We want to take this opportunity to share our deep appreciation for all of our partners who are working so hard to make this world a better place. So many of you go the extra mile, day after day, to ensure that under-resourced children and families have what they need survive and thrive. Whether your work involves meeting basic needs, providing early education, delivering physical and mental health, or advancing safety and justice – we are thankful for you!
Fueled by your partnership, the Roots & Wings team has been digging in to learn more about your issues and our shared challenges and opportunities. This has included site visits to connect with grantee partners in Wisconsin, Washington, Oregon, California, Colorado, and New York, as well as Senegal and Sierra Leone. We have also held convenings with our Safety & Justice partners.
Our team has participated in, and spoken at, conferences on philanthropy, early childhood development, and gun violence prevention. And we’ve continued to engage other funders around the importance of trust-based philanthropy. Internally, our team has been working on diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging.
We’ve become increasingly aware of common challenges shared by many of our partners. Service-provider burnout is real and ever-present. Retention and recruitment are increasingly difficult for many organizations. And the post-COVID fiscal cliff is hitting home, as federal funds wind down, leaving holes in budgets that can be difficult to fill.
A convening of Roots & Wings Safety & Justice Partners, Fall 2023
We’ve also been inspired by the creativity that has emerged during these hard times – new ways to provide mental health services online, a growing trend toward integrated healthcare that treats the whole person, and collaborative service models that make it easier for families to get everything they need in one place.
Roots & Wings welcomed 23 new partners during 2023, bringing the total number of grantees funded this year to 267. These new partners include groups like Badger Prairie Needs Network, Centering Healthcare Institute, JED Foundation, Mount Sinai Parenting Center, and Wisconsin Head Start Association to name just a few. (You can find the full list of new partners below.) In 2024, we will continue to convene, connect with, and learn from our partners, and we will lean into new funding collaboratives to encourage more investments in basic needs, health, early education, safety and other priority issues.
Holidays and the end of the year are a good time to celebrate family and reflect on what matters most. We’re thankful that you’re a part of the Roots & Wings extended family and we wish you a joyful winter season!
P.S. We invite you to share this newsletter with colleagues who may have an interest in the work Roots & Wings is doing. Anyone who would like to hear from us can sign up for future communications by completing the form at the bottom of this page.
Roots & Wings is proud to support the vital work happening at HealthPoint, a community-based, community-supported, and community-governed network of non-profit health centers working across King County Washington to provide expert, high-quality care to all who need it, regardless of circumstances.
Roots & Wings is proud to support the vital work happening at HealthPoint, a community-based, community-supported, and community-governed network of non-profit health centers working across King County Washington to provide expert, high-quality care to all who need it, regardless of circumstances.
HealthPoint’s mission is to strengthen communities and improve people’s health by delivering quality health care services, breaking down barriers, and providing access to all. Founded in 1971, they believe that the quality of each patient’s health care should not depend on how much money they make, what language they speak, or their health status. They simply believe that everyone deserves great care. To meet that goal, HealthPoint patients are charged on a sliding scale, based on their ability to pay. Last year, its clinics provided nearly $4.3 million in uncompensated care to more than 12,000 uninsured patients. Overall, more than 99 percent of HealthPoint patients qualify as very low-income.
HealthPoint’s work is centered around a desire to increase access to culturally appropriate behavioral healthcare, and its commitment to health equity is carried out every day by the 1100+ providers and staff working across 20 clinic locations throughout King County. Those clinics provide “whole person care” to more than 100,000 people annually, including comprehensive medical, dental, behavioral health, and naturopathic care, on site pharmacies and more. Moreover, HealthPoint lowers barriers to care by offering services in more than 70 spoken languages, and they collocate clinics in communities to meet patients where they already are, including at the new Family First Community Center in Renton, WA.
Founded by former Seattle Seahawk Doug Baldwin Jr, the Family First Community Center in Renton, WA is home to HealthPoint's newest clinic. The center opened in June 2023 and is dedicated to empowering individuals and strengthening our community bonds.
Dr. Ryan Varian is a Behavioral Health Consultant at that community center clinic. A PsyD who went through his internship and residency at HealthPoint before accepting a full-time role, Dr. Varian works tirelessly with more than a dozen colleagues at Family First clinic to provide integrated behavioral-health services for a culturally diverse, multi-lingual, low-income population. His enthusiasm for the work is palpable.
HealthPoint’s approach to care is surprisingly simple, Dr. Varian explains. “The intention is for the behavioral health interventions we provide to support the whole person, recognizing them for who they are and how they live within this community.” What that means in practice is not treating patients in siloed ways, but recognizing the myriad interrelated factors that contribute to a patient’s overall wellbeing. Dr. Varian works closely with other members of a care team each day by sitting in a shared space called the pod. That team includes one family medicine provider, two pediatricians, three nurse practitioner residents, and a dentist.
Meet Janelle Lavin, who manages operations for Roots & Wings and helps keep all the trains running on track and on time.
Tell us about your role at Roots & Wings, and what brought you to this work?
I work in the Operations role for Roots & Wings, which really means it’s my job to make sure everything is running smoothly, everyone is where they need to be, and has what they need to support our grantee partners fully. I was born and raised in the Seattle area and, for the last 20 years, have worked with non-profits as well as in restaurant settings. I have always held positions that are in service to others, and I am proud to keep that tradition going at the Foundation. It is a period of dynamic growth for Roots & Wings, and I am working hard to help ensure we grow in an efficient and smart way.
This is your first time working for a foundation. What have you learned so far about the field of philanthropy, and what has been most surprising/rewarding?
I think one of the hardest — and also best — aspects of working in philanthropy is investing the time to truly understand the breadth and complexity of the challenges we are facing. I am a hopeful person by nature, and I have always believed that working together we can make things better. In many ways that is the same philosophy that guides the work of Roots & Wings. We are not hiding from the challenges that children and families are facing today; we are confronting them head-on to try and make a difference for the long term.
When I first started at Roots & Wings, I knew very little about grantmaking and the innerworkings of foundations. Philanthropy can seem nuanced, complicated, and overwhelming on many levels. But now that I am in this work every day, I’ve come to believe that most people have the power to be philanthropists in their own way ‚ by helping the world to improve bit by bit and demonstrating compassion for others. However you are giving your time — whether its giving your money, being a good mom, being a reliable friend — those things are ways we can all practice philanthropy.
You’re an active and engaged mother working for an organization that is focused on helping young people develop in healthy ways so they can thrive as adults. How does your day job inform the way you approach parenthood?
I think once you become a mom, everything you do informs your approach to parenthood. I am really privileged to work in philanthropy and especially for a foundation that is deeply committed to the optimum development and wellbeing of children. In much the same way philanthropy is being reimagined through a “trust-based” lens, I think that parenting has to be reimagined between the parent and child constantly as they grow. Now that my daughter Izzy is 15, our foundation has been set and I have to be nimble and flexible to meet her needs as they evolve. Most importantly, I have to trust that she will carry compassion, curiosity, resilience and confidence through her lived experience. I have the same lift when it comes to getting up in the morning and getting through my day. I am just really lucky that I get to do that at Roots & Wings.
2024 is shaping up to be a busy year for Roots & Wings as it deepens its work. What does the year ahead hold in store for your work?Sort of like Roots & Wings itself, I am stretching and growing. After almost two years in my role, I still have so much to learn. The Foundation recently purchased the small building where our office is located, and we are currently undergoing a remodel. So that will definitely keep me busy. We are also expanding our team a bit in the new year, and I am committed to creating a smooth integration for our new team members. I am so excited to keep growing and watching the foundation reach new milestones.
What inspires you or gives you the greatest hope about where Roots & Wings is heading?
Growth inspires me and gives me great hope. In order to grow you have to be willing to go deep, work hard, push through, trust the unknown and bounce back from mistakes. The Roots & Wings team is capable of all that and more. I am in constant awe of how much this team is willing to learn and adapt so that we can better support our partners and the communities they serve. At the end of the day, our partners are our greatest source of joy. They are the ones that give us the greatest hope and inspire us to do better work each day.
