We’re heading into the fall season, and we hope you’ve been keeping warm! Meanwhile, RVC is supporting and working with our new cohorts through our two Fellowship programs. This month, we are excited to announce new Operations Support Partner Organizations and grants received from our funding partner, Satterberg!
Read on to find out about the great work that our partner organizations are doing. And make sure to check out our latest blogs to see the cool stuff that’s been happening at RVC!
Meet RVC’s new Operations Support Partner Organizations
We are excited to welcome our new Operations Support Partners! You’ll learn more about them in the coming months, but here’s a quick rundown!
Creative Justice provides a space for youth impacted by the criminal justice system and the school-to-prison-to-deportation pipeline. Through a community of participants and mentor artists working together to explore the root causes of incarceration, art is used as a vehicle to amplify their voices and promote change.
Renton Innovation Zone Partnership is a collaboration between the Renton School District and its surrounding communities to create strategies and improve the well-being of children and their academic performance. The partnership’s mission is centered around basic needs, community and family engagement, and early learning.
Thank you for your partnership, Satterberg!
We’d like to give a shoutout to one of our funding partners, the Satterberg Foundation.
Not only has RVC been awarded a grant that will ensure our organization can increasingly grow our impact for the next few years, we are also pleased to announce that five out of five of our Operations Support Partners who applied for a Satterberg grant and one of our Community Impact partners were also being awarded Satterberg Foundation grants!
“By partnering with RVC, we are committed to working together to create a more just society and sustainable environment by centering, trusting, and investing in the power of communities of color. We believe that RVC is a critical and innovative leader building the capacity of our region and we are excited to listen, learn, and partner together as we grow our relationship,” said Sarah Walczyk, Executive Director of the Satterberg Foundation.
Our partner organizations who got some love from Satterberg include:
- Rainier Beach Action Coalition
- Somali Parents Education Board
- Somali Doulas
- Surge Reproductive Justice
- Totem Star
- WA-BLOC
Green Pathways report released
Florence Sum, RVC’s Green Pathways Program Manager, researched and wrote a report, “Stronger Investments in Leadership Programs will Diversify Environmental Justice Movement,” which discusses how POCs are severely underrepresented in the environmental justice movement. The report also exposes how diversity is often championed and stressed by white-led environmental organizations, but the numbers consistently prove otherwise.
More importantly, the report offers very clear ways to achieve diversity to bolster the green movement. There needs to be a commitment for POCs to undergo professional and leadership development so that lower-income communities and communities of color finally have a substantive voice at the table. RVC, along with partner organization Got Green, are fighting and setting the example to do just that through the Green Pathways Fellowship Program, which just launched!
RVC Partner Updates
RVC strengthens the power of communities of color in order to create a more equitable society through capacity-building, leadership development, and operations support. We accomplish this through our core programs and services as well as through leading partnerships with community members and organizations of color. These members and organizations provide support services tailored to the strengths and needs of the communities they serve.
Here are this month’s highlights of some of our partners’ amazing work!
SHB Health Fair
Somali Health Board, a grassroots partner organization of RVC that acts as a liaison between health systems and service providers for the Somali community, recently put on their 7th Annual Health Fair at the New Holly Gathering Hall on Aug. 17. The event provides health screenings and services and inform people about navigating the healthcare system. The event also provides a platform for the Somali community to address and discuss health concerns directly affecting the community.
The event was a massive success with more than 1,000 people attending the event, up from about 300 people the previous year. There were more than 100 volunteers and vendors that donated their time and services, which included blood pressure, cholesterol, Hep C, and HIV screenings, vision and hearing exams, pediatric services, CPR and EMS education, nutrition education, and dental care. The event, which usually takes place in the fall, moved to summer time so that it coincided with the time of the year that young people are going back to school.
Amy Pak, Families of Color Seattle’s Founding Executive Director, transitioning out of her role
Families of Color Seattle (FOCS), RVC’s partner organization that works to build a strong community by supporting families of color through equitable parenting programs, resource-sharing, and fostering meaningful connections, recently announced that FOCS Founding Executive Director Amy Pak will be transitioning out of her role this fall.
“I am deeply proud of our work to support families of color. This season is the perfect moment for me to transition in my career and offer space for a new dynamic leader to care for our nimble non-profit and beloved FOCS community,” said Amy. FOCS is excited that there is strong staff and board leadership and dedicated funding during this transitional period. For more information, check out letters from Amy and Board President Michele H. Domingo, plus a short description of FOCS Interim Executive Director Aileen Balahadia.
Got Green among several organizations leading Seattle Climate Strike
Got Green, RVC’s partner organization that builds community power by waging campaigns at the intersection of racial, economic, gender, and climate justice, is one of several organizations involved in mobilizing the Seattle Climate Strike, which took place on Sept. 20. This was part of a worldwide youth strike that fights for their right to a healthy future. People walked out of schools, workplaces, and homes to join millions of people around the world demanding climate justice.
This youth-centered and peaceful strike occurred in two phases. During the first phase, activists met at Cal Anderson Park for the Climate Justice Fest, where people gathered to learn, engage, and form connections with many of the organizations fighting for climate justice. The second phase was the march to City Hall, where a rally was held. This central rallying location served as a place to converge with other marchers from across Seattle to raise their voices for meaningful action in the face of the climate crisis. Per multiple media outlets, an estimated 10,000 demonstrators in total participated in the demonstration across Seattle.
WA-BLOC bringing back Homework Center, calling for volunteer tutors
WA-BLOC, an RVC partner organization that empowers youth of color through academic, creative, and place-based leadership training, recently announced the return of Homework Center for the 2019-2020 academic year, which launched on Oct. 1, after school in the library at Rainier Beach High School. WA-BLOC is calling on community members who are willing to volunteer tutor one day each week in the afternoon.
The Homework Center is the only academic support program provided to students at Rainier Beach High School and is driven by tutors that are available to support all subjects, ranging from social studies, STEM, language arts, and Spanish. The Homework Center runs from 3:45–5:30 p.m. on Monday–Thursday, and 2:30–4:30 p.m. on Wednesday. For volunteering opportunities or to learn more about the program, email [email protected].
Several RVC partner organizations hosted Seattle Green New Deal Listening Session
Several of RVC’s partner organizations, including Nurturing Roots, WA-BLOC, Got Green, Rainier Beach Action Coalition, and Surge Reproductive Justice, co-hosted and co-sponsored the Seattle Green New Deal Listening Session. The event served as a learning session and group discussion surrounding the Seattle Green New Deal, envisioning a brighter future and connecting and building with like-minded people.
This was an event put on by and for communities of color, as these communities are most affected and are at the greatest risk from climate challenges and pollution. The gathering took place at El Centro De La Raza’s Centilia Cultural Center.
Support RVC
The time is now to become a #Changemaker and take part in the movement.
Funded solely through the generosity of donors like YOU, the Change Makers Fund will expand RVC’s programs to impact even more communities of color in Greater Seattle.
Your donation will go toward capacity building efforts such as:
Hosting Round Tables
Certification Programs
Operations Support and Capacity Building Coaching
Please help us reach our goal of raising $175,000 by June 30th, 2020 to provide these opportunities to our leaders and partner nonprofits throughout Seattle!
Job Opportunities in Our Network
RVC is hiring a Capacity Building Lead.
Bike Works is hiring for multiple positions.
Casa Latina is hiring a Development and Communications Director.
Washington Nonprofits is hiring an Administrative Assistant.
The Mockingbird Society is hiring a Director of Youth Programs.
PHPDA is hiring an Executive Director.
Literacy Source is hiring for multiple positions.
Philanthropy Northwest is hiring a Financial Director/Chief Financial Officer.
Seattle Works is hiring a Program Coordinator and Communications and Events Coordinator.
Stolte Family Foundation is hiring an Education Program Officer.
King County Library System is hiring a Grant Writer.
United Way of King County is hiring for multiple positions.
Puget Sound Sage is hiring an Equitable Development Manager.
Big Brothers Big Sisters Puget Sound is hiring for multiple positions.
Voices of Tomorrow is hiring for multiple positions.
Rainier Beach Action Coalition is hiring for multiple positions.
Solid Ground is hiring for multiple positions.
Washington State Coalition Against Domestic Violence is hiring for multiple positions.
Community Events
Oct. 10: AGE UP’s Family Feast 2019!
Oct. 10: Puget Sound Sage’s Annual Happy Hour Celebration
Oct. 11: I Am Because We Are: Standing in Solidarity with Refugees
Oct. 11: Beyond the Canvas: Powerful Voices Luncheon
Oct. 12: Totem Star’s the Spotlight 2019 Gala
Oct. 16: RVC Annual Open House
Oct. 16: Listening Session: 2020 Census Funding in Washington
Oct. 18: Somos Seattle presents Joteria, a queer version of the Loteria game
Oct. 19: ECS Annual Gala
Oct. 22: RVC AMA with Vu Le
Nov. 2: Somali Health Board Annual Gala 2019
RVC Stuff To Read
We have a new look! Written by RVC
RVC Community Impact alumni push for HEAL Act. Written by Former RVC Fellow, Hana Gregory
First of its kind in Seattle, Washington State Congolese Summit celebrates culture and discusses integration. Written by RVC
If you have job postings or events that you would like mentioned in our newsletter, please email the details to Stacy. We do our best to fit everything in, but we may not always be able to.
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