King County recently passed a supplemental budget that invests in a variety of county and community programs and services. Councilmember Claudia Balducci awarded Get Active Stay Active grants to 19 Eastside organizations in King County Council District 6.

“To me, a healthy community means people have access to things that contribute to their well being, like arts, culture, nature and physical activity,” Balducci said in a press release. “By investing in these great community organizations, the King County Council is helping to provide opportunities to get outdoors, move and be healthy.”

The 2019-20 Get Active grants support 19 youth, senior, housing and cultural organizations across District 6. The city of Kirkland and Imagine Housing were both awarded the two-year grant.

The city of Kirkland said it’s using a portion of the money to purchase portable games and play equipment such as bean bag toss giant Plinko and portable volleyball.

“Portable games will allow the city staff to engage with the community in new ways at a variety of new locations,” Kirkland parks and community services director Lynn Zwaagstra said. “Grant funds are also being used to support the city’s scholarship program. Scholarships give children who may not otherwise have the opportunity, a chance to participate in our active summer programs. We are incredibly thankful to County Councilmember Claudia Balducci for being a leader in supporting programs to get our communities active and keep them active.”

Zwaagstra said the public is invited to the debut of this equipment at the Game On! event taking place at Juanita Beach Park from 3-7 p.m. July 12.

Imagine Housing will use the grant to purchase exercise equipment for a variety of its properties that target servicing seniors and families. Through the grant, they will be able to add good and high-quality exercise equipment in the properties where people live.

“The grant is a really valuable resource for us,” Imagine Housing president and CEO Villette Nolon said. “It’s very meaningful to us…We really appreciate King County’s support for the low-income community on the Eastside and them helping us provide the best standard of living for them as possible.”

Other Eastside organizations include Mercer Island High School, Mercer Island Department of Parks and Recreation, Stroum Jewish Community Center, Bellevue College, City of Bellevue, India Association of Western Washington, tennis outreach programs, Redmond Senior Center and others.