Liberty Road Foundation (LRF), which launched in 2007, is a nonprofit organization that believes God loves people, and being the hands and feet of Jesus, LFR has a plan to help those in need. The despair growing in the Pacific Northwest is not part of that plan. But FPIW Defenders are. You want to create a legacy of good in the communities you live in and serve. Well, welcome to Liberty Road Foundation. This stalwart organization helps business professionals use their available talents, skills and volunteer hours – right in their own communities – to create hope for people who need it the most.
You’ve seen it. Seattle, Tacoma and the entire Northwest are suffering a steady rise in complex social needs, particularly in the areas of at-risk youth and urban poverty; however, the problems growing in our communities are not standalone issues. Neglect leads to substance abuse, which leads to poverty, which leads to homelessness, which leads to hunger. The challenges are interconnected. To change the downward cycle, relief agencies and volunteers must be connected.
Historically, businesses have been a source of financial support for nonprofits. But just as importantly, your time is also needed. People right outside the front door of your home or business need you more than money. They need to know you care, they need to know where to find help, and they need to know how to foster healthy relationships and eventually mentorship.
According to Executive Director John Dammerell and his wife Karilyn, who tirelessly promote Liberty Road Foundation, they connect teams of volunteers with local nonprofits who specialize in this kind of care, prevention, rescue and restoration throughout the Northwest. LRF’s first Leadership Group was formed in Redmond in 2008. They have since expanded to a total of 13 Leadership Groups. In addition to Redmond, LRF groups meet twice each month in Bellevue, Kent, Bothell, Whatcom County, Tacoma, Puyallup, Olympia, Everett, Bellingham, Mount Vernon, Clark County and Boise, ID.
Why companies?
There are a lot of positives associate with businesses, which are efficient at:
- Building relationships with customers and colleagues
- Creating value for others
- Communicating complex ideas in ways that make it easier to understand
- Organizing employees to accomplish a single mission
- Achieving audacious goals
Change your culture. Change your world.
A healthy team culture is an important business asset. Getting the culture right can change a business, a community, and ultimately the world. LRF started after a business team served a village for two weeks in Guatemala. It changed the business team’s perspective for life; however, it also required organizing a lot of time away from families and work responsibilities. This isn’t something a lot of people can do. And the needs in the Pacific Northwest are growing rapidly.
Start local
The first step in impacting your neighborhood and community is to make the most of your team’s available volunteer hours. Getting more people in the Northwest involved in volunteer opportunities will increase their understanding of the importance of philanthropy. Over time, as more businesses adopt causes and see real success, the positive impact can extend to other areas of the U.S. and eventually bring more people to places like Guatemala.
Homelessness, hunger, substance abuse, mental health, poverty, crime. What is common across all of these challenges? Often, a broken relationship. Special skills are required to meet these challenges. That’s where nonprofit organizations can help. But each person involved needs a new bridge built to another person.
A Greater Purpose
Many companies offer blind donations to their causes. And they change every year. It feels more like a game of whack-a-mole than a strategic approach to create lasting change. Liberty Road Foundation identifies opportunities with strategic nonprofits that have a history of success. Each nonprofit brings unique skills in their particular domain, and is successful at leading volunteers in safe, valuable engagements. LRF helps extend the capabilities and resources of each nonprofit, to bring hope and significance, one soul at a time.
There are people in need across the entire Pacific Northwest. Your time, talents, and donations will support strategic organizations that, together, can impact lasting change. For instance, it’s the after-school sport program that leads to healthy relationships and helps prevent high-school truancy, gang activity, and teen pregnancy. It’s the community center that exposes the challenges of broken families and underemployment. It’s the medical supplies that are sent from Puget Sound to supply doctors in Morocco and beyond.
The vision of LRF is to transform the business community by mobilizing it to restore hope, dignity and significance to those in need. Their mission is to organize people and business resources to partner with nonprofits that can transform the lives of each participant. This is where you, as an FPIW Defender, come in. There are three ways you can help:
Adopt a Cause
STEP 1: | Adopt a cause. There are many in our coalition of nonprofits to help at-risk youth and reduce urban poverty. |
STEP 2: | Setup a schedule to volunteer. Our volunteer directors connect you with opportunities. All based on your availability. It’s best to plan monthly or quarterly events, about 3-5 hours each. Opportunities vary widely, such as: 1. Prepare and serve a meal 2. Box up school supplies or medical care packages 3. Light maintenance and cleaning to keep the nonprofit’s environment welcoming and sharp 4. Larger needs based on training and certifications (run day camps, youth mentorship, humanitarian support) |
STEP 3: | Share your story. Tell others about your experience and how they can be involved. What did you accomplish together? Did you build new relationships? How has the experience changed your perspective? |
Become a Volunteer
Individual volunteers are critical in providing the services offered through Liberty Road Foundation and the nonprofits they support. Some people volunteer case by case; others schedule their time weekly, monthly, and quarterly. You can stay up to date on late-breaking needs and volunteer opportunities by signing up on their mailing list.
Donate
Many people within LRF communities rely on your contributions to support the help they need. Please consider partnering financially with Liberty Road Foundation.
Give online: Your one-time gift or monthly donations will support the most important needs. These resources provide LRF teams with the tools to succeed throughout the Puget Sound area.
Give the gift of stock: Co-Catalyst makes it easy to donate stock, which has benefits for both the giver and receiving charity.
To volunteer or to donate, please click HERE.
UPCOMING EVENTS
On August 6, 2024 LRF is hosting their 20th Anniversary Charity Golf Tournament and Auction. This popular event takes place at The Golf Club of Newcastle from 8:00 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. To volunteer for this event, please click HERE.
On October 9th, 2024 LRF invites you to attend their 11th annual Tacoma Business Vision Lunch. This celebration will be held at the Hotel Murano from 12:00 to 1:30 p.m. To attend this luncheon, please click HERE.
*”Seeking Human Kindness” photo by Matt Collamer, Unsplash. Other photos from the website of Liberty Road Foundation.
