Community Tides

On this edition of Community Tides, Chris Bricker and Siobhan speak with Deisy Bach, Vice President of the Jefferson County Food Bank Association, and John Cantlon, President of the Society of Saint Vincent de Paul for East Jefferson County. The COVID Response and Recovery Fund and its community donors have had a profound impact for families and individuals in need here in Jefferson County. The Jefferson County Food Bank and Saint Vincent’s are just two of the organizations that the Fund has helped in so many ways during the Pandemic year to address the short-term and long-term needs of our neighbors. Deisy and John relate their experiences when Pandemic hit, and talk about how the Fund helped them respond effectively and compassionately during these difficult months. Siobhan explains how listeners can continue to donate to the COVID Fund.

Who better to talk with about what’s happening in the local arts and educational realm than Teresa Verraes, a visionary who has been a talented and vibrant contributor to to this community in so may ways! She is the Founding Director of the Port Townsend School of the Arts, and it’s in that role she joins us today, to talk about exciting happenings, including the PTSA’s recent merger with Northwind Arts Center, developments at Fort Worden’s Maker’s Square, and the much-anticipated gallery and classroom space for Building 305.

This week on Community Tides, hosts Chris Bricker and Siobhan Canty, President and CEO of Jefferson Community Foundation, speak with Samantha Troxler, Housing and Operations Manager for Olympic Community Action Programs, about Washington State’s Department of Commerce Eviction Rent Assistance Program. Samantha discusses the allocation that OlyCAP has received so far, and what is on the horizon for the agency. We discuss the application process, who can apply, turn-around time, what we know of local statistics, and the Program’s importance during these difficult times.

This week on Community Tides, Chris Bricker and Siobhan Canty talk about how our community has been doing generally with their mental health throughout this pandemic, particularly seniors and youth. Tanya Barnett discusses her new role as Family Resource Navigator for the YMCA of Jefferson County along with CEO Wendy Bart. We learn how the position came about, and why it’s an especially good fit for these difficult times, We discuss our community’s themes, needs and gaps, what we’re hearing from counselors and families, and learn about some of the resources that families can use to help themselves and others.

Chris Bricker and Siobhan Canty talk about the importance of keeping our energy and mental well-being in a good state as we continue to define the “new normal.” By continuing to work together we can address the challenges of navigating a constantly changing landscape. While many things in our community are going very well, there are still a lot of needs. We discuss some of the ongoing, positive efforts in our Community that are helping us face those challenges. We also talk about what the lessons in awareness we hope will “stick” as we move back out into the real world.

For the final episode of 2020, Chris Bricker and Co-Host Siobhan Canty, President and CEO of the Jefferson Community Foundation, take a look at 2020, a year of great challenge, and how our community has risen to that challenge with so many solutions. They recap the year’s accomplishments in our county, and talk about the critical work that lies ahead for education, housing, food access, public health, and human rights.

In honor of this year’s Give Jefferson Campaign, in this edition of Community Tides, we decided to spotlight a very special organization here in Jefferson County—The Benji Project. We speak with instructor Heather McCrae Wolf about the Project’s mission and its eight-week program aimed at ages 11 to 19 and their parents. It’s called “Making Friends with Yourself” and it offers stress management and resiliency training to teens, using mindfulness and self compassion. The Benji Project is dedicated to the memory of Benji Kenworthy, who died at age 15 by suicide.

This week on Community Tides, Chris Bricker and Siobhan Canty discuss the Pandemic’s shut down and its effect on local businesses, education, and our emotional health. With an uncertain forecast of government help as we turn toward the winter ahead, our creative and resilient community of good people doing good work have given us inspiration and true hope during these difficult times.

Folks are stepping up to help, and nonprofits are working the front lines. In its 65th year, the United Good Neighbors Campaign shines as an amazing and cherished tradition, where hundreds of people from all over the county make donations to help their neighbors.

Gratitude is an amazing antidote to despair. Expressing thanks is a strategy for feeling more hopeful. Thank everyone in your life and your community this year!

This week on Community Tides, Chris and Siobhan have a conversation with serial entrepreneur and problem-solver Ben Bauermeister, who was instrumental in starting one of the largest undertakings of his non-profit career – The Connected Student Initiative.  The project’s goal is to ensure that students from low-income families find ways to connect to the internet.  It’s a big challenge in rural regions with larger low-income populations.  The times we live in have created the urgency to connect these students and their homes.  The Initiative weaves the search for technological solutions with the resources of the community at large, with project volunteers, and with our school administrators.