Over the King County Council recess this month, my family and I took a long-awaited, much anticipated first trip back to southern Kazakhstan since we adopted our child, Victor. We first met two-and-a-half-year-old Victor in the summer of 2008. After months of daily visits, we came home together as a family on Valentine’s Day 2009.
 Victor as a toddler
Our adoption story has been one of our family’s defining journeys, so it was with a great deal of emotion and pride that we returned to Kazakhstan to see where it all began. We reconnected with friends, visited the baby home where we first met Victor, and experienced moving reunions with some of the caregivers who helped raise Victor through age three. With a full heart following this emotional and enriching trip, I’m ready to get back to work for the people of King County.
 Victor returning to Kazakhstan
As many families prepare to embark on a new school year, you can participate in the first annual SMART Week from August 26-30. It’s a time to come together to spread the word on the critical importance of secure gun storage to prevent gun violence in our classrooms and our communities. Built on the Be SMART program, SMART Week highlights steps everyone can take right now to prevent gun violence by preventing kids and other unauthorized users from accessing guns:
- Secure all guns in homes and vehicles
- Model responsible behavior around guns
- Ask about the presence of unsecured firearms in other homes your child visits
- Recognize the role of guns in
- Tell your peers to Be SMART
You can do your part to help promote responsible gun storage this SMART Week by sharing the Be SMART framework, learning more about secure storage practices and types of secure storage, and asking others to help spread the word, both in-person and online. Let’s all do our part to keep our kids and communities safe.
 The Attorney General’s Office of Military and Veteran Legal Assistance wants to hear from veterans, service members, and their families to help identify their met and unmet legal needs. This survey is open until next Friday, takes 10 minutes or less, and is anonymous. Make your voice heard!
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