SJI Community Foundation

Here’s a note from Susan Matthews, Executive Director of the San Juan Island Community Foundation…

Were you at the County Fair this year?

If so, you probably saw the Community Foundation’s booth inside the main building where we posted pictures of some islanders you may have recognized. Each person was quoted as saying something like: “I work here… and I give here” – or “This is our home… and we give here” – or “My business is here… and I give here”.

These people, and so many more just like them, are the heart and soul of your Community Foundation. Our vision statement says, in part, that we strive to “provide donors a focused approach to giving, empowering them to get involved with the causes they support and to have a more significant impact on their community.” Kind of a high-falutin’ way of saying: We help you share your good fortune and good will with others less fortunate – or support causes that maintain or improve the quality of our special island life.

To make sure our guidance to donors and volunteers is accurate, effective, and up-to-date, we recently undertook a three-month intensive study of community needs.

We didn’t do this by ourselves. Through a series of both public communications and personal invitations, we encouraged representatives of island organizations, non-profits, government, and individual members of the broad island community to become involved. That resulted in 128 islanders volunteering their time to attend several of the 28 total meetings addressing 8 different areas of concern. The goal was to identify the most pressing needs and, as a diverse yet cohesive group of community members, develop strategies to meet those needs.

OK, that’s done. So, what now?

I’m here to ask all of you to go to the Foundation’s website where we have posted the results of this comprehensive study. Go to www.sjicf.org and follow the links to the 2015 Community Needs Task Force report. Spend some time with it. Read particularly the areas that speak loudest to you, that move your heart as a responsible and caring citizen. Think about how you personally would like to participate in addressing these needs in the coming years, because this isn’t a one-size-fits-all or a one-time-fixes-it process. Call us if you would like to volunteer your time. Donate right there on the website if you would like to support the ongoing efforts in your area of interest. Send us an email at [email protected] or call us at 378-1001 if you have questions or suggestions.

All of you are the partners we need to be responsive to the challenges that surround us in our homes, our schools, our businesses, our churches, our community gathering places. Our thanks to those who have gotten us this far – and to those who will now help us find and implement long-lasting solutions to meet our community’s needs.

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