Each month, Thurston Community Media (TCMedia)’s Mission Nonprofit connects with local organizations and agencies that are making positive impacts in our communities. This month, Mission Nonprofit highlights some of their favorite moments while spotlighting nonprofits in 2023.
South Sound Dance Access
“We are an arts access nonprofit and we’re specifically focused on dance, movement and the performing arts,” shared Alice Grendon, executive director for South Sound Dance Access. Their programs are free or low-cost to the public.
BrenRose Foundation
“I have a large home on the eastside of Olympia that I rent to young adults who are aging out of foster care or homelessness,” shared Tammy Levario, executive director of the BrenRose Foundation. “I live onsite as a support and kind of manager of the home.”
Theater Artists of Olympia
After 20 years, Theater Artists of Olympia has a permanent space in the mall to have local productions and performances on the west side. “There’s never been a theater on the west side of town,” shared Michael Christopher, founding member and president of Theater Artists Olympia.
Olympia Firefighters Foundation
“We enrich our community through charitable donations and acts of kindness,” shared Derek Johnson, president of the Olympia Firefighters Foundation. “We break that down into three things: One, providing opportunities for youth in our community, more specific to a safe and secure educational environment for them; then, we provide relief to victims of fires and other catastrophic emergencies; and also we provide assistance to those in crisis or other unforeseen circumstances.”
Family Education Support Services
“We serve about 16,000 people,” shared Shelly Willis, executive director for Family Education & Support Services. “Our goal is to help kids grow into healthy adults and healthy adults mean a healthier community.”
Veterans Independence Foundation
“Let’s say a water heater in your house breaks, or you need short-term childcare help – maybe you’re switching jobs or whatever, nobody out there can help you with that. So we do, if you are an eligible veteran and there’s only three criteria,” shared Neil Blitstein, executive director for the Veterans Independence Foundation.
Retired Public Employees Council
“We represent the employees who retired from the state, cities, counties, other municipalities, special purpose districts and such,” shared Clair Olivers, president of the Retired Public Employees Council of Washington. “We work together to enhance and protect the pensions. We work on healthcare issues.”
Crisis Clinic
“We provide 24-hour, telephonic crisis intervention services that are free of charge,” stated Zach Duncan, executive director for the Crisis Clinic, “and are one of the few crisis lines in the state that are still anonymous and confidential unless there’s a concern of immediate danger.”
Pierce County AIDS Foundation
“Just walk on in through the door, someone will test you for HIV and STIs,” shared Ace Robinson, chief executive officer for the Pierce County AIDS Foundation. PCAF has an office in Olympia and has been serving the area for over 30 years.
Three Little Pitties Rescue
“We primarily rescue in Houston, Texas,” shared Erica Gott, event coordinator with Three Little Pitties Rescue. “There’s extreme overpopulation, overcrowding of shelters. So we rescue our animals in Houston. And they go through a vetting process, a behavioral team works with them there and they’re posted for adoption here in the Pacific Northwest.”
For more information, watch the full videos linked to above and visit the TCMedia website.
You can watch Mission Nonprofit on channel 77 on Sundays at 4:30 p.m., Tuesdays at 7 p.m., Thursdays at 7:30 p.m., and Saturdays at 6:30 p.m. You can also watch on TCMedia website, Video On-Demand or our Roku channel. To learn more about what TCMedia does, visit the Thurston Community Media YouTube channel or the TC Media website and follow them on Facebook and Twitter.
