My apologies for the bad pun.
And my thanks to Robin Kucklick. Robin is a professional gardener who has worked on Orcas for decades. About 25 years ago, he helped the County select and plant trees throughout Eastsound. He chose varieties that had a great fall color show. Walking around town, it is lovely to see that he chose well. Eastsound is awash in red, orange and gold. What a beautiful living legacy. Well done, Robin!
I attended a virtual conference with community foundation (CF) Insights this week. There was a good session on the value of participatory grantmaking. The idea is to spread the decision-making power of grantmaking to a broad audience that is representative of the community served by the funding. I have linked a lengthy study if you would like to learn more.
Our GiveOrcas campaigns are a good example of the practice. Each year, we gather 12-14 community members from a wide variety of sectors to serve on our Grants Committee. They are tasked with reviewing proposals and making the funding recommendation to the OICF Board. This process also provides each committee member with a deep dive into the programs and organizations that serve Orcas, and helps to build a strong social infrastructure to carry us through these challenging times.
The call for proposals for the Holiday Catalog is on now. If you would like to learn more or have questions about applying, please give Megan Neal a call at OICF (360-376-6423) or email her. She would be happy to help.
I hope you have a good weekend.
H