Art of Community NCW podcast

My guest for this episode is Thom Nees, the executive director of Serve Wenatchee Valley who is also leading the effort to develop the Common Ground Community Housing Trust A community housing trust is a proven way to develop permanently affordable housing in a community. The simple mechanism is that a nonprofit owns the land and buyers purchase the home. This model has been successful in numerous communities, including Leavenworth and the Methow Valley.  The red hot housing market in the region is making it increasingly difficult for working families to afford homes, as anyone who is paying attention to the housing market can attest. This is an effort that can make a meaningful difference. I hope you enjoy our conversation. Look for an upcoming column on this effort in The Wenatchee World. 

My guest for this podcast is Christine Morgan, the executive director of the Icicle Fund in Leavenworth. Philanthropist Harriet Bullitt started the fund 20 years ago as a way of supporting arts and music, conservation, and natural history efforts in North Central Washington. The Icicle Fund has pumped more than $45 million into our region during that time. Christine and I spoke about her childhood in Denmark, how she developed a commitment to collaboration and viewing challenges from multiple perspectives, and how the Icicle Fund is making a difference by supporting local nonprofits. The Icicle Fund has provided transformational leadership by helping nonprofits dream bigger and make a more significant impact. It is a positive force for bringing people together to help us build stronger communities. 

This episode features Yvonne Boyd, a member of the Braver Angels effort that seeks to depolarize political discussions and create a framework for honest discussions on difficult topics.    Braver Angels brings conservatives and liberals together in a format that has long been used in family counseling. The organization is growing by leaps and bounds as people on both sides of the political divide recognize the danger to America of not being able to have a dialogue.  Boyd talks about her background, how she came to be involved in Braver Angels, and talks about the virtual workshop that is being presented on Saturday, February 27. The title of the workshop is “Depolarizing within: Becoming a better angel in your own world.”   The workshop is about recognizing how we add to the polarization and offers techniques to have more constructive interactions with those we don’t agree with politically.   What happens in the conversations moderated by Braver Angels is that people see each other from a more nuanced and broader perspective beyond simple political labels.  Here’s a link to the workshop. https://braverangels.org/event/depolarizing-within-standard-central-eastern-washington/

My guest for this podcast is Jill Fineis, the principal of the fledgling Pinnacles Prep charter public school in Wenatchee, which will open its doors to sixth and seventh graders this fall in the Wenatchee Community Center on South Mission Street.  In our conversation, Jill shares her deep background in education and discusses the guiding philosophy of Pinnacles Prep. The learning environment they are committed to fostering encourages and supports students in finding their passion and taking charge of their learning journey. It’s an approach that has been successful in engaging students at other schools around the country.  Pinnacles Prep has a terrific and diverse group of board members and community ambassadors who are helping guide the design of the school’s academic program. They are doers with deep experience in public education here. 

My guest for this episode is Jill Nielsen-Farrell, the daughter of longtime Wenatchee dentist Gerry Nielsen. She has started Wenatchee Community Acupuncture and treats  a wide variety of conditions, including doing trauma-informed acupuncture for depression, Post Traumatic Stress Disorder and addiction. After losing her husband in a house fire, Nielsen-Farrell found that acupuncture helped her process her own grief and she decided to shift from a career as a social worker to helping people heal using Chinese medicine.   In our discussion, we talked about her personal journey, the unique aspects of community-based acupuncture, and her work with the Compassion Prison Project. She’s a delightful soul who I think will enrich this valley immeasurably.

This is a follow-up conversation with Dr. David Notter, the retired cancer doctor in North Central Washington and we focus on how playing music has helped him through some tough times and helped his patients and their families.  In our conversation, he talks about the healing power of music and unique experience of performing classical music and bluegrass. As a recovering violinist, this gave me new insights into the experience of playing bluegrass and impact playing the music has on the performers and the audience.  He shared four short segments of fiddle playing. It is a conversation that lingers with me still. 

My guest for this podcast is Dr. David Notter, a retired Wenatchee oncologist. Notter talks about the power of empathy – of putting yourself in someone else’s shoes – and the strong relationships he developed with patients, their families and others in the community. He learned as much or more from his patients about healing than he taught them. He talks about the difference between healing and curing and the powerful lessons that his patients taught him.  “If you watch and listen to patients with serious illness, they teach you immensely. They teach you about caring, and thereby about forces which foster empathy and ‘healing,’” he said. Notter is one of four elders in the valley who will be sharing their wisdom and perspectives at a virtual event Sept. 20 that is sponsored by the Ripple Foundation. I hope you enjoy our conversation.

For this podcast, I am posting a talk titled “Civil Conversations in an Angry Age,” given by University of Washington Professor David Smith recently at the Wenatchee Library. The talk was hosted by the Wenatchee YWCA was sponsored by Humanities Washington.  In the talk, Smith gives some perspective about why we are at each other’s throats and a recipe we can use to become better at engaging in these difficult conversations. Smith comes from a fascinating background. He was born into a fundamentalist Christian family and was devoted to that view. He later spent 15 years evaluating that belief system piece by piece.  He emerged from that intellectual and spiritual journey viewing the world from a progressive mindset but also committed to teaching people to think for themselves about issues that matter to them.

My guest for this episode is a remarkable young man from Leavenworth who experienced a horrendous personal tragedy – a tragedy that fueled his desire to make a difference in this world. D’Andre Vasquez lost both parents and his grandmother in a car accident four years ago and completed his education at Cascade High School as captain of the wrestling team and and as a leader in DECA, the high school leadership program. He campaigned successfully to become international president of DECA and is traveling the country supporting its programs. D’Andre is what I would call an “us” rather than a “me” leader. He credits his success to the support of the community, his faith and his mentors.  His philosophy of challenging himself to improve every day is something each one of us can emulate and benefit from.

My guest for this episode is Suzanne MacPherson, a former educator, council member, and mayor of Cashmere.  Suzanne has leveraged a strong sense of empathy, a willingness to listen deeply, and a commitment to helping people find a sense of belonging in a career and life that has changed lives in Cashmere. Her strong will and sense of fairness led her to successfully challenge a Cashmere school policy back in the 70s decreeing that pregnant staff members resign. That’s a practice that needed to be updated and Suzanne accepted the challenge. Suzanne is a marvelous example of a person with deep roots in the valley who is striving to make the community great for future generations. We can all learn a lesson in relationship building from her.  

My guest for this episode is Jim Wills, a relative newcomer to the Wenatchee Valley and someone who will be sharing wisdom at an event called Elder Speak on Sunday, Sept 8, 2 p.m. at the Snowy Owl Theater. Wills will be joined on stage at the event by three other intriguing individuals, long-time realtor Mae Hamilton, former Cashmere educator and Mayor Suzanne MacPherson and retired entomologist Everett Burts. The practical and relationship building skills Wills learned on his way to becoming an Eagle Scout has paid big dividends. He ran a small chain of restaurants before launching a career in processing research grant applications at Washington State University. Constant improvement has been his way of approaching everything in life. I hope you enjoy our conversation.

My guest for this episode is Mae Hamilton, who at 90 years young is a dynamic seasoned real estate professional and community leader who still has lots to give to our valley. From growing up in a home on a rural Douglas County farm to getting a degree at Washington State College, running a business and then selling real estate, Mae has learned to be an effective listener. She also is a life-long learner who is eager to step into challenges as she embraces being an elder in community. On September 8, 2 p.m. at Snowy Owl Theater in Leavenworth, Mae will be one of four elders who will talk about their life experience at the Elder Speak event put on by the Ripple Foundation.   Mae Hamilton has energy to burn and a passion for creating a better community. We should find a way to tap into her talents and expertise as our valley transforms.

My guest for this episode is Erica Moshe, the founder and director of the Brave Warrior Project, a nonprofit dedicated to serving the needs of kids with chronic conditions like cancer and developmental disabilities. They have a resource center, deliver educational programs for parents and professionals, and have an inclusive play space in the old Press Room Theater space at 18 N. Mission Street. This nonprofit is going places. Erica talks about what inspired her to start the nonprofit and how it has evolved into a program that is helping more than 200 families in our valley. They’re holding an open house on Tuesday July 30 at 6 p.m.  This conversation will touch your heart and give you another reason to feel hopeful and proud of our community.

My guest for this episode is 87-year-old Everett Burts, a retired Wenatchee entomologist who grew up on a remote farm near Wenatchee and who discovered his passion for science thanks to mentors at Wenatchee College.  Burts retired from the Tree Fruit Research and Extension Center in Wenatchee and farmed wheat in the Horse Lake are northwest of town. He grew up in the 1930s with his four brothers and parents on that farm and later sold the property to the Chelan-Douglas Land Trust to preserve it for habitat and for public access.  During our conversation, Burts spoke about the mentors who made a difference in his life, what life was like on farm and how deeply connected he still feels to the land. 

My guest this week is Jon Magnus, the 2018 Regional Teacher of the Year for North Central Washington. Kenroy Elementary teacher Veronique Paquette and I interviewed the Wenatchee High School French teacher to learn insights into the art of effective teaching in today’s classroom. It was the third in a series of interviews with outstanding teachers in North Central Washington. Magnus’s formula for success in teaching involves paying attention and connecting with every student. He endeavors to understand their unique learning styles, personalities and backgrounds. It is challenging work. He reminds us that teaching is about having a heart for kids and finding ways to reach every single kid. 

My guest for this episode is Bill Layman, a retired mental health counselor who has spent countless hours learning about our region’s Native American past and finding ways to share the culture and history with our community. Layman, together with his wife Susan Evans, has been instrumental in beginning to bring the threads of the Native Culture into our collective consciousness. He has told the stories through, events, speeches, books and by searching out people like Randy Lewis who know the myths, stories and oral history of the region. The Columbia Gateway Project being envisioned for the north end of Wenatchee would create a unique opportunity to welcome Native Americans back to our valley in a positive way.

My guest for this episode is Camille Jones, the 2017 regional and state teacher of the year from Pioneer Elementary in Quincy and my cohost for the podcast is Veronique Paquette of Kenroy Elementary. Camille Jones teaches STEAM courses (that’s Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Math) for kids in Kindergarten through third grade. Pioneer Elementary puts a high priority on discovering the unique talents of students that often don’t show up in standard classroom activities. They’ve had great success in identifying those talents and encouraging the students to build on those strengths. Focusing on student growth instead of standardized scores is helping kids develop confidence and classroom success. We spoke about where she will use her leadership skills in coming years and the value of becoming Teacher of the Year in terms of professional growth. Jones is an outstanding teacher who has a lot of insights into the art of effective teaching. I hope you enjoy our conversation.

I have three guests from  Team Naturaleza: Coordinator Katie Tackman and outreach specialists Elisa Lopez and Blanca Lopez.   Team Naturaleza is a nonprofit  doing amazing work encouraging people from all walks of life and from all ethnic backgrounds to get outdoors and develop a greater understanding and appreciation for the natural world.   This volunteer-based organization creates opportunities to take novices snowshoeing, bird watching, hiking and other outdoor activities. Their work is helping make the outdoors in North Central Washington a place for all of us.

For this week’s art of community podcast, I’m doing something a little bit different. Second grade teacher Veronique Paquette from Kenroy Elementary joins me to interview Matt Brown of Manson School District, who is the north central regional teacher of the year for the 2018 and 2019 school year. This is the first of several collaborative interviews Paquette and I will be doing to highlight highly effective educators. Matt Brown has built an outstanding music program in Manson. His secrets to success in the classroom can help other teachers students parents and even those of us in the business and nonprofit world be more effective. Here are a few of the success factors he identified: He takes the time to connect with each kid and figure out how he can help them grow in their musical abilities. He cares deeply about their growth as human beings. He also creates a relentlessly positive experience in the classroom. I hope you enjoy our conversation.

My guests this week are Glenn and Nancy Grette, the founders of Alatheia Therapeutic Riding Center. In eight years, they have nurtured a nonprofit that helps people with physical and mental disabilities experience the healing power of horses. In the process, they are transforming lives of clients, their parents and the more than 120 volunteers. And with the help of a generous donor, they are purchasing 12 acres to build an even bigger facility to transform more lives. This is truly a remarkable story.

My guest this week is Nancy Warner, the executive director of the Initiative for Rural Innovation and Stewardship. IRIS, as it is called, has been one of the most effective community building organizations in North Central Washington. They focus on discovering and sharing stories of community success in dealing with challenges as a way of inspiring civic resilience.   On Thursday, Nov. 15, IRIS will be hosting its annual success summit in Pateros where we will learn how that town recovered and was made stronger after the devastating wildfire of 2014. The annual Success Summit is one of the most inspiring events available to the residents of North Central Washington.  Attending the event will restore your faith in community, in your neighbors and you will come away with a greater sense of what is possible. I hope you enjoy our conversation.

I have three guests this week. Tim Wilbur and Don Myers are the senior pastors at New Song Community Church in East Wenatchee. They are joined by Victor Samuel, who is the head of the Christian El Shaddai Ministry in India. New Song and El Shaddai have had a long-standing relationship. Wilbur has helped train 15,000 rural pastors in India. El Shaddai focuses on meeting human needs of the most vulnerable folks in Andhra Pradesh state. What they have created together is an international relationship focused on service to humanity. Who would have imagined that a tiny church in East Wenatchee would have such a huge impact halfway across the globe. It’s a truly inspiring story.

My guest this week is Lorna Rose-Hahn, the president of the board for Write On The River, an organization dedicated to supporting authors and poets in North Central Washington. We talk about her background, how her experience as an AmeriCorps volunteer in Alaska changed her life and gave her focus. She’s working on her own memoir and writes for various local and literary publications. We also discussed how Write On The River has also changed from an organization focusing on one conference to a year-round support network for writers. Our valley is culturally richer because of the work of Write On The River. I hope you enjoy our conversation.

My guest this week is Cary Simmons, the director of the Trust for Public Land’s Parks for People program. The organization has been engaging neighbors in South Wenatchee and throughout the community in the redevelopment of Kiwanis Methow Park. TPL is also working on a second park in East Wenatchee on 9th Street.  “The work we’re doing in the Wenatchee Valley feels really special and I think a big part of that is just the community aspect of this place and the way that Methow Park and the new work that we’re going to be doing in East Wenatchee are really pulling together the whole community,” Simmons told me.  And engaging the neighbors has created a tremendous sense of ownership in the park. A group of neighbors called the “Parque Padrinos” are programming events at the park and guiding the development of the project.  For anyone who thinks public engagement isn’t useful, this project should give them cause to reconsider. I hope you enjoy the conversation.

This week’s podcast focuses on the remarkable Wenatchee Naturalist program. My guests are Susan Ballinger, who founded the program, a mother and daughter team – Jan and Chelsea Evans — who participated in the program, and Michelle Gedrose of Wenatchee Valley College. The Wenatchee Naturalist program is part of WVC's continuing education program.  There are many community-building layers to this program. It brings together students of all ages to learn about the wonders of the natural world around us by connecting them with local experts in wildlife, insects, and the flora and fauna of North Central Washington. Students commit to volunteering at least 20 hours a week to conservation nonprofits in our region, which helps these organizations succeed. The program also helps Wenatchee Valle College connect more meaningful with the local community. Inspiring people to get engaged and make a personal investment in bettering the community is the hallmark of this unique program.    Read the whole story in Wednesday's Wenatchee World. 

My guest this episode is Barbara Walters, the executive director of the North Central Regional Library. Walters brings a strong relationship building and community service mindset to the position. She’s a fervent believer in the power of creating community partnerships and working with individual communities to make the maximum positive impact.   Walters sees the role of the library system as something far beyond being a place of checking out books. First and foremost, libraries are a place where members of the community gather to learn and grow. So if you think libraries are an antiquated concept in this digital age, think again.   Walters is not only passionate about the mission of the library system but she also brings a strong focus on playing to the strengths of the staff. Humble, dedicated and visionary leaders like Walters are becoming the norm in North Central Washington. I hope you enjoy our conversation

My guest for this episode is Jana Fischback, the executive director of Sustainable Wenatchee, a nonprofit devoted to encouraging community members to live more sustainable lives and reduce our impact on the environment. Fischback is an East Wenatchee native who has a masters in environmental studies. Sustainable Wenatchee is a education and advocacy organization that gives people practical ways to live simpler, less resource-intensive lives. The approach of Sustainable Wenatchee is relentlessly positive and voluntary. That’s a winning combination for building community.

My guest this week is Thom Nees, the executive director of Serve Wenatchee Valley, an organization that is devoted to keeping families from slipping into homelessness in the Wenatchee Valley. As many as 70 families a week receive assistance from the organization. They provide critical financial help in a time of crisis but they have become adept at helping foster a sense of hope in clients that is essential for people to move forward in their lives.   So many of our neighbors living at the margins struggle and have lost hope. The stories of transformation through Serve Wenatchee Valley are inspiring. I hope you enjoy the conversation and I invite you to support their work in keeping people from spiraling into homelessness. A contribution, modest or large, will allow you to become a partner in hope. 

My guest this week is Patrick Walker, the energetic executive director of the Wenatchee River Institute, an outdoor learning center in Leavenworth that is providing unique opportunities for students and community members to engage with the natural world. When Walker took over the program four years ago, the institute was struggling to find its place in the community. Walker has a knack for hiring talented people and rallying people around a common vision. The institute has developed into a wonderful community asset. The number of kids who have visited the Wenatchee River Institute campus exceeded 1,300 in the past school year, Walker told me. In a society where kids tend to be tuning nature out and spending more time on devices, programs like the Wenatchee River Institute provide a way to connect them to the natural world. We spoke about Walker’s background, how the institute is transforming lives in the community and the programs like BirdFest that are having a positive impact in North Central Washington. This is a nonprofit with great potential to contribute to our well being. We will all be better of if we take the time to slow down, observe nature and allow our nervous systems to relax. I hope you enjoy the conversation.

My guests this week are attorney Scott Volyn and executive director Eloise Barshes of Chelan-Douglas County Volunteer Attorney Services. The organization provides legal guidance for low-income people in civil cases, thanks to attorneys who donate their time and expertise.  We talked about their backgrounds, the need for helping people with limited means in civil legal cases, and a few of the heartwarming stories where Volunteer Attorney Services helped people in need.  Communities succeed when people in the community see a need and then fill that need. Chelan-Douglas County Volunteer Attorney Services certainly provides the legal community with a great opportunity to give back. 

My guest this week is Michelle McCormick, the executive director of Stage Kids, an organization that is creating unique opportunities for hundreds of local kids to discover and develop their theater skills. Stage Kids has created a sense of belonging and community for the kids who are involved and also for the community at large. Because of Stage Kids Washington, hundreds of kids in the Wenatchee Valley have developed greater confidence, honed their acting, singing and dancing skills. This is a marvelous nonprofit that is having a significant impact on our valley.  Stage Kids will be performing Disney’s Aladdin Jr. at the Numerica Performing Arts Center May 17th through the 20th. I hope you enjoy my conversation with Michelle McCormick.

My guest this week is celebrated folk singer Carrie Newcomer. We talked her powerful insights about how we can bridge the divisions in our communities.  In our highly polarized society, Newcomer invites us to show up differently in our community – with kindness, generosity and hospitality. In every community she visits, Newcomer sees people working hard trying to make the world a little kinder place. Newcomer has visited North Central Washington many times. She taught songwriting at the Grünewald Guild in Plain for several years and has performed at Icicle Creek Center for the Arts. The title track on her last studio album was co-written by Plain native Chloe Caemmerer. Newcomer offers us new insights and ways to think about creating stronger, more connected and compassionate communities. Newcomer  will be singing at Snowy Owl Theater in Leavenworth on Friday, March 23 and hosting a community workshop on Saturday, March 24.    

My guest this week is Lisa Bradshaw, who is passionate about inspiring people to take charge of their happiness through her DON'T WAIT PROJECT. The project encourages people to do things that give their lives meaning, joy and fulfillment, from the smallest acts of kindness to more profound life changes.  Bradshaw knows a lot about loss. She survived a bout of cancer at age 24, then lost her husband to a rare condition eight years later that left her and their five-year-old son with a profound hole in their lives. She found her way through the grief and transformed the pain into a book called, Big Shoes: A Young Widowed Mother’s Memoir. That powerful book is truly inspiring. The Don’t Wait Project is a logical extension of the book. She wants others to take charge of their happiness now and not wait for the unexpected to happen. She’s embarking on a six-state tour DON'T WAIT PROJECT tour this month, thanks to the sponsorship of Town Toyota. She’ll be focusing on stories of resilience in communities in the western United States. She’s quite an inspiration. I hope you enjoy the conversation.

This week’s episode features WestSide High School’s leadership program and a fundraiser that will be held March 15 from 6 to 8 p.m. at the school to benefit a four-year-old Wenatchee youngster who is battling cancer at Seattle Children’s Hospital. Jocelyn Aguilar, her mom and brother are staying at Ronald McDonald House in Seattle while she’s receiving treatment.  I spoke with leadership club advisor Sheena Zacherle and students Justyena Wilson and Rebecca Figueroa. Wilson and Figueroa are students at Wenatchee Valley Technical Skills Center and participate in the leadership club at Westside. Students in the culinary skills program at the tech center run will prepare the food for the spaghetti feed.  In successful communities, people look out for those who are suffering. The leadership club at WestSide is a good example of creating experiences that will leave a lasting positive impact on students and help them connect more deeply to the valley. We can support their efforts by donating items and attending the event.

My guest for this episode is Dorry Foster, the executive director of the Wenatchee Valley YMCA. Since Foster arrived a year ago last fall, the YMCA has made some important strides forward in serving the youth of this valley. Foster is a leader dedicated to continuous improvement, what she calls “ “notching up” YMCA programs.   There are powerful collaborations happening with school districts in both Wenatchee and East Wenatchee, and some exciting new programs for kids including a mentorship program and a program called “out of bounds” that creates cool experiential learning opportunities for teens.   The Y is in the midst of its annual campaign to provide scholarships for kids. The nearly $200,000 they raise each year makes it possible to support kids from families with limited means. This generosity to those less fortunate is a beautiful expression of the values we hold so dear in our valley. I hope you enjoy the conversation. Please support the YMCA in its mission to enhance the lives of our children.  

We’re doing something special for this week’s podcast. I joined with Mission Ridge Ski and Board Resort to host a community conversation on February 8th focusing on grass-roots community building effort called Our Valley Our Future.   My guests were Our Valley coordinator Steve Maher and Stacy Luckensmeyer, who is on the core team, along with Dr. Gene Sharratt and Dr. Sue Kane, who are helping lead am effort to create a research and innovation district in the valley.  We talked about the power of inviting community members to help create a stronger community and the stunning achievements that have already happened through the Our Valley process.  Our Valley Our Future is revolutionizing the way we think about community engagement. There are some wonderful insights. Enjoy the conversation.

My guests this week are Kristin Wright Lodge and Katie Pauly of the Pybus Market Charitable Foundation board. We spoke about the magical way that Pybus Public Market has brought the Wenatchee Valley together and about the exciting plans to remodel the event center annex as a way of better serving the community. Many people in our valley are under the mistaken impression that Pybus belongs to Mike and JoAnn Walker because they were the financial and strategic leaders behind the development of Pybus.  But in reality, the market belongs to all of us in the community. Pybus Market Charitable Foundation owns the property and all profits are plowed back into the community asset. It is governed by a board of 21 community members.  The renovation of the market’s event space is beginning. The $1.2 million project will improve the heating and air condition, provide greater access and visibility to the Columbia River and riverfront trail, and another meeting room will be developed to better serve our valley.   To fund this, the market is raising $500,000 from community members who believe in its mission and value. What a wonderful opportunity for all of us to help build our community.

My guests this week are Paul Bergman and Gabe Stefanides, local singers in the Apollo Club who have radically different political views but who are devoted to their friendship and performing great music. We talked about their political differences, their friendship and the power of music to bring people together. The message that both Stefanides and Bergman shared with me was that hatred is leading us astray and we need as individuals to turn toward love for one another. “We’re charged…to care for one another, to look out for one another,” said Bergman, who was once a teacher at St. Paul’s school in Wenatchee. “The point of getting together at the Apollo Club is to make music,” Stefanides told me.  “I don’t care that you voted this way,” he added. “What I care about is how do we move forward, not how do we move backward.” The Apollo Club will be performing a patriotic concert titled “This is my country: A choral tapestry” on Saturday, February 10th at 6:30 p.m.  

I have three guests this week representing the nationally-renowned Mariachi Huenachi group from Wenatchee High School. With their music, they are building bridges between people in our communities and serving as an antidote to our often toxic political dialogue in this country. My guests include Ramon Rivera, the energetic and visionary leader of the Mariachi program in the Wenatchee School District and two of the leaders from this year's group — seniors Pilar Cuevas and Kelly Madrigal. Huenachi Mariachi is the pride of the Wenatchee Valley and a treasure for all of us in North Central Washington. Thie Mariachi program has become a national treasure, winning awards and accolades every year. Last fall, Mariachi Huenachi students were invited to meet with Speaker Paul Ryan in Washington D.C. during Hispanic Heritage Month. Next year, they’ve been invited to play at the Grand Ole Opry in Nashville. This group brings together people, which in today’s toxic political environment, is a welcome antidote. While the political enivironment is toxic, “we’re not about that,” said Rivera. “We’re about music, culture and art,” he said. “We can use that culture and art to convince people that we are smart, we are intelligent and we are changing the world. Music is always the thing that brings people together,” Rivera added.Mariachi Heunachi performs for anybody — Republicans, Democrats, independents. They’ll play for Democratic Governor Jay Inslee in coming weeks and they played for new Seattle Mayor Jenny Durkan’s inauguration. These students and this program is an inspiration for all of us.

This week’s episode features a remarkable collaboration between the First United Methodist Church, and Columbia Elementary School in Wenatchee. The church has adopted the school in its neighborhood and is making support for the school a top priority. This collaboration is opening up new avenues of relationship and service for the church that is benefitting the students, teachers and staff. I spoke with Tracy Faulkner, the United Methodist outreach coordinator, Columbia Principal Si Stuber and businessman Tyler Russell, who helped restart the PTO a few years ago. This is a remarkable story of community building with lessons for all of us. The church adopted the school and provides financial and volunteer support. Tracy Faulkner, who handles community outreach for the church, said the partnership has energized their members. Neighborhood and community support is essential. A significant portion of the kids in the school come from families in poverty, notes Principal Si Stuber.

This episode features Matt Cadman, the executive director at the Numerica Performing Arts Center. Matt is a passionate advocate for inclusion – that the community is for everyone – regardless of race, religion, sexual orientation or any other measure This Friday, January 12, the PAC is presenting The Mountaintop, a powerful play about Martin Luther King’s last days. We spoke about the play, the Every Kid at the PAC program and why he values and promotes equality, fairness and access for everyone. Here's how Matt described the value of exposing people to art. "I really believe, in the long run, art changes lives. It changed mine. I’m saying it’s a priority for the human spirit." Matt has led an effort at the PAC to make sure the arts are accessible to everyone and reflect the diversity of our communities. Their Every Kid at the PAC program provides opportunities to bring kids to the theater or take performers out to the schools to give them that cultural experience. Here's what he says about the value of increasing accessibility: "Everyone deserves that opportunity to experience the arts or to partake in the arts or to appreciate the arts. It’s not a zero sum game where there’s a winner or a loser."

My guest this week is Misael Fajardo-Perez of the Wenatchee Valley Lutheran Latino Ministry. Fajardo-Perez is doing some amazing community building work in the valley by bringing people together and finding common ground. Fajardo-Perez sees a growing movement in North Central Washington to build meaningful relationships among neighbors. He's been deeply involved with various successful community and relationship building projects, including the effort to upgrade Kiwanis Methow Park to more effectively serve the south Wenatchee neighbors and he also helped launch the Dia de Los Muertos, the Day of the Dead celebration that is held every November at the Wenatchee Valley Museum and Cultural Center and attracts hundreds of community members. The soft-spoken Fajardo-Perez is passionate about social justice issues and caring for the environment in our communities. We spoke about how deeply national efforts to end the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrival program and the rise of anti-immigrant attitudes are impacting members of our community. Those realities add increased importance to an event Fajardo-Perez and the Lutheran Latino Ministry are sponsoring this Sunday, Dec. 17. The Posada, a Mexican Christmas tradition of re-enacting the Biblical journey of Mary and Joseph as they sought shelter in Bethlehem, will be held at the Wenatchee Community Center beginning at 6 p.m. There will be a reading of the story, and then a walk through the neighborhood where they will ask for refuge and be refused, followed by finding shelter and food at the community center. This is a wonderful opportunity for the Latino and Anglo community to come together and celebrate what it means to be a community where everyone is welcome and we look out for one another.  

This episode features Abel Noah, the vice president and executive trustee of the Confluence Health Foundation. Noah has been at the forefront of dramatic changes since the foundation's role moved from Central Washington Hospital to Confluence Health. The expanded role of the foundation reflects the growing presence of Confluence Health in North Central Washington, with offices throughout the region. The foundation's role is to provide funding for the various facilities in places like Brewster, Omak, Winthrop and Moses Lake as well as the operations in the Wenatchee Valley. We had a wide-ranging conversation about his career, which started in the oil fields of Oklahoma, the changing role of the foundation, the value of locally-controlled health care, the contributions of Dr. Dave Parks, who was honored recently at the foundation gala with the Spirit of A.Z. Wells award, and the joys and challenges of a career in philanthropy.

My guest this week is Betty Palmer, the culinary arts instructor at Wenatchee Valley Technical Skills Center. She has created a vibrant hands-on learning program that gets students rubbing elbows with local chefs in public venues. Palmer believes that heightened stress that goes along with serving food to the public gives her students invaluable skills they can apply to a career in food services or any other career path. Now she has an audacious idea of developing a food truck as a student-based enterprise to take the learning experience to a new level. It's a bold vision. The program has great support among the chefs in the valley and is an excellent example of creating meaningful hands-on learning opportunities to make education more relevant and interesting. Along the way, students come away with some terrific job skills.

My guests for this episode are Dr. Paul Hessburg and Sara of the Era of Megafires Project. Dr. Hessburg is a research scientist who has been studying forest health and fire behavior. Rolfs is the coordinator for the project, which has been wildly successful in changing how people think about the wildfire issue. In nearly 100 presentations around the West, they have built a powerful network of land managers and public officials who are working in their communities to address this challenge. Every community affected by wildfire has the ability to craft local solutions that can make a difference over time. How they have done it gives us insights into addressing other issues in our communities. The approach works because of powerful storytelling, solid science, a grass-roots emphasis rather than a top-down approach for solutions and the great sense of empowerment that it creates in the communities that engage with this work.  These are solid strategies that can help us find new, creative ways to solve difficult and complex challenges. By golly, our society can sure use these tools for finding common ground and inspiring action at the local level.   I hope you enjoy the conversation.

  This podcast features Barbara Rossing of Leavenworth, who has been a Lutheran pastor for 35 years. She was pastor for three years in the late 1980s at Holden Village and currently teaches New Testament at the Lutheran School of Theology in Chicago. Rossing is passionate about the future of the natural environment, how we care for our most vulnerable citizens and about finding common cause with folks of other faiths. This is the 500th anniversary of the Protestant Reformation, which split Christianity. Efforts are being made globally and locally to repair relationships. On Sunday night,  October 1, a joint service will be held at the St. Joseph's Catholic Church led by local Lutheran pastors. Rossing and Father Osmar Aguirre will speak. During our interview, we spoke of her admiration for Pope Francis and his outreach to other faiths and the shared values of both churches. We also spoke of the values that she learned at Holden Village and how those have inspired her activism with the local Climate Conversations group, involvement with Upper Valley MEND and other endeavors. "The more the church can lead on reminding us who we are as compassionate people – as community builders – the more we will be in a better world," Rossing told me. "Community is much more than just a house. Where we experience the love of God and the love of one another rooted in this beautiful, wonderful place we call home," she said. She's a fascinating speaker.

My guests this week are Steve Scott of North 40 Productions and Jamie Howell, the director of film at the Icicle Creek Center for the Arts. They are the drivers behind a wonderful new education and film experience – the Icicle Creek Family Film Festival — which will be held on September 29, 30th and October 1st. This festival includes workshops for kids and their parents, a series of great family films, and screenings of a film called Dream Big, an inspiring film that will be shown to hundreds of kids in the valley. In the interview, we discuss their backgrounds,  their passion for video storytelling and the sense of community that they hope this festival will inspire. The film festival will feature some outstanding family films, a couple of workshops where kids and their parents can learn digital storytelling skills and will also feature programs for students in the Cascade, Wenatchee and Cashmere school districts. This should be quite an event.

This episode features an interview with Jack Pusel and Tom Green of the 9/11 Spirit of America Foundation in Cashmere. The group is preparing to host another event on Monday, September, 11 a.m. at the Cashmere Riverside Center. [column size="three-fourth"]The fact that little Cashmere won the right to have the Spirit of America memorial is a rather audacious accomplishment. The committee of volunteers went to work in 2014 preparing their bid to be the host city. The memorial includes bronze statues signifying the responders who lost their lives during that terrorist attack. There is a beam from a World Trade Center building and a chunk of the façade frm the Pentagon. The keynote speaker this year will be retird Major General Frank Scoggins, along with speakers and performances by a host of local community members.

My guest this week is Dorry Foster, the executive director of the Wenatchee YMCA. Foster, who held a similar position for the YMCA in Albany, New York, brings to the job a lot of energy, passion and a strong commitment to children. The YMCA plays a critical role in creating access for kids to participate in programs who can’t afford it. No child is turned away because they lack the ability to pay. Foster took over a healthy YMCA program built by former director Eric Nelson and is looking to take it to the next level. Look for her to build more collaborative efforts in our community to better serve kids and adults. Foster and I talked about her background, the decision to take the job at the Wenatchee YMCA, and the strengths she sees in our community and in the YMCA. North Central Washington supports the YMCA here in a way that is enviable, Foster told me. She's working to build on the strong foundation that her predecessor, Eric Nelson, built. She's a leader who believes in the power of partnerships and collaboration, which supports the Our Valley Our Future grass-roots community-building effort in the greater Wenatchee Valley. 

My guest this week is Carin Smith, the volunteer chairperson for FIDO, which stands for Friends Improving Dog Opportunities. That group has been working with the city of Wenatchee in the development of Hale Park off-leash dog area near the pedestrian bridge in Wenatchee.  Smith, a retired veterinarian, talked her background, the effort to build the dog park and the sense of community that is being enhanced by creating a place for dog owners to let their pets interact with other dogs. The Hale Park off-leash dog area is another success in the Our Valley Our Future grass-roots community building effort. Smith talks about the powerful fundraising effort by FIDO that led to a $30,000 FIDO contribution to the city project. She also sings the praises of City Parks Director Dave Erickson, who has championed the project. The city received nearly $600,000 in grant funding for the first phase of work. This podcast is sponsored by Our Civil Community, cultivating vision, inclusion and leadership in the greater Wenatchee Valley. It is also sponsored by the Community Foundation of North Central Washington.

My guest this week is Ed Phinney, the engaging chief executive officer of Pacific Aerospace and Electronics in Wenatchee. Phinney, a native of Selah, has carved out a career that has been driven by taking initiative rather than waiting for opportunities to present themselves. Community building is embedded in his hands-on leadership approach. Phinney from time to time will try his hand at making the parts the engineers create. His team gets a great chuckle out of it, Phinney told me. Phinney encourages his engineers to follow his lead and see how well their designs work in practical application. We talked about creating a high-performance workplace in a small town like Wenatchee and the sense of collaboration and cooperation that he tries to foster so that everyone can contribute to solving challenges. Pacific Aerospace specializes in hermtically-sealed components for use in extreme environments — from cochlear implants for the hearing impaired to parts for the F35 Joint Strike Fighter. There are many leadership lessons in this episode that could be applied to any type of business or organization.