Blog
What’s the buzz?
This past year has brought some new programs to OICF. Meagan Neal, OICF’s Community Outreach Coordinator, launched Hive as a way to connect and collaborate with Orcas Island's next generation of community-minded visionaries and leaders. Hive is a small group of...
Reflection and Resilience
Willis enjoying the first flowers We opened the Community Emergency Response Fund (CERF) one year ago. At the time, we had a vague notion that we would need to support this community during the pandemic, but no real clear understanding of what that would look like or...
Spring
March 5th is the deadline for proposals for the 2021 GiveOrcas catalog. Kate Long and Susan Singleton have gathered a great team for this year’s Grants Committee and they will start their reviews and deliberations soon. This past year has brought a new understanding...
Feeding the soul
The pandemic has stressed our national food pantry programs. Many had been run by older volunteers who could not safely serve when Covid arrived. Others found sourcing products challenging. This occurred all while customer bases doubled then quadrupled. The Orcas...
Shelter
Conestoga Shelters As you may recall, last Spring, when we were under a Stay Home, Stay Safe order, the Community Emergency Response team started trying to find shelters for those neighbors lacking houses. The most recent Point in Time Count (completed Winter 2019)...
Snowdrops
I am volunteering at the local vaccination clinic hosted by San Juan County at the Orcas Center. It has been a good opportunity to understand the process and pitch in. The County has done a great job setting up the clinics on each island, ensuring a safe and quick...
Call for Proposals – 2021 GiveOrcas
OICF is excited to announce a call for proposals for the 2021 spring GiveOrcas grant program. Nonprofits serving Orcas Island are invited to apply now through March 5th, 2021 to be included. Applications will be vetted by the OICF Community Grants Committee;...
So Close
The Orcas clinic transition is scheduled to officially occur on April 1st. This has been years, if not decades, in the making, and as we near the date things have grown complicated. For those of you who have been on Orcas for a while, this will feel like a familiar...
Nonprofit Learning Opportunities
I wanted to share some online nonprofit learning opportunities that have come through my email box recently. There are lots of options for current new staff/board members, or people interested in joining your team. Please share widely! Washington Nonprofits...
Unity
Sunset in Olga President Biden spoke of the need for unity during his inaugural celebration. It has me thinking about what unity means. It is more than accepting each other. True unity is our ability to recognize and act on our obligations to each other. It’s lending...