Be sure to reserve your slot at the 2014 Sound Waters. Held at Oak Harbor High School, this popular educational event provides attendees in depth resources and access to experts on such diverse subjects as the impact of plastics on our health and environment to kayaking in local waters.  Island County Commissioner Jill Johnson is presenting a class on County  Environmental Programs. This year the keynote speaker is Bill Steele with the University of Washington. His topic "Earthquake Early Warning; Time to Act" is sure to draw a crowd. So get your registration in now. Here is a link to the website for more information. 

 

Do you know someone struggling to care for aging parents? Are you overwhelmed with trying to find and sort out information about services available to seniors? Perhaps you have a neighbor looking for activities to stay fit. Being able to juggle these challenges so folks can safely stay in their homes as long as possible is a concern for more and more of our citizens. In fact, the demographics of our community are aging so rapidly, in the near future over 50% of Island County's population will be over 50 years old.

 

The group at the forefront of advocating for and providing services to those in the second half of life is Senior Services of Island County (SSIC).

 

Contrary to what the name implies, this organization is a non-profit, not a government entity. The County does contract with SSIC to provide vital safety net services on both Camano and Whidbey Islands. Thousands of meals are delivered to homebound seniors by volunteers and served at congregate meal sites. Information and assistance is available to help families with counseling, care options and to navigate the red tape of federal and state programs. Respite care is available as well.

 

One of my various duties as County Commissioner includes serving on the Board of Directors for SSIC so I get to see firsthand the great work being done. 

 

Please visit their website. and share this valuable resource with others. Whether you need help or would like to help others, the folks at SSIC look forward to hearing from you.

  

Recently I traveled to Washington, DC with Washington State Association of Counties Executive Director Eric Johnson. The National Association of County Officials (NACO)  invited the state presidents of all 50 associations to gather and share information. Here we are pictured in the Treaty Room of the Eisenhower Executive Office Building near the White House where we received reports from the Bureau of Justice Assistance, the US Department of Transportation and the White House Office of Intergovernmental Affairs. While in DC, Eric and I took the opportunity to meet with our state's congressional delegation on issues important for counties. It was an exciting experience and I felt our input was warmly received. I'll return to DC one more time this year in March.  

Fairgrounds Plan in February