Susan Key for Farhad Ghatan

Hello, my name is Susan Key, and I moved to San Juan Island in the spring of 1992, more than a decade after completing a 3.5 month university level Geology Field School course in the San Juan Islands. From 1999 through 2001, I became familiar with the Town of Friday Harbor’s (Town’s) system of governance as their grant funded Water Resources Coordinator hired to write the Town’s Water Conservation Plan among other duties.

In the later 2000’s, I worked directly with Board Chair Farhad Ghatan during my tenure as Executive Director of the San Juan Nature Institute. More recently as Secretary of San Juan Island Grange #966 from 2014 to 2020, I can attest that our membership often partnered with Farhad and the Town on various community projects. After 29 years and becoming a property owner in the Town, I know firsthand that Farhad is deeply committed to our community.

During the height of the pandemic, I witnessed firsthand how Farhad’s history with our island and broad range of insights about what keeps a town healthy and safe made all the difference. According to the Family Resource Center, the impacts of the pandemic on local households has been profound. The need for utility assistance increased 131%, emergency rental assistance needs grew by 309%, and home delivery of critical supplies like food and medications grew from a handful in 2019 to 2,820 deliveries in 2020.

At Farhad’s urging, the Town of Friday Harbor directed $82,000 to business relief grants to help our smaller businesses get through this tough time. Early during the pandemic, Farhad proactively encouraged the Town to reach out to social service providers, ask what local residents were struggling with, and work on quick solutions. The Town subsequently approved use of American Rescue Plan (ARPA) funds to cover much-needed behavioral health services for community members. This funding also helps to support the FRC’s outreach to vulnerable seniors who are homebound.

In addition to this great work, since 2017 under Farhad’s leadership, the Town has contributed over $10,000 to the Food Bank and over $92,000 to the Joyce L. Sobel Family Resource Center (FRC) to help residents with emergency rental and utilities needs.

The bottom line – experience matters in these challenging times! Strong connections and partnerships on the local, regional and state levels matter. A proven track record of successful fundraising matters. Many thanks to Farhad, the Town, and the many agencies and organizations who have worked so hard to nurture a safe, healthy and equitable community for us all.

Susan Key