WIN is a fantastic program, the impact on participants is a positive life experience. I've watched hundreds of teams and team members learn, grow and become stronger and more self confident over 20 years. I highly recommend the program.

I began working with Washington Imagination Network when I was a teacher in a Gifted Education program looking for extracurricular activities for my students. That was twenty years ago, I no longer teacher Gifted Ed, and I am still involved! This is a fantastic enrichment program for all kinds of kids, and any child who participates becomes a more effective and creative thinker, worker and group member. Despite many other draws on my time, I continue to work with WIN because I know it makes a difference in the lives of children. And since I have seen the budget over time, I know it does this with careful and responsible use of every single penny.

I started working with creative problem-solving programs in WA in 1986 and feel it is the most valuable educational program in which I have been involved. I started as a volunteer judge, and have been involved as a judge, team manager, parent, tournament director and board member. The reason I continue to volunteer my time to this organization is because the program provides students the opportunity to develop thinking skills, creative problem-solving, time management, leadership skills, and communication skills in a fun and rewarding environment. DI rocks!

I have been involved with Destination ImagiNation and WIN supported create problem solving for over 20 years taking on many roles including appraiser, team manager, challenge master and regional director. All 3 of my sons have participated on teams. My husband and sons continue to support the program through volunteering. It has been a joy watching my sons and the many children and adults I've met take on the challenges learning to work cooperatively and exploring their creative sides. When we step back as adults and give the children the freedom to take on the challenge themselves, the kids are amazing and the skills they learn benefit us all.

Washington Imagination Network is the state affiliate for Destination Imagination. I am a long time board member and parent of three kids who participated and thrived in the program. The DI program encourages teams of learners to have fun, take risks, focus, and frame challenges while incorporating STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics), the arts, and service learning. My kids learned patience, flexibility, persistence, ethics, respect for others and their ideas. They loved the opportunity to collaborate with other kids while learning how to solve problems by themselves. I have watched many kids blossom with confidence after participating in this program. This program needs financial support because all funding from the State Legislature was cut in June 2011. We want to keep membership fees low in an effort to keep this wonderful program affordable for all kids in the state of Washington.