CELEBRATING OUR COLLECTIVE ADVOCACY: A RECAP OF VOICES FOR CHILDREN

On June 11, Children’s Alliance partners and advocates gathered at Hideaway Cellars to celebrate our collective advocacy and the progress our state has made for kids and families.

We were excited to welcome King County Executive Girmay Zahilay as this year’s keynote speaker. Executive Zahilay shared his personal experience growing up in King County and the impact that effective public policies had for him and his family. He also highlighted key initiatives his team are working on for children and youth in King County, including the launch of a paid internship program for youth; the imminent opening of a new youth crisis center; and an effort to renew the Best Start for Kids levy and increase investment in child care. Check out this in-depth recap from Seattle’s Child for more! 

This year we re-introduced awards to honor advocates who have meaningfully engaged in Children’s Alliance’s work over the past year and who embody the values of our organization. We were honored to present the 2026 Advocacy Awards to Aaron Ping, Taj Jensen, Eva Madrigal, and Socorro Garcia. Learn more about their advocacy.

Left: Aaron Ping and Becca Schrack. Center: Taj Jensen and Becca Schrack. Right: Advocacy awards

Thank you to everyone who joined us at the event and to our wonderful sponsors Seattle Children’s, Akin, College Spark Washington, The Northwest Compass Group at Morgan Stanley, Wellpoint, United Way of King County, and Sisters of Providence.