Our History

2010: WWEE launches its first Major Gifts Campaign. Board of Directors takes leadership role with personal gifts of $68,000.
2009: WWEE entered a historic partnership with the Pierce County Housing Authority, South Sound Outreach Services, Associated Ministries, Exodus Housing, Tacoma Community House and the City of Tacoma to provide services under the Homeless Prevention and Rapid Re-housing (PHRP) program and funded by federal stimulus resources.

Housing Bridges to Self-sufficiency (HBSS) was honored with the Daisy Stallworth Community Development Award given annually by the City of Tacoma to recognize an agency or group that has received block grant funds for a project that has made a substantial impact on the community.
2008: Robin Lester, CEO of WWEE, is the recipient of the Executive Alliance 2008 Leadership Award given to an outstanding executive who is dedicated to advancing the non-profit sector through exemplary leadership.

WWEE hosts meeting of state and federal elected officials and service providers to address issues with the current TANF regulations.
2007: WWEE kicks off 25th Anniversary year with successful Benefit Breakfast in Pierce County.

Developed stand-alone Financial Literacy Program to assist newly employed participants in managing and growing their financial resources.

Increased delivery of modular services to reach more South King County cities.

WWEE Board of Directors receives Jane T. Russell Excellence in Governance Award.
2006: Success rate reaches 90%.

Return of the King County Benefit Breakfast.
2005: Housing Bridges to Self-Sufficiency (HBSS) expanded to include rental assistance to assist in housing stabilization.

Modular program components developed from the REACH Plus™ program are offered 'off-site'.
2004: Received Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation Capacity Building grant to assist with reorganizing the Development Department to diversity funding base.

Developed and launched REACH Plus™, a program combining WWEE's renowned workplace essentials and job readiness course with computer skills.

Graduation rates increase by 10% with graduates earning 180% more than when they started with WWEE.

Relocate Kent office to 'Alliance Building', a one-stop Human Services project in downtown Kent.
2003: Pierce County Fashion Show & Tea at Annie Wright School Great Hall. WWEE begins a new venue of events. Smaller and more intimate, these events are created to give our supporters the opportunity to be involved with the agency and the graduates of our programs.

Debbie Wooten, a past graduate of the WWEE programs AND a national circuit comedian, entertained guests at a series of “Nights of Comedy” events, another small venue to meet and mix with our supporters.
2002: WWEE celebrates 20th anniversary!
2001: WWEE begins the Housing Bridge to Self-Sufficiency Program, a joint project with the Martin Luther King Housing Development Association to serve homeless and near-homeless residents of Tacoma's Hilltop area.
2000: First Computer Applications & Career Development (CACD) course begins in Tacoma. Modeled after the successful WWEE Kent program, CACD offers six weeks of intensive computer training.

The WWEE-managed Family Self-Sufficiency Program ends in Pierce County.

WWEE website launched.

WWEE receives largest-ever private grant in history of organization, which allows for comprehensive improvements to REACH, the core job readiness program in Pierce County.
1999: Comprehensive annual plan is developed by WWEE leadership staff, which results in tremendous, yet targeted, agency growth and improvement.

Computer-Based Training (CBT) Program begins in King County, and is followed soon after by the Pierce County program.
1998: WWEE survives WorkFirst.

King County WWEE is awarded the Kent Chamber of Commerce Award of Excellence.
1997: November--welfare reform legislation (WorkFirst) goes into effect in Washington state.
1996: Pierce County coordinates with Tacoma Housing Authority (THA) and Washington State University (WSU) to provide computer training via an on-site computer lab at Salishan housing development.

Graduation of the first Computer Proficiency Class (CPC) in Pierce County.

Administrative offices moved to larger space and joint location with CACD on South Central Avenue in Kent.

Implementation of Welfare Reform; known as WorkFirst in Washington State. Agency products and services are redefined in order to serve individuals required to participate in pre-employment training programs.

A team comprised of WWEE staff, members of the Board of Directors and Consultants from both the Battelle Seattle Research Center and WISDM Corporation began embedding a new discipline for change initiative known as ODI (Organizational Development and Improvement).
1995: Collaborations are established with Children's Home Society, Auburn; Renton Area Youth Services; South Central School District ECEAP Program, Tukwila to provide job readiness workshops to low-income individuals.
1994: Agency hosts conference of several agencies from other states similar to WWEE which are based on the original model of National Women's Employment and Education (NWEE). A national affiliate has been formed with five similar "WEE" programs.

First King County Benefit Breakfast event held at the DoubleTree Suites in Southenter. Over 400 people attended to hear keynote speaker, Chris Gobrecht (University of Washington Women's Basketball Coach) and outstanding WWEE graduates. A total of $27,000 is raised for this event.

King County program teaches off-site satellite classes in Tukwila, Federal Way and Auburn and firms up their partnership with King County Children's and Family Commission as well as participation with Auburn Healthy Families Project and Federal Way Family Network, two new projects based on grassroots community collaboration.

King County Computer Proficiency Class is expanded and renamed Computer Applications and Career Development (CACD). This is a six-week comprehensive hands-on computer-training program.
1993: Agency uses King County satellite projects as the model for a new South Pierce County satellite program and puts down the groundwork for 3 additional classes to be held on-site at other Pierce County locations.

A 22-member Corporate Advisory Council is formed, and representatives from various management levels of local area businesses meet quarterly to assist the agency with staying in touch with the business community.

Plans for WWEE's annual luncheon are revised to use table captains to bring together new contributors to the program. A total of approximately $25,000 is raised in WWEE's first Benefit Luncheon in Pierce County.
1992: WWEE celebrates 10th Anniversary Year, a decade of service to the Puget Sound.

WWEE is notified by the White House of agency selection as POINT OF LIGHT #818.

In partnership with Neighborhood House and Employment Security's JOBS program, WWEE establishes satellite locations in White Center and West Seattle. This initiates our first one-week class for job-ready participants.
1991: An Essential Needs Bank is established to provide toiletries and other basic needs not available through food stamp redemption.

Agency enters partnership agreement with King County Housing Authority to provide employment training to low-income residents of housing developments in a drug elimination project.
1990: A Computer Proficiency Project is implemented in King County to teach basic computer literacy to WWEE program graduates, the only short-term training of its kind offered free-of-charge to low-income participants.

WWEE moves King County program to new location in South King County to facilitate agency services to low-income residents of that area.

WWEE graduates the first ever all-youth class at Tacoma Community College.

Agency is nominated for a Small Business Administration Award, the first time a non-profit agency has been nominated by the Tacoma/Pierce County Chamber of Commerce.
1989: WWEE's Executive Director, Cecilia Funkhouser is named "Woman of the Year."
1988: WWEE receives a "Recognition of Excellence in Management" from Medina Foundation.
1987: WWEE successfully opens an office in downtown Seattle to meet the needs of King County residents.

Tacoma Municipal Leagues votes WWEE "Organization of the Year."
1986: Pierce County program becomes a United Way agency receiving funds to provide child care and transportation subsidies. Later, the King County program was also funded by United Way and, due to program success, each year WWEE has received steady increases in funding allocations.

WWEE is selected by Pierce County and City of Tacoma to receive a grant for Project Self-Sufficiency to administer the HUD program of housing subsidies.
1983: WWEE works with other groups to develop a corporation to initiate sliding-scale day care centers for low-income individuals. (We Care Day Care Centers).
1982: Washington Women's Employment and Education (WWEE) first provides services to low-income single parents in Pierce County.