Employee Engagement for the Equity and Social Justice Strategic Plan starts soon
Employees who opted-in to Identity-Based Affinity Spaces should have received a calendar invite for their Affinity Space’s first meeting, which are scheduled sometime between July 31 – Aug. 10. Please check your email to ensure you’ve received this calendar invite.
Effectively engaging King County employees is a key part of refreshing the Equity and Social Justice Strategic Plan. Earlier this year, employees opted-in to Identity-Based Affinity Spaces, one of the ways the Refresh project will engage with employees. In these meetings, employees will provide information and ideas on how King County can improve its workplace culture, increase equity in workforce practices, and ensure a sense of belonging for all employees. These meetings have been created specifically for this refresh project so employees can gather face-to-face in shared identity spaces and speak openly.
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Crossposted from the DES Express
Each year during the week before the LGBTQ+ Pride Parade, Facilities Management Division (FMD) staff prepare to raise the Progress Pride flag at the Administration Building. Graphic designer Daniel Quasar’s Progress Pride Flag added five arrow-shaped lines to the six-colored Rainbow Flag, which is widely recognized as a symbol of the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBTQ+) community. It’s one of many flags FMD manages for special holidays, sports team accomplishments and other events. In addition, FMD manages lowerings of the American flag at county buildings for deaths of notable people and for significant local and national tragedies.
In any given year, FMD raises more than 10 special occasion flags and lowers the U.S. flag to half staff upon receiving official requests from the Executive or the Governor. It’s not a simple act. Read more.
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New program bridges gaps to meet the health and wellness needs of King County’s veterans
Crossposted from Cultivating Connections
Many of America’s veterans, servicemembers, and their family members face challenges in accessing healthcare and wellness supports. Often times, challenges arise due to gaps in eligibility for health coverage, difficulties navigating large healthcare systems such as the VA, and the complexities in applying for and receiving disability benefits.
Since 2005, the King County Veterans Program (KCVP), the nation’s strongest local veterans program, has supported King County veterans, servicemembers, and their families through a range of financial assistance, employment and job training supports, housing resources, mental health counseling, and social engagement services. Read more.
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Originally published in the King County Sheriff’s Office Newsletter, July 13, 2023
The King County Sheriff’s Office (KCSO) collaborated with an impressive lineup of agencies and organizations to ensure a safe and secure environment throughout the thrilling five-day All-Star Week events. This lineup included the Seattle Police Department, Seattle Fire Department, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Federal Aviation Administration, the Transportation Security Administration, Amtrak Police, Burlington Northern Santa Fe Police, the Department of Homeland Security, the U.S. Coast Guard, and the U.S. Air Force.
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These events provided multiple days of excitement for fans, featuring Play Ball Park, concerts, and various other free activities. The pinnacle of the week was reached with the highly anticipated Home Run Derby and the All-Star Game. Thanks to the collective efforts of all involved, this event surpassed expectations, leaving a lasting mark on everyone who attended. Read more. |
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King County runners tackle 200-mile Ragnar
For 30 hours starting the morning of Friday, July 14, 24 runners representing the Assessor, DES, DNRP, FBOD, RALS, KCIT, WLRD, King County Council, DCHS, the Regional Homelessness Authority, DAJD, the Environmental Lab, DHR, and the Executive Office took to the roads in the annual Ragnar Northwest Passage, an approximately 200-mile relay from far north Blaine to Whidbey Island’s Langley.
This is the first year King County fielded two full teams in this legendary annual run.
Running through the night, the King County Ragnariffics (pictured left) and King County Bureaufasts (pictured below) scored 9th and 12th respectively in their division, surviving sweltering temperatures and cloudless skies to arrive at the Island County fairgrounds finish line Saturday afternoon.
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Since 2019, King County's team(s) have also managed the Leg 34/Mutiny Bay aid station, offering water, electrolytes, and oranges to runners at the top of one of Whidbey's sun-baked steep hills. The station has earned universal praise from runners, teams, and Ragnar support staff.
Ragnariffics captain Consuelo Norris and Bureaufasts captain Al Dams look forward to 2024. If you want more information about King County's Ragnar teams, contact Consuelo Norris, Al Dams, or Seth Watson.
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Employee discount to Bumbershoot 50th Anniversary Arts and Music Festival
Bumbershoot is offering an employee discount as a thank you to King County employees and part of a commitment to keep ticket prices down and affordable.
King County employees can buy tickets to the Bumbershoot 50th Anniversary Arts and Music Festival at the discounted price of $50 per day or $85 for the weekend plus service fees.
Bumbershoot takes places Saturday, Sept. 2 and Sunday, Sept. 3 at Seattle Center. Performers include Sleater‐Kinney, The Revivalists, ZHU, Jawbreaker, AFI, Brittany Howard, Fatboy Slim, Phantogram, Band of Horses, and many more. The festival will also feature roller skating, nail art, a huge range of food and drinks, wrestling, performance art, robots, make-up artists, a cat circus, and much more.
Use this link to access the discounted tickets with Promo Code KingCo and learn more about Bumbershoot here.
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Disability Pride Month: What Does Disability Pride Mean to You?
Join the King County Disability Equity Network (KCDEN) for a moderated panel discussion featuring the perspectives of four King County employees, each sharing their thoughts and reflections on disability, and on the meaning of disability pride. To download a flyer of this event, click here.
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Wednesday, July 26 from noon to 1 p.m. Join here on Zoom. Meeting ID: 829 4100 3422 (No passcode to join)
Advance registration is not required, and a passcode is not required to join the event. ASL interpreters and auto-captions will be available. If additional accommodations are needed, please reach out to disabilityequity@kingcounty.gov. To learn more about KCDEN, visit the group’s website.
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Creating Effective Application Materials Training Now eLearning
Career Support Services has recently migrated its virtual Creating Effective Application Materials training to a one-hour video on NEOGOV Learn. It is now available to you 24/7 to be viewed at your leisure. This training will provide tips and strategies on how to make application materials stand out. Learn the purpose of the job application, resume, cover letter and supplemental questions, and how to make each of them more effective. The training also goes over what to include in your resume and the best format to showcase your qualifications, how to write a tailored cover letter, and how to showcase your accomplishments and transferable skills.
Enroll here and visit the Career Support Services website for more career-boosting training and resources.
Get Movin' with Balanced You
Get Movin’ with Balanced You virtual movement breaks are back! Balanced You has partnered with Vivecorp to bring you virtual workouts with certified fitness trainers. Get moving with us every other Wednesday via Microsoft Teams.
These 30-minute move breaks are free and virtual so you can tap in from anywhere and benefit from the instruction of a certified trainer. Each session will be different ranging from yoga and stretching to cardio and strength training. Register for an upcoming session below. Registered participants will be emailed a link from Balanced You the day before the event.
Classes are for all levels from beginner to advanced. No special gear is needed, the sessions are all body weight movement. A yoga mat is optional.
Strength Training V, Wednesday, July 26 from 12:30 to 1 p.m. Register here.
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Training Spotlight
Certificate in Business Communications – Self-Paced Online – Communicating clearly and concisely in written and oral formats is critical to your professional success. From clarifying and structuring your ideas to designing the PowerPoint slides that will best complement them, the techniques, interactive exercises, and checklists in this certificate program will help you create presentations and workplace documents that inform and persuade.
Healthcare Administration Budgeting and Finance – Self-Paced Online – This course introduces basic accounting principles, terminology, and financial managerial accounting, including budgeting, cost accounting, and the financing of healthcare products and services. Students will become familiar with the process of setting prices for products and services, including the gathering of financial information in order to determine the return on investment.
Please visit the King County Eventbrite website, Learning and Development website, and Career Support Services website for more learning opportunities. For more information, contact the Learning and Development Team at KCTraining@kingcounty.gov or visit Learning and Development at kingcounty.gov/learning.
Tech Tip: Personally Identifiable Information
What is sensitive information? Sensitive information is privileged information which – if compromised through alteration, corruption, loss, misuse, or unauthorized disclosure – could cause serious harm to an individual or organization. You must always give the highest level of protection to privileged information. Here we discuss Personally Identifiable Information, or PII. Read more.
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Featured Job: Fiscal Specialist III
Salary: $27.75 - $35.31 Hourly
Location: Seattle, WA
Job Type: Career Service, Full Time, 40 hrs/week
Job Number: 2023JI19092
Department: DES - Executive Services, Records & Licensing Services Division
Opening Date: 7/11/2023
Closing Date: 7/24/2023 11:59 p.m. Pacific
This Fiscal Specialist III position provides you the opportunity to showcase your knowledge in a variety of areas, including; technical financial accounting and reporting, tracking metrics for reporting, receive and disburse funds, verify accuracy of transactions and prepare correspondence and reports.
Learn more about this position or view all available positions.
King County Headlines
Metro says You Belong With Me - Avoid Cruel Summer traffic with extra transit service this weekend for the Eras Tour (Metro’s Version)
Airport levels up by ramping down greenhouse gas emissions
Youth Healing Project Year End Event Celebration
Child care wins in the state legislative session
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