Morningside

09/05/2025

Andrew Nguyen recently celebrated his 12-year anniversary at the Martin Way Grocery Outlet store as a Courtesy Clerk. Grocery Outlet gave him a card and $100 gift card to celebrate.

Throughout his time working at Grocery Outlet, Andrew has been described by supervisors and coworkers as hard working, polite, friendly and an all-around amazing person! He bags groceries, collects carts, escorts customers to their cars, restock and cleans the shelves, stores go-backs, and trains new Courtesy Clerks, to name a few of his responsibilities. When Andrew is not busy with working, he loves to Zumba dance and play games.

09/03/2025

Devin was hard at work this summer with his Pre-ETS internship at Wolf Haven International. Devin volunteered at Wolf Haven during this last school year with Yelm Site House and wanted to do his paid internship there. Devin started his internship on 7/3 and ended it on 8/21/25.

During his internship, Devin worked as a landscaper for Wolf Haven and helped with clearing the wolf graves of weeds in the Wolf cemetery. Devin's internship was overseen by Wolf Haven's Education Manager, Faye Peebles, and Facilities Coordinator, Brandon Roden, who described him as a hard worker who performed everything they asked of him. They also shared that they enjoyed working with Devin this summer.

This is Wolf Haven's second year hosting Pre-ETS internships. They have hosted three internships during the summer for the past two years! We appreciate their ongoing support for our program.

Pictured: Devin weeding at the Wolf Cemetery & Devin with Faye, Wolf Haven's Educational Manager.

08/01/2025

Laith Ahmad recently celebrated his 10-year anniversary working as an Office Assistant 3 with the HR Department for Washington State Department of Financial Institutions (DFI). Throughout his time working for DFI, Laith has been responsible for delivering mail to the whole building and making sure each floor and copy machine is fully stocked with copy paper. Laith is also responsible for making Senior Packets for the Department of Banks for Credit Unions and maintaining the Stars database, where he inputs data and double checks it for accuracy. Laith's coworkers and managers have become wonderful natural supports for him. To honor Laith for all his hard work and dedication to his job, his coworkers showed up for his lunch and presented him with a Certificate of Recognition!

Congratulations on 10-years of employment, Laith! We're looking forward to seeing what the future has in store for you.

07/28/2025

On July 14th, 2025, Michaela Warden celebrated her 4-year anniversary as a team member at Hops n Drops "A Neighborhood Gathering Place" in Lacey, WA. Throughout her time working at Hops n' Dops, Michaela has consistently demonstrated her outstanding job performance when completing tasks during her shift and making sure to tell her manager if there are any potential problems, immediately. Michaela understands the importance of her job and clear communication. She advocates for herself, clearly communicating with her employer when she needs to. Michaela adores her coworkers, who have evolved into understanding and compassionate natural supporters for her over the years, and she's excited to continue having fun while working hard as a team. To honor Michaela for her hard work and dedication, her coworkers surprised her with a delicious cake!

Michaela has been a Morningside client since 2019, and she has overcome numerous obstacles and challenges on her way to becoming a valued member of the Morningside family. Earlier this year, on Advocacy Day, Michaela delivered a statement on the steps of the state Capitol, highlighting some of these obstacles and how they have affected her and others within the disability community. The featured video shows Michaela giving the first portion of her speech at our Morningside's corporate office in Olympia and finishes on the Capitol steps. The video ends with Michaela receiving a lovely present from her coworkers in recognition of her excellence and contributions to the Hops n' Drops team!

Congratulations on 4-years at Hops n' Drops, Michaela! We're excited to see where you'll go from here.

07/25/2025

We are delighted to announce that Joseph Tanasse, one of the wonderful individuals we have had the pleasure of supporting over the years, has retired from the Westside Goodwill of Olympics and Rainier Region in Olympia after 24 years of service as a Sales Floor Assistant. Over the years, Joseph has assisted with a number of duties as part of his job. He's been in charge of selecting particular clothes from racks and placing them in the appropriate sorting bins. He was also in charge of arranging hangers and placing them on the racks. Joseph always arrived at work with a positive attitude and eager to work.

His coworkers and managers threw him a retirement party to celebrate him and express their gratitude for all of his hard work over the years. Joseph is clearly loved by his coworkers and managers, who will miss his cheerful, friendly energy.

Congratulations on 24 fantastic years at Goodwill, Joseph! We hope you enjoy your retirement.

07/22/2025

On July 10th, 2000, Morningside warmly welcomed RJ Tindell. Over the last 25 years, RJ has been a staple in the Community Protection program. Supporting clients during all hours at all types of job sites (ask him which job has been his favorite). RJ has witnessed many changes at Morningside, including the closing of sheltered workshops and the progress towards the elimination of 14(c) and subminimum wage for individuals with disabilities. RJ is unforgettable, compassionate, and dedicated to helping clients. Please congratulate him and help us in celebrating is accomplishments. Thank you, RJ, for changing the lives of our clients.

07/18/2025

Codey Winkler recently had the opportunity to tour the Sierra Pacific Industries site in Aberdeen, WA, alongside his Morningside Career Consultant, Melissa, and Business Developer, Becca. Codey had previously worked at another local mill for ten years, so he was very excited about the opportunity to see the Sierra Pacific Industries facility. This was also a nostalgic trip for Codey, whose father assisted with the facility's construction and previously worked for them as a truck driver. Codey remembers visiting the facility as a child to see his father's work.

Although Codey didn't mention anything specific being a favorite part of the tour, he did say that he could see himself shoveling chips/pellets into the boiler. Following the site tour, Melissa gladly assisted Codey in submitting an application to work at Sierra Pacific Industries' Aberdeen facility. Unfortunately, due to the nature of the work, only full-time opportunities were open, and a job couldn't be offered to Codey at that time. Codey may not have gotten the job with SPI, but he's keeping his spirits high and staying hopeful for the next opportunity that comes his way.

We are thankful to Sierra Pacific for providing us with a tour of their facility, as well as their continuous collaboration with us in other counties and support for our mission.

07/16/2025

ThurstonTalk.com recently published a story praising and thanking Tammy Van Natta, The Evergreen State College's Building Services Manager, and her team for their dedication to training and mentoring Project SEARCH interns. Congratulations Tammy! Project SEARCH and Morningside appreciate your dedication to the program and look forward to your continued support for upcoming students.

Read the full article here: https://www.thurstontalk.com/2025/04/23/the-evergreen-state-colleges-tammy-van-natta-awarded-outstanding-employer-for-project-search/

ThurstonTalk creates news stories about what it's like to live, work, and play in Olympia, Lacey, Tumwater, Thurston County. Turn to ThurstonTalk for Olympia, Lacey, Tumwater news and feature stories.

07/14/2025

On July 1st, 1980, Morningside welcomed Anna Finnell. Over the last 45 years, she has experienced many changes and worked in multiple roles but has always been dedicated to coaching our clients. Anna is kind, considerate, and selfless. She truly is a wonderful addition to our team. Anna has witnessed many changes over the years, including the closing of sheltered workshops and the progress towards the elimination of 14(c) and subminimum wage for individuals with disabilities. Please congratulate her and help us celebrate her accomplishments. Thank you, Anna, for your work in changing the lives of many of our clients.

07/10/2025

During the school year, one of our Pre-ETS Facilitators, Bethany McKim, leads a weekly 'Work Readiness' course for seniors at Sequim High School. The seniors are already enrolled in a class called 'Career Readiness,' so the session complements their existing coursework well. Over the last four years, Bethany and these students' teacher have collaborated to ensure that their curriculums complement one another each week.

After a month of interview preparation, mock interviews are provided to students as part of the Pre-ETS Work Readiness workshop. For these interviews, our Pre-ETS Facilitator will often ask a coworker to serve as the interviewer from a prospective employer, usually someone who is a complete stranger to the student being interviewed. This ensures that the student has a more authentic interview experience.

Many students who participated in these mock interviews stated that being interviewed by a stranger was both beneficial and enjoyable. One student stated, "The mock interview helped me work on my confidence, eye contact, and being okay sitting in silence to think and answer questions with better accuracy. And it was overall quite fun."

05/29/2025

Gini Turner recently celebrated her 13th anniversary at O Bee Credit Union as a Branch Caretaker. Gini is responsible for ensuring her coworkers always have fresh coffee, a clean break room, and clean conference rooms. Gini also makes sure that all door handles at sanitized and plants are watered. She is still one of the longest working employees there and continues to brighten the days of her coworkers with her wonderful smile. In her spare time, Gini participates in Hummingbird Studio's Peace choir and is learning how to swing and salsa dance.

Congratulations on 13 years, Gini! We're honored we've gotten the opportunity to support you throughout the years.

05/27/2025

The Project SEARCH students recently completed a job tour at West Olympia Safeway. Managers Kameron and Tammy guided the students through the front end, main floor, produce, bakery, deli, meat department, and stockroom. The students asked the managers about working at Safeway and the company culture. Project SEARCH students learned about the various open positions and the qualifications required for each. Near the end of the tour, the students even had the opportunity to taste a delicious treat from the bakery.

Thank you, Kameron, Tammy, and Safeway, for the fantastic in-depth tour you provided for our students! We look forward to seeing you next year with the new class!