CEO Update

Liz’s Note, May 2022 newsletter

Such tumultuous emotions this week …

I happen to live one block uphill from an elementary school, and every morning I hear the background noise of children arriving and entering the school building. On Wednesday morning I stood and intentionally listened to those sounds instead of leaving them in the background of a busy morning. After another unimaginable night for families, my heart continues to break for them, thinking of the thousands of times that I dropped off my sons at school, never fearing what could happen to them before the end of the day. Our children should be safe, allowed to live without fear of violence, especially in places meant to nurture them and help them grow. That is part of our obligation to them, and the people who surround them.

I spent time talking with partners this week about what targeted universalism is and how much setting the ‘universal goal’ matters, as opposed to identifying a universal strategy. I asked them to imagine how different it would be if our goal was to keep all children safe from violence and harm. Gun control and safety is one of many strategies but it is not the only needed strategy. We also have to think of all the elements that result in young people targeting other young people for death in such horrific ways. Young people are hurting, facing trauma and don’t have the needed support around them to make their way through alone.

I refuse to believe that we are powerless to make these circumstances change. 

Two events come to mind for me – I joined many at Skagit Valley College last weekend for the Spring Powwow. In the wake of Buffalo and California, I was moved to tears watching four generations of dancers from one family as part of the Grand Entry in the afternoon, knowing that for too long, tribes were forbidden from practicing these traditions. Seeing young people as part of rebuilding these traditions is so impactful.

And on Wednesday evening I traveled to Shoreline to watch my grandson compete in a district track meet. I again found myself battling my own anxieties of having so many children gathered together, wondering whether some circumstance would put them in danger, and I felt I needed to be there, to make sure they do not feel alone. They are our future and worth every minute of our time to assure they have every opportunity to thrive. 

I mentioned to one of my team that I remember the day when each of my boys began to understand that they could feel two conflicting emotions at the same time. Happiness and pain, fear and gratitude, hope and anxiety. That is where I am when each of these events rips through a community. I realize that while Buffalo and Uvalde seem far away from Northwest Washington, we had our own experience in Marysville not so long ago. Every community is just like ours, and what happens there happens to all of us too. 

Hug your loved ones, and please wake up each day with a desire to change this world for the better, because we can do that work if we act together. 

Be well,

April 22 was Earth Day and it was appropriate to spend part of the day standing with our colleagues and partners of Children of the Setting Sun as they modeled what it means to be stewards of this planet we call home – Mother Earth. There were two themes that stuck with me as I walked away – gratitude and reciprocity. 

Gratitude for the reminder of all this planet provides for us – the warmth of sun on our faces, the ground underneath us, the ability to grow and harvest food, the air that sustains us. Taking a moment to use all of our senses to feel the earth around us. I don’t know about you, but I don’t take enough time to be still and feel all that surrounds me. I was grateful to stand with others doing the same and feeling out connection to each other. 

One speaker at the event spoke to reciprocity – what the earth gives us, and noting our responsibility to give back, to care and nourish this place we call home. Another shared this quote – “the one thing we hold in common is the earth.” Imagine if we could carry that thought with us every minute of every day. Would we make the same decisions if we recognized our unbreakable connections to each other and this earth, and our responsibility to future generations?  

Like you, we are moving out of our home offices and starting to be in spaces with real human beings again. It is both wonderful and a little anxiety producing. I want to wear a button that says “don’t forget that you still need to wash your hands, and keep some physical distance if you feel ill!” Plus, realizing that people I’ve met over the last two years are both shorter and taller than I thought. Zoom was a bit of an equalizer in that way, which I hadn’t thought of before. 

And on April 23, our team received an award from the Center for Human Services, and we’re sensing that same theme of reciprocity again. Our work and their work are integrally intertwined. To be thanked because we were able to leverage resources so that a partner could continue to have such an impact is humbling, because our opportunities occur because there are such amazing partners doing great work. That plus the dress code was ‘business casual.’ Imagine what that could look like after two years of zoom attire!!

Our hearts are with those who are struggling this month – looking for adequate housing, food, jobs, along with those arriving from Afghanistan, Ukraine, and other countries. They arrive here in the North Sound region every day, and our partners continue to have open arms to welcome them. Please reach out if you want to help support their work. We are raising funds for them, where 100% of what you donate goes directly to partner organizations. 

Thinking of you as the sunlight in our days grow longer –