A quick hello and some upcoming events
| February 28, 2014 |  |
||||||
| Friend, I want to begin with a shout out to everyone who was able to make it out to one of the events I held over the past few weeks. It’s important to me that you have the opportunity to speak with me personally and tell me what’s on your mind. We had a bunch of great events – “Kilmer at Your Company” visits, a terrific roundtable with the Hilltop Action Coalition, a fun (and filling) visit to the Asia Pacific Cultural Center’s New Year celebration, and a whole lot more. Thank you to those who made it out to my town halls in Port Orchard and Tacoma. I enjoyed talking with folks about everything from education policy to the importance of getting this economy moving again. Also, thanks to those of you who were able to make it out to UW Tacoma for my Federal Contracting Workshop and a big thank you to local businesses, federal agency representatives, and the Procurement Technical Assistance Center staff who participated. I'm proud to support small businesses that are the backbone of our economy and are critical to our economic recovery. On to this week’s update… Giving Up Shutdown Pay I was surprised to wake up this morning and find my picture on the front page of The Washington Post, but apparently it’s big news these days when a public servant keeps his word. I was strongly opposed to the government shutdown and I chose to give up my pay because so many folks in our community were being harmed during the shutdown. You can read about my colleagues who kept their word and gave back their pay during the shutdown here.When Women Succeed, America Succeeds I believe that when women succeed, America succeeds. That’s why next Friday, March 7th, I’m hosting a Women’s Economic Advancement Event at the Tacoma Campus of Evergreen State College.We’ll have resources and speakers on financial security, food and nutrition, childcare resources, job training programs, higher education, and housing resources and rights. Also we’ll be joined by special guest Tacoma Mayor Marilyn Strickland. This event is free and all, including children, are welcome to attend. I hope to see you there. Here are the details: Women’s Economic Advancement Event Please RSVP to Andrea Roper in my office at (253) 272-3515 orandrea.roper@mail.house.gov. In Case You Missed It: The Freshmen Check out this episode of “The Delegation” which aired on KCTS 9 last week. It features a conversation between the freshmen of the Washington State Congressional Delegation, Reps. Suzan DelBene, Denny Heck, and myself.
I was glad to be able to discuss my experience serving in Congress so far, especially in an environment of severe gridlock. It’s still a fixer-upper. If you’re interested, watch here to learn about why I want to serve, the effects of the shutdown, and other thoughts looking back on my first year. Calling All High School Students Finally, I’m excited to announce the 2014 Congressional Art Competition for high school students living in the 6th District of Washington. This is a unique opportunity for students to showcase their artistic talent and to encourage creative thinking. I’m proud to invite high school students across the district to show why supporting the arts in our schools is so important.The student whose artwork is selected will be invited to travel to Washington, D.C. in June to attend a ceremony unveiling their artwork and will be given two complimentary round-trip flights for the event. For more info, see my website. Thanks as always for reading and don’t hesitate to reach out if I or my office can be helpful to you. I'm honored to work for you.
|
|||||||
