One way to measure Solid Ground’s impact over the past 50 years is through the success stories of the individuals and families who have changed their lives for the better with our support. There are well over a million(!) of them, and you can find many here on our Groundviews blog.
But even that number doesn’t reflect the full measure of our impact, because Solid Ground has touched countless more lives through the anti-poverty leaders and organizations that we’ve planted and nurtured over the last five decades. Take a good look at many of the organizations doing the most impactful work in King County today, and you’re likely to find a bit of Solid Ground in their roots.
At our recent 50th Anniversary Gala, Solid Ground debuted 50 Years of Cultivating Leadership, a video that examines how we’ve provided leadership development and supported fledgling organizations that have grown to profoundly shape our community.
“Some of our communities’ most impactful social service and social justice organizations were first sown in the Solid Ground seedbed and now flourish on their own,” says Eva Walker, Solid Ground volunteer and KEXP DJ, who narrated the video.
The organizations started by Solid Ground and our forebear, the Fremont Public Association (FPA) – or that received significant support from us at a formative time in their development – include:
- Apple Corps
- Bethlehem House
- City Fruit
- Community Voice Mail (CVM)/ConnectUp
- Economic Opportunity Institute (EOI)
- Fair Budget Action Campaign
- FamilyWorks
- FareStart
- Fremont AIDS Care
- Fremont Fair
- Healthcare for the Homeless Network (HCHN)
- Low Income Housing Institute (LIHI)
- Penny Harvest
- Port Jobs
- Sand Point Community Housing Association
- Seattle Displacement Coalition (SDC)
- Seattle Human Services Coalition (SHSC), formerly Survival Services Coalition
- Seattle Municipal Recycling
- Seattle Workers Center
- Washington Reading Corps (WRC)
- Washington State Long-Term Care Ombudsman Program
- Welfare Rights Organizing Coalition (WROC)
“Some of our region’s most influential and effective leaders also spent time with Fremont Public Association and Solid Ground as staff, volunteers, and participants,” says Eva.
50 Years of Cultivating Leadership focuses on five individuals who formerly worked for Solid Ground/FPA and used the experiences gained here to help run direct services, advocacy, and other nonprofits, as well as hold transformational leadership roles in state government.
“No one organization can end poverty or undo racism. That’s why we will continue to nurture talent, support developing organizations, and build the strong partnerships it takes to sustain movements that make our community stronger,” says Eva.
In the coming months, Groundviews will tell in-depth stories about some of the leaders featured in the video.
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