DSHS employees recognized by Combined Fund Drive for renovating family shelter
For Sherry DeRossett, the project was intensely personal. As a Combined Fund Drive lead for the Facilities, Finance and Analytics Administration, she and co-chair Molli Ragsdale had been brainstorming charitable projects FFA employees could get involved in. DeRossett proposed renovating Pear Blossom Place, a 36-bed family shelter in Olympia.
“They will take you in and help you get housed, and help you with job coaching, resumes, food, clothes for an interview,” said DeRossett.
She knew from personal experience. Six years ago, DeRossett lost her job and her savings quickly dwindled. With nowhere else to turn, she and her family spent eight months at Pear Blossom Place until she got back on her feet.
“They’ve always been a really good backbone for the community for families,” said DeRossett. “They are great people. Any way I can give back to them has been my goal.”
FFA Assistant Secretary Judy Fitzgerald enthusiastically backed the project, and employees gathered on a Saturday in January 2020 at the shelter to get to work. They scrubbed bathroom floors and refrigerators. They fully renovated two of the bedrooms. For DSHS employees who often perform the agency’s mission from the confines of OB2, it was invigorating to be in the field.
“The hands on experience, that we actually went and had volunteers, I think that was pretty incredible,” said Ragsdale. “The folks that came and helped, I think it touched them too.”
In addition to the renovation work, FFA employees also raised thousands of dollars in donations for Pear Blossom Place. The Combined Fund Drive recognized how significant the project was, and recently named DeRossett and Ragsdale winners of the Outstanding Team Award. The pandemic prevented the team from doing any more renovations at the shelter, but they hope that when things eventually return to normal, they can continue to give back to a place that has helped so many families in Thurston County.