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going pink | Susan G. Komen for the Cure celebrates 20th anniversary in area. [Stories, photos inside]
ARTS | ‘Chicago’ brings Razzle Dazzle to Village Sports | Bellevue, Sammamish, Interlake get girls titles at conference Theatre stage [12] track and field meets [9] friday, may 17, 2013
For kids, by a kid
Microsoft wins top national awards for volunteering and community impact
Bellevue student writes fantasy book for kids
Microsoft has been honored with two Summit awards for community impact and volunteer engagement from United Way Worldwide, the country’s largest privately funded nonprofit. Microsoft not only reached the $1 billion mark in employee giving and corporate matching funds in 2012, but also employees volunteered 2 million hours since the launch of the company’s volunteer matching program. “Microsoft is not just a world leader in technology solutions, but also in citizenship, volunteering and creating opportunities for youth,” said Brian Gallagher, United Way Worldwide president and CEO. “Microsoft and United Way are working together to help more young people graduate on time with the skills they need to be successful in life.” In 2012, Microsoft and its employees celebrated a major milestone: $1 billion in employee giving and matching funds to more than 31,000 nonprofit organizations around the world since the giving program began in 1983. United Way is the number one recipient of employee giving and matching funds. Last year, the company donated more than $900 million in cash and software to more than 62,000 nonprofits worldwide. Microsoft also provides a $17/hour match for employee volunteer hours (450,000 hours logged in 2012 with over $7M in matching funds), generating more than $34 million in matching funds to U.S. nonprofits since the program’s inception.
BY KEEGAN PROSSER BELLEVUE REPORTER
Not many people can say that by the time they were 8-years-old, they were a published author. Bellevue resident Griffin Hehmeyer can. A student at The Little School, Griffin started working on his first book – with the help of family and friends – seven months ago. Today, his book "The Marakon Ways," has already sold 67 copies worldwide. The first installment in a planned six-books series called "The Adventures of Wolf Land," "The Marakon Ways" is a fantasy novel for children. The book, which follows main characters Daniel and Lily as they explore the unknown world of Wolf Land, was published by Griffin and his family through Lulu.com. Griffin said he was inspired to write a book after creating a game with friends in which he played the role of the King of the Wolves. "The next year, I decided to write about it," Griffin said. "I just thought, that would be a pretty good story." The book, which is available now, also features original illustrations from his classmates. Griffin's mother, Jaime Teevan, said she first learned about Griffin's book when he was three months in to writing it. At the time, Griffin's
Bellevue facing bus cuts Griffin Hehmeyer wants his new book to be part of a series. KEEGAN PROSSER, Bellevue Reporter
how to buy ‘The Marakon Ways’ ($10, plus shipping) is available online at the Lulu, Amazon and Barnes & Noble websites. All proceeds go to The Little School.
teacher, Matt Weiner, sent Teevan a large document he had been working on with
Griffin. Weiner, decided to get involved because he saw how passionate Griffin was about the project. “My thinking was, what a great opportunity for him to be passionate about literacy and writing and wanting to be an author,” Weiner said. He said he wanted to encourage Griffin; he didn’t want him to feel defeated. PASSPORT PHOTOS •
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"I was reticent to read it because it's a lot of text written by an 8-year-old," Teevan said. She said she decided to read it because it was her son's story. "It was really fun to read it and see that it was such an engrossing book," Teevan said. "I thought that was a
King County Metro has identified 65 bus routes for possible elimination and an additional 86 with potential service reductions, due to a funding shortage. Twenty-three of those affected route through Bellevue. On Tuesday, an estimated 400 people turned out for a hearing at Seattle’s Union Station to testify about the impact of the 17 percent cuts, expected for 2014. A drop in sales tax revenue during the recession, is partly to blame for the budget problem. And with reserve funds drying up at the end of the year, many attendees asked for a more permanent solution to the $75 million annual budget gap. The cuts come on the heels of Bellevue and the county’s efforts to build public transit. See bus cuts, 2
See book, 5
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