Breast Cancer Awareness Month
Happy Friday Kent!
I wanted to kick off this week's newsletter with a reminder that is close to my heart. In 2016, I was diagnosed with breast cancer.
It was supposed to be a happy day I wouldn't forget, because it was the day I announced I wanted to be the next mayor of Kent.
Instead, it became a day of fear, panic and unknowns. But after a tough fight, I was able to beat the cancer because of the help, research and developments made by organizations like the American Cancer Society.
I'm forever grateful for the individuals and organizations standing up and dedicating time and resources to find a cure to cancer and expand treatment options.
So, this October as we recognize Breast Cancer Awareness Month, please get your mammogram and remind those you love to schedule their appointment.
Don't procrastinate on this, and don't let your friends or family push it off. It's that important. My mother was the one who reminded me, and she truly saved my life.
On a lighter note, we have some great events coming up the next few weeks, so I hope you enjoy the update and have a great weekend!
Dana Ralph, Kent Mayor
Indigenous Peoples' Day
Monday is Indigenous Peoples Day, a day to celebrate and honor Indigenous and Native American peoples and tribal communities and commemorate their histories and cultures.
The City of Kent is on the traditional land of the Duwamish and Muckleshoot people, and we want to honor the land as well as the Native people past and present that inhabit it.
We celebrate the people who first called this land home. We remember the struggles and tragedies they endured and honor their place in and contributions to the shared story of our nation.
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Fall is here and the rain is back! Here's some quick tips for reducing localized flooding in your neighborhood.
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Last weekend, I went on a tour of School of Rock, it's the newest business at Kent Station. What a cool place!
They are accepting new students as young as three.
Welcome to Kent, School of Rock.
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It's always fun to welcome a new business to Kent. Taco Twist celebrated their grand opening last weekend.
Councilmember Satwinder Kaur and I had the honor of cutting the ribbon.
I highly recommend checking out Taco Twist, the food is fantastic.
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A little rain didn't stop the inaugural Kent All City Golf Tournament at Riverbend Golf Complex.
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It was fun watching teams from all of the Kent high schools compete.
Congratulations to the Kentridge Boys and Kentwood Girls on the win!
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October is Cybersecurity Awareness Month, so I wanted to include a reminder for you to take some time and ensure you know some best practices to protect yourself.
- Enabling multi-factor authentication
- Using strong passwords
- Updating software
- Recognizing and reporting phishing
It's important to take a risk-based approach and focus on the behaviors most important to you. Everyone has a right to a safe internet, so remember to #BeCyberSmart!
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Kent City Council
Here's the recap on what the Kent City Council has been working on!
You can also see the full meeting agendas, minutes and livestream recordings on our website.
As a reminder, the council has switched back to the Committee of the Whole format, so business that was previously discussed at meetings throughout the week is back to being before our regularly scheduled Workshop and council meetings.
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October marks Domestic Violence Awareness Month. Its purpose is to raise awareness about domestic abuse that affects so many within our communities. This campaign provides efforts to end domestic violence by providing education and support for members of our community.
Tuesday night, I presented Jenn Gladish, Board President for DAWN, the Mayor's proclamation for Domestic Violence Awareness Month. DAWN supports, empowers and shelters survivors of domestic abuse in South King County and helps to keep us all safe by educating our community to respond to and prevent violence.
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October is also National Disability Employment Awareness Month! We celebrate the contributions that people living with disabilities have made toward our community. Each person brings something unique to the table, has talent to share, skills to use, and a heart to make a difference.
Tuesday night at Kent City Council, I presented Debbie Meyers from SKCAC with the Mayor's proclamation for National Disability Employment Awareness Month. SKCAC empowers people with developmental disabilities through gainful employment and community inclusion.
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I want to remind everyone again that October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Please get your mammogram and remind someone you love to schedule their appointment.
Tuesday night at Kent City Council I presented Councilmember Marli Larimer with the Mayor's proclamation for Breast Cancer Awareness Month.
You can watch Marli speak about her battle with Breast Cancer here.
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On Tuesday, we recognized Kent school teachers who received training from NASA (WA Space Consortium at the University of Washington) and teacher accreditation from Green River College. Ultimately, the goal is to increase student interest in the many aerospace careers available in our region. |
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Coffee with the Chief
Join Chief Padilla, Kent PD Command Staff and Officers at the Kent YMCA for Coffee with the Chief!
📅 Wednesday, October 11
⌚ 8 a.m. - 10 a.m.
📍 YMCA (10828 SE 248th)
We will have some information and coffee mugs from the Washington Auto Theft Prevention Authority! See you there!
Haunted Boo-levard
Put on your best costume and join us for a free spook-tacular trick or treating event! Kids can trick or treat around Kent Station at participating businesses, then stroll down Ramsay Way for a trunk or treat!
Be sure to vote for your favorite decorated trunk and stick around for dinner! If you want to sign up or learn how you can volunteer visit KentStation.com
📅 Tuesday, October 31
⏱ 4:30 p.m.- 6:30 p.m.
📍 Kent Station
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Grab your most creative costumes and head to downtown Kent for the 5th Annual Street of Treats Autumn Fest!
📅 Saturday, October 28
⌚ 2 - 5 p.m.
📍 302 W Meeker St
Participating businesses will be welcoming visitors to stop in for Spooktacular treats. (Teal pumpkin friendly too!) Please support the Kent Food Bank by bringing a non-perishable food donation. Register online here.
There will also be a costume contest, kid’s activities, photo opportunities, and clowning around with Boy Scout Troop #480, Allegro Dance Academy, Sound Transit, Zero & Somebuddy, Kent Police Department and more!
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Sound Transit is considering changes to Link light rail fares and our parking program. We want your feedback to help us create a more accurate and equitable picture of what works for our riders. To learn more and take the survey visit this link! |
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The final numbers are in from last weekend's Team Up to Clean Up! We had 89 volunteers remove 110 bags of trash from around the city. For the year, 211 volunteers picked up 292 bags of trash and served 501 volunteer hours! Thanks to all who participated! |
Recycling Collection Event
Have items that need to be recycled? Come out to our Fall Residential Recycling event! For a full list of accepted items, visit our website at KentWa.gov/Recycle
📅 Saturday, October 14
🕐 9 a.m.- 3 p.m.
📍 Hogan Park, 24400 Russell Road
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Fall weather has returned! Beat those cold, rainy mornings with Indoor Park at the Kent Commons Community Center.
The program starts this Tuesday and runs Tuesday-Thursday from 9:30 a.m -11 a.m.
Open to all kids 10 months to 4.5 years of age.
Call the Kent Commons at 253-856-5100 for more details.
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When children play sports, we ALL win! Research shows participation in youth sports help students thrive in school, improve children’s mental health, and provide opportunities to develop social skills. Register your child for a Kent Parks program today!
Registration for Youth Winter Basketball is open for students in grades K-12.
Register now at MyKentParks.com/Register
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Fall Conservation Events
Sign up to volunteer with Kent Parks for Hands-On Environmental Conservation. At this year's ReLEAF event, we will work to remove invasive species and plant native trees and shrubs to keep Van Doren's Landing Park healthy, beautiful, and thriving!
Community members of all ages are welcome to volunteer. These events are also great for students to earn valuable experience and complete community service hours!
📅 Tomorrow
⌚ 9 a.m. - 12 p.m.
📍 Van Doren's Landing Park (21901 Russell Rd)
All ages are welcome and tools will be provided.
Register to volunteer at KentWA.gov
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The Sound Transit Federal Way Link Extension project in collaboration with construction contractor, Kiewit,
are providing 4,000 trees to community members and organizations in Kent, Des Moines, SeaTac, and Federal
Way.
The project will aim to distribute 1,000 trees per year between 2021 and 2024.
Trees will be provided to people looking to plant them near the FWLE alignment. Community-based organizations,
neighborhood groups, environmental associations, classroom-based programs, community gardens, advocacy groups, and community members are all welcome to request trees.
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Leisure Tourism Grants Available
The City of Kent has opened applications for the Business or Leisure Tourism Promotion Grant for 2024-25 projects. Applications are being accepted online until October 31, 2023.
The program aims to fund the marketing, operation and promotion of activities, events or projects that promote Kent both as a business or leisure destination, ultimately bringing more people to the city from at least 50 miles away.
Organizations with a creative vision for events or initiatives that attract visitors to Kent are eligible to apply. Projects that draw overnight visitors will be prioritized.
Kent’s Lodging Tax Advisory Committee (LTAC) will review the applications in November and make funding recommendations to the Kent City Council.
The grant awards are selected via a competitive process and are provided on a reimbursable basis. Complete program eligibility requirements and criteria is available online.
The money for grant awards is made possible by the collection of a one percent state tax on overnight hotel, motel, and bed and breakfast stays. State law dictates who is eligible to apply, and mandates the funds be used for marketing and promotion of business and leisure tourism
Spotlight Series
I'm so excited that our first Spotlight Series performance of the season is less than 2 weeks away! See the incredible line up and buy your tickets here.
The Vienna Boys Choir will take the stage at the Kentwood Performing Arts Center on Tuesday, October 17. This group of gifted child musicians has been delighting music lovers across the globe for six centuries – it will be a beautiful night of music you don’t want to miss! Tickets are now on sale for this show, and all other performances of the 2023-2024 Spotlight Series!
Seeking Vendors
We are now accepting new vendor applications for the 2023 Holiday Craft Market!
📍 Kent Senior Activity Center, 600 E Smith St
🗓️ Friday, November 3 & Saturday, November 4
⏰ Friday: 9am-5pm, Saturday: 9am-4pm
Submit your application or learn more at MyKentParks.com/HolidayCraftMarket.
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The Friends of the Kent Libraries group is having a pop-up book sale in the Kent Library Saturday October 7.
There will be gardening and other special feature books, along with fiction, non-fiction and children’s books.
Stop by and check it out!
📅 Tomorrow
⏲ 11:30 a.m. - 3:30 p.m.
📍 Kent Library
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We're HIRING! Check out our featured jobs and great opportunities on our hiring page at Jobs.KentWA.gov!
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Applications are still being accepted for the city's Diversity, Equity, Inclusion & Belonging Board. The goal of the board is to increase engagement, integration and access to city services for all cultural communities in Kent.
You can learn about the city's work in these areas and the Equity Strategic Plan at KentWA.gov/Race-Equity, and apply to be on the board.
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Get your furry friends licensed with Regional Animal Services of King County to help get them back to you if they're ever lost!
Your license also helps fund RASKC's life-saving animal shelter work. They reunite lost pets 24/7 and provide shelter pet care 365 days a year.
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The KentWorks app lets you access information and improve your neighborhood and community by reporting non-emergency issues to the city.
You can request a service, report a problem and find information about the City of Kent all from your mobile device in just a few taps! KentWA.gov/Kentworks
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Don't forget to check out the new episode of the KentNOW podcast! Tracy, Josh and Kyle talk to Somen Palit from the cities Information Technology department about how they are utilizing artificial intelligence in their work.
Listen to new and previous episodes on:
🔊 Apple Podcasts apple.co/3J2UMkd
🔊 Spotify spoti.fi/3GNCeli
🔊 Amazon Music amzn.to/3jjaOvU
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Translations
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