The ballroom of the Hotel RL in Olympia was filled with community leaders and members of the DRC family who came together on Sunday, April 14th to celebrate and support the work of the Dispute Resolution Center.  This year's theme, "Strengthening Connections", highlighted the many personal connections and community partnerships that help advance the DRC's vision - a South Sound community that has and uses healthy and respectful conflict resolution skills.
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Thank You to all of our table hosts, volunteers, business partners, vendors and, especially, our generous donors, who made this event a success.

Our guests at the 2019 edition of The Toast:
- Enjoyed savory hors d'oeuvres from the Hotel RL chefs, sampled sweet treats from local chocolatiers and bakeries, and sampled libations from local wine-makers, cider-makers and distillers;
-Joined us in honoring Rev. Carol McKinley, recipient of this year's Evan Ferber Peacemaker Leadership Award;
- Heard from DRC Executive Director Jody Suhrbier and our keynote speaker, Olympia High School teacher Jason "Blue" Peetz, addressing the theme of "strengthening connections";
- Gave generously to support the DRC's efforts to build a more civil and peaceful community;
- and enjoyed re-connecting with long-time DRC supporters, as well as introducing first-time guests to the work of the DRC.

Click on the gallery thumbnails below to view the full-size photos:

​Jesse Laird has joined the Dispute Resolution Center's staff as our new Volunteer Manager.  In this role, he will lead volunteer recruitment, retention and coordination activities, as well as manage the DRC's mediator practicum program.

A native of Portland, Jesse earned Masters degrees in Conflict Resolution from Portland State University and International and Multicultural Education from the University of San Francisco.  He brings to the DRC extensive experience in developing and implementing educational curricula, and has created and presented trainings covering a wide variety of topics, including conflict resolution, facilitation and advocacy.  
 
"Stepping into the role of Volunteer Manager, Jesse brings several years of experience in conflict resolution as an educator," notes DRC Executive Director Jody Suhrbier.  "He has been a curriculum designer and teaching faculty, which has honed his interest in strengthening adult learning with a tailored, person-to-person approach.  We look forward to Jesse's active engagement with our DRC family and the broader community."

Jesse can be reached at jlaird@mediatethurston.org .