Supporting Prosperity with Skagit Newcomers
Immigrant Resources & Immediate Support For many of us, our families have a story and a unique history of how they arrived in the United States: crossing oceans, one or more borders, by themselves, or alongside family. Some of these journeys were more harrowing than others. Today, there is a very complex system to navigate for immigrants and refugees arriving in Skagit County who are establishing their new life and opportunities. In addition to language barriers, immigrant families can struggle with isolation in a new community and lack support. It can be very difficult to find help and resources when they need it. Immigrant Resources & Immediate Support (IRIS) is a local grassroots nonprofit organization that was formed by Attorney Leta Sanchez of Chamberlain Sanchez Immigration Law. She saw that there was a need for emergency resources within the local immigrant community. IRIS’ mission is to support basic human needs for immigrant families and people in crisis. To read our full September Digital Newsletter click here!
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Thanks to the generosity of a passionate local donor with a strong commitment to the arts, we are excited to announce this new upcoming grant opportunity: We are here to support your ideas for the community. To learn more about starting your Donor Established Fund, visit our website. To read our full August 2022 Digital Newsletter click here! Semillas de Esperanza Scholarship Fund
Creating Opportunities, Celebrating Diversity, & Building Relationships Imagine waking up before sunrise to work in a warehouse or berry fields to help your family financially, before the school day begins. Imagine the isolation of a classroom where your ability to learn and make friends is limited because you don’t know the language. Imagine feeling your parent’s frustrations with seasonal work and limited employment options. Your whole family has worked hard and sacrificed to provide for a better life. You are trying your hardest to build opportunities for yourself, and you set your sights on earning a college degree. SCF donors and founders of the Semillas de Esperanza Scholarship, Howard and Lynn Behar, understand the challenges and barriers undocumented students face. Howard was the founding President of Starbucks International and Lynn has been an oncology social worker for over 30 years with an MSW and PhD from the University of Washington. Their goal is to provide scholarship support to dedicated and determined undocumented students from Skagit County, alongside a similar program in Walla Walla, as an opportunity to provide more equitable access to higher education. The Behar’s idea was to create the Semillas de Esperanza Scholarship to “fill the gap” of unfunded tuition and to follow each student through all their years of higher education. Every summer since 2018, they help select a new cohort of highly motivated undocumented* (includes DACA) students from any Skagit County high school for the multi-year program. The students’ scholarship amount every year is determined by need and ability. To read our full July Digital Newsletter click here! Official Skagit Community Foundation Merchandise
The Skagit Community Foundation sells official SCF merchandise through the online platform: Bonfire. The revenue from each purchase benefits the work of SCF to support our local nonprofit sector, students, and those who live in our Skagit community. Take a look at SCF's online storefront and support our Skagit community in style! Congratulations to the 2021-2022
Anacortes Women's Giving Circle Grant Recipients! The Anacortes Women's Giving Circle is a dynamic, passionate group of women who care deeply about improving lives in our community. In the fall of 2021, they gathered for the third year to pool their donations and individual generosity into a collective grantmaking fund, totaling $26,700. In early May, each donor voted for her favorite project proposal - one vote per donor. Based on this voting, the 2021-2022 Anacortes Women's Giving Circle grants were awarded to eight local nonprofits. "We are delighted that this grassroots collective has been able to support so many special projects in our community while the generosity has grown each year.It has been fun to come together as friends and make new friends all bound by a common goal; women desiring to enhance our community. All are welcome!" - Jeannette, Member of the AWGC Leadership Team The Skagit Community Foundation is proud to support and administrate this meaningful philanthropic effort each year. To read our full June Digital Newsletter click here! ANNOUNCING OUR SCF 2022 SCHOLARSHIP RECIPIENTS
We are honored to support donors leaving a legacy through a Scholarship Fund. Because of our community's generosity, Skagit students are assisted and encouraged to pursue their dreams and higher educational goals. You can seed a customized Scholarship Fund for as little as $10,000. Give me a call today to learn how to establish your Fund at SCF. - Maddy MacKenzie, Executive Director "Overall, I have hope for the future and I know that I will go on to do great things for myself, my family, and my community. Not only can I see myself shaping and improving my life into one that I am passionate about, but I can also see myself helping shape others' lives into ones that they are passionate about too." - Allen Lowe Memorial Scholarship recipient, Mount Vernon High School Class of 2022, future University of Washington student TO READ MORE CLICK HERE... Announcing the 2022 Grant Cycle Recipients:
The strength, progress, and development of our community depends on the compassionate hearts and hard work of Skagitonians. I am grateful, every day, for the opportunity to work with people who care and those that serve causes in our community that matter. Whether it is individuals and families who are creating their legacy, or a volunteer who writes a grant application for a small local nonprofit, we are honored to support the many forms of generosity here in Skagit County. In April, the Skagit Community Foundation's Board of Directors approved $506,587 in grants to 60 local nonprofit organizations serving the Skagit community. The average grant award amount was $8,500. This year's grant cycle was the most competitive grantmaking process to date, with requests totaling more than $1.3 million from 109 applications. To read our full May Digital Newsletter click HERE! Introducing
our new Development & Communications Associate: Sydney Evans My name is Sydney, and I am thrilled to be joining the efforts of the Skagit Community Foundation! I was born and raised in Rochester, New Hampshire but have recently established my home in Mount Vernon following my graduation from Western Washington University. During my time at WWU I was the goalie for the women's lacrosse team, an intern for the athletic department, and I graduated with a communications and marketing degree. To read our full April Digital Newsletter click HERE! Building Upon a Family Legacy:
The Gentry Family Kendall and Nancy Gentry built their business and raised their family in Skagit County. For many years, they have been active community philanthropists and members of the Burlington Rotary Club & His Place Community Church. Skagit Adult Day Program & Skagit Habitat for Humanity have had significant Gentry Family influence over the years. Their goals now are to snowbird in Florida during winter and early spring months, use their motorhome to explore the Great NW and enjoy their family that includes 8 grandchildren whenever and wherever they can. Continuing their family legacy through the new Gentry Family Donor Advised Fund managed by the Skagit Community Foundation is a way for them to continue to give back to the community that has been such a BIG part of their lives for now over 50 years. A gift of real estate, a home in Burlington, was donated to the Skagit Community Foundation to launch the Gentry Family Donor Advised Fund. To read our full March Digital Newsletter click HERE! Additional grants were made in January of 2022 to support our community member recovering from the impacts of the recent flooding.
In partnership with the Northwest Agriculture Business Center, a new grant program will be established to assist small Skagit farms and ranches with unmitigated flood and storm damage incurred in November 2021. To read our full February Digital Newsletter click HERE! |
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