SPECIAL EDITION E-NEWSLETTER August 10th, 2022 |
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I absolutely love my job.
It is therefore with very mixed emotions that I have decided to retire at the end of 2022. When I started as Interim Executive Director in January of 2019, my plan was to stay for three months. Little did I realize I would fall in love with this place and how much joy it would bring me! |
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I have you, our supporter, the Wenatchee River Institute staff, and our board to thank for the many successes WRI has enjoyed over the past three and a half years. |
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Our attendance rates are soaring. Your support, plus funding from foundations and grants, allow us to expand our geographic reach. While we continue to work closely with our local schools, we now serve schools as far away as Brewster, Orondo, and Rock Island. We doubled the number of hours we work with youth every year and our student demographics have changed. Now, half the students we serve come from families with financial hardships or are students of color. It is your support that has allowed us to make these significant program shifts.
You also support our community programs. Any time we offer a community education opportunity, you show up! From mushroom hunting to Indigenous language classes to the Trashion Show, you embrace the opportunity to learn or experience something new.
In the midst of a global pandemic, you stepped forward to start an endowment fund. The income from these permanently invested funds helps support our annual budget for years to come. This is a lasting legacy that we have you to thank for!
When WRI started a “pay what you can” model for some programs, you supported other community members by sometimes paying a bit more than the cost of the program. This support allows other, less financially secure families, to pay less. Thank you for helping to level the playing field, increasing program access for everyone.
You give WRI your time and resources by pulling noxious weeds, tending our gardens, and donating irrigation pipes, stoves, printers, dressers, and any other hair-brained items we asked for. You stuff envelopes, join committees, attend events, sign your children up for camps, become members, and always step forward when there was a call for help.
The good news is that this is only the beginning of a long goodbye. I have given six-months’ notice – hopefully adequate time to find a great candidate and allow for some overlap. My passion for the job has not diminished. I will continue to work with the board and staff to move the organization forward while the board prepares for a change in leadership.
Thank you for your support. It is so appreciated. The future looks bright for WRI! Sincerely, |
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Dear Community, This moment is bittersweet and exciting.
Today, we announce the upcoming retirement of Carolyn Griffin-Bugert, WRI’s current Executive Director. Under Carolyn’s leadership, WRI is thriving and growing. Our programs are expanding by leaps and bounds, serving new communities and a larger area, all supported by a phenomenal staff. Her departure is bittersweet.
Yet, it is exciting to realize that Carolyn’s vision and direction is enabling WRI to reach more students in North Central Washington, whether via the Traveling Naturalist Program or here on campus. Additionally, with Carolyn’s guidance, WRI is expanding its community programs, including speakers, field trips, and locations. And with her help, and yours, we started an Endowment Fund which can continue to grow and provide resources into the future. It all means more adults and students in the river, out exploring habitats, having discussions, and getting to experience nature.
We will miss Carolyn greatly and thank her deeply. She gifts us with an amazing foundation, leaving us well-placed to take our next steps. We know, however, that she has many adventures that await and we are delighted for her. It is also exciting to think about the future – new opportunities and inspiring possibilities – both for our new leader and for WRI. This is a pivotal time and a moment of reflection for our organization. We, as a Board, resolve to find our next leader intentionally and enthusiastically, while ensuring we sustain and build on all that has been accomplished.
We are grateful to have you with us as we journey forward connecting communities and learners of all ages to the natural world. We will keep you “in the know” as we search for WRI’s next leader; we hope to have the position posted in the next few weeks. In the meantime, we welcome your thoughts, questions, and candidate recommendations. Please feel free to reach out to our Board President, Laura Reichlin, at laurareichlin@gmail.com.
Thank you for your support of our treasured Wenatchee River Institute and its mission! Sincerely, |
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