A year of sickness and struggle revealed what we are made of by bringing our most entrenched issues and greatest strengths into clear view.
The havoc will stand present in our minds and communities for generations. What began as a public health crisis led to widespread economic turmoil. This became the backdrop on which a national reckoning on racial justice and growing ideological divisions unfolded.
Multiple forces collided in front of us, and the wreckage exposed a combination of systemic and cultural issues that are endangering lives and livelihoods across our region.
Southwest Washington communities responded.
We cared for one another through mutual aid networks, volunteer efforts and homegrown solutions. At the center of the philanthropic response stood the Community Foundation for Southwest Washington.
Our team worked with donors, funders and statewide partners to rapidly raise and distribute nearly $7.5 million in regional relief. A courageous group of grantees transformed this collective giving into tangible support for our hardest hit neighbors and communities.
We are grateful to serve here, in this place — one where people work across differences to advance the common good.
Looking ahead, we hope to build on the collective spirit, critical work and promising solutions that have risen from this adversity. Only by seizing these opportunities can we create a more just, more equitable future for all people who call southwest Washington home.
If our response to this trying year is any indication, then surely, we will find the strength to push on toward this vision.
