This week’s episode features WestSide High School’s leadership program and a fundraiser that will be held March 15 from 6 to 8 p.m. at the school to benefit a four-year-old Wenatchee youngster who is battling cancer at Seattle Children’s Hospital. Jocelyn Aguilar, her mom and brother are staying at Ronald McDonald House in Seattle while she’s receiving treatment.  I spoke with leadership club advisor Sheena Zacherle and students Justyena Wilson and Rebecca Figueroa. Wilson and Figueroa are students at Wenatchee Valley Technical Skills Center and participate in the leadership club at Westside. Students in the culinary skills program at the tech center run will prepare the food for the spaghetti feed.  In successful communities, people look out for those who are suffering. The leadership club at WestSide is a good example of creating experiences that will leave a lasting positive impact on students and help them connect more deeply to the valley. We can support their efforts by donating items and attending the event.

#41: WestSide High fundraiser helps 4-year-old with leukemia

Exploring the power of collaboration and civic engagement in North Central Washington

Society & Culture

Personal Journals

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Places & Travel

My guest for this episode is Thom Nees, the executive director of Serve Wenatchee Valley who is also leading the effort to develop the Common Ground Community Housing Trust A community housing trust is a proven way to develop permanently affordable housing in a community. The simple mechanism is that a nonprofit owns the land and buyers purchase the home. This model has been successful in numerous communities, including Leavenworth and the Methow Valley.  The red hot housing market in the region is making it increasingly difficult for working families to afford homes, as anyone who is paying attention to the housing market can attest. This is an effort that can make a meaningful difference. I hope you enjoy our conversation. Look for an upcoming column on this effort in The Wenatchee World. 

#74 - A community housing trust is launching in Wenatchee Valley

My guest for this podcast is Christine Morgan, the executive director of the Icicle Fund in Leavenworth. Philanthropist Harriet Bullitt started the fund 20 years ago as a way of supporting arts and music, conservation, and natural history efforts in North Central Washington. The Icicle Fund has pumped more than $45 million into our region during that time. Christine and I spoke about her childhood in Denmark, how she developed a commitment to collaboration and viewing challenges from multiple perspectives, and how the Icicle Fund is making a difference by supporting local nonprofits. The Icicle Fund has provided transformational leadership by helping nonprofits dream bigger and make a more significant impact. It is a positive force for bringing people together to help us build stronger communities. 

#73 The Icicle Fund's major impact on the well-being of NCW

This episode features Yvonne Boyd, a member of the Braver Angels effort that seeks to depolarize political discussions and create a framework for honest discussions on difficult topics.    Braver Angels brings conservatives and liberals together in a format that has long been used in family counseling. The organization is growing by leaps and bounds as people on both sides of the political divide recognize the danger to America of not being able to have a dialogue.  Boyd talks about her background, how she came to be involved in Braver Angels, and talks about the virtual workshop that is being presented on Saturday, February 27. The title of the workshop is “Depolarizing within: Becoming a better angel in your own world.”   The workshop is about recognizing how we add to the polarization and offers techniques to have more constructive interactions with those we don’t agree with politically.   What happens in the conversations moderated by Braver Angels is that people see each other from a more nuanced and broader perspective beyond simple political labels.  Here’s a link to the workshop.  https://braverangels.org/event/depolarizing-within-standard-central-eastern-washington/  

#72 Depolarizing our politics with Yvonne Boyd of Braver Angels

My guest for this podcast is Jill Fineis, the principal of the fledgling Pinnacles Prep charter public school in Wenatchee, which will open its doors to sixth and seventh graders this fall in the Wenatchee Community Center on South Mission Street.  In our conversation, Jill shares her deep background in education and discusses the guiding philosophy of Pinnacles Prep. The learning environment they are committed to fostering encourages and supports students in finding their passion and taking charge of their learning journey. It’s an approach that has been successful in engaging students at other schools around the country.  Pinnacles Prep has a terrific and diverse group of board members and community ambassadors who are helping guide the design of the school’s academic program. They are doers with deep experience in public education here. 

#71 Jill Fineis of Pinnacles Prep charter public school

My guest for this episode is Jill Nielsen-Farrell, the daughter of longtime Wenatchee dentist Gerry Nielsen. She has started Wenatchee Community Acupuncture and treats  a wide variety of conditions, including doing trauma-informed acupuncture for depression, Post Traumatic Stress Disorder and addiction. After losing her husband in a house fire, Nielsen-Farrell found that acupuncture helped her process her own grief and she decided to shift from a career as a social worker to helping people heal using Chinese medicine.   In our discussion, we talked about her personal journey, the unique aspects of community-based acupuncture, and her work with the Compassion Prison Project. She’s a delightful soul who I think will enrich this valley immeasurably.

#41: WestSide High fundraiser helps 4-year-old with leukemia

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