‘They allowed me to be’: Event in Mountlake Terrace honors youth, young adults

Caitlin Rose still remembers the first thing she smelled upon entering Cocoon House when she was a teenager.

“Applesauce,” Rose said during an event Thursday in Mountlake Terrace. “I’m talking like the good applesauce with cinnamon and all the spices.”

At the time, someone told Rose that the applesauce was a staff member’s pride and joy, and that the staffer cooked it in a Crock-Pot. She also heard that people would go crazy over it.

For Rose, that environment made her feel at home.

“[Cocoon House] met me where I was at,” Rose said. “They allowed me to be.”

Rose was one of the four people who spoke about their experiences with Cocoon House during the annual Butterfly Celebration on May 7 at Premera Blue Cross in Mountlake Terrace.

Since 1991, Cocoon House has been serving Snohomish County youth experiencing homelessness and their families. The nonprofit provides a full continuum of care, including housing, outreach and prevention, as well as education and employment support.

The annual Butterfly Celebration highlights the successes of young people who overcame significant challenges, and it allows attendees to invest in services that help youth and young adults experiencing homelessness.

At the event, guests also heard from this year’s youth award recipients: Rancy Paulis, Kelly Remmem and Quentin Montalvo. All three, plus Rose, have benefited from Cocoon House’s services in one way or another.

Cocoon House provided Paulis with education and employment support. She is a Machinists Institute graduate and is now certified through the Boeing Pre-Employment Training Program. Her plan is to work toward a career at Boeing as a machinist.

Remmem learned how to advocate for herself with help from Cocoon House. She has secured stable housing, and she is currently attending Edmonds College. Her plan is to get a degree in human services and maybe business.

Montalvo has secured stable housing through Cocoon House, and he is on track to graduate high school with full credits. He dreams of becoming a boxer for the Olympic Games.

“Butterfly is a reminder to us all that our youth are worth investing in,” Cocoon House CEO Joe Alonzo said at the event.

Cocoon House’s next annual event, An Evening in SILK, will occur at 6 p.m. Friday, Oct. 2, at the Tulalip Resort Casino, 10200 Quil Ceda Blvd. More information will come soon and will be available here.

Angelica Relente is a Murrow News Fellow covering housing and related issues in South Snohomish County for the My Neighborhood News Group. Contact her at [email protected].