Sustainable Connections

### Context Profile for Sustainable Connections

1. **Organization Mission & Cause**:
   - **Mission**: Sustainable Connections aims to create a thriving community by promoting local businesses, sustainable practices, and environmental stewardship. They focus on fostering connections between local businesses and the community to enhance the local economy and environment.
   - **Cause**: The organization is dedicated to sustainability, local food systems, and community engagement, emphasizing the importance of supporting local economies and reducing environmental impact.

2. **Type of Activities**:
   - **Events**: Sustainable Connections hosts various community events, including neighborhood tours, farm tours, and educational workshops. For example, the "Bellingham Neighborhood Tour" focuses on housing education and community feedback.
   - **Fundraising Campaigns**: They run campaigns to support local initiatives and projects that align with their mission.
   - **Community Programs**: The organization engages in programs that promote local agriculture, sustainable business practices, and community involvement.

3. **Tone of Voice**:
   - The tone of voice on the website and in communications is **friendly, engaging, and informative**. It encourages community participation and fosters a sense of belonging. The language is accessible, aiming to inspire action and awareness about sustainability and local issues.

4. **Emoji Usage**:
   - **Usage**: Sustainable Connections uses emojis in their communications, particularly in event promotions. For instance, they use emojis like 🕰️, 🏘️, and 🗣️ to highlight key points in their event descriptions.
   - **Frequency**: Emojis are used strategically to add visual interest and emphasize important information, making the content more engaging.

5. **Key Facts**:
   - **Founding Info**: Specific founding details were not provided on the website, but the organization has been active in the community for several years.
   - **Scale**: Sustainable Connections has a significant presence with 37 total forms and 46 email campaigns, indicating active engagement with their audience.
   - **Impact Metrics**: While specific metrics were not detailed, the organization emphasizes community involvement and feedback, suggesting a focus on measurable community impact.
   - **Volunteer Info**: Information about volunteer opportunities is available, encouraging community members to get involved in various initiatives.

6. **Writing Guidelines**:
   - **Style**: Content should be friendly and approachable, using simple language that invites community interaction. 
   - **Structure**: Use headings and bullet points for clarity, especially when presenting event details or key information.
   - **Engagement**: Include calls to action that encourage participation and feedback from the community.
   - **Visual Elements**: Incorporate emojis where appropriate to enhance engagement without overwhelming the text.

This context profile provides a comprehensive understanding of Sustainable Connections, allowing AI assistants to generate personalized and relevant content that aligns with the organization's mission and communication style.

All WHA events are offered free to the public!

General admission

In 2022, a Washington State Achievement Counsel survey found that WA students at two-year and four-year colleges had similar insecurity rates, with 1 in 2 experiencing food and/or housing insecurity. In 2023, 19.5% of Western Washington University students who dropped out of school cited that they did so because they could not meet their basic needs (food and housing). The Basic Needs Hub at Western supports students in navigating basic needs insecurities including housing challenges of having no cosigner, evictions due to insufficient funds, and barriers to not having upfront costs of first and last month’s rent, security deposits, etc. Jon and Gina work in the Basic Needs Hub to support students facing incredible barriers including former foster care youth, unaccompanied homeless youth, and first-generation students. In this interactive presentation, come ready to collaboratively strategize creative housing ideas that can serve our students and the Whatcom community. This event will be held in Western's community space on the 1st floor of Stateside (901 N State St), as well as online via Zoom. Register to receive the link to the webinar. Maeg Demmons serves as the Student Benefits Coordinator at Bellingham Technical College (BTC), a position that supports basic needs security, by connecting students to public benefits programs, additional funding sources, and campus and community resources. She also manages the food pantry at BTC. In her career, Maeg has held primarily grant funded positions that support underserved student populations at BTC, Whatcom Community College and Northwest Indian College. Maeg earned a master’s degree in education at Western Washington University.  Gina Ebbeling supports students at Western Washington University as the Basic Needs Resource Navigator. She has several years of experience working with students in higher education and running her own life coaching business. She has been a renter and homeowner in Whatcom County and has lived here for 7 years.    Jon Stubblefield is the Program Manager for the Western Success Scholars program, a holistic support program for former foster youth and unaccompanied homeless youth attending Western. He has worked at Western for nearly 5 years and is a Board member for the Center for Dependable Strengths. He has been a renter and homeowner in Whatcom County.    Mikaila Wireman currently works as the Basic Needs Navigator at Whatcom Community College, assisting students in accessing vital resources and services (especially housing). Before serving in this role, Mikaila worked for Cocoon House in Everett as a Housing Stability Case Manager. In this role, she helped young adults experiencing homelessness find and maintain housing, employment, education, and more. Mikaila has been a renter in Whatcom County for over 11 years.

Hi <span contenteditable="false" data-custom-variable="{{firstname}}" fr-original-class="fr-deletable styled-tag-chip " fr-original-style style="background-color:rgb(248, 248, 255);border:1px solid rgb(191, 191, 255);border-radius:4px;color:rgb(42, 42, 196);display:inline-block;margin:0px;padding:1px 8px;font-size:11px;line-height:16px;overflow-wrap:anywhere;user-select:none;box-sizing:inherit">First name , Thank you for registering for Creatively Housing College Students in Whatcom County on <span contenteditable="false" data-custom-variable="{{date-variable-91a6a567-e4ed-49e6-b4ee-4885b1f04c52}}" fr-original-class="fr-deletable styled-tag-chip jss564" fr-original-style style="background-color:rgb(248, 248, 255);border:1px solid rgb(191, 191, 255);border-radius:4px;color:rgb(42, 42, 196);display:inline-block;margin:0px;padding:1px 8px;font-size:11px;line-height:16px;overflow-wrap:anywhere;user-select:none;box-sizing:inherit">Date . The in-person event will be held on the 1st floor of Stateside (901 N State St). The event can also be joined virtually at the following link: <a href="http://Join Zoom Meeting https://wwu-edu.zoom.us/j/91508114605 Meeting ID: 915 0811 4605" style="color:inherit;text-decoration:inherit;user-select:auto;box-sizing:inherit">https://wwu-edu.zoom.us/j/91508114605</a>Meeting ID: 915 0811 4605 If you would like to contribute further, contact us to become a <a href="https://whatcomhousingalliance.org/join/" rel="noopener noreferrer" style="color:inherit;text-decoration:inherit;user-select:auto;box-sizing:inherit" target="_blank">member</a> or sponsor of the Whatcom Housing Alliance, or volunteer! See you there!The Whatcom Housing Alliancescottp@sustainableconnections.org

In 2022, a Washington State Achievement Counsel survey found that WA students at two-year and four-year colleges had similar insecurity rates, with 1 in 2 experiencing food and/or housing insecurity. In 2023, 19.5% of Western Washington University students who dropped out of school cited that they did so because they could not meet their basic needs (food and housing). The Basic Needs Hub at Western supports students in navigating basic needs insecurities including housing challenges of having no cosigner, evictions due to insufficient funds, and barriers to not having upfront costs of first and last month’s rent, security deposits, etc. Jon and Gina work in the Basic Needs Hub to support students facing incredible barriers including former foster care youth, unaccompanied homeless youth, and first-generation students. In this interactive presentation, come ready to collaboratively strategize creative housing ideas that can serve our students and the Whatcom community. This event will be held in Western's community space on the 1st floor of Stateside (901 N State St), as well as online via Zoom. Register to receive the link to the webinar. Maeg Demmons serves as the Student Benefits Coordinator at Bellingham Technical College (BTC), a position that supports basic needs security, by connecting students to public benefits programs, additional funding sources, and campus and community resources. She also manages the food pantry at BTC. In her career, Maeg has held primarily grant funded positions that support underserved student populations at BTC, Whatcom Community College and Northwest Indian College. Maeg earned a master’s degree in education at Western Washington University.  Gina Ebbeling supports students at Western Washington University as the Basic Needs Resource Navigator. She has several years of experience working with students in higher education and running her own life coaching business. She has been a renter and homeowner in Whatcom County and has lived here for 7 years.    Jon Stubblefield is the Program Manager for the Western Success Scholars program, a holistic support program for former foster youth and unaccompanied homeless youth attending Western. He has worked at Western for nearly 5 years and is a Board member for the Center for Dependable Strengths. He has been a renter and homeowner in Whatcom County.    Mikaila Wireman currently works as the Basic Needs Navigator at Whatcom Community College, assisting students in accessing vital resources and services (especially housing). Before serving in this role, Mikaila worked for Cocoon House in Everett as a Housing Stability Case Manager. In this role, she helped young adults experiencing homelessness find and maintain housing, employment, education, and more. Mikaila has been a renter in Whatcom County for over 11 years.

Sustainable Connections

Creatively Housing College Students in Whatcom County

901 N State St

General admission

Free

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