Our founder, Jack Murdock, believed in the importance of community and places of gathering. He was known to host barbeques at his house, always eager to spur others on in their pursuit of the common good through moments of connection and encouragement. Guided by this vision and inspired by his life, the Murdock Trust values gathering people from all walks of life as they pursue common goals. It is a prime motivation behind one of our most beloved traditions and hallmark event of every year: Founder’s Day.
This June, around five hundred community leaders and friends of the Trust gathered to celebrate the excellent work being done in the Pacific Northwest. As grantees, partners, and staff mingled, we saw new connections form and old relationships rekindled. Leaders of arts organizations chatted with development directors at medical clinics. Board presidents of educational nonprofits met executive directors of food banks. It was a beautiful reminder that many threads make up the tapestry of nonprofit work in our region.
Our CEO, Romanita Hairston, also took a few minutes to share some recent updates to the work of the Trust. Most significantly, we were thrilled to celebrate Pauline Fong’s new appointment as Chief Program and Impact Officer. This role reflects the change to a sectoral strategy that we have shared in recent CEO updates – not changing the fundamental work that we do but rather improving the processes by which we do it. Though we may be holding up “Pardon Our Dust” signs for the next few months as we navigate these changes, it was a special moment for us to acknowledge these major steps with the very people our work intends to serve. We’re grateful for your collaboration every step of the way.
To our guests and grantees for attending Founder’s Day, to our staff and vendors who put on this event, and to our communities that give us so much to celebrate…thank you! May we continue to live out Jack Murdock’s legacy together.
