Dear fellow King County employees

We regret to inform you that the “Take Our Children to Work Day” event will not happen this year due to time and budget constraints. While we are disappointed by this news, we want to highlight some opportunities you may have to explain to your kids how King County has a positive impact on our community.

Preparing for “Take Our Children to Work Day,” which involves thousands of employees and their children, takes many hours of staff time and coordination. As you know, King County is facing major budgetary pressures. Taxpayers have asked us to do more with less. While “Take Our Children to Work Day” is fun for all involved, it takes many employees away from their normal duties for the day and in the weeks before the event to plan accordingly.

Although we will not be able to celebrate “Take Our Children to Work Day” in 2011, there is a possibility that we could revive our celebration in the future. In the meantime, be sure to talk to your child about your job, and why you are proud to serve the people of King County. We also invite you to explore several other family-oriented activities that can help you explain why county government is important to our region:

• Big Backyard 5k Run/Walk , Sunday, May 22, 2011 at Marymoor Park in Redmond
• Preparing for emergencies from the King County Office of Emergency Management
• Staying Safe for Kids & Teens from the King County Sheriff’s Office
• King County Office of Civil Rights KidsWeb
• Swimming lessons at King County Aquatic Centers
• Explore King County’s extensive regional trail system
• Washington state government celebration, tentatively planned for Thursday, June 23, 2011 in Olympia

Thank you for all you have done to instill a sense of pride and public service in children who participated in “Take Our Children to Work Day” in previous years. We hope you will continue to talk to your kids about the importance of local government to our future.

Sincerely,

Kelly Kurtz

Take Our Children to Work Committee, Co-Chair