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This week we hear from Sasha Hendricks, the Education Curator at The Cougar Mountain Zoo in Issaquah. The Cougar Mountain Zoo will once again turn into Santa's home away from the North Pole during December as they hold their annual Reindeer Festival. Yes, there are real live reindeer at the Cougar Mountain Zoo, along with cougars, wolves, tigers, and, as Sasha tells us, many other endangered species. As the Education Curator, her mission is conservation through education" and she explains a number of ways the Cougar Mountain Zoo pursues that goal. Learn more online at www.cougarmountainzoo.org as well as on Facebook and Instagram.

This week we talk about finding a way to pay for college. Luke Minor is the WA529 Director. WA529 is the college savings plan for the State of Washington. It has two parts to it now; the Guaranteed Education Tuition, known as GET for over 20 years; and DreamAhead, a savings program with several options that the investor can choose from. With the cost of college tuition always on the rise, these innovative opportunities for Washington residents can make the difference in achieving the dream of a college education for your child. Learn more online at www.wastate529.wa.gov or www.get.wa.gov or call 1-800-955-2318

November 17th is World Prematurity day and The March of Dimes is on a crusade to drastically reduce the rate of premature births. Kasey Rivas is the Maternal & Child Health and Government Affairs Director for the March of Dimes - Washington. She discusses the launch of an innovative pilot program that will combine their highly successful Supportive Pregnancy Care program with Substance Treatment. This hybrid model will not only provide prenatal care in a group setting, but also support pregnant women recovering from substance use disorder during the prenatal and postpartum period. Learn more online at www.marchofdimes.org

November is Lung Cancer Awareness month and we speak with lung cancer survivor and advocate Janet Freeman-Daily. Lung Cancer kills more than the next three deadly cancers combined...more than colo-rectal, breast, and pancreatic cancers. Never a smoker, Janet tells her story of lung cancer diagnoses and treatment. There are new breakthroughs in identifying lung cancer types as well as treatments and with more research, much more can be done. Lots of resources are online to learn more about Lung Cancer: www.lcfamerica.org www.lungevity.org www.go2foundation.org

This week we speak with Christine Rose. Christine is a certified business and executive coach, and is the author of the upcoming book, Life Beyond #MeToo, a book for all men and women. It documents sexual discrimination, harassment, abuse, and violence in our society, as well as offers the possibilities for a cultural shift in how we view normal behavior. Learn more online at: https://www.facebook.com/LifeBeyondMeToo/ and http://www.christinerose.coach/

This week we’ll hear from the Executive Director of Congregations For The Homeless, David Bowling. David explains the work they have done with local businesses and governments to offer more access to not only daytime shelters, but year-round as well. They have a permanent shelter in Bellevue in the works that will dramatically increase the number of beds for emergency shelter, as well as transitional and permanent housing. Learn more online at www.cfhomeless.org

October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month and we’ll hear from Domestic Violence Services of Snohomish County. Vicci Hilty, the Executive Director and Debra Bordsen, the Deputy Director share the need of programs like theirs. They offer emergency shelter and comprehensive, confidential services to victims of domestic abuse including their children. DVS also provides individual and community awareness programs which can affect the social change necessary to eliminate domestic violence. Learn more online at https://dvs-snoco.org/

This week we meet Chaplain Debbie Maund, the founder of Veterans For Worship. When on active duty, military personnel have access to a chaplain and can find an outlet for their spiritual needs and pastoral care. Upon leaving the service, they often have no support for such needs. Veterans For Worship is focused on reaching veterans and their family members and connecting them to God and their spiritual needs. The discussion covers a recent VA report on suicide of veterans, PTSD, the tight-knit community of veterans, and much more. Learn more on their Facebook page www.facebook.com/veteransforworship

This week we’ll hear the inspiring words of Omari Amili. Omari is an author, community leader, and a speaker for Humanities Washington. He leads workshops and has developed curriculum to lead those being released from prison for their re-entry to society. Omari speaks with first-hand knowledge on the subject. He relates his own story of a troubled childhood, dropping out of school, running street scams and eventually getting 30 felony convictions and sent to prison. Upon his release and finding only dead end jobs in his future, he dedicated himself to higher education. Our short visit with him barely touches the surface of the talks he gives for Humanities Washington on the subject “From Crime to the Classroom: How Education Changes Lives.” Learn more about Omari Amili on his website www.omariamili.com and learn more about Humanities Washington online at www.humanities.org

Fresh off their annual Northwest Metastatic Breast Cancer Conference, we hear from Komen Puget Sound's Executive Director David Richart and Conference Co-Chair Teri Pollastro. Komen Puget Sound has been working to end Breast Cancer in the Northwest for 27 years and by hosting this annual conference they are focusing on when breast cancer metastasizes in other parts of a patient's body. The conference brings together the top local and national researchers and clinicians from organizations including Fred Hutch, SCCA, Swedish, Virginia Mason and NCI to speak to and help MBC patients. Learn more online at www.komenpugetsound.org and watch highlights from the conference on their Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/KomenPugetSound/

This week we hear from Wonderland Child & Family Services. Executive Director Mary Kirchoff and Director of Programs & Services Michelle Stiller Bradley discuss the need for early intervention programs for children with developmental delays and disabilities. Wonderland has had success serving kids and their families with Down Syndrome, cerebral palsy, autism spectrum disorder and more for 50 years; and recently they have opened their Hope Rising Clinic that specializes in comprehensive support for children with prenatal exposure to substances such as alcohol and opioids. Learn more online at www.wonderlandkids.org and www.hoperisingclinic.org

This week we speak with Kathy Fleming, the Executive Director of Attain Housing. Attain Housing has been bringing our community together to partner with homeless families by providing affordable housing and empowering them with practical case management and hope. Besides owning their own transitional housing units, Kathy talks about one of the latest methods to help the homeless; Eviction Prevention. She also encourages the public to get involved in many ways, from advocating policy changes through our elected officials, to leasing an extra home or room to a non-profit that focuses on affordable housing. Learn more online at www.attainhousing.org and follow them on Facebook and Twitter.

This week we hear about the necessity to listen to our body when it screams at us. Amy Bettesworth is the American Heart Association's Director of the Heart & Stroke Walk in Tacoma. Her husband Tom is a heart attack survivor, so they both have perspectives worth hearing. Tom ignored the symptoms of his heart attack and Amy, as a dutiful wife, went along with it, telling him "if you still feel this bad in the morning, let's go to urgent care." Well, luckily he survived until the morning. He shares his compelling story and they both tell us the need for people to learn more about their heart health. The American Heart Association is hosting Heart & Stroke Walks in Puget Sound; on October 5th in Tacoma and October 12th in Seattle. You can start your own team, join or support an existing team, or donate online at www.heart.org/pugetsound

This we welcome Food Lifeline's President & CEO Linda Nageotte and their Senior Marketing & Media Relations Officer Mark Coleman. Food Lifeline is celebrating 40 years of feeding the hungry in Western Washington. At Food Lifeline they are working to feed people who are experiencing hunger everyday by sourcing and distributing really large quantities of food, as well as the very important work of addressing the root causes to eliminate hunger forever. From farm to fork, virtually every aspect of the food industry from farm to fork has food waste and Food Lifeline has developed logistical processes to capture that leftover food and get it to those in need through their online platform. Food Lifeline has a fun day in the park with music and food Sunday, September 8, at 11:00 AM in north Seattle's Meridian Park called "Foodstock: The Summer to End Hunger" featuring 80's Ska band The English Beat. Learn more about Food Lifeline online at www.foodlifeline.org

Our guest this week is Lt. Genie Elton of the Kitsap County Sheriff's Department. Many people have occasion to run from the cops, but Lt. Elton is inviting everyone to "Run With The Cops" on Saturday, September 7th at Olympic College in Bremerton. It is part of the Law Enforcement Torch Run campaign that is the largest grassroots fundraising and awareness event for Special Olympics across the globe. In Washington State there are nearly 2000 law enforcement volunteers that support Special Olympics Washington. The Special Olympics mission remains as vital today as it did when the movement was founded in 1968....they strive to create a better world by fostering the acceptance and inclusion of all people. Over 19,000 athletes participate in Special Olympics in Washington State and it is entirely supported by individual, corporate, and foundation contributions. The Run With The Cops 5K is easy to participate in. You can run or walk; be competitive or casual, but Lt. Elton guarantees you will have fun. Sign up to participate at www.runwiththecopswa.com and learn more about Special Olympics at www.specialolympicswashington.org