ROOT Sports reporter Jen Mueller engages the audience Thursday.

You wouldn’t think there was an immediate connection between fans of the Super Bowl champion Seattle Seahawks and children who can’t afford school clothes, but local sportscaster Jen Mueller quickly connected the dots for those attending the Clothes for Kids Transforming Lives fundraising breakfast Thursday morning.

The Meadowdale Middle School Jazz Band provided music for the breakfast.

Speaking to hundreds who gathered in the Lynnwood Convention Center Thursday morning — including dignitaries such as Snohomish County Executive John Lovick, Edmonds Mayor Dave Earling and Lynnwood City Council President Loren Simmonds — Mueller recalled her trip to cover the Super Bowl earlier this year and the connection she felt among all those wearing Seahawks jerseys. “There is importance in what we wear,” Mueller said, noting that others make judgments based on your clothing.

The message wasn’t lost on those attending the event, the largest fundraising breakfast in the organization’s history. Clothes for Kids is a referral-based program serving families throughout Snohomish County who participate in the free or reduced lunch program. These families are able to shop at the Clothes for Kids store, located in Lynnwood. During the 2013-14 school year, the organization provided 4,206 wardrobes for low-income Snohomish County students from preschool to high school.

Lynda Tripp was honored as Volunteer of the Year.

Program Manager Nancy Laird-Burris, right, recognizes the contributions of Angel Chaffin, owner of Lynnwood’s Head to Toes Kids Clothes consignment shop, shown with her three sons.

Clothes for Kids took time during the breakfast to honor its volunteer of the year, Lynda Tripp, for her tireless work with the organization. Also recognized was Angel Chaffin, owner of Head to Toes Kids Clothes, for her generous donations to the Clothes for Kids store, and a special shout-out was given to Director of Development Joy Ingram, who oversaw the event.

The My Neighborhood News Network — My Edmonds News, Lynnwood Today and MLTnews — was the media sponsor for the breakfast.