We don’t know yet how history will view 2020, but we know we will be proud of the things we have accomplished at Neighborhood House. One of Neighborhood House’s newest employment case managers, Katie, shared a recent experience:
“October was my first month working for Neighborhood House, so I spent a lot of time getting to know my clients who are English language learning adults in the High Point neighborhood of West Seattle. I was very eager to learn that some of my clients were new citizens and wanted to vote, but they were unsure of how to register. Due to the COVID pandemic, I could not meet with my clients to assist them in person, but we found a way to fill out the forms over Zoom. I explained the voting process and answered questions about the form, and very quickly we got them registered to vote. The form ended with a “Congratulations!” note, signifying that they were successfully registered to vote, and they beamed with pride about that symbolic moment of being a United States citizen. It reminded me that my vote is a privilege, and I was very happy to assist members of our community to use their voice and vote.”
2020 has called upon all of us to step up and support our communities in new and creative ways. We could not do our work without the support of our generous community, who step up time and again to keep our programs running when they are needed most. We know that taking care of our communities, our families, and ourselves has become a monumental challenge this year. Thank you for making moments like this possible.
With gratitude,
Janice Deguchi (she/her/hers)
Executive Director