What’s Philanthropy Got to Do With You?

Exit133 jumped into the world of philanthropy several months ago. We pooled together many small donations and made a significant grant to a local organization.

As we moved through the process of giving, we became aware of amazing people, volunteers, large companies, and small organizations that are all helping to make a difference in our city. We learned much more about the Greater Tacoma Community Foundation and all the ways it touches our city. Kristen Corning Bedford from GTCF led us through the process and exposed us to a group of people working every day to make our city a better place.

After many conversations about community giving, philanthropy, and our hopes for Tacoma, we invited Kristen to begin writing for Exit133. She helped shape our efforts in philanthropy and loves this city as much as we do. Over time, we believe that, together, we can make a difference. – Derek

What’s Philanthropy Got to Do With You?

I moved to Tacoma a month after Derek launched Exit133.com and was inspired by what I saw happening in this city. I was excited that my husband and I could afford to buy a home here, excited that my voice could actually be heard in neighborhood and community politics, excited to meet local artists and hear about innovative and collaborative projects, and excited by a downtown core that respected the architecture of its past while coming greenly into the future. I was most excited by the amount of passionate and engaged residents I began to meet through my job at The Greater Tacoma Community Foundation. Exit133 became a place I visited to feel a part of something bigger, to stay connected to the people who were making things happen behind the scenes. I could read Exit133 and feel that there were others here, lurking like me, trying to contribute to this evolution and bring about a more vibrant community.

I immediately fell in love with this town, due in large part to the opportunities my job provides for me to meet with philanthropists, nonprofit agencies and the people they serve. Every single day I am moved by people’s stories, by their struggles and their successes. As a part of my work I have the privilege of witnessing the web we all crawl around, in all its muck and glory, and what I soon realized is that there is a glue holding all of these elements together that often goes unspoken.

What do you get when you have a town with affordable real estate, accessible politics, an interesting arts scene, thoughtful urban development, and engaged residents, if that town does not also include philanthropy? The truth is, none of these things could exist without philanthropy. And the future of this city depends on every one of us claiming the title of philanthropist. If you are reading Exit133 you already understand the importance of community and appreciate the civic engagement that makes Tacoma a truly fabulous place to live. Philanthropy has everything to do with you.

Philanthropy is not just about giving money. You don’t have to start the national public library system to be a philanthropist. The definition of philanthropy, in its simplest form, is the love of humankind and the desire to contribute to the wellbeing of humankind (which inherently includes the desire to contribute to the wellbeing of our environment and other species we share this planet with). If you are a member of the art museum, you’re a philanthropist. If you buy your vegetables at the farmers market, you’re a philanthropist. I particularly like the story of a donor who would occasionally leave a $100 tip on a $5 sandwich because he would learn that his waitress was putting herself through school. He’s a philanthropist, promoting the welfare of humans one person at a time.

I look forward to bringing stories of philanthropy to this forum; stories about intentional living, about being thoughtful in your actions with others and making an effort to increase the general well-being of your neighbors; stories about appreciating people, and telling the world why; stories of giving and receiving that made an impact in your life. We should all know that we’re philanthropists, that we have the compassion and intellect to take action and make our community a better place. The future of Tacoma depends on it. Declare yourself a philanthropist.