Cascade Connections

10/14/2026

We have some exciting news to share! We are beyond proud to announce that our very own Holley Raven has been named the 2026 Emerging Leader by the statewide Community Residential Services Association (CRSA)! After being nominated by Cascade Connections, providers across the entire state voted to bestow this incredible honor on her.

The Emerging Leader Award recognizes someone who goes above and beyond every single day to transform lives, show real initiative, and lift up everyone around them. Holley stood out amongst the nominees thanks to her relentless advocacy for individuals with developmental disabilities, strong leadership across our community, constant drive for innovation, and her innate ability to empower and celebrate her teammates.

Holley serves as an Area Manager in our Supported Living program where her hard work and dedication have been invaluable to the teams she has supported. We couldn't be prouder to have presented her with this well-deserved statewide award at the CRSA annual conference last week!

Please join us in giving Holley a massive CONGRATULATIONS!✨

10/13/2026

We are honored to recognize Mary Nestle-Klyn who celebrated 25 years with Cascade Connections in September. Over her years of service, Mary has seen Cascade Connections’ residential services grow from a small department with just two managers serving 12 individuals, to a huge operation with multiple departments serving over 100 individuals.

Throughout the years, Mary has helped create lasting change, not just for Cascade Connections, but across Washington State. She developed a specialized Direct Support Professional Behavioral Technician program for Cascade. After ten years of success, key elements of the program were adopted state-wide and are currently in the pilot phase. She also was a presenter for many years at the Community Summit in Wenatchee. One year she was on a panel, alongside client Evelyn, which led to a multi-month KING 5 News feature highlighting individuals’ transitions from state institutions into community living.

But if you ask Mary about her favorite memories, and you'll hear about the people: campfires at Birch Bay, Deception Pass, and Larrabee, cheering at one of Seattle's first WNBA games, and the stories our clients share about their own adventures and childhood camping trips.

When talking about her success, Mary is quick to credit her team. “I love working on teams where we can be focused on identifying the barriers to success and creating roadmaps to conquer those barriers. There is always a workaround to accomplish your goals.” Building strong management teams has been a key focus in Mary's current role of Residential Operations Manager, supervising Cascade's Supported Living, Group Training Home, Home Care, and Residential Quality Assurance departments.

Mary, thank you for 25 years of heart, creativity, and dedication. We're so grateful you're part of our Cascade family.

10/11/2026

The 5th Annual Hamster Crawl is a wrap! 🎉 Big thank you to everyone who came out and supported us. We hope you enjoyed the evening and perhaps found a new favorite place to visit!

We’re catching our breath and will post our photos later this month.

If you took any pictures during the crawl, please post them with the hashtag —we’d love to see your highlights!

10/10/2026

10/09/2026

There are so many wonderful restaurants, pubs, and breweries participating in this year’s Hamster Crawl – we can’t wait to stop at every venue!

If you’re attending, check out this awesome list and plan your route!

3PM Kickoff: Trackside B**r Garden - Kulshan Brewing Co.
7PM Last Call: Bar Two Eleven

Waterfront Tavern Seafood and Bar | Bellingham Old Town ChebaFam | El Capitan's | Fiamma Burger | Gruff Brewing | Horseshoe Cafe | Jalapenos Family Mexican Restaurants | JUXT Taphouse | Ruckus Room Arcade and Fun Center | The Racket - Bar & Pinball Lounge | Uisce Irish Pub

10/06/2026

If you’re still on the fence about whether or not to attend the Hamster Crawl, perhaps some of these amazing raffle prizes will convince you?

• Two-Night Stay at the Snowline Grand Lodge in Glacier donated by Barron Heating AC Electrical & Plumbing
• Six-Person Floating Sauna from coho saunas
• Mach 1 Adventure Party Pass from Mach1 Adventure Park
• A weekend sauna rental (they’ll deliver the sauna to you!!) from Huckleberry Sauna
• 10-person Birthday Party package from Summit Adventure Park Bellingham
• Char-broil Patio Bistro 240 from Ace Hardware (Blaine and Ferndale)
• 11! Car washes from Sunset Car Wash
• $100 Equipment Rental from American Alpine Institute
• Wheel Alignment, Tire Rotation, Oil Change, and Wiper Blades and Rain X from Firestone Complete Auto Care
• A pair of amazing gift baskets from Haggen

We have so many more prizes, we'll have to make a second post highlighting all the different businesses who contributed! Thank you to all of the local businesses who helped make this raffle truly unmissable! Hamster Crawlers will be able to purchase tickets for these prizes and more at the Hamster Crawl this Saturday!