WSLB May 2023 Quarterly Newsletter

The WASHINGTON STATEment

May 2023 Newsletter

Happy Spring!

Spring has truly sprung, and the Washington State Leadership Board (WSLB) is blooming like never before! The past few months have been filled with remarkable achievements and significant changes within our organization that we can’t wait to share with you, so let’s dive into the details.

First off, we are thrilled to announce the appointment of our new Executive Director, Audrey Baker. Audrey’s blend of leadership and passion for our mission is already proving invaluable. She has and will continue to play a vital role in shaping the future of the WSLB and continuing our success.

Speaking of leadership, we are delighted to announce that Brian Moreno has been voted in as the incoming President of the WSLB. For years, Brian has been an anchor for the WSLB, offering vast amounts of experience and passion for our mission. We can’t wait to see where his leadership takes us, starting from his Presidency on July 1.

With this, we must emphasize our gratitude to our outgoing President, Dale Bright. President Bright’s relentless dedication and tenacity was crucial during the WSLB’s transition from nonprofit to state agency. Thank you, President Bright. The WSLB would not be where it is today without you.

We would also like to extend a warm welcome to our newest Ex-Officio member, Senator Judy Warnick, representing the 13th Legislative District. Senator Warnick serves all parts of Yakima, Grant, and Kittitas counties. Many thanks for your service, Senator.

We’re equally thrilled to welcome our newest board members; Andrea Ornelas, Allison Ball, Cynthia Tamayo, and our two new program alumni directors, Reena Kaifa of the WA World Fellows 2020 cohort and Brian Conde-Martinez of the WA World Fellows 2019 cohort. Their diverse backgrounds and fresh perspectives will enrich our discussions, decision-making processes, and help us better serve our communities and young leaders throughout the state.

More big changes in the works - current Boundless WA Committee Chair and former Board President, Cheryl Crow, will be stepping down on July 1, as well. Cheryl stepped into a leadership role during a tumultuous time for the Board and was truly a champion in ensuring stability for the students and staff through a very a difficult transition. A special thanks to Cheryl for her leadership and service over the last few years. We’ll miss her deeply, but we’re excited to welcome Andrea Ornelas into Cheryl’s shoes as the Boundless Washington/Team S.A.M Committee Chair. We are also pleased to announce that Olivia Sarriugarte will be taking over as Compassion Committee Chair, we look forward to their fresh energy and perspectives looking forward.

Our communities have shown us a whole lot of love! We are delighted to share that the state legislature has greenlit a $300,000 budget expansion for our organization for the 2023-2025 biennium. This generous support will enable us to bolster our team, expand our programs, and make an even greater impact in our communities. A heartfelt thank you to our Ex-Officio members; Governor Inslee, Secretary of State Hobbs, Lt. Governor Heck, Senator Claire Wilson, Senator Judy Warnick, and Representative Skyler Rude for championing our mission.

Believe it or not… that’s not all! In February, we kicked off our inaugural ‘Day on the Hill’, with remarkable success! Our Board members accompanied students from our programs and had the invaluable opportunity to engage with legislators and advocate for the importance of our mission and programming. Their passion and eloquence impressed policy makers and sparked valuable conversations about our work and its positive impact throughout Washington’s communities. Bravo to our young, relentless leaders!

In April, we hosted our annual Program’s Celebration Day! It was an unforgettable day at the Seattle Center where we honored the triumphs of our program participants and ushered in our newest students. We had a crowd of over 120 people, including program participants and their families, board members, mentors, and staff. To top it off, we were joined by our global services contractor, Cesar, from Spain, as well as by one of our Compassion Scholars’ mentors who flew all the way from Virginia to celebrate with us.

Shortly after our Programs Celebration Day, staff also tabled at a Career Day in Kent where they had the opportunity to talk about our programs first-hand with hundreds of high school students. We even held a raffle and one lucky participant won a football signed by the Seattle Seahawks. Infinite thanks to the Seahawks for their ongoing support and generosity!

Our most heartfelt thank you goes to each and every one of you for your unwavering support. You’ve been a significant part of our journey, and we can’t wait to see where we’ll go together next. Here’s to our collective passion, determination, and success!

Until next time,

Audrey, Amy, and Claire

We have some fantastic updates from the Washington World Fellows program! Our seniors have reached a significant milestone, as they have all received their college acceptances and committed to their chosen institutions! They’re studying hard, working meticulously on scholarship applications to lighten the load of student loans. Notably, one of our seniors is headed to Harvard University, making history by being the first World Fellow to attend an Ivy League school. This is a testament to the unwavering dedication and the extraordinary potential our students possess.

Meanwhile, the WWF juniors are gearing up for an exhilarating adventure in Spain. Our fellows will depart on June 23 and will return at the end of July. While in Spain, they’ll be immersing themselves in Spanish history and language classes and engaging in a multitude of enriching experiences. Their journey will culminate in the highly anticipated annual summit, Planet S.O.S, on July 11 and 12.

The new cohort of Sophomores were officially welcomed into the Fellows Family at the Programs Celebration Day on April 22. Their electric energy and infectious enthusiasm are already turning heads, and they’re jumping headfirst into actively engaging with the program. We are so excited to see their growth and contributions in the coming months.

Last, but certainly not least -- thanks to the additional funding we’ve secured, we’ve supercharged our programming efforts, we have been able to expand our programming efforts. We're putting these resources to good use by rolling out a college boot camp this August. It's all set to be a goldmine of information and guidance, providing our students with invaluable insights as they navigate the path to higher education.

We are delighted to announce that two new program participants have joined the Boundless WA family. These students were able to join us at our Programs Celebration Day and have begun participating in our Leadership Curriculum Meetings. We are thrilled to have them on board as they embark on their transformative journeys with us.

In late August, we have exciting plans to attend the No Barriers Summit in Copper Mountain, CO. This event will provide our participants with unique opportunities to immerse themselves in the outdoors and apply what they’ve learned through our world-class leadership curriculum.

In other news, we are thrilled to announce that our Team S.A.M committee has awarded four grants to local 501©3 nonprofits to broaden sports access for underserved youth throughout Washington state.

Our team has commenced the grant distribution process with our first two beneficiaries, Northwest Association of Blind Athletes and One Roof Foundation. The former is an adaptive sports and youth-development nonprofit that enables blind or visually impaired individuals to engage in various physical activities. The latter, a philanthropic branch of the Seattle Kraken, seeks to create hockey and life opportunities for underserved and BIPOC youth and communities.

After thorough consideration, the committee resolved to award two additional $5,000 grants. One grant will be awarded to Spokane Youth Sports Association, a non-profit that aims to provide sports activities for all youth where everyone plays, develops skills, is taught good sportsmanship, and learns the value of being a team player. The other, DJH Kids and Community Center (DBA Ilwaco Youth Sports) is a nonprofit that aims to strengthen the foundations of its community by offering developmental programs that connect youth with mentors and leaders, by providing access to facilities which afford the community the opportunity to engage in recreational, sports-related, and community-driven activities in a fun environment, and to foster, nourish, and provide for the safety, health, and welfare of youth.

The allocation of these grants exhausts our grant funds for Fiscal Year 23, and the committee will continue to review new grant applications at the start of Fiscal Year 24, which begins on July 1.

We are thrilled to report that the recent Compassion Scholars trip was an overwhelming success! From March 25 to April 4, our scholars, together with their mentors, embarked on a transformative journey to Viana, Spain. During their time there, they collaborated with the Spanish Red Cross, local organizations, and individuals closely associated with displaced people groups.

The Scholars have now transitioned into the execution phase of their community service projects with the guidance of their mentors. Our full Compassion Scholars group will convene monthly to exchange progress updates, brainstorm ideas, and provide mutual inspiration and encouragement throughout the process. As these projects unfold, we’ll be posting updates on the Compassion website, CompassionScholars.org. Stay tuned!

We are also looking forward to opening applications for the next cohort of Compassion Scholars this upcoming fall. More details to come and we urge you to encourage candidates to apply when the application window opens.