Partnership, collaboration, and collective action requires that passionate, skilled, and accessible individuals within systems connect, find common ground, pool perspectives and resources and take risks together. We explore pathways and possibilities and accept that in the work of building safe, healthy and resilient communities–the map gets handed out at the end of the journey.
Whatcom Family and Community Network honors the adventurous, steadfast and curious individuals who we partner with in the work of building capacity and a culture of health and wellbeing. Hats off to the Resilience Network, ACEs/Resilience Team and the Whatcom Prevention Coalition and many others!
Our partners, too numerous and diverse to fully list are individuals and organizations: teachers and schools, elected officials and government departments, artists and institutions, middle and high school students and associated student body clubs.
recent/past partnerships
Shuksan Community & Family Night
WFCN is honored to partner with Shuksan Middle School, Bellingham Police and Fire Departments, Communities in Schools, Whatcom Dispute Resolution Center and numerous social service organizations to host the annual celebration of community and family at this fun, informational event each late Winter.
Better Together Breakfasts
A partnership between LOVE, Inc, A Hope and a Future Foundation and WFCN–we bring together non-profit Christian leaders for networking, unity and prayer to support connection and capacity building in this sector of the community. Better Together Breakfasts meet monthly on the 3rd Wednesday of the month from 7 a.m. to 8 a.m. at OverEasy restaurant on James Street in Bellingham.
Connect! Youth engagement in youth mental well-being efforts with National Council for Behavioral Health
Update pending
Family Language Exchange Project
A partnership with Birchwood Elementary school, residents of the Birchwood neighborhood, and WFCN to connect families across language barriers. Fun and educational social events and outings that encourage English to Spanish language exchange builds relationships between children and parents; children to their peers and parents to other parents to create a more connected, integrated and safe neighborhood experience.
W. Maplewood Community Cares Project
Working with residents living near W. Maplewood Street in the Birchwood Neighborhood, this year and a half effort aimed to connect diverse apartment complex residents and identify local leadership to work on placemaking projects funded by Whatcom Community Foundation (WCF). WFCN co-hosted with community leaders several “pop-up” events like a Pumpkin Carving party, Community Barbecue, Birchwood Cares Cafe meeting, and a park clean up at Shuksan Meadows Park where diverse community members could connect, show care for their community, and celebrate the potential and future of the neighborhood. This work also sparked a Birchwood Neighborhood Welcome Guide and an effort to identify individuals in the apartment complexes who would reach out to new residents- greet them to the neighborhood, connect them to activities, opportunities and events happening in the area. This partnership continues through the Birchwood Kapow efforts lead by Sustainable Connections and another grant through WCF.
Community Capacity/ARC3 Research and Evaluation Project
WFCN along with 4 other communities in Washington State participated in a 2-year-long research project funded by ACEs Private-Public Initiative (APPI) and conducted by Mathematica and Community Science researchers. The project focused on measuring a community’s capacity to impact exposure to Adverse Childhood Experiences through a variety of types of community capacity and mobilization efforts.
Columbia Neighborhood Equity Diversity and Inclusion Workshops and Meals
Update pending
