Sherwood Community Services
By: Corrie West
When Corrie West joined Sherwood Community Services as its Investment and Partnerships Associate, she didn't realize that services provided to her younger brother Jesse, years ago, were from Sherwood. Corrie joined Sherwood in 2018. Because of the experience with her brother who had disabilities, she is passionate about assisting others with similar backgrounds. She earned a BA in Community Psychology from the U of W, with a MBA in Human Resources from Walden University. Her personal motto is: "Life is too short to be grumpy!"
Corrie West
Sherwood was started in 1958 by Hazel Venables along with seven other families. At the time the Arlington School District operated a school for special needs students in Silvana. The Venables moved to Silvana Terrace because they had a daughter who could get help at that school. However, she wanted more since the public school system didn't meet all of the needs of persons with special needs and it segregated them from other children.
Hazel with Her Daughter
Together, they created Sherwood to prove that their children not only had the right, but the ability to learn. People with disabilities were segregated and isolated due to the societal expectation that they would be cared for out of the public eye; there were in effect considered 2nd class citizens and deemed incompetent without any rights.
Most all of the therapy and assistance is done in the home of the person who needs assistance. However, the organization has facilities in Stanwood and in Lake Stevens. Its CEO, Lance Morehouse, is a member of the Rotary Club of Lake Stevens. Service are provided in Snohomish, Skagit and Island Counties.
Corrie told us about her brother Jesse. Below are photo of the two of them. He suffered from encephalitis following the chicken pox. Her parents were told that he probably would never be able to function. It proven wrong.
To hear more about Sherwood and Jesse's story, click on the image below to see the video of Corrie's presentation.
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