Stories
Below are a few stories of our children in our Infant Toddler Program and adults supported in our Adult Employment Services Program. We are thankful for our families and clients that are willing to share their stories. These stories help prospective families and the community learn more about the services Holly Ridge Center provides. If you would like to share your story with us, please contact edelma@hollyridge.org.
Two Careers, One Big Celebration: Honoring Becky & Meghan’s Retirements
Two retirements. Two incredible employees. One big celebration of inclusive employment. Recently, we celebrated the retirements of two remarkable Holly Ridge Center clients—Becky and Meghan—along with two outstanding Kitsap inclusive employers who supported them...
Concrete Goods: A Wagon Opens the World for Luis
Young Luis is big for his age—tall, sturdy, and full of energy. Regular strollers? Too small, too cramped. Outings were a struggle. Enter Concrete Goods. They provided Luis with the perfect solution: a spacious, foldable wagon. Now? He rides comfortably and securely,...
Ballast Book Company’s Journey to Inclusive Employment
When Poulsbo’s Liberty Bay Books decided to launch a Bremerton pop-up location in 2015 for the holidays, then-employee Kate Larson took charge. “I drove the books back and forth from Poulsbo and ran the store during the day,” Kate remembers. The hard work paid off:...
News Release: Holly Ridge Center Awarded New Contract by Kitsap County to Manage Long-Standing Parent Support Programs
Holly Ridge Center Awarded New Contract by Kitsap County to Manage Long-Standing Parent Support Programs Agreement with Kitsap-based nonprofit marks return of management and facilitation of Parent Coalition and Parent to Parent Program to inside the community they...
Celebrating 16 Years of Dedication: Way To Go, Mike!
Holly Ridge Center is proud to celebrate Mike, an Adult Employment Services client, employed at Mike’s Auto Repair in Bremerton for the past 16 years! Mike keeps the Body Shop running smoothly with sweeping, mopping, organizing, and other essential duties. He says his...
Three Cheers for 10+ Years!
Congratulations on over a decade of employment to three Holly Ridge Center clients-- Jacob, Arnell, and James! --working for Northwest Center at the Puget Sound Naval Shipyard in Bremerton, part of the U.S. Navy’s Naval Base Kitsap. “We thoroughly enjoy having each...
Congratulations to Cavan at Crooked Spoon Ice Cream (formerly ACME Valley)
Congratulations to Cavan, an Acme Valley Ice Cream employee. In 2023, Holly Ridge Center contracted with the Division of Vocational Rehabilitation (DVR) to perform job placement activities for Cavan and assist him in obtaining meaningful employment of his choice....
Holly Ridge’s Joel Oviedo Visits Armin Jahr Elementary
As the 2025-2026 school year kicked off, Joel Oviedo, a Holly Ridge Center Employment Consultant, was asked to participate in Career Day at Armin Jahr Elementary PTO School in Bremerton. Career Day was a part of the school’s College & Career Spirit Week, which...
Celebrating David, 10 Years at Ballast Books!
Congrats to David, an Adult Employment Services client at Holly Ridge Center! August 19th is his 10th Anniversary working at Ballast Book Company in Bremerton! David’s job coach, Christina*, wrote the following message in celebration: It’s a dark, gloomy Friday as the...
Keeping Up With Zoe: Infant Toddler Program Graduate
Zoe Turning 17, an update by Shannin Strom (Zoe's Mom) Zoe will be 17 in August. It’s hard to believe it has been almost 14 years since she graduated from Holly Ridge and transferred to her local elementary school for early intervention preschool (early supports...