Thank you to everyone who attended HealthierHere's Second Biannual Board & Community Forum on March 18^th!  The theme was Hearing from Us and focused on the work HealthierHere has been doing in the last six months.

Presenters shared updates on the Collective Abundance Grant, Food Assistance Investment Grants Round 1 and Round 2, and the Connect2 Technology User Group.

It was great to see a blend of community partners, staff, and board members coming together for connection, learning, and discussion. We were honored to be joined by over 20 organizations representing diverse sectors and communities served:

Sound Generations, WithinReach, Mercy Housing, Habitat for Humanity, ACRS, Providence, Kaiser Permanente, CHPW, Best Start for Kids, Open Doors for Multicultural Families, United Indians of All Tribes, Solid Ground, African Community Housing & Development, Project Access Northwest, Congolese Integration Network, Na’ah Illahee Fund, Center for MultiCultural Health, and more.

Thank you to HealthierHere Director of Program Operations, Tavish Donahue, and Chief Finance and Operations Officer, Thuy Hua-Ly, for their extensive time and dedication to organizing the grants and funding awards.  

See the presentation here. View photos from the event here.

Quotes:

"I had the chance to join the recent board and community forum and hear firsthand about the impact of our work. It was really meaningful to learn more about the grants awarded, the level of funding, and the difference it’s making in the community. It also gave me a better sense of how the organization is continuing to grow and stay focused on community needs." - Seleni DeJesus-Ponce, Client Relationship Manager, HealthierHere

"Attending the HealthierHere's Board & Community Forum was such an empowering experience. John Kim's opening remarks about the work that was done at the previous forum really set the stage and expressed that community feedback is consolidated, valued, and implemented. The brilliant and impactful presentation given by Tavish Donahue about HealthierHere's efforts to provide immediate food relief and assistance - with a lightning fast turnaround time during the SNAP benefits cut - truly opened my eyes to how devoted the team is to helping community when it's needed most. Learning about the Connect2 User Group's work was also fantastic and showed that they highly value input from both internal and external partners in creating a system that would work best for clients, CBWs, and providers - a true logistical and technical challenge that I have full confidence they can undertake. It was an honor being there with representatives from such a wide range of social services, all with the goal of ensuring great client and community care. As a new Community-Based Worker (CBW) supervisor who also works with clients at ACRS (one of the partner agencies working on behalf of HealthierHere to help our community get connected to resources) this forum was a wonderful experience and made me truly proud to be part of an organization that's partnered with HealthierHere. It reminded me that we all have a hand in making an impact and our voices are being heard. Thank you HealthierHere team for your amazing work and partnership!" - Hoa Vo, CBW, ACRS

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Stay tuned for a date for the next Forum in September!  Subscribe to HealthierHere's newsletter for information about upcoming events and forums.