felt like it was an informed one for her. “In the beginning > Continue Reading
1
Vaccine Participation vs. Hesitancy – Who Do You Trust?
According to Tacoma-Pierce County Health Department, as of June 30, 2021, Pierce County’s vaccination rate was 50.5%. COVID-19 vaccines are now widely available, but the number of people seeking vaccines has decreased. Organizations and agencies around Pierce County are sharing data, resources, and tools to help community members make informed decisions about vaccination. As part > Continue Reading
6
Good Information And Trusted People Critical To COVID-19 Vaccine Equity
COVID-19 vaccine supply now exceeds demand. However, vaccine availability does not automatically equal vaccination for all people in all places. In Pierce County, efforts are underway to make it easy and desirable for all communities to get the vaccine. In Yakima, an effort called the Partnership for Food Security offers valuable lessons for improving vaccine equity. Yakima County Commissioner Amanda McKinney shared an important insight from the partnership about encouraging vaccine participation, “You need to > Continue Reading
4
COVID-19 Conditions Strain School Districts and Nonprofit Partners as More Youth and Families Experience Homelessness
Marilee Hill-Anderson, Directory of Community Engagement of the Sumner-Bonney Lake School District paints a picture of the staggering need families in the district are facing right now, “We had a family who was illegally evicted from a local motel that had been there for a year and a half as homeless. They were > Continue Reading
12
Government Volume, Philanthropic Flexibility Ensure CARES Act Dollars Reach Pierce County Residents
Even with a massive infusion of federal dollars, getting money to those who need it most isn’t easy. When Pierce County received $158 million in CARES Act funding last summer, the money came with a tight deadline to get it out to the community: December 31, 2020. Heather Moss, the director of Human Services in Pierce County, explains > Continue Reading
8
Technology and Internet Access Are Essential Needs Under COVID-19 Conditions
Arriving to work one day at Tacoma’s Peace Community Center, Development Director, Lianna Shepherd met a mother in desperate need of reliable internet bandwidth in order to work from home, “She’s worked for Delta Airlines for years, and now suddenly has to perform her customer service duties from home. The woman says, ‘I don’t > Continue Reading
12
PIERCE COUNTY CONNECTED Extends Funding For Urgent Needs Under Persistent COVID-19 Conditions
“We just started taking kids and told parents, we know that there is money coming and we’re going to use the daycare grant to pay for the kids.” Located in the Hilltop community of Tacoma, the Multicultural Child and Family Hope Center provides important services to children and families. Gail Neal, Executive Director of Multicultural > Continue Reading
14
Social Emotional Learning Helps Kids Navigate COVID-19 Disruptions
Sharing is usually something adults encourage kids to practice. That’s why Tess Guerrero understood how strange it sounded when she explained to a student that they couldn’t share their supplies because of safety measures due to COVID-19. “I don’t want to hear one more thing about this virus!” the student exclaimed. Tess said the student’s > Continue Reading
13
Pandemic Philanthropy: Trust Is The Key To Impact During COVID-19
“A month ago, this was just an idea.” As Cassandra Williams was figuring out how to bring her newly leased Hilltop space up to code for her “Love by the Slice” baking business, COVID-19 hit. And so did community-based inspiration. A friend’s Facebook post alerted Cassandra, a Tacoma native, to the fact that some of her neighbors were in > Continue Reading
6
PIERCE COUNTY CONNECTED Spotlight: Helping Neighbors Have A Home To Stay Safe
As the public health response to COVID-19 in Pierce County escalated on March 13, 2020, United Way of Pierce County and Greater Tacoma Community Foundation partnered for an aligned philanthropic response to emerging community needs. Together, they launched the PIERCE COUNTY CONNECTED fund, seeded with $1,750,000 from GTCF. As of April 30, 2020, 246 > Continue Reading