VOICES 2023

The Communities Rise Annual Fundraiser

Thank you to everyone who joined us in-person last Thursday for the culmination of our 2023 Annual Fundraising Campaign, Voices! If you missed it, it’s not too late to donate or check out the pictures and videos below.

The Communities Rise Annual Fundraiser
VOICES 2023

Online Campaign: June 8 to June 15, 2023
In-person Celebration: Thursday, June 15, 2023
Time: 4:30-6:30pm
Location: El Centro de la Raza – Centilia Cultural Center,
1660 S Roberto Maestas Festival St, Seattle, WA 98144

Thank you for helping us reach our goals in support of nonprofits and small businesses led by communities of color in Washington State. If you have any questions about your donation or how to donate, please email aimie@communities-rise.org.

Learn more about our services from Dr. Natalie on Day 1 of our campaign! Dr. Natalie Ellington is the founder of Eileen and Callie’s Place (ECP), a nonprofit aimed at empowering, educating, and coaching young women who have aged out of the foster care system. She took her first class with Communities Rise nearly ten years ago to learn the basics of starting a 501(c)(3). “Communities Rise was instrumental in helping me establish my organization because I had no experience starting a nonprofit, working in social services, or even with the foster care system.” This year alone, 44 women are engaged in ECP’s program and 13 have requested ongoing mentorship

It’s been an honor to watch this incredible organization blossom into a vital resource for this community. We had a chance to sit down with Dr. Natalie to talk about the growth of Eileen and Callie’s Place. Click below to watch!

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Check out some photos from our in-person celebration! We were grateful to be back in-person again and get to celebrate our community by eating delicious food together. It was an opportunity to connect with all the amazing people we work with and show more about our work. We appreciate all the donors, community members, and volunteers who have supported us today, this week, and over the years to have helped us get to where we are today.

Congratulations to our 2023 Volunteer Appreciation Award recipient – Kelly Lawton-Abbott! Kelly has been volunteering with us since she was in law school. Once she was admitted to the bar, she continued to volunteer with us and participated in our legal clinics as one of the attorneys providing counsel. She has been involved in just about every part of the legal work we do here at Communities Rise, from co-creating a video series called “Build Your Own Business” that we still share as resource today, to phone consultations, to Direct Representation matters where she provides in-depth legal support to our clients!

One of the event highlights was VCBynum Arts & Education gracing the stage with an ethereal dance performance. Watch the pre-recorded version below! We extend a huge thank you to all the artists that performed for Voices.

Thank You To Our Sponsors

Cooley
Cruz Law
DLA Piper
Gates Foundation
Gates Public Service Law Program
Foster Garvey
Inatai Foundation
Microsoft
Orrick
Pacific Northwest Law Group
Trial & Error Productions

Want to sponsor? Email aimie@communities-rise.org to learn more.