JUMP into SPRING. Carlos Story By Wellspring CEO Ruthann Howell. Important Dates Exciting Wellspring events to put on your calendar

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1 Carlos Story By Wellspring CEO Ruthann Howell Important Dates Exciting Wellspring events to put on your calendar Rough Seas Fuente s story Shoe Drive Jump into Spring with a donation drive for Wellspring Ezra Shares Kids Helping Kids JUMP into SPRING SPRING NEWSLETTER 2017 Since 1892, Wellspring has helped hundreds of thousands of children and families break the debilitating cycles of instability, homelessness, and adversity to achieve positive, permanent change in their lives. You can also stay connected via our Powerful Change blog, Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram profiles.

2 Carlos Story This is an excerpt of a speech delivered by Wellspring CEO/President, Ruthann Howell, at the 2017 Powerful Change Luncheon. To read the full speech, or watch the video, visit our Powerful Change blog at: Every family we work with is guided by Wellspring s incredible team. They forge amazing relationships based on trust and accountability with children and their parents. They understand why children and even their parents are acting the way they do. I d like to share with you the story of Carlos. He s a four-year-old in our Early Learning Center (ELC) whose family was homeless for six months and living in their car when his mom fled an abusive relationship. At Wellspring, his mom was able to find housing and move forward with her life. Carlos was enrolled in our ELC. When Carlos started with us, he was angry, confused, and scared. Every day at the ELC was tough for him. He always seemed on the verge of boiling over-and often did. His Wellspring teachers understood why Carlos was behaving the way he did. They spent weeks helping him identify his feelings. The teachers also worked with his mom to provide structure and support at home. A major breakthrough came one day: Carlos had a massive meltdown in the classroom but his teacher talked him through it. When he was calm, she asked him, What do you think is going on inside of you? What are you feeling? Carlos responded, I feel like I m on fire inside of me. His teacher asked, What do you think you could do to put out that fire? Carlos gave that some thought. Then he said, I could get a drink of water. In the weeks that followed, with the help of his trusted teacher, and working with him mom, Carlos was able to put out the fire when his insides started feeling hot. He learned to identify what he was feeling and his teachers were supportive when he would ask to get a glass of water. Carlos learned that he could control himself. I d encourage you to think about Carlos every time you see a glass of water. It s a powerful reminder of this little boy and his network of support teachers, therapists, parent educators, housing specialists and Wellspring supporters like YOU. Together we have found a way to help Carlos put out his fire. It s a vivid reminder that we can help Carlos find a new path beyond the traumatic effects of homelessness. Kids Helping Kids Since age 2 Ezra has been collecting money to share with others. Last week, just before his 5th Birthday he came by to drop off his gift to help other kids. After visiting the Early Learning Center and the Baby Boutique Ezra said, I hope my money helps get books for four-year-olds and helps moms find houses. For more info visit

3 Important Dates Find out more about the important work that your donations make possible. Join us at one of these upcoming events! April 19: Wellspring Open House Refreshments * Tours * Meet Staff See the impact of what you ve made possible! Rotary Support Center for Families: 1900 Rainier Ave S. April 25: Paper Tigers Wellspring s Megan Beers, Ph.D. will join a panel of speakers after this film about important ACEs work happening in our state. Part of Amara s Championing Youth film series at the Majestic Bay Theatre April 27: Resilience: The Biology of Stress the Science of Hope Miss our screening at Town Hall? Wellspring s Megan Beers, Ph.D. will again join a panel of experts after the film. Presented by Seattle Children s Hospital May 10: GiveBig: Now More Than Ever Don t miss this once-a-year opportunity to support Wellspring. This year it is more important than ever! Get your donation scheduled early. Early giving pre-scheduling of donations begins April 27! For more information, visit JUMP into SPRING: SHOE AND SOCK DRIVE New and gently used: dress shoes athletic shoes rain boots slippers new socks and tights We always have on-going needs for essential items like new underwear, diapers, infant formula, multicultural toys and kid s books, gift cards and monetary donations, and all seasonally appropriate clothing. Questions? drives@wellspringfs.org Wellspring's 2017 Powerful Change Luncheon was a huge success! We raised nearly $470,000 to support lasting change in our community! Thank you to all of you that attended and donated generously! A special thanks to all of our Table Captains and sponsors who make this event possible. With your support we will end the multi-generational cycle of family homelessness in Seattle, and beyond. An extra special thank you to Wellspring's 2017 Powerful Change premiere sponsors: Thank you emcee Mark Wright, of KING 5 News, for helping make this event a success two years in a row!

4 Fuente s Story At Wellspring we respect everyone who comes to us for help and many are working toward a fresh start in life. So while their stories are true, client names and images may have been changed to protect their privacy. Fuente was pregnant and her situation with her partner was becoming unmanageable. Soon, she found herself raising a child on her own. She owned her own business, but rising expenses meant it was struggling. She had invested everything she had in it but eventually she couldn t afford the rent for the business, and then when it closed she couldn t afford the rent for her apartment. She was soon homeless. The hardest day came when she found herself at the gas station with the red empty tank light on in her car and only $5 in her pocket. She needed the gas to help find a job. She spent that $5, everything she had, to put gas in the tank and got back in, only to find the red light still on. Then, from a voice in the backseat she hears, Mom, I m hungry. It was then she knew she needed help. Fuente and her daughter lived in a shelter for three months, and during that time, Wellspring found Fuente a stable home and she began working with Wellspring Case Manager, Ana Cortez to begin rebuilding her life. Fuente remembers the troubled times, before she met Ana, like she was at sea, alone in a small boat, in a raging storm. When I m starting to work with Ana it was like I m starting to see like a light in my life. Life is a storm sometimes and I feel like Ana came with the other paddle and said OK, just do it! and she was with me. Today, Fuente and her family are stably housed. She is taking classes to learn English and hopes to get her high school diploma. She credits the support she got from Ana for her positive attitude and current success. GIVING TOGETHER: Your Gift at Work 3,715INDIVIDUALS triumph over trauma and thrive. This includes 967 adults and 2,748 children. For nearly 125 years, Wellspring Family Services has been a source of opportunity for children and families to win their resilience, triumph over trauma and reach their full potential. Thanks to your support, last year Wellspring helped: 2,249 CHILDREN & THEIR FAMILIES EXPERIENCING HOMELESSNESS received a total of 3,997 shopping trips for essential items at the Baby Boutique, our free store. This included the distribution of nearly 50,000 diapers, a critical, but costly expense for many families.

5 THANK YOU Seattle Children s Theatre collected warm coats for Wellspring s Baby Boutique during their run of A Snowy Day. They also provided Wellspring with 50 complimentary tickets so our homeless families could experience the show too! Legacy Giving Why I have included Wellspring in my estate: Wellspring is an organization that remains consistently focused on what matters families and children in need offering a path to climb out of poverty. Wellspring has been clear about its mission from the beginning. And, it is an organization in my community. I would like to feel that I am being a good neighbor. My values treating people with respect and honesty with no ulterior motive are the values I believe Wellspring has always embraced. I trust Wellspring to do the right thing. And, its track record shows that it does. Judy Cushman Wellspring 1892 Legacy Circle Member To discuss making a legacy gift to Wellspring, Kelly Pearson, Chief Development Officer, at kpearson@wellspringfs.org or call The Washington Dental Foundation and Delta Dental s Tooth Fairy paid Wellspring s Baby Boutique a visit with this great gift of essential hygiene items for our Fresh Starts campaign. The Washington Dental Foundation/Delta Dental was also a Table Sponsor at this year s Powerful Change Luncheon. Thank you for caring about families in crisis! KCTS 9 s Mister Rogers Neighborhood Sweater Drive helps honor the legacy of Fred Rogers by collecting more than 11,100 lbs of new and gently used cold-weather clothing to help those in need face the cold winter months. We are grateful to be able to distribute these warm and cozy items to children who need them.