In the space of a few short hours on Saturday, Sept. 21, memorial services were held for three individuals who helped make our communities better and who did so in radically different ways. I’m...
EDITOR’S NOTE: This is the first of a series of columns focused on fostering civil discourse and dialogue, which is an action item of the Our Valley Our Future effort. I think it’s fair...
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...
One of the remarkable emerging community leaders in the Wenatchee Valley is Teresa Bendito-Zepeda, who is prime organizer of the Parque Padrinos, a group of more than 100 neighbors in South Wenatchee dedicated to...
http://traffic.libsyn.com/artofcommunityncw/Episode_65_DAndre_Vasquez_-_91819_4.29_PM.mp3 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...
“Am I better than I was yesterday? What am I doing today to ensure a better tomorrow?’ D’Andre Vasquez I cannot think of a better example of personal resilience than D’Andre Vasquez, who graduated...
This region has an abundance of people who are committed to strengthening rural communities and that includes Lisa Karstetter, the regional TechSpark Manager for Microsoft. Some people are surprised when they learn that Karstetter...
Suzanne MacPherson has deep roots in the Upper Wenatchee Valley and her long-term perspective and relationship skills led to making contributions as an educator and as the first (and to date only) female mayor...
As a writer, I have the privilege of meeting many ordinary folks doing wonderful things in the valley and enjoy sharing a bit of their stories with the community. I am inspired by people...
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...