Patients at Lindquist Dental Clinic will benefit from an ECF grant.

Photo courtesy: Lindquist Dental Clinic for Children

The Puget Sound Chapter of the Employees Community Fund (ECF) of Boeing awarded grants to 34 nonprofit organizations throughout Puget Sound this month. In total, Boeing employees donated more than $1.6 million dollars. These grants are in addition to the $750,000 already announced by this ECF chapter this year to help local food banks during the COVID-19 crisis.

The grants allow nonprofit organizations to purchase the “things that matter” to provide direct client services to those in need. This includes needs such as vans to transport meals to senior citizens, computers for job-training programs and dental equipment to helps low-income children.

Carolyn Weyrick of Lindquist Dental Clinic for Children expressed her thanks to Boeing employees saying, “Thank you very much for the Employees Community Fund’s grant of $40,161.90 designated to purchase the equipment for Lindquist Dental Clinic for Children’s Parkland clinic. We anticipate even greater need of services for children from low-income families when we reopen. Thank you for helping us provide healthy smiles to Puget Sound children in need!”

The ECF grants cover categories such as child/youth, food/hunger, housing/shelter, health services, elderly/special needs and community resources and job training. Grants were provided to the following organizations across the region: 

Child/Youth: After-School All Stars, Camp Korey, Crisis Clinic, Encompass Northwest, Friends of the Children Seattle, Kindering Center, Ryther Child Center and Southwest Youth and Family Services.

Food/Hunger: Bonney Lake Community Resources, Kitsap Community Resources, LifeLong, Multi-Service Center, Nourish Pierce County, Salvation Army NW Divisional Headquarters, and Sky Valley Food Bank.

Housing/Shelter: Catholic Community Services, Domestic Abuse Women’s Network, Low Income Housing Institute, South Puget Sound Habitat for Humanity and Union Gospel Missions – Seattle.

Health Services: Consejo Counseling & Referral, Lindquist Dental Clinic for Children, Mental Health Housing Foundations, Pierce County AIDS Foundations and Safe Harbor Free Clinic.

Elderly/Special Needs: Homage Senior Services, Raven Rock Ranch, Senior Services of Island County and Stanwood Community and Senior Center.

Community Services/Job Training: At Work, Kal Academy, REST (Real Escape from the Sex Trade, Safe Streets Campaign), and Technology Access Foundation.

Boeing ECF Puget Sound Chapter secretary Sheila Kirkwood shared the intent behind the grants. She explained,  “ECF grants fund health and human services organizations’ purchases of equipment and other items which enable them to provide direct services to meet many community needs across the Puget Sound region. We’re proud of our long history of community partnership, and we are committed to funding nonprofits in our region during this current crisis and beyond.”

Boeing’s ECF is one of the largest employee-managed funds in the world. Since 1948, ECF has contributed approximately $1 billion to local communities, providing nonprofits with what they need to make a difference.

By Cathy Rudolph