Special Message from HDC’s ED on 3/25
March 25, 2020
Here we are: the day we’d planned to come together in the Convention Center skybridge to reconnect, recharge, and celebrate a year of dedication and progress on behalf of affordable housing and homelessness.
If you’re reading this message, you likely already know at least a bit about HDC’s work, and how it helps your own. The HDC staff and board are determined to persevere during this difficult time, for the sake of everyone struggling on the periphery and for our members who serve them. Gathering over 1,300 strong once a year at HDC’s Annual Celebration has given our entire sector a way to come together to honor them all.
This year, you would also have joined together to thank Mark Santos Johnson of the City of Renton, this year’s recipient of HDC’s Carla Okigwe Award, and all of our 2020 Celebration award winners who deserve our sincere appreciation and recognition.
Our Celebration program also featured three staff members of HDC member organizations: Dennis Bateman of Catholic Community Services, Vanessa Tran of Kantor Taylor, and Marwa Zahid of Walsh Construction. They planned to share the rich stories of how they each ended up doing what they do and why being part of this movement still lights a fire in their hearts.
These three folks shrug off the ‘inspirational’ label, insisting they’re quite typical of everyone they work with. And that’s the power of our event—it holds up a mirror to reflect the compassion, wisdom, tenacity, and sense of calling shared by everyone in the room.
We miss experiencing this truly special event with you. I realize a series of emails can never recreate its unique joy. But email does offer me a way to ask you simply and straightforwardly—and in recognition of all you face right now—to make a donation to support HDC.
Please know that HDC stewards every dollar of a modest budget with great care. Whatever you can offer will help this small but mighty team continue to serve you, and to do so in the way only HDC can.
For those of you who have already contributed – you have our sincerest thanks.
You know us and we know you. We are a community that will continue to celebrate our work and each other, and we’ll rise above all we are facing…together.
WITH GRATITUDE,
Marty
