January Newsletter Highlights & Community Meeting • 5,000 Books! • Host Homes! • Ahmed’s Journey

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Image of Community Meeting flyer for January 15, 2025 from 11:30-1:00 at Peace Lutheran ChurchHappy New Year! Here are some highlights from our January newsletter to start 2025 on a hopeful, positive note. First, please join us this Wednesday, Jan. 15, 2025 for our next Community Meeting from 11:30-1:00 at Peace Lutheran Church, 2106 Cushman Ave. The meeting features Aimee Khuu, Executive Director of Tacoma Community House on the topic of “Preparing to Meet the Challenges Ahead.”

Good News! Plans to expand the Host Home Program – Can you host?

With the AIDNW Hospitality House on hiatus as we look for a new location and funding sources, we are discussing a deeper partnership with World Relief to join their Host Home program, by adding new host homes through our AIDNW network of volunteers. The goal is for AIDNW and World Relief Western WA to have host homes available every day of the week, whenever Welcome Center guests need temporary shelter. For years, we have relied on World Relief Host Homes on Thursdays and Fridays. Overnight housing is most often needed when Welcome Center guests can’t book a same-day flight. Having a welcoming place to stay for one or two nights is such a gift, especially as the alternative has been taking people to a shelter.

There are also rare times when a Welcome Center guest released from detention has nowhere to go, and a medium-term host home is needed until long-term housing can be arranged.

If you have a spare bedroom and are willing to attend a World Relief training session to become a Host Home, no matter what days of the week, or how many days in a row you think you could host someone, please email AIDNW Operations Manager Aidan Perkinson as well as World Relief’s Post-Release Detention Coordinator Claudia Krakini to be put on a notification list for the next training opportunity.

If you have specific questions about the program, just visit the World Relief Western Washington volunteer page, scroll down to Host Homes and click “Learn More” to get a sense of how it will work. If you have some experience and would like to go an extra mile, let Aidan and Claudia know that you would be willing to get in on the ground floor to help with this new endeavor.

Housing for our guests — we can make it happen!
Image of immigrant at Mt. Rainier pointing at map

Over 5,000 books
(775 in languages other than English)
and 700 puzzles delivered to detainees in 2024

Books and puzzles are extremely important for immigrant detainees, to pass the time and ease the stress of living in detention.  With limited computer access and no or few visitors, immigrants rely on books to improve their English, and to study for job exams in hopes of preparing for a new life in the U.S. One released detainee, who taught herself to read and write in English, described the books as vital to keep up morale and hope.

In 2024, AIDNW’s dedicated book and puzzle volunteers shepherded the donation of 5,650 paperback books–more than double the previous year! There was a huge increase in the number of foreign language books, including Spanish, Chinese, French, Vietnamese, Russian, Persian, Arabic and even Kazakh. The titles of all the foreign language books are translated to avoid donating content that ICE prohibits, and then labeled  by language, so they are easy to locate on shelves.

Detainees are particularly glad to have puzzles, and 715 were donated this year. They are in near constant use, so the supply needs to be refreshed on an ongoing basis as the puzzle pieces wear out or get lost. AIDNW volunteers also delivered 185 new composition and activity books, 45 new decks of playing cards, and 90 sets of colored pencils. Unfortunately, it’s no longer possible to donate yarn.

This year’s book donation effort was given a huge boost by two new partners, the Tacoma Public Library and The Book Mongers (a used bookseller in Tukwila). The Tacoma Library is donating 1,200 books annually, and The Book Mongers generously donated around 2,000 paperbacks and 300 puzzles.

A good number of books came from area schools and universities, and community and religious groups. Before volunteers reached out to them, most did not know there was an ICE facility in the area, and many asked what more they could do to support AIDNW’s work, including making donations and volunteering.

For 2025, Book Program volunteers plan to continue to focus on foreign language titles and puzzles to meet demand. They need help securing foreign language titles. All languages are needed, but the current priority is for Arabic, Hindi, Punjabi, Russian, and Spanish books. You may bring paperbacks and puzzles to the Welcome Center RV, where they will be sorted by trained volunteers.  For more information please contact Nanette.

Many, many thanks to all the community members, volunteers, and organizations who have contributed to this important effort!

Thanks 2024 AIDNW Donors, Volunteers & Community Partners for Our 15th Successful Year!

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AIDNW extends heartfelt gratitude to everyone who has donated, volunteered, and worked together with us throughout 2024. After a post-pandemic dip in donations, with a low in 2023, we are happy to report a strong recovery in 2024, surpassing even our 2022 levels. We are now aiming to reach our 2021 high point, though the numbers aren’t yet final until ou year-end campaign concludes.

It’s not cliche to say volunteers are the backbone of AIDNW. Our founders started volunteering to support immigrants in detention 20 years ago with support from St. Leo’s Church. AIDNW was officially founded as an independent, all-volunteer organization 15 years ago. Other churches including Peace Lutheran and Immanuel Presbyterian offered support. Ten years ago, AIDNW grew to provide Welcome Center services every single weekday afternoon to immigrants exiting detention, and five years ago our all-volunteer board of directors took the leap to hire staff. Our volunteers continue to provide direct services, with total volunteer hours far exceeding staff hours nearly every month.

Organizations throughout the community continue to be our lifeline for immigrants in the region. While our current and past volunteers continue to visit, write, and get books and other supplies to immigrants in detention, our volunteers (sometimes alongside other organizations) still stand outside the detention center every weekday to facilitate travel plans for immigrants being released. And with our Hospitality House currently on hiatus, short-term housing has been provided by some of our most dedicated volunteers, and we continue to rely on World Relief host homes.

Dozens of organizations in our region focus on other aspects of immigrant support. World Relief helps immigrants resettle in the area. Tacoma Community House provides immigration, education, employment and advocacy services. The Northwest Immigrants Right Project (NWIRP) provides support in legal cases argued inside the detention center courtroom. The Washington Immigrant Solidarity Network (WAISN), among their other far-ranging work, have paid the bonds of many immigrants we’ve met as they walked out of detention.

We also know that immigrants need community connections like what’s provided by the Tacoma Refugee Choir, and we are blessed in the City of Destiny to have a vibrant and active Commission on Immigrant & Refugee Affairs as well as a City Council which dedicates both moral support and funding to our work, such as the provision of $10,000 this year for phone funds we deposit into personal accounts of immigrants in the detention center.

Sponsors of our February Fundraising Auction and Dinner this year included Radio Tacoma, which has been airing Welcome Center volunteer reports every month for the past couple of years, as well as the American Federation of Teachers (AFT Washington), Noah’s Pet Project, and the Sheng-Yen Lu Foundation. They helped make the fundraiser a wonderful community event, while our non-profit First Financial Northwest Bank (subsidiary of a west coast credit union) provided tech support.

Our summer fundraising campaign was particularly successful with grants from the Puyallup Tribe of Indians’ Charity Trust Board, the Greater Tacoma Community Foundation, Lacey Presbyterian Church, and Mount Cross Lutheran Church. We also received substantial anonymous financial gifts from some dedicated volunteers and community members this fall, which helped us get close to our fundraising goals.

Finally, our staff and board of directors, almost all of whom were new to the organization and worked hard to negotiate many unexpected variables this year, rocked it. Our first executive director, Deborah Cruz, turned the reins of leadership over to Lynette Crumity, who is now moving on herself, and our Volunteer Coordinator Aidan Perkinson is being promoted to Operations Manager beginning in January. Our board, including Chair Dr. Caitlin Boline, Secretary Mary Clare Bensen, Treasurer Mary Carstensen, Communications Chair Dr. Louisa Beal, and Fundraising Chair Ben Jones, will be welcoming new members in the new year.

We couldn’t have done it apart from all of you, and in fact, we’re right here in it together with you. No matter what 2025 brings to any of us, and to immigrants who are looking for peace and prosperity in the new year, we will all “be there” next to the only big immigration detention center in the Pacific Northwest, doing good works every day. Big thanks, and big applause, for your continued financial contributions, volunteer support, and partnerships. If you’d like to join us for any upcoming get-togethers, here’s what’s happening in the next couple of weeks:

• Jan 3 at 12:00 Noon – Social Media & Website Volunteer Training (contact Chris for more info and zoom link)
• Jan 5 at 6:00 PM – Volunteer Support Group Gathering with 7 PM Zoom (contact Chris for more info and zoom link)
• Jan 7 early evening – Fundraising Committee Meeting (contact Ben for more info)
• Jan 15 at 11:30 AM – Community Meeting at Peace Lutheran Church (contact Aidan for more info)
• Jan 21 at 3:00 PM – Marketing Committee Meeting (newsletter/website/social media, contact Kristine for more info)

International Migrants Day Proclamation

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AIDNW was so grateful and honored to be invited by Commissioner Maricres Castro with the City of Tacoma Commission on Immigrant & Refugee Affairs (CIRA) to be part of the city’s proclamation yesterday which affirmed December 18th as International Migrants Day. Commission members Iuliia Didkivska, Maurice Lekea and Thierry Ruboneka were also on hand from CIRA.

Maurice and Thierry of the Congolese community simultaneously represented the Tacoma Refugee Choir along with its director Woody. Dr Ijazulhaq Ismael Zada spoke in representation of the Tacoma Afghan Community. Iuliia Didkivska spoke in representation the Ukranian Community. The Nile Collective included speakers Tasneem Amer, Atong Miyar and Yarangel John.

Louisa Beal from the Board of Directors of AIDNW was on hand representing our organization along with on-the-ground volunteers Chris Chisholm and Malachi Cabera who stood alongside CIRA commissioners and the representatives from community organizations supporting immigrants in our community.

After Tacoma Mayor Victoria Woodards read the International Migrants Day Proclamation aloud, she introduced Commissioner Castro, who in turn introduced the partner organizations she invited to speak, and finally members of The Nile Collective who shared about the current situation in Sudan. “Escalating violence and new atrocities in Sudan have pushed the humanitarian crisis to unprecedented levels, with displacement now exceeding 11 million people amid reports of mass killings and systematic-sexual violence across multiple regions,” according to UN officials.

Click and listen to proclamation speakers.

What the speakers shared is exactly why all the organizations present including AIDNW do their work welcoming and supporting immigrants in our community. International Migrants Day was created by the United Nations for this reason: to raise awareness of why migrants need support, and the City of Tacoma affirmed this day because it’s critical that our community supports immigrants who make up so much of our population.

In fact, at least 15% of Washington State residents are foreign born, according to the American Immigration Council, and other recent sources put the figure higher than that. The mayor and at least some of the speakers participating in the proclamation alluded to realities such as if it weren’t for immigrants in our state, the economy would be a fraction of its current strength. Can you imagine a day without migrants at work in the U.S.?

The United Nations background page on International Migrants Day states that “On 4 December 2000, the General Assembly, taking into account the large and increasing number of migrants in the world, proclaimed 18 December International Migrants Day…. On that day, in 1990, the Assembly adopted the International Convention on the Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of Their Families…..

“In December 2018, the Intergovernmental Conference to Adopt the Global Compact for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration in Marrakech adopted the Global Compact.  Grounded in values of state sovereignty, responsibility-sharing, non-discrimination, and human rights, it recognizes that a cooperative approach is needed to optimize the overall benefits of migration, while addressing its risks and challenges for individuals and communities in countries of origin, transit and destination.”

This year, the United Nations is focusing International Migrants Day “Towards Safer Migration” with its 2024 GCM Implementation Report which “introduces key recommendations on providing humanitarian assistance to migrants in distress and strengthening cooperation on missing migrants, including concrete proposals to prevent migrants from dying or going missing, enhance search and identification efforts, support affected families, provide justice, accountability and redress, collect data on migrant deaths and disappearances and share migration forecasting data to optimize humanitarian assistance.”

And its “recommendations are only effective through collective action. Time is running out, and lives must be saved now.”

Early Winter Newsletter & Update From Our Executive Director

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Happy Holidays AIDNW Family & Friends!

We, the board and staff, are thankful for each and every one of you. AIDNW is you and you are AIDNW. Thanks to all of you who have graciously donated your time, talent, and treasure to make sure this work continues. You demonstrate daily that this mission is larger than any one of us and words cannot express the thankfulness and hope that we are taking from your energy into 2025.

Thank you to the RV Crew! You guys have been totally rocking it! Also thanks to the Bookmongers! Your number of donated books this year was absolutely incredible! And to all the Visitation Volunteers and Pen-Pals out there: your consistency and dedication is amazing!

Finally, thank you to everyone who donated to our Giving Tuesday Campaign. Money is still coming in! Don’t forget, if your company matches donations, to fill out the corresponding paperwork.

The Executive Board has approved the 2025 budget and one of our top priorities is stabilizing our finances so we can pursue our housing options once again. Thanks to all of our partner World Relief host homes!

As we enter into 2025, it is imperative that we remain diligent and flexible with the support that we offer at the Welcome Center and how we collaborate with our community partners.

Wishing you and yours the happiest and healthiest of holidays! – Yours in service, Lynette

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Human Rights Day – AFT Online Town Hall on Defending Immigration Rights & More

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The American Federation of Teachers (AFT) Washington is sponsoring an online Human Rights Day Town Hall with an agenda to “examine potential threats under the next U.S. federal administration, such as promises of mass deportations, the targeting of DEI efforts, and the promotion of anti-LGBTQ+ discrimination which all take direct aim at fundamental rights described in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.”

Register here  for the Tuesday, December 10, 2024 AFT Washington Online Town Hall from 5:30-7:00 p.m.

Human Rights Day 2024 commemorates the 76th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR). The day is designed to reflect on achievements as well as ongoing struggles of human rights around the world, and the United Nations set this year’s theme as “Our Rights, Our Future, Right Now.” UN News will have live, all-day coverage of Human Rights Day events from around the world.

The UDHR defines human rights as universal and inalienable, not something granted by states. The UN explains that human rights “belong to everyone, everywhere, simply by virtue of being human. They transcend race, gender, nationality, or beliefs, ensuring inherent equality and dignity for all. These rights are fundamental and inalienable, meaning they cannot be taken away except in specific legal circumstances, such as imprisonment following due process. Human rights are also considered indivisible and interdependent, which means that the fulfillment of one right often relies on others. For example, the right to education is crucial for exercising political rights, such as voting in elections. Similarly, the right to health and access to clean water are vital for the right to life and dignity. Understanding this interconnection is essential in addressing complex global issues. Tackling one area can lead to progress in others, while ignoring even one right can create a ripple effect, harming individuals and communities in multiple ways.”

Wikipedia describes the UDHR as enshrining the “rights and freedoms of all human beings. Drafted by a UN committee chaired by Eleanor Roosevelt, it was accepted by the General Assembly … on 10 December 1948…. The UDHR commits nations to recognize all humans as being ‘born free and equal in dignity and rights’ regardless of ‘nationality, place of residence, sex, national or ethnic origin, colour, religion, language, or any other status.’ The Declaration is generally considered to be a milestone document for its universalist language, which makes no reference to a particular culture, political system, or religion. It directly inspired the development of international human rights law, and was the first step in the formulation of the International Bill of Human Rights, which was completed in 1966 and came into force in 1976.”

The AFT Washington Online Town Hall will also address Project 2025 and its agenda “diminishing the role of public education from early learning through higher ed while also dismantling the rights of workers to join together in unions, promises that are also in direct contradiction to the International Declaration of Human Rights. A panel of speakers will discuss what is at risk and ways to defend collective rights and strengthen targeted communities,” including:

– Fernando Mejia Ledesma, Campaign Director, Communities for Our Colleges
– Flor Reyes, Diversity & Equity Specialist, Everett Community College
– Kent Wong, Faculty and Project Director for Labor and Community Partnerships, UCLA

Register here for the Tuesday, December 10, 2024 AFT Washington Online Town Hall from 5:30-7:00 p.m. Special thanks to AFT Washington Executive Board Vice President for Human Rights Tomas Ramos, Ph.D. who shared this information with us and is helping to interview the panel. Dr. Ramos is also a volunteer here at AIDNW!

Big Thanks To AIDNW Donors!

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We want to give a big shout-out to everyone who has donated during this year of transition for AIDNW. Ours has always fundamentally been a volunteer operation, and we operate due to so many passionate volunteers who become pen-pals and visit immigrants in detention, who wait in all kinds of weather outside the gates of detention to welcome newly-released immigrants finding their way to a new life in the United States, who share their homes when immigrants need temporary shelter, and who keep AIDNW services going behind the scenes every day by volunteering in the office: answering emails and the phones – mostly requests from immigrants in detention needing funds to call family and attorneys – their calls in detention aren’t free unfortunately, so one of our biggest budget expenses is providing those funds to them.

AIDNW has grown over its 15 years to needing paid staff who can write grants, who can keep daily books and submit quarterly reports without error, who can immediately deposit those phone funds into a complicated ICE accounting system for immigrants in detention, and and who can coordinate all of us volunteers who are passionate about our particular arm of the operation. There are so many arms and foundational parts nowadays for staff to support and keep in communication with one another. Fortunately, we have a wondeful new Executive Director, Lynette Crumity, who was hired in the spring due to her extensive background in fundraising and structural capacity-building, with the result that we increased revenues in the second half of this year back toward where it was before the post-pandemic drop-off many non-profits experienced. We also have an amazing part-time Volunteer Coordinator, Aidan Perkinson who does so much office administration that our 1.5 staff now does the work 3.0 staff were doing a couple years ago.

That’s all to say how efficiently our staff works, and how hard our volunteers work – one of which logged 77 hours just last month, with the second-most volunteer hour total not far behind that number. As you can tell, we are looking at a great team to start 2025 strong, but we need to increase the staffing levels back toward 2.0 FTE for solid, sustainable services. We are incredibly grateful for the truly fundamental role AIDNW donors provide in achieving this work. As we graphed in our October newsletter, donations have been good since July, and we hope that our year-end campaign also meets the mark to ensure a solid 2025. On the other side of the balance sheet, we found ways to tighten our belt like the securing shared office and storage space, replacing our Welcome Center RV with a simpler donated one that’s easier for volunteers to use, and planning a new Hospitality House to ensure  stability and longevity for our transitional immigrant housing services.

Even with our fundraising progress in the second half of this year, there are still a couple hundred 2023 donors on our list we haven’t heard from yet this year. We hope they are waiting until the year-end giving season to help us start 2025 on a solid footing. We have exciting plans for the new year, including visions for a homey Welcome Center designed exactly as volunteers need, and expanding Host Home services to ensure immigrants have safe spaces while we work toward new Hospitality House services. Thank you so much for supporting this volunteer-centered AIDNW operation, and together, we will persist through everything to come in the new year!

Click Here to DONATE to the AIDNW Year-End Campaign

Missed Giving Tuesday? Attend AIDNW Presentation on Qualified Charitable Distributions

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Come learn about the potential tax benefits you can receive by donating money from your IRA to AIDNW!

Saturday, Dec 7th from 11:30-12:30, AIDNW volunteer Steve Sarwono, CFP® presents “WHAT IS A QUALIFIED CHARITABLE DISTRIBUTION?” at the Starbucks Regional Office, 10314 S Tacoma Way, Lakewood, WA 98499.  Lunch from Panera Bread will be provided.

Learn how retirees with an IRA can make a Qualified Charitable Distribution starting at age 70 that benefits both the donor and AIDNW if done correctly. Certified Financial Planner* Steve Swarano will make it understandable. You can even schedule a separate online meeting or phone conference with Steve. Just call him at on his cell at 253-444-4171 or click here.

You can also find Steve volunteering regularly at the AIDNW Welcome Center, or visiting immigrants in detention and assisting newly-released immigrants. Steve’s story itself is is inspiring. He is a U.S. Navy and Army National Guard veteran, and he completed an MBA in Entrepreneurship at Pacific Lutheran University and a Bachelor of Science Finance at Portland State University. Steve and his wife are originally from Indonesia, and in his spare time, Steve learns Spanish at La Unica. His late grandmother, who was a school headmaster, spoke six languages. Steve’s goal is to be able to at least speak six languages just like his grandmother, and his skills are evident at the Welcome Center when we receive guests from all corners of the world.

Steve Swarano CFP® Batik Financial

Steve Swarano CFP®, Batik Financial

* It’s helpful if you can RSVP to volunteercoordinator@aidnw.org for the presentation if you know you can attend, or feel free to show up last minute. Certified Financial Planner™ Steve Swarano of Batik Financial (253) 588-0204 has many teachers and school professionals as clients. He is registered with and only offers securities and advisory services through Plan Member Securities Corporation (PSEC), a registered broker/dealer, investment advisor and member FINRA/SIPC. 6187 Carpinteria Ave, Carpinteria, CA 93013. (800) 874-6910. Batik Financial and PlanMember Securities Corporation are independently owned and operated. Certified Financial Planner Board of Standards Inc. owns the certification marks CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ in the U.S., which it awards to individuals who successfully complete CFP Board’s initial and ongoing certification requirements.

AIDNW Needs Social Media Volunteers

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AIDNW needs a pair of social media volunteers! We currently have a very supportive interim social media specialist ready to train volunteers who can work together to share the load and help one another … but our trainer is only available until January 1st! Volunteering in this role only takes 2 hours per week, can be done from the comfort of home, and really is the best way to get connected to the AIDNW community.

Seriously, you’ll get to know everyone from the Board of Directors, to the Executive Director, to the Volunteer Coordinator, to the Welcome Center Volunteers & PDAN Drivers, to Visitation & Pen-Pal Volunteers, to Partner Community Organizations like World Relief, the Tacoma Community House, the City of Tacoma Commission on Immigrant & Refugee Affairs, and other organizations helping out in front of the Northwest ICE Processing Center like the active grass-roots group La Resistencia.

Volunteering with AIDNW is a great way to make lifelong friends, and being one of our social media volunteers means you’ll have a great pulse on immigration issues in perilous times. But wait, there’s more: you’ll gain marketable skills like website editing and design, blog article writing, as well as automated social media posting that makes this volunteer role so rewarding. To inquire, call or text 253-225-1547 for the fastest response.

Can’t volunteer? Then spread the word by sharing this post to Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, Bluesky, Threads & Tumblr @aidnwtacoma, or donate for Giving Tuesday!

Late Autumn Newsletter & Update From Our Executive Director

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Hello AIDNW Family and Friends. Happy Fall!

We have been busy bees in September! Thank you to everyone who joined us for the September Listening Session. One of the outcomes of that meeting was the development of a volunteer advisory committee. If you are interested in joining, please reach out to Steve Sarwono or email Aidan at .volunteercoordinator@aidnw.org   Secondly, thanks to everyone who came to the Community Meeting to hear our speaker, Todd Miller, for an update on actions at the border.

Thank you to all of our September donors! Especially those who are sending contributions from their IRA accounts and those giving on a monthly basis. That is amazing. Since most of you chose to donate anonymously, we are not able to acknowledge you individually. Please know that we see and appreciate you deeply.

Here is a chart showing our fundraising efforts so you can see our progress year to date. This is data through the end of September.

As you can see, we are on track to meet and hopefully exceed our fundraising efforts from 2022. But the work is not done. We still have the upcoming Detention Lottery and Giving Tuesday/End of Year Campaign to push us over the finish line for 2024 and get us off to a strong start in 2025.

Upcoming Events
Detention Lottery, Saturday, November 2nd at Urban Grace Church. Ticket information is here: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/aidnw-presents-the-detention-lottery-an-immersive-courtroom-drama-tickets-1002487546237?aff=oddtdtcreator.  There will be refreshments for purchase, a small silent auction, and a time for questions/discussion after the performance. Doors open at 3 pm and the performance begins at 4:00. Discount tickets are available–we are offering half price tickets for AIDNW volunteers, students and veterans,  and buy two get one ticket free–please email Aidan for those: volunteercoordinator@aidnw.org

Our next Listening Session will be Wednesday, October 23rd at 6 pm. The zoom link for the session is:  https://us06web.zoom.us/j/87032613705?pwd=kQWFcON7XCoKzkDajJSwgp5HYbY01a.1  We look forward to seeing you then!

We appreciate each and every one of you! AIDNW would not be as strong without you. Take good care of yourselves.

Yours in service,
Lynette

 

Early Autumn Newsletter & Update From Our Executive Director

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Hello AIDNW Family and Friends! I hope that you are enjoying this second blast of summer weather as we turn the page to Fall. I wanted to do a check-in with all of you. We are in the midst of change, and change is often painful. I am very thankful to the AIDNW Executive Board for their guidance and support in leading this charge! I am especially grateful for their help to make really hard decisions as we navigate and reconfigure ourselves to AIDNW 2.0 and the next 10 years! I know that together we will be able to continue to do the great work that AIDNW is known for and continue to support our friends and neighbors in the detention center. If you have questions, please feel free to join us at the upcoming Listening Session, Wednesday 9/11 at 6:00pm on Teams: AIDNW 9.11.24 Listening Session.

If you are not able to attend that meeting, we plan to record it, if approved. If it is not approved, you may reach out to Executive Board Chair Caitlin Boline at caitlinboline@gmail.com for more information.

Next, we will have the September in-person Community Meeting on 9/18 at Peace Lutheran Church, 2106 S. Cushman Ave, Tacoma 98405, starting at 11:30am. Lunch will be provided. Let us know you are coming by emailing Aidan: volunteercoordinator@aidnw.org.

I have a few additional updates. I would be remiss if I didn’t send out many, many thanks to all of our donors, friends, and supporters! We truly appreciate you. Also, special thanks to: Greater Tacoma Community Foundation, Puyallup Tribe Foundation, Lacey Presbyterian Church, and Mount Cross Lutheran Church for your generous donations in the month of August during our Summer Campaign.

Please reserve your seats for the upcoming Detention Lottery performance. It will be held on Saturday, November 2 from 3:00 – 6:00pm at Urban Grace Church. Here is the link to purchase tickets online: Detention Lottery Tickets. If you have questions, please email volunteercoordinator@aidnw.org. The event will begin with a social hour and a silent auction fundraiser. Please plan to attend and bid generously on the auction items. If you have something to donate or folks that you know who can donate, contact me directly: lcrumtiy@aidnw.org. I have forms and more information to support you to help with procurement.

Again, we know that we wouldn’t be here without each and every one of you. As we weather this storm, let us look to the future in which I maintain that we will be better and stronger in 2025 and beyond.

Yours in service,

Lynette

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