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 In 1962, Eunice Kennedy Shriver decided to invite young people with intellectual disabilities to a summer day camp she hosted in her backyard. The idea behind that first camp, called "Camp Shriver," began to grow, and by July 1968, the first Special Olympics World Games were held in Chicago.
Last week, Gov. Jay Inslee delivered remarks in Seattle at the Special Olympics Opening Ceremony, welcoming distinguished athletes from across the country to Washington state. Inslee has been an advocate for those with disabilities. One of his first actions as governor
was to start an initiative to improve employment opportunities for people with
disabilities in state government, and in 2014 Inslee signed a letter of support encouraging the Special Olympics to come to Washington.
The week-long Special Olympics events were projected to have a $74 million economic impact on our region.
READ: The Seattle Times - Happiness
all around as Special Olympics USA Games in Seattle come to a close
READ:
Microsoft - 'These
are employees you want’: Special Olympics job fair is a win for athletes,
region
 Gov. Jay Inslee was joined last week by youth, family advocates and state leaders to celebrate the launch of the state’s new Department of Children, Youth, and Families. The agency’s opening on July 1 was the culmination of a two-year effort to transform the way Washington serves at-risk children and families.
Not only does the new department bring together early learning and child welfare services previously housed at separate state agencies, it supports the philosophy in Washington state that all children get an equal opportunity to succeed and that families benefit when services and policies take a preventative approach to problems, Inslee said.
“We shouldn’t be waiting until a child is harmed to step in. There’s so much we can do starting as early as a mother’s pregnancy to reduce the chances of harm to children and increase the chances they can succeed in school and in life,” Inslee said. “By bringing together the staff who work most with children and families, we’re going to be much better able to identify children and parents or caretakers who are struggling and need support."
DCYF Secretary Ross Hunter, as well as Blue Ribbon Commission on Children and Families co-chairs Rep. Ruth Kagi and retired judge Anne Levinson, also discussed the vision of the new agency.
“It’s been a Herculean effort, and there’s such a feeling of success that we really have accomplished the impossible,” said Kagi, who chairs the Early Learning and Human Services Committee in the House. “We’re off to a great start. … It bodes for a much better future for children and families in Washington.”
READ: Medium - Inslee kicks off new Department of Children, Youth, and Families
READ: KOMO News - 'A much better future for children & families:' New state agency breaks up DSHS
 If you or a loved one needed knee replacement surgery, would you want to know which surgeon in your community has the highest rating for quality of care? Would you like to know how much a knee replacement costs, on average, at all of the medical offices close to your home?
Those are the types of information easily accessed through Washington state’s new HealthCareCompare website, an online tool that launched late last month. The user-friendly website is part of the state’s larger effort to make health care costs more transparent, and gives the public access to health care price and quality information from the Washington All-Payer Claims Database. The database is the result of legislation proposed by Gov. Jay Inslee.
Currently, 20 states have databases but Washington is one of only six states making such data easily accessible online.
READ: Medium - Washington launches online tool that lets patients compare prices for medical procedures
 Before the fireworks on the Fourth of July, Gov. Jay Inslee helped welcome nearly 500 new citizens by speaking at the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services' 34th Annual Naturalization Ceremony in Seattle.
The event swears in new citizens, and this year's group included people from more than 80 nations, including active U.S. military personnel.
Following the naturalization ceremony, the governor attended a meeting with immigrants, refugees and asylum seekers who shared harrowing stories of their journeys to the United States. Inslee reiterated that our country must remain a safe haven for families fleeing terrible circumstances around the world.
LISTEN: KUOW - Hundreds sworn in as new U.S. citizens on Independence Day
WATCH: KING 5 - Hundreds become US citizens at Seattle naturalization ceremony
SEE: Photos on Flickr - 2018 Independence Day Naturalization Ceremony
SEE: Photos on Flickr - Discussion with immigrants and refugees
 When emergency management workers from Washington recently traveled to Hawaii to help respond to the Kilauea volcanic eruption, they also learned valuable lessons for Washington’s own volcano program.
Brian Terbush, Washington Emergency Management Division’s volcano program coordinator, returned from a five-day stint in Hawaii, where he observed the erupting Kilauea volcano and spent time working in an Emergency Operations Center there. Terbush helps with preparedness activities for Washington’s volcano program.
A six-person support team, made up of employees from the state Department of Health and the state Department of Corrections, also responded to the call for help. The Washington Incident Management team conducted EOC operations to facilitate continuity of operations, planning and logistics at the Hawaii County Emergency Operations Center in Hilo. The team is expected to return from Hawaii this week.
READ: Medium - Kilauea volcano helps emergency managers better prepare for threats in Washington
 During a trip last month to Skagit County, Gov. Jay Inslee handed over the keys to the future Sedro-Woolley Innovation for Tomorrow (SWIFT) Center to the Port of Skagit. The 225-acre property will be developed into a clean technology campus that serves as an economic engine for the area.
The property transfer, almost five years in the making, involved numerous local and state partners and is being hailed as a model of intergovernmental collaboration. Northern State Hospital operated on the property from 1913 to 1973. The site later served as a multi-service center for the U.S. Forest Service and state Department of Social and Health Services. Most recently, the state Department of Enterprise Services leased buildings and grounds to a number of organizations.
The transfer required both legislative and local actions, including authorization by the state Legislature to transfer the property to the port and annexation of the property into the City of Sedro-Woolley. To secure ownership, the state also required the port to show local investments of at least $5 million in redeveloping the property.
On this trip, the governor also toured the Cascades Job Corps College & Career Academy, where he met with students and listened to their experiences. He also visited the Fir Island Farms Estuary Restoration Project, which restored 131 acres of estuary habitat for juvenile salmon. The project includes features to protect neighboring farms against flooding and provide improved access to bird-watching.
Additionally, Inslee attended a community meeting about the importance of bringing broadband internet services to the area and its potential to foster economic development.
READ: Medium - Collaboration at its best: Inslee hands keys to future innovation, clean-tech campus to Port of Skagit
READ: Skagit Valley Herald - Port of Skagit takes ownership of SWIFT Center
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