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Community Homes transforms lives with the support of our community. We are grateful for the time, talent and treasure of our donors and volunteers.

You can join in supporting our residents in a variety of ways. Throughout the year, our fundraising activities include the LOVE Campaign in February, GiveBIG in May and our annual Autumn Gala each fall.

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Shopping Support through Amazon

Click here to learn how you can support Community Homes when you shop with Amazon Smile.

Support through other types of gifts.

A distribution from your Donor Advised Fund
A direct transfer of your appreciated securities – stocks, bonds or mutual funds.
A gift through your will or living trust.
A qualified charitable distribution from your Individual Retirement Account.

Each type of gift may provide you with additional tax and financial benefits while continuing to support the mission of Community Homes. For more information, contact Helene Wentink, Director of Advancement.

We are grateful to our community partners including The Norcliffe Foundation, The Bishop Fleet Foundation, The Peg and Rick Young Foundation, King County Developmental Disabilities Division, The Tulalip Tribes Charitable Fund, The US Bank Foundation, Clipped Wings – Seattle Chapter and matching gift partners including Microsoft, Boeing, Nordstrom and more.

Events

We’re going virtual! Our 12th Annual Autumn Gala will launch with an online auction on September 19 and lead up to an online event on Saturday, September 26, 2020 at 7 p.m. Learn how you can support this event with donations, sponsorships and more here.

Annual Family Celebration for Current Families – Our Family Celebration is an opportunity for our residents and their families to gather together to learn about updates important to Community Homes and the people we serve.

Volunteer

Our volunteers are vital to the success of our annual Autumn Gala, as well as other work throughout the year. Let us know how you would like to share your talents! Use the “Contact” page to introduce yourself.

Partnerships and Collaborations

Jim Forbes

Finance Manager

Jim joined Community Homes in 2013 after a enjoying a 30-year career at the Boeing Company in several Financial Management positions. He holds a Bachelor’s degree in Finance from Washington State University and a Master’s degree in Business from Pacific Lutheran University.

He and his wife, Sherrie, have two children – Lisa and Brad. Lisa, who has Down’s Syndrome, lives in the Redmond women’s home within the Community Homes portfolio.

Jim enjoys family time and active sports including, walking, running, and playing basketball.

Mark Morgenstern

Board Member

Mark is president and CEO of MorningStar Behavioral Health, PLLC, in Bothell, providing individual, group and family counseling and positive behavioral support services to a diverse range of clients, including children & adults with cognitive/developmental disabilities. Prior to founding MorningStar Behavioral Health, PLLC, Mark had nearly 20 years of experience providing social services within a number of DSHS administrations (Developmental Disabilities Administration, Juvenile Rehabilitation Administration, and Children’s Administration). He also served in the United States Army Reserve, retiring in 2019 as Transportation Officer with the rank of Captain. Mark resides in Bothell with his wife Kimberly.

Annie Puchar

Housing Coordinator

Annie is the licensed care provider at our Redmond Adult Family Home for men. She has worked in the medical field for 22 years with 13 years of experience working with developmental disabilities. In addition to running the AFH, she joined the admin team in 2018 to manage our Respite Program for care providers.

Cathy Murahashi

Education & Outreach Manager

Cathy Murahashi joined Community Homes in January 2020 after 18 years of services to The Arc of King County, where she supported families, developed trainings and curriculum and was a dedicated legislative advocate for services and the rights of people with developmental and intellectual disabilities. Her passion for serving people with ID/DD is fueled by her young adult daughter, Holly who has Down Syndrome and her vision for her to live, work, learn and play in ordinary places in the community.

Cindy Wilkins

Operations Manager

Cindy, having been raised with a sibling with developmental disabilities, has a heart to touch as many lives as possible; giving them hope for a dignified, independent, bright future. Her 15 years in the nonprofit arena has enabled her to share passion for people. Prior to accepting a position at Community Homes, she was the Executive Director of a successful nonprofit in Grand Prairie, Texas. Her transition from Texas to Washington State pointed her toward Community Homes, Inc.

Lisa Soli

Board Member

Lisa Soli has been on the board since 2009. She retired from the Bellevue School District in 2015 after 37 years in education as a teacher, counselor and administrator. She holds a BA in Special Education and has a Masters in Community Mental Health. Lisa is active with the Community Homes auction committee.

John Smiley

Past President

John is a retired Boeing Information Technology manager. His passion for community-based housing for adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities is a direct result of their family’s positive experience with their daughter. “I want other families to experience the joy of watching their child grow their independence and self-reliance by living in their own home.”

Sarah Sherertz Vogt

Board Member

Sarah joined the board in 2011. She has worked at Microsoft since 2000, currently as GM HR for Corporate Strategy, Core Services Engineering & Operations (CS, CSEO). After working globally for Microsoft in Australia, Singapore and South East Asia, she returned to Seattle in 2010. Sarah holds a BS in Industrial and Labor Relations from Cornell University. Sarah became involved with the intellectual and developmental disability community following the birth of her youngest sister and has remained an advocate for the I/DD community for over 3 decades. Her sister now lives in one of Community Homes Shared Living Homes. In her spare time, she and her husband are busy trying to keep up with their two young boys, and occasionally fitting in cooking, yoga, and hiking in the beautiful Pacific Northwest.

Lynn Chittenden

Board Member

Lynn Chittenden joined the board in 2014. Lynn has a MFA from IADE, a Design and Architecture school in Madrid, Spain. Her business career has been in commercial office design, marketing, senior living and most recently teaching Spanish at the Bear Creek School. Lynn has been involved in the Disability Community since the birth of her son, David, in 1995.. She spearheaded a group for families of children with Down syndrome for 10 years, and has been active in the DD community for many years. Her passions are languages, travel, and helping people with DD achieve independence through community living.

Marcie Hinthorne

Secretary

Marcie joined the board in 2017. After 23 years at the University of Washington as the Director for Planned Giving, she recently joined The Nature Conservancy as the Pacific Northwest Regional Gift Strategist. In both roles, Marcie works assisting people who are passionate about the mission of an organization. She creates gifting plans to assist people donating complicated assets, establish a charitable trust or annuity and including the UW or TNC in their estate plans. Marcie earned a joint MBA and law degree from the University of Oklahoma. She has experience working with real estate construction and development, securities regulations and investments. Marcie has been a longtime volunteer and admires the impact non-profit organizations make in our community. She would love to travel more, become a better photographer and a better chef, but mostly values time with her husband, Brad, and their two sons, Adam and Ben.