OICF’s grant making has evolved over the years into a true community process. Twice a year, OICF invites the community to submit proposals for funding through the GiveOrcas Campaigns. The application period for the Spring GiveOrcas Campaign closed this week, and we...

Hello everyone, Ed filling in one more time before Hilary arrives back from her well-rested vacation. I’ve been listening to a lot of Nina Simone lately. More than usual. The beauty, strength, and sheer determination of her voice and power of her words are...

Hello all, Ed Andrews here. Filling in this week while Hilary is off to Mexico and Molly is basking in Hawaiʻi. I obviously did not receive the office memo about going on vacation this week. I sense interoffice trickery, but I, and OIPI, can’t seem to prove such...

The Spring GiveOrcas Campaign is starting to roll. The application is posted on our website and Grants Manager, Ed Andrews is at the ready to answer any questions. This is our 10th year running the GiveOrcas campaigns. What a remarkable journey it has been. In 2013,...

This weekend brings opportunities on Orcas to meet our newly elected municipal leaders. The Sheriff's Office is hosting Coffee with a Cop on Saturday at Tide Pool on North Beach Road from 10-Noon. Sheriff Eric Peter will be there with a few additional deputies to meet...

This week is the Annual Point in Time Count (PIT) for Washington State. The goal is to count the number of folks living in substandard housing (meaning without access to plumbing, heating, and/ or other utilities), in vehicles, or outdoors altogether. The past two...

When I first started at OICF, I met with Bob Henigson. Bob had read about the Dolly Parton Imagination Library — a program that mails a book a month to children from birth to five years old. He wanted to see if that was possible to launch on Orcas. We looked into the...

  Monday is Martin Luther King Jr. Day, a day to reflect, renew, and recommit. I was a young child when Dr. King was murdered. We lived in Washington, D.C. I remember being so completely shocked and so saddened that someone would commit such a horrible act and...

Indian Island in the winter   2023 is off and running. High winds and high tides continue to keep us on our toes and our flashlights and candles on hand, just in case.  OICF continues negotiations in pursuit of the purchase of the Lavender Farm Property. We...