Agency History
TOGETHER! has been igniting change across the South Sound and beyond since 1989 with health promotion, youth development and prevention initiatives. Today our programs reach thousands of students and families each year, as Co-Executive Director Vanessa shares in the above video...
In May 1989, community leaders in Thurston County met with social development researchers from the University of Washington to discuss the growing presence of substance abuse problems in our neighborhoods and schools. They embraced the "Communities That Care" research-based model for developing a comprehensive, communitywide plan to combat the problem. This meeting gave birth to TOGETHER!
Over the succeeding twelve months, TOGETHER! grew from a vision to a grass-roots campaign to mobilize the communities of Thurston County into a coordinated effort to prevent youth violence and youth alcohol, drug and tobacco use. Fifty-six key community leaders collaborated in program development, all dedicated to the vision of safe and drug-free communities for our youth.
TOGETHER! incorporated and was granted Washington State non-profit corporation status in September 1989, and IRS 501(c)(3) determination in June 1990. Grants and service contracts that have funded programs, operations and evaluation have included awards from federal, state and county agencies; local jurisdictions; and private foundations, and support from local businesses and interested individuals.
TOGETHER!'s community-mobilizing, coalition-building and prevention programming efforts of our first two and a half decades have been recognized over the years by a variety of organizations, including Community Anti-Drug Coalitions of America, Governor's Council on Substance Abuse, U.S. Department of Justice/FBI, Community Youth Services and the Thurston County Board of Health.
Programs included incubating grassroots startup groups that becaome freestanding nonprofits, collaborating with cities to host youth activity nights and drug-free alternative activities, and meeting youth and family as well as community-level needs through neighborhood center operations at low income apartment complexes. TOGETHER! also spearheaded youth leadership initiatives, trained youth as peer educators, and designed and delivered prevention curriculum to improve individual, family, school, and community health. We p[anned and delivered and adult skills trainings and professional development opportunities via conferences as well as in school and community settings, collaborating with countless groups and institutions to deliver substance abuse prevention education, work with parks departments and convenience stores to clean up communities, and more.
In early 2010, TOGETHER! shifted our focus to that of health and educational equity, going upstream from substance abuse prevention consistent with the public health risk and protective factor model science we were founded on. From here, driven by data and community input, the foundations for our current programs were laid. Starting in 2014, we started Club House and Community Schools, followed by Host Homes in 2021. In 2024, following four years of fiscal sponsorship, Expanding Your Horizons became an official program of TOGETHER! when volunteer committee members retired from service.
About TOGETHER!
TOGETHER! was honored in 2015 as the YWCA of Olympia's Business of Achievement.
The same year Lacey South Sound Chamber named TOGETHER! their Workplace Excellence award recipient.
In 2019 our co-leaders Meghan Sullivan and Meagan Darrow were named Distinguished Leaders alongside Drew Phillips of Forma and Cheryl Fambles, formerly of Pac Mountain Workforce Development, by Leadership Thurston County and the Thurston County Chamber.
More recently, Lacey South Sound Chamber named TOGETHER! Business of the Month in April 2021, and several current and former TOGETHER! team members were recognized South Sound Exceptional Women via Soroptimist International of Olympia 2024 to present.