Karen Ridlon -- Founder of Eastside Baby Corner

Karen Ridlon--Founder of Eastside Baby Corner

Producer Bill Maxwell and I drove over to Issaquah to interview Karen Ridlon, founder of Eastside Baby Corner, for the Bellevue Chamber of Commerce's annual Eastside Business Awards. The Eastside Baby Corner had been nominated under the Non-Profit category.

Bill and I were totally surprised and impressed with Karen and the wonderful team of volunteers working diligently there at Eastside Baby Corner. I had never heard of EBC before this meeting. EBC has been around over 18 years. The warehouse was full of volunteers and lots of clothing, toys, etc dedicated to the needy kids we don't think about sometimes. Karen told us that the EBC focuses on the needs of kids from birth to the age of 12. EBC works to organize and distribute materials to over 100 other non-profit agencies around the Puget Sound area. Some of the agencies benefiting from EBC's work is Hopelink and Head Start. Items distributed include things like baby formula, car seats, beds, cribs, bedding and diapers. My eyes grew big and started tearing up as I saw the incredible enthusiasm from the volunteers and how this EBC was really making a difference. I asked myself "How could I not have heard of EBC before?" You can learn more about the Eastside Baby Corner at www.babycorner.org