The Washington Multi-Family Housing Association (WMFHA) is deeply committed to using the strength and passion of its membership to make a positive impact in its communities. WMFHA strives to create a spirit of service and giving and engage our members in doing so.
In place of in-person events, the organization has taken to crowd-sourcing fundraising through social media and marketing efforts. It is encouraging its members to stretch their dollars by matching up to $25,000 in donations to two charity partners, Childhaven and Domestic Abuse Women’s Network. Earlier in 2020 it also raised money for Northwest Harvest.
Childhaven understands that childhood trauma and adversity are the root cause of the most urgent and costly problems that plague our children, families, and community. Childhaven meets families in all places where they live, learn, and play, including early learning centers, pediatric settings, community centers, elementary schools, and home visits. Childhaven is staffed by a dynamic and diverse team of therapists, care coordinators, teachers, and parent partners. Each member of the Childhaven team is dedicated to prioritizing relational health as the antidote to childhood trauma and adversity–within Childhaven and beyond.
For 40 years, Domestic Abuse Women’s Network (DAWN) has supported, empowered, and sheltered domestic violence survivors and their children in south King County and beyond. In order to stop the cycle of generational abuse, DAWN also offers healthy relationship programming for middle school, high school, and college students. The global pandemic has changed life as we know it, and sadly domestic violence (DV) cases have been on the rise in King County. According to the Seattle PD, they’ve seen a 21% increase in reported DV cases, while the Bellevue PD are reporting a 28% increase in severe DV assaults since the start of the pandemic. Abuse thrives in isolation and DAWN has experienced a 22% increase in demand for their legal advocacy services and have seen an increase in the intensity of calls for help coming to their crisis line.
As a result of COVID-19, the number of Washingtonians who cannot put food on their tables has more than doubled. Over the last few months, Northwest Harvest has worked with partners all over the state to get healthy food where it’s needed. They have dramatically increased their distribution of nutritious food to partner food banks and meal programs. Their partners are finding ways to safely deliver and package food for pick-up so people can get what they need for their families to stay healthy.
All told, by the end of 2020, WMFHA raised over $17,500 for NW Harvest; nearly $15,000 for Childhaven and more than $25,000 for DAWN.