Community
Community Stories
7
2019
Sparking Change Starts With Seeing The Need
Seventeen year-old Caleb Kamalu was volunteering at F.U.N Food Bank in his hometown of University Place when he noticed food bank staff struggling to explain something to a customer. The woman had filled up her cart with more than the allotted amount of items, and a staff member was trying to explain that she > Continue Reading
6
2019
Morning Art Teaches Tacoma Students About Making Choices
On a recent Tuesday morning, Sasha, a third-grader at Tacoma’s Fawcett Elementary, created a sumi ink painting while catching up with a few of her best friends before school started. Sasha is one of about 70 students at six local elementary schools who participate in Breakfast Sketch Club, an Expanded Learning Opportunity provided by Tacoma > Continue Reading
6
2019
Partnering For An Engaged Community: Bill & Della Robertson
At Greater Tacoma Community Foundation, we’ve seen how much more we can accomplish when we work together. Since 1981, community members have shared their commitment to a thriving Pierce County by partnering with GTCF to bring their vision to life and build a legacy for future generations. In our 2018 yearbook, Pierce County Partners, a few > Continue Reading
6
2019
Don’t Let The Fear Of “No” Get In The Way Of Giving
When Jan Jacobs led fundraising efforts for the Seattle-based international health innovation nonprofit, PATH, a high-tech sticker helped engage donors with the organization’s mission. Donors were invited to tour the facilities where a PATH product designer, who Jan compared to Bill Nye the Science Guy, “with his apron and ear protectors slung around his neck”, demonstrated > Continue Reading
9
2019
Expanded Learning Opportunities Help Students Learn Empathy and Cooperation
Standing at the door to their school gymnasium, Caleb and his classmates giggled playfully in a huddle. “Remember your audience can see you, so you are on stage now,” their director reminded them. They quickly straightened up and smiled, confidently taking their places to welcome their incoming guests. “The nature of creating art is rooted > Continue Reading
9
2019
Hiring Locally Strengthens Local Organizations
As a high school math teacher in Tacoma, Tim Herron developed the Act Six initiative in 2002 to help his students succeed in college and return to lead in their community. Today, as the President of Tacoma-based nonprofit Degrees of Change—which now operates the Act Six initiative—he continues to build on that effort by hiring > Continue Reading
9
2019
Making a Difference Starts with Making Connections
Chris Harvey and Kate Larsen moved to Tacoma a little over a year ago from King and Snohomish counties. They brought with them a deep commitment to supporting their community. This is a community we can personally subscribe ourselves to and invest ourselves in as we take the time to learn about it. It’s extremely > Continue Reading
9
2019
Partnering to Build Community Philanthropy: Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation
At Greater Tacoma Community Foundation, we’ve seen how much more we can accomplish when we work together. Since 1981, community members have shared their commitment to a thriving Pierce County by partnering with GTCF to bring their vision to life and build a legacy for future generations. In our 2018 yearbook, Pierce County Partners, a few > Continue Reading
12
2018
Young Leaders Bring Diverse Experiences and Vision to GTCF’s Youth Philanthropy Board
Sometimes it can take a while for a new group to feel comfortable working together. One thing GTCF Program Director Janece Levien appreciates about the new members of this year’s Youth Philanthropy Board (YPB) is their willingness to embrace discomfort in an effort to cultivate positive change. “After a conversation at our last meeting around > Continue Reading
10
2018
Spark Grants Light Up Communities
It all started with a conversation. Sandra Smith, a real estate agent from Buckley, says she was talking with her teenage daughter and a group of classmates about a lack of opportunity to contribute to community when the idea for Merry on Main was born. “They all said, ‘We would [get involved] if there > Continue Reading