Friday, October 30, 2009

A Census is in Your Future

This week, long time CISC supporter Tsue Chong Company, maker of Rose Brand fortune cookies and noodles, hosted a tour of their factory to celebrate a new partnership promoting the 2010 Census.

They will be producing cookies featuring census messages starting in February. Their delicious cookies come in a wide array of flavors like apple, strawberry, almond and many, many more!

Probably the coolest thing was watching the fortune cookie machine spit out cookies at the rate of 8,000 per hour - and of course the samples!

Thursday, October 29, 2009

Trick-or-Treating

Today, our pre-K students got all dressed up and went around CISC trick-or-treating.

Unfortunately, the video of them with their goodies was botched, but we'll get pictures of them soon. In the meantime, watch this cute video of them getting ready!



We really like watching the boy trying to figure out how to put on his policeman's jacket.

Wednesday, October 28, 2009

Shoe Day


Last month CISC partnered with Priority Footwear for a Diabetes Workshop and Shoe Fitting Session. There our clients with diabetes learned how to get proper shoes and prevent injuries. 8 of our clients were also eligible to have their feet fitted by a specialist and receive custom-made shoes through Medicaid or Medical Coupons. There's really nothing like a new, comfortable pair of shoes to put a spring in your step!

Tuesday, October 27, 2009

Mid-Autumn Festival

On September 30th CISC held a Mid-Autumn Festival Luncheon at North Bellevue Community Center. Those who attended enjoyed musical performances, traditional lantern riddles, and games.










The Mid-Autumn Festival, or zhongqiu jie, has been celebrated in China for over 3,000 years. It is the time when the full moon is said to be the biggest and brightest.





And no celebration of the Mid-Autumn Festival is complete without mooncakes, one of China's tastiest holiday treats.

Monday, October 26, 2009

Annual Resource Fair

At the beginning of October more than 60 clients visited the North Bellevue Community Center for the Annual Resource Fair. There they attended three workshops, covering changes in the naturalization process, food stamps and how to apply for them, and changes in Medicare and Medicaid.




Find out more about Medicare and Medicaid from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. You can also learn about food stamps from the Department of Agriculture and becoming a citizen from the USCIS.


Thursday, October 22, 2009

Jack-o-lanterns

In the spirit of the season, Sunshine Garden seniors learned how to carve jack-o-lanterns this morning, creating masterpieces, each with their own individual personalities.



And of course, the ladies insisted on saving the seeds to roast and enjoy later!

Tuesday, October 20, 2009

Standing Tall

Over 60 CISC seniors attended an Osteoporosis Health Fair at the North Bellevue Community Center on Monday.

Participants not only got information about osteoporosis, they learned about disease prevention, nutrition, medications, preventing falls, and exercises.

There were also free bone density screening to measure bone density, followed by individual consultations with an experienced pharmacist to review their results.

Remember, even if you're over 30, it's still not too late to take steps to prevent this debilitating disease:
  • Get your daily recommended amounts of calcium and vitamin D
  • Engage in regular weight-bearing exercise
  • Avoid smoking and excessive alcohol
  • Talk to your healthcare provider about bone health
  • When appropriate, have a bone density test and take medication

For more information, check out the National Osteoporosis Foundation.

Wednesday, October 14, 2009

Computer Donation

A big THANK YOU to the City of Kirkland for donating their retired computers to CISC!

9 desktops to replace obsolete machines in our main offices, and 2 laptops for our new Eastside Cultural Navigator Program space at the Family Resource Center in Redmond.

And don't forget, today is the grand opening of our space at the Family Resource Center. 3:00-4:30 pm, 16225 NE 87th St, Ste A7 in Redmond. See you there!

Monday, October 12, 2009

Public Transportation

Big changes in public transit, especially in SE Seattle and SW King County.






Last Friday, representatives from King County Metro and Sound Transit spoke in front of nearly 100 community members on light rail, bus services, ORCA, and the In-Motion Program.


Lots of questions and concerns expressed by attendees who had not heard about these changes.






Seems like we're not the only ones.

Friday, October 09, 2009

Health for All

On Saturday, the International Family Center-Seattle hosted a Community Health Fair open to all.

We had 17 different participating agencies from around King County involved, including Washington Osteoporosis Coalition, Harborview Medical Center, Swedish Breast Care Center, UW School of Dentistry, UW Department of Medicine, International Community Health Services and more.



These agencies offered free medical screenings, educational information sessions, and outreach navigation to help patients find accessible health care in the future.

In total, we had over 200 participants.

We also held a Line Dancing Class performance and two different raffle drawings throughout the afternoon. The comments of the participants were very positive.

Thursday, October 08, 2009

Baby Boost

On Thursday, CISC’s International Family Center-Seattle hosted the Baby Boost Information Fair. This fair was sponsored by Solid Ground's Food Security for Children program.


It was an opportunity for participants to learn about health and nutrition resources, connect with local social service programs, and learn about healthy parenting practices.

Over 50 families were in attendance (including some of our own staff who are expecting), and free child care provided during the fair. This gave the parents an opportunity to take their time perusing the information tables, to talk to each agency representative, and to meet other parents while their children played.

In addition to the information tables, there were free feeding, hygiene and safety products, as well as refreshments and door prizes for participants.