Do you know the human impact your support of ECOSS has?

Allan arrived here after living in a plastic hut in a refugee camp in Nepal from the age of 2 to 18. He and his family, and thousands of others, were driven from Bhutan after the country implemented a “One Nation, One People” policy in the 1990s.

Generous donations made it possible for ECOSS to hire Allan. He helped design the New Arrivals program so we could better understand the refugee community’s interest in the environment, engage them on real issues and encourage them to experience, connect with, and enjoy their new home in Washington.

Your donations fuel outreach for other immigrant communities and promote environmental awareness and responsibility.

There’s never been a more urgent time to reach out and connect with other people – to help bridge gaps in language, culture, knowledge and experience –that is what ECOSS does best.

Thank you for your generosity and joining our work to connect with people and create a healthier environment for us all.

Ever moved to a new city and experienced how disorienting it can be?  Now imagine you’re in a new country with a new language and everything is different.

ECOSS’ New Arrivals Program helps immigrants and refugees bridge the knowledge and cultural gaps they face in their new home.

Bhutanese New Arrivals participants spoke with ECOSS’ Allan Kafley about seeing the source of their drinking water on a Cedar River Watershed tour.

By hiring from the communities we serve, we meet people where they are and in their language to introduce them to healthy fishing practices, water quality issues, green cleaning and more.

This program is generously supported by the Satterberg Foundation.

GiveBIG 2016 was a great success for ECOSS. Through your generosity, we are thrilled to report:

• We increased our 2016 GiveBIG donors     by 300%
• Our donations tripled over last year’s GiveBIG
• Together, we raised $4,545 dollars

The total amount will grow with the stretch donation from The Seattle Foundation and matching funds from donor employers including Anchor QEA and Boeing.

We greatly appreciate everyone who donated and helped us reach crush our goals. Together, we are helping communities and businesses make sustainable choices through needed tools and services.

We can’t do our work without you and appreciate your support. If you missed GiveBIG, it’s never too late to give.

In case you missed our exciting news, we have a new executive director. Cluny McCaffrey is only the third executive director in our 23-year history and she recognizes the impact of her predecessors.

“Stepping into the role of ECOSS executive director, I am aware of the big shoes I have to fill,” said McCaffrey after sitting down with Charlie Cunniff, ECOSS’ first executive director and one of our founders (pictured above with Cluny).

There aren’t many people who don’t know (and love) Charlie. He built a solid foundation for this organization, which was then carried forward by Kevin Burrell. Kevin’s leadership further strengthened and expanded our services to diverse communities and businesses.

Today, as we look toward ECOSS’ future, the staff and board are committed to growing ECOSS, building and strengthening our programs, expanding our outreach into multicultural communities and engaging more people in our mission’s work.