Overall, it's been an eventful summer for Sultan resident Calei Vaughn.
Not only has she helped facilitate, coordinate and labor in multiple community-wide clean-up events, on Monday, Sept. 1, she started her new position as Director of the Volunteers of America (VOA) facility in Sultan. Vaughn will now oversee operations at the Sky Valley Community Resource Center, taking over for Adele Hurst, who left the position for medical reasons.
It's been a bit of a whirlwind.
In August, after a four-year career with the VOA, Vaughn made the decision to pursue a new employment opportunity with Workforce in Everett. Almost immediately after beginning her new position, the VOA contacted her to find out if she was interested in applying for the director's job at the VOA's Sky Valley Community Resource Center.
"This job became open the day after I left,GÇ¥ said Vaughn, explaining that, despite her new job at Workforce, she knew that she had to give it a shot. "I'd worked towards this for four years.GÇ¥
After successfully passing through the VOA's interview process, Vaughn had an offer within a couple weeks. It was the next part that was challenging for her.
"I had to go have this conversation with my brand new boss and say, "I'm sorry, it's really awesome here and I really like it,'GÇ¥ said Vaughn. "'But, I've got to go back to my home.'GÇ¥
Vaughn started as an unpaid intern at the VOA in September of 2010. In the beginning, her job was solely focused on providing emergency services to people in need. Things like bus tickets, gas vouchers, and prescription medication fulfillment. In March of 2011, after serving as an intern for approximately six months, she was offered a permanent paid position as a full-time housing case manager.
While becoming established at the VOA, Vaughn was simultaneously pursuing her education. She achieved her Associate's degree from Edmonds Community College in 2011, and immediately began working towards her Bachelor of Arts degree. In 2013 she received her B.A. in Human Services from Western Washington University.
In December of 2013 she was promoted to East County Navigator which broadened her role to a more county-wide level. As a housing case manager, Vaughn had worked primarily on homeless prevention, rapid rehousing and community outreach. As the East County Navigator her focus was similar, but on a larger scale.
As Director, Vaughn will focus on community integration and improving services for the community's working poor, in addition to re-establishing several groups oriented towards serving the youth of the community.
The Volunteers of America Sky Valley Community Resource Center has undergone a season of transition since the passing of Director Dave Wood in 2011. Wood left a lasting and valuable legacy on the Sky Valley community, helping to establish programs such as the Sky Valley Community Coalition, the Dave Wood Giving Tree, and much more.
"He had such a great vision for this place,GÇ¥ said Vaughn. "He was out there doing things in the community.GÇ¥
Vaughn herself has been heavily involved in the Sky Valley Community Coalition, which is a group of volunteers dedicated to reducing the negative effects of drugs and alcohol in the Sky Valley, particularly among the youth. She worked with the youth in the community to establish a youth coalition presence at Sultan High School, and last October attended a statewide youth-oriented drug and alcohol prevention conference that was held in Yakima.
She is currently serving as the facilitator for the Sultan Community Task Force, a group of volunteers which has been primarily focused on the community-wide clean-up of several homeless encampments located in Sultan.
"We took three tons of trash out of Reese Park,GÇ¥ said Vaughn, referring to one of the Sultan Community Task Force's recent cleanup events. "Three tons of clothes, shoes, tents, sleeping bags and tarps that I'm sure people have donated to local organizations.GÇ¥
Reese Park is located in Sultan just west of the Sultan River on the north side of U.S. 2. Additionally, a clean-up team organized by the Snohomish County Sheriff's Department in July removed 12 tons of refuse from a homeless encampment located in the area known as Steelhead County Park.
A lifelong Sky Valley resident, Vaughn grew up in Gold Bar and moved to Sultan in 1979. She feels that her extensive history in the area will be an asset to her new position, enabling her to identify where there are shortcomings in available services or where efforts are being duplicated.
She would like to work collaboratively with other service organizations in the region to ensure that local resources are being used effectively.
Vaughn shared that she will be strategizing ways to strike an effective balance between providing services to families who need it, while at the same time trying to avoid enabling the area's chronically homeless.
She also hopes to be able to garner renewed interest in the VOA's vast array of opportunities for volunteerism. Currently, the Sky Valley Resource Center is in need of reception support, which, Vaughn explained, would be a great opportunity for a Sultan High School student to achieve the volunteer hours necessary for graduation.
"First and foremost, we need volunteers,GÇ¥ said Vaughn. "We need volunteers for everything.GÇ¥
Vaughn will also be working to promote the VOA's existing services which include housing service; therapeutic interactions; assistance with landlord tenant issues; food insecurity services; the early childhood education and assistance program and much more.
For Vaughn, the decision to return to the Sky Valley VOA was complicated, yet simple.
"This is where my heart is,GÇ¥ said Vaughn. "This is my community.GÇ¥
For more information about the Volunteers of America of Western Washington, please visit the website: http://www.voaww.org/. For additional information on Sky Valley Services, please visit: http://www.voaww.org/Get-Help/Skykomish-Valley-Services.
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