At the Murdock Trust, we’re fortunate to spend our days working hand-in-hand with countless nonprofit organizations that make a direct, positive impact on their local communities. While we are exposed to their inspiring efforts every day in our offices, few things lift our spirits as high as when we have the opportunity to visit our grantees in person and see their efforts firsthand.
Recently, our team had another opportunity to see this impact up close as we traveled to Spokane, Washington, and Coeur d’Alene, Idaho, for our annual staff retreat. Over three days, we visited more than a dozen grant recipient sites to learn more about the unique ways these organizations are providing vital services and helping create positive change.
We were humbled to hear about the lives that will be healed by the Inland Northwest Blood Center Foundation’s new blood mobile, the “Lifesaver 5,” and the children who will find safety at the Vanessa Behan Crisis Nursery.
We were inspired by the stories of communities rallying to help individuals return their lives to a place of stability through programs like Habitat for Humanity of North Idaho and the Union Gospel Mission Center for Women and Children.
We saw the future of scientific discovery as staff and students at Gonzaga and Whitworth Universities showed us the incredible research and study underway in their classrooms and laboratories.
We were awed by the beauty of the painstakingly restored Fox Theater and the local, historic artifacts preserved and displayed by the Eastern Washington Historical Society at the Northwest Museum of Arts and Culture.
We were energized by the commitment to youth and building future community leaders through programming at locations like the Frontier Ice Arena and Lutherhaven Ministries.
We were exhilarated to have the pleasure of meeting hundreds of nonprofit representatives in-person during a reception in downtown Spokane, reconnecting with some of our current and former grantees, as well as building relationships with countless new organizations.
These are just a few examples of the incredible work underway in just one corner of our region. In the coming weeks, we’ll share more detail about these projects, along with all of the groups we had the pleasure to meet during our visit. In the meantime, we want to thank the organizations we visited for their gracious hospitality and time. Their dedication and commitment to service inspires us every day. Thank you Spokane and Coeur d’Alene!
