For the Reporter

Trillium Employment Services hosted an open house to celebrate its 30th anniversary on Oct. 22. Sen. Joe Fain (R-Auburn) joined City officials, local business owners and Trillium clients and employers for the event.

Trish Borden, executive director at Trillium for the last 26 years, spoke to the crowd, expressing her gratitude for the tremendous support from the local community and her enthusiasm about the continued growth of the program.

Fain and Deputy Mayor Nancy Backus also shared their appreciation on behalf of the community for Trillium’s ongoing efforts to provide opportunities to people with disabilities.

Since 1983, Trillium has helped businesses in Western Washington successfully integrate people with disabilities into their workforce. Thirty years ago, this was a new concept in our communities. Today, Trillium is a recruiting and training service to over 250 businesses and supports nearly 400 individuals working to achieve their employment goals.

Companies in many industries and sectors are discovering the benefits of supported employment—from solving niche labor needs to increasing customer loyalty. Trillium’s Employment Consultants provide tailored support to each company, customizing the hiring, training and ongoing support services they provide to ensure success for the employer and employee.

For communities, supported employment means that now young people with disabilities are growing up with the expectation that they too will work as adults. Trillium partners with more than a dozen school districts to help students with disabilities find their first job when they graduate.

To learn more, visit www.trillium.org or call 253-735-1553.

– Trillim’s Steffanie Fain (board member) and Karen Williams (assistant director)