Morningside

09/30/2025

We extend our most sincere gratitude to the Puyallup Tribe of Indians for awarding us a grant in the amount of $5,000.00. We deeply appreciate your generous support of our Pre-Employment Transition Services (Pre-ETS) Program, which offers youth ages 14-21 who utilize Individual Education Plans (IEP’s) or 504 Plans (Accommodations) services to prepare them for the world of work.

With hard work and the right training, individuals with disabilities can achieve amazing things. They have outstanding potential to contribute to the workforce and their local communities, and it is our mission to ensure they reach that potential.

Working advances the independence and self-esteem of people with disabilities. A world where people with disabilities have the same chances as all other citizens is a just and equitable goal. Your gift invests in that future, and we deeply appreciate it. Thank you for contributing to our work.

Pictured (from left to right): Tribal Council Member, Monica Miller (Puyallup Tribe of Indians), President/CEO, Jonathan Pleger (Morningside), and Tribal Council Member, Fred Dillon (Puyallup Tribe of Indians)

09/23/2025

Lewi is one of the gentlemen we've had the honor of working with through our Pre-Employment Transition Services (Pre-ETS) Program this year. During his time in the program, he expressed a strong interest in working at the downtown Olympia food bank. Lewi had previously volunteered at the food bank for a couple school years while attending Olympia Transition Academy, so he knew he could handle the responsibilities.

This summer, we partnered with the Thurston County Food Bank to offer Lewi a paid internship from July 2 to July 25. During his internship, Lewi worked three days a week and was responsible for preparing each section of the food bank before customers arrived. He also assisted with checking in customers as they entered.

Ms. B, Lewi’s supervisor during the internship, shared that Lewi was one of the few gentlemen she had worked with who felt comfortable managing the baby section of the food bank. He was able to identify various diaper sizes and feminine hygiene products with ease, and confidently guided customers to the items they needed.

Throughout his internship, Lewi excelled and required little to no support from his Morningside Pre-ETS Facilitator or his supervisor. Ms. B and her team were impressed with Lewi’s performance and expressed interest in partnering with Morningside again in the future to support more students.

Pictured: Lewi and his supervisor at the Thurston County Food Bank, Ms. B.

09/19/2025

Andrew Hughes began working as a greeter at The Home Depot in Olympia in July 2022. Over time, he's built strong repor with both coworkers and customers, earning praise for his friendly demeanor and sharp sense of humor. A running job among him and his team has led to the nickname " Mr. Perfect," which has stuck and become a term of endearment.

On hot summer days, Andrew goes above and beyond by handing out bottled water to customers as they leave or arrive at the store. When customers need help finding items, he either provides directions himself or quickly connects them with another coworker to ensure prompt assistance. His enthusiasm for the job is evident, and he genuinely looks forward to every shift.

Outside of work, Andrew is an avid sports fan with a particular love for baseball, football, and soccer. He's a regular at Rainier games and is known for his extensive knowledge of the Seattle Seahawks.

09/15/2025

Salia is one of the wonderful students we have had the pleasure of working with as part of our Pre-Employment Transition (Pre-ETS) program this year. During her time in the program, Salia expressed an interest in cosmetology as a future career, and we were able to partner with Dynamic Stylz Salon Elma WA. to provide Salia with a paid internship at the salon that lasted from July 15 to August 26.

During her internship, Salia was provided a task list to work off of during each of her shifts and eventually became so efficient at completing it that Amber, the owner, had to give her more tasks to do. She was responsible for an array of cleaning tasks that ranged from sweeping the floors to cleaning the bathroom and cleaning hair supplies that the salon used on clients. Amber and a couple of the other staff at the salon, Debbie and Angie, all said Salia was a hard worker and that the salon looked so much better with her managing all of the housekeeping tasks.

We appreciate Amber and her team for agreeing to host this opportunity for Salia and the Pre-ETS program and are happy to have another community partner in the Elma area for our students!

Pictured: Salia cleaning perm rods and cleaning the front door to the salon.

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/

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