Sherwood Trust presents civic engagement community learning event November 16

WALLA WALLA—Sherwood Trust is presenting a free community workshop to highlight how civic engagement can support mutual understanding. The virtual event on November 16 is the final of a four-part series that explores how everyday equity and empathy can support inclusive communities where everyone has a sense of belonging.

“We welcome community members to share in a live community learning experience that will leave you ready to do things differently by inspiring hope and motivating action to build equity and empathy into your daily routine,” said Sherwood Trust Program Director Julia Leavitt. The event will take place online Tuesday, November 16, from 9-10:30 am PST. To register for the free online community event, please visit http://www.sherwoodtrust.org.

Participants will hear from local and state leaders in civic engagement. Keynote speaker Michelle Storms is Executive Director of American Civil Liberties Union of Washington (ACLU-WA). Storms is a recognized leader of established racial justice and civil rights organizations in the Pacific Northwest. A fierce advocate for civil rights and civil liberties in Washington. She has a history of building successful programs in service to civil rights, civil liberties, and civil legal aid.

“I believe in the promises of the Constitution, though I also believe they are still too far from being realized for too many people. At this moment in time, the values that so many of us hold dear are at risk,” said Storms. “The ACLU is an organization uniquely positioned to uphold peoples’ rights and freedoms. I look forward to partnering with our staff, board, community partners, activists, and supporters across the state to advance justice, equity, and fairness.”

Before becoming the executive director in March 2019, Storms served for two years as Deputy Director of the ACLU-WA, managing a team of public policy advocates and leading the organization’s efforts to reform police practices across the state.

“The community learning event is an opportunity to get engaged in your community,” Leavitt says. Panel speakers include Mary Campbell, Executive Director of Community Council. George Cheung, Director of More Equitable Democracy, and Rodney Outlaw, Youth Engagement Director, Walla Walla YMCA.

Mary Campbell is Executive Director of Community Council (www.wwcommunitycouncil.org), a nonprofit whose mission is to foster a trusted gathering place where people engage in inquiry, dialogue, and advocacy to build a vibrant region for everyone. Its region includes Columbia and Walla Walla counties and northeastern Umatilla County.

After serving on the Board for five years, Mary became the Executive Director in 2014. Before her work with Community Council, Campbell served as an Assistant Attorney General for Washington, serving as general counsel to Washington State University. She served as an Assistant Attorney General for the Oregon Department of Justice for ten years, advising various state agencies. Campbell brings energy and passion to her commitment to equity and inclusion. She has seen the importance of bringing people together to discuss complex issues and craft solutions through her work.

George Cheung is the Director of More Equitable Democracy (www.equitabledemocracy.org). Before this, Cheung served as Program Director for the Joyce Foundation’s Democracy Program and Co-Chair of the Funders’ Committee for Civic Participation. Cheung was also executive director of the Win/Win Network, an affiliate of State Voices, and founder/executive director of Equal Rights Washington, a statewide LGBTQ advocacy organization. He holds a master’s in public policy from Harvard Kennedy School and a Bachelor’s degree in Political Science from Brown University.

Rodney Outlaw is the Youth Engagement Director at the Walla Walla YMCA (www.wwymca.org).

Outlaw, a resident of Walla Walla, is a graduate of the Conservatory of Recording Arts and Sciences with a degree in Audio Engineering. He has over twenty years in the Audio industry as an artist, producer, and studio and live sound engineer. He has contributed music to films and commercials.

Civic Engagement is the final event in a four-part series titled “Everyday Equity and Empathy.”

Community workshops are free, open to the public, and include live Spanish translation. To register for the free online community event, please go to the Sherwood Trust website: http://www.sherwoodtrust.org.

Sherwood Trust is a private, placed-based foundation that supports capacity-building to ensure that everyone in the Walla Walla Valley has a sense of belonging and contributes to a thriving region.

Founded in 1991 to continue Donald and Virginia Sherwood’s legacy to make the Walla Walla Valley a better place, it has invested more than $35 million to strengthen nonprofits and improve communities here. For more information, please visit sherwoodtrust.org

For more information, please contact: Julia Leavitt at Sherwood Trust at 509-529-2791, or

Julia@sherwoodtrust.org