It is a special treat to meet someone who discovers a need in their local community and immediately jumps into action. When Kim Gorney, founder of Washington Kids in Transition (WAKIT), heard of school bus drivers reporting hungry kids on their routes, she knew something needed to be done. In 2014 Kim, along with other concerned Edmonds-area moms, began by packing bags of snacks in Kim’s basement. The bags were then distributed to bus drivers to pass out to hungry kids on the way home from school. This snack was the last food many of them would enjoy until they returned to school the next day.
“The packing parties were a wonderful way to bring people in and say this is what we are working on, and we need your help,” Kim explains. As the organization grew, the community of Edmonds and surrounding areas gathered around this small group of women. The breadth of services they provided to area students in need grew, and Washington Kids in Transition, a full-fledged nonprofit, was born. “It took on a path of its own,” Kim describes those early days. “I can’t even describe it more than I just kind of held on to the steering wheel,” Kim, who herself mothered a family of six kids, said, “I quit my job, and I jumped right in!”
WAKIT now serves over 1,800 income-eligible students and their families who qualify for the McKinney-Vento Homeless Children and Youth Assistance Act. Many of these children live in cars, tents, or shelters and their needs are far-reaching and numerous. “For these kids, a lot of times they do homework in a car,” Kim explains. “Their grades might not always reflect what they are capable of. If we can give them that extra boost, we can see what they are capable of and where it goes from there.” WAKIT now partners with Edmonds and Everett’s school districts and other area nonprofits to provide immediate assistance such as motel and transportation vouchers, rental and utility assistance, food, clothing, and hygiene products.
In addition to meeting more immediate needs, WAKIT helps students thrive by providing numerous wrap-around services. Kim spent time talking to school advocates to find out which services might be most helpful. “Advocates don’t get burnt out by the kids,” Kim explains. “They love their job, but they get burnt out from trying to find resources for these kids. They spend time on the phone looking for things that are needed. I thought the community can do that!”
Kim began gathering community resources and skills to offer needed services for WAKIT families. ESL classes are now conducted to help parents working on their GED. STEM and art projects are distributed to teens who may feel the isolation of school closures. Over 800 bags of gift items are distributed to families in need to brighten the holidays. And, during the fall, over 500 backpacks are given to local students filled with needed school supplies.
The path to self-sufficiency is an important part of the wrap-around services provided by WAKIT. Many of the kids that WAKIT serves have been in and out of the foster care system for years. WAKIT has developed a mentoring program to provide support to kids who have recently graduated and are now navigating their first year of adult life.
“Many times, the only parental figure or person to look up to has been a teacher or counselor, and when they leave 12th grade, they lose that,” Kim says. “Our mentoring program is designed to wrap our community arms around them for one more year and show them a way that they can attend school or get a job that they can make a livable wage.” WAKIT families also have access to a professional closet, funding for their first uniform, haircut vouchers, and help with resumes and interview skills.
From the very beginning, the local community has rallied behind WAKIT to find creative ways to help their neighbors in need. Since the early packing party days in Kim’s basement, area businesses and individuals of all ages have jumped in to help. “I have had little kids come up to me with $200,” Kim describes. “They had a lemonade stand at the neighborhood garage sale and gave it all to us.”
Kim relays another story of a local teen who started a lawn mowing business to collect money for 300 basketballs to gift. He wrote an inspirational quote to encourage the WAKIT kids on each basketball. When local moms discovered that an area high school did not have the funds to host a prom, they threw a Mom Prom to raise funds. Local moms, some of whom had never been to prom themselves, dressed up and danced the night away, raising enough money to pay for the first-ever prom for these local high school students.
“Real stories of how a community can get together,” Kim says. “That is my favorite part of this. It is truly a labor of love.”
If you are interested in becoming involved, please visit Washington Kids in Transition online or follow them on Facebook, where you can find links to donate directly or get updates on other volunteer opportunities.
, heard of school bus drivers reporting hungry kids on their routes, she knew something needed to be done. In 2014 Kim, along with other concerned Edmonds-area moms, began by packing bags of snacks in Kim's basement.){kind=link}