I have been involved with North Seattle Family Center (NSFC) as long as I can remember and can even recall attending their grand opening as a child. I believe NSFC is unique in their ability to provide services that meet a wide range of needs and is staffed by genuinely caring employees and volunteers. During what can only be described as a tumultuous childhood, North Seattle Family Center was a constant source of support for me and my family. They provided emergency food provisions, financial assistance, career skills, educational opportunities, and positive social interaction. If there was a need, it seemed that no client was turned away. NSFC was committed to linking individuals in need with local resources and provided a litany of services directly at the center, such as Women Infants and Children (WIC), English as a Second Language (ESL) courses, citizenship test prep, child development and child care services, parenting classes, voter registration, tutoring, youth mentoring and so forth. The list of services are far too vast to inventory here.

"I believe that North Seattle Family Center's involvement in my life has been truly transformative and provided me with the foundation to rise above the poverty, abuse and homelessness I experienced."

More importantly, NSFC's services seemed to focus on the needs of the whole person not just addressing immediate crises or simply providing referrals. NSFC staff and volunteers were truly compassionate and caring individuals; traits my own relationships so desperately lacked. Connections to empowering and healthy people had a positive cumulative effect on my life, providing me with a new found sense of security, self-esteem and a series of positive networking and volunteering opportunities. As such, I made better choices, developed my talents and skills and began to believe in myself, despite the struggles of my past. NSFC continually reminded me, regardless of the mistakes I made, that I was a whole person, in body and in spirit. Not just another statistic or demographic.

I believe that North Seattle Family Center's involvement in my life has been truly transformative and provided me with the foundation to rise above the poverty, abuse and homelessness I experienced. Today, I am employed full time with a local Seattle non-profit organization and recently attained my Associate of Arts degree. I am currently applying to four-year universities with hopes to achieve a degree in Social Work, none of which would have happened without North Seattle Family Center's constant presence in my life. It is difficult to express how much NSFC means to me, however, I hope this humble letter of gratitude and acknowledgement will portray the immense impact their work had on my own life and countless others.