Doug Baldwin & Hilary Young: Champions of Change
July 11, 2023
Former Seahawks wide receiver and Super Bowl champion Doug Baldwin discusses his motivation for giving back to the community and why he’s proud to call Seattle home years after his playing days ended. He’s joined by Hilary Young of Pioneer Human Services, a nonprofit that’s become a big supporter of Baldwin’s advocacy on behalf of community-based organizations.
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[MUSIC PLAYING] Hello, and welcome to the Seattle Magazine podcast.
I’m Jonathan Sposato, the owner and publisher of Seattle Magazine.
My next guest is a former professional football player who was a wide receiver for the Seattle Seahawks.
He played college football for Stanford and was signed by the Seahawks as an undrafted free agent in 2011.
He is the Seahawks’ third all-time leader in team receptions and receiving yards, second in receiving touchdowns, and was selected to the Pro Bowl twice and won Super Bowl 48 with them over to Denver Broncos.
Since retiring from the NFL in 2019, he has joined a board of Valor Worldwide, a Seattle digital media startup and publisher of the internet property, OurMilitary.com.
He is the current CEO and managing director of Venture Capital firm, Vault 89.
He has also been active in getting his family first community center for the city of Renton off the ground.
And in September of 2021, he became CEO of Venturek, a company focused on creating software aimed at stronger and healthier lifestyles.
Please welcome Doug Baldwin, Jr.
Just Doug.
Just Doug.
OK, you got it.
You got it.
Doug is also joined by Hilary Young, the vice president of advocacy and philanthropy at Pioneer Human Services.
Pioneer Human Services vision is a world free from injustice, discrimination, and mass incarceration, where everyone has the health, acceptance, and opportunity to live their lives to their fullest potential.
Welcome, Hilary.
Thanks for having me.
Yes, of course.
I’m so pleased to see you both.
And of course, I’m joined as usual by Seattle Magazine’s executive editor and chief, Rob Smith, and Seattle Magazine’s chief of opportunity, Linda Lowry.
Doug, man, there’s so much that you’re doing.
There’s so much value that you’re creating for the world.
One of the things that I often am very curious about for some folks in the community who have done some exceptional things, oftentimes maybe 90% of them, these exceptional things come a little later in life.
Maybe you have to wait until you get a certain kind of expertise in your career or you get the right idea and the right opportunity.
For about 10% of the folks, they come a lot earlier.
Can you describe more in human terms, what was it like for you to have so much success in the NFL at such a relatively early stage in your life and then to go on to do so many amazing things?
It’s a great question and it’s a hard one to answer because there’s so many different components to that experience, right?
Being a young man coming into the NFL, having some early success, getting the attention and the affirmation that comes with all of that, there’s some good and some bad that comes with that, right?
And I think what I realized early on is that for a human being to be idolized, it’s just not healthy for them, it’s not good for them.
And so having that mindset and looking at life through that lens, I’m trying to figure, okay, so how do I take what has been given to me, what I’ve been blessed with, this opportunity, this platform, this skill set, how do I utilize this to make the space that I take up, how do I make it better?
And so I’ve spent a lot of time reflecting on myself as a human being, my journey as a young man to get to this point and realizing that, yeah, I need to utilize these gifts to the betterment of my community and partnering with folks who are like-minded and have the same mission and the same vision.
All those things on my bio, I’m very passionate about, right?
But it’s not just me doing these things, it’s I get to work with exceptional people doing great work.
And that’s really what I’m drawn to, ’cause I come from a background of playing on sports teams my entire life.
And so I know what being with a team really is all about and what that feels like when you go out and you win and do successful things, really hard things and be successful at it, that’s what I’m drawn to.
And so in human terms, I’m just trying to do my part with the tools that I’ve been given. – Doug, Johnathan mentioned the Family First Community Center.
That’s obviously imminent, it’s opening in a couple of days.
It’s a community center, but I just wanna set the stage here.
It’s got a kitchen where kids can learn how to cook and study nutrition.
Fitness room and activities lounge.
Kids can learn about technology there.
It has a health clinic.
I’ve never heard of a community center with a health clinic.
Was all this your idea? – Not just my idea.
I’d like to say I was the visionary for it, but obviously there’s a lot of people and a lot of partners who have brought this to life, but yes.
And the reason why you haven’t heard about a community center having a health clinic is because we are the first in the state of Washington to have a community center and a health clinic that’s providing general health care, dental health and behavioral health care.
And we’re still doing our research, but I think it’s actually the first one in the nation as well. – Wow.
So why did you choose that particular neighborhood in Renton, Benson Hill? – Yeah, so when I arrived here in 2011, that was the area.
There was, so the facility is on 1/16, but across from Petrovinsky, that’s the neighborhood that I landed in when I got here in 2011.
And so I frequented the Mama’s Teriyaki that was across the street and fell in love with the community, got ingrained in the community, realized that there were some opportunities to impact the community for the better.
And here we are. – Is there a need for this kind of thing in this community more than maybe other areas of the city? – Yeah, so this particular area of the city was annexed to the city from the county in 2008.
And everybody knew it was under invested.
There’s not a lot of resources there.
You know, it was underserved in a lot of ways.
And everybody knew that.
The county knew that, the city knew that, the school district knew that.
And so, you know, there was an opportunity, as I mentioned for us to fill some gaps with this facility, but obviously the various partners, they knew the different components of the needs.
And so bringing them all in one place so we could serve the community in one central hub.
You know, that was, that’s a win-win for not only the partners, but also for the community. – Yeah, fantastic. – Love it.
We’re gonna pivot and talk about Champions of Change Foundation.
So this is the second year for the Champions of Change Foundation that you started with Cliff Avril and Michael Bennett.
Can you share with us how the foundation came to be and what impact and change foundation is wanting to make in our community? – Yeah, so myself, Cliff Avril and Michael Bennett, for whatever reason, even while we were playing, you know, we were very active in the community.
And the various partners and organizations that we worked with or supported, we just were constantly showing up in the same place.
And at one point we were just like, why are we doing this in silos?
Why don’t we do this together, right?
Galvanize our support, galvanize our platform and help these organizations scale and support them on a larger scale.
And so that’s what we did.
That’s what Champions of Change is about, right?
It’s myself, Michael Bennett, Cliff Avril coming together, working with organizations that we have worked with before to help them scale and grow, but also organizations that we haven’t worked with before to put a spotlight on them and all the incredible work that they’re doing in our community, raise some funds for them so they can continue to go out and do that work.
So they don’t have to spend money on marketing.
Let us do that, right?
So they can go out and continue to do the great work that they do. – So, Hilary, this is for you.
So what is the connection then between Pioneer Human Services, the Champions of Change Foundation and the Family First Community Center? – Our primary connection at this point has been Doug, who took an interest in learning more about Pioneer Human Services, but really when it comes down to it, I think we have shared values around building community and providing opportunities and to community members who otherwise might not have some of those opportunities.
And I also just have to say how much we appreciate the exposure, right?
And the elevation of Pioneer’s profile, because we do a lot of work with people who’ve been impacted by the criminal legal system, and they’re too often overlooked and ignored in our communities, and providing opportunity and access is what we’re about.
And this gives us a really great platform to be able to do that. – So Doug, now that’s a nice segue into you’ve been interested in prison reform and sentencing reform, what drew you to that? – A representative of the governor’s office reached out and asked if I’d be interested in this board position.
And quite honestly, I was very reluctant at the beginning because it’s a really hard position to have, right?
But my wife was adamant, she’s like, “Well, somebody’s gotta do it.”
And I trust you to do it.
And I also felt like these opportunities just don’t happen by accident.
And so, I wanted to make the most of it.
And then, so now I’m doing these hearings and I’m listening to these stories.
And then I get connected with Pioneer Human Services.
And it’s like, all of this work is kind of, meeting at this very integral point in my life.
And it’s like, I get to see the impact of the decisions that we make on this board, but then I get to see the people who now, reintegrating back into the regular society, they get to work with folks like Hillary at Pioneer Human Services and their organization that provides them services and help and support for them to get stable and to provide really good jobs at that.
And I know this has made a ton of sense.
And so, while I understand there’s kind of like the spotlight on what I’m doing, I think it’s all connecting to the organizations that we support and that we get to work with because that’s really what it’s all about.
And so, it’s a unique position, but I think I’m understanding it more and more the importance and the value of the decisions that we make in this board, because of the organizations that I get to work with like Pioneer Human Services. – Hillary, I’ve been a journalist for more years than I’m gonna tell you.
And it seems like there’s a real move that I’m seeing right now to employ incarcerated individuals, formerly incarcerated individuals.
Are you seeing that as well?
Or what’s the reason for that?
It just seems like people are talking about this now where they weren’t even five years ago. – No, I do think that there is new visibility and support to provide job opportunities for people who’ve been incarcerated.
I would say a lot of that is actually driven by a need in the labor force, more than it is often driven by sort of the philanthropic good of what that does, not to say that companies that hire people aren’t in that to give back to the community and to support the community.
But ultimately, when you see a huge shortage in the labor market, we tend to see people more interested in employing people who’ve been involved in the criminal legal system.
Pioneer is an employer of people who have been involved and were really committed to living wage jobs, right?
So that people can come in and realize their full potential. – Can you share with us what type of services Pioneer Human Services offers to the community? – So Pioneer really is a integrated service model that looks at providing treatment, housing, and employment based on the needs of individuals.
And I would say our service model going back to just the whole idea of trauma really seeks to help people address long-term trauma and also the trauma of incarceration.
And so we really look at wanting to serve the whole person and meet their individual needs to help give them the skills and tools they need to be successful in the community. – Hillary, what’s the most common question or concern you hear from employers about hiring formerly incarcerated individuals? – Probably there is always questions about just sort of risk.
And part of Pioneer Human Services, our whole philosophy is that people are people that we lead from a place of recognizing individuals and their potential.
And really when you talk to employers one-on-one and they start to get to know folks, I think it breaks down a lot of those barriers.
But sometimes there are things that are rooted in fear and they wanna know sort of what are the risks of hiring someone with a criminal background.
And the fact is, is in many cases, it’s no higher risk than you or me. – You know, we did an issue last year, an entire issue on philanthropy.
And the reason why we did that was because we could all remember how difficult it was to choose to get started.
And how do you get started?
How do you make sense of the topography?
Because there are so many nonprofits out there, so many different causes.
So my question to you, Doug, is obviously you’re involved in a lot of things.
How do you choose? – Yeah, it’s a great question.
So honestly, the decision comes down to what type of people are we working with, right?
‘Cause you can have a great organization and it could be a multi-billion dollar organization, but if the people within that organization are not grounded in the mission and the aligned values, then I don’t wanna work with them, right?
You know, and I say it from that framework because that’s the same model and the same mindset we have with the venture capital firm and also how we work in philanthropy.
When I met Hillary and I met Anthony and I met their team, I recognized that these people are on the ground actually doing the work.
They actually care about the folks that they’re impacting and that they’re working with and they’re creating opportunity and access that they wouldn’t otherwise have unless it was for this organization and for these folks.
And so I break it down to simply this, are the folks that we’re working with, are they good people?
And if they’re good people, then we’ll figure it out.
And that’s why we’re here sitting with Hillary. – Doug, let’s go back, let’s say when you were at Stanford or 10 years or so, you were a young NFL player.
At the beginning of a very successful football career, could you have imagined then that you would be doing everything that you’re doing now?
Was this always part of some grand plan or did opportunities just come up? – Yeah, not part of a grand plan.
And it’s ironic you bring it up.
I was just having a conversation with one of my colleagues about this.
She’s like, okay, what, five, 10 years from the line, down the line, let’s think about what’s planted out.
I was like, I don’t wanna do that.
That’s not how my life has been.
And that’s not how my work has been.
My work genuinely comes from my experience in football which was whatever happened in the previous play, whether it was good or bad, you put that to the side and you focus on the next play.
And so that’s really how I focus.
I try to focus being as present as I possibly can in the moment, doing the work that is required of me in the moment.
And then whatever happens happens.
And it’s knock on wood, it’s worked out well.
And I’ve been fortunate enough to do some great work, be a part of some great work, meet some great folks and support them in their work that they’re doing.
And I don’t see a reason to change that.
And I, but I, you know, to your point about, you know, some grand plan, I think of it in with that context and I answer the question, okay, what is five, 10, 15 years down the road look like?
And my answer to that is if we focus on staying as present as possible we can in the moment and focus on the work in the moment, when we do look up five, 10, 15 years from now, it’ll be a much better place than we would have planned five, 10, 15 years prior.
And so no, I don’t have some grand plan.
I’m just, you know, I’m really fortunate to be in the position that I am to support organizations, to do some work.
And so I’m just trying to focus in in the moment and whatever happens happens. – What was your childhood like in Florida?
Did that influence your activism and your approach? – Oh, yes.
Of course, my mom was an activist in her own right.
She worked in the administrative office, part of the Salvation Army that I grew up in.
It was a Salvation Army.
She worked in the administrative part in the back end of the Salvation Army was a community center.
So I grew up there.
My dad was a law enforcement officer for 35 years, obviously being a black man in the South, in that particular part of the South, a law enforcement officer.
So there’s a lot of things that, you know, my mom, my dad, the experiences that they had growing up that they shared with me that I got to witness, right, as a young man, that definitely influenced the decisions and the way that I live my life now. – So you’re from Florida, but you establish yourself here in Renton and the Seattle area, why did you choose to stay in Washington and not go back to Florida? – There’s multiple reasons.
Number one, this just felt like home to me.
You know, I’ve been here for 11 years now.
You know, and I mean, I gotta be honest, like playing in the NFL, being here with the Seattle Seahawks, creating the culture that we did as players and that organization, winning a Super Bowl, going to another one that we should have won, being a part of a community that accepted us and that celebrated us and celebrated with us, there’s just something special about that and you can’t get that anywhere else, right?
Like that’s, that’s a, I mean, it’s an experience that you just, it’s very rare.
I met my wife here, you know, my kids are growing up in this community, the community center, so much of our work is here.
It’s just, this is home and it just feels right.
But then, you know, when I zoom out and I wanna get more detail oriented, it’s like, I get to work with organizations like Pioneer Human Services, right?
That are doing such amazing work and I’m not knocking any other city or any other region, right?
It’s just, I’m here, I get to see these folks, I get to work with them and there’s a grittiness to this region, right?
It’s not all glitz and glamour, it’s not all rainbows and butterflies, there’s a grittiness to this, there’s a work ethic and I respect that, I appreciate that, I admire the grind, I am somebody who likes to grind, I enjoy the grind.
In this city, this region, this state, it just feels like everybody’s bought into that and I feel like when you, when people are bought into that, a lot of amazing things can happen, right?
We are the home of Amazon, of Microsoft, of all these great companies, these big organizations and I think it’s because of part of that grittiness and I wanna be a part of that, I wanna compete in that way, but I wanna compete in the right way and I say the right way, I say it, you know, the right way to me is like, how do I make a positive impact on the community, on the space that I take up?
And I get to do that here in a very fun, loving, competitive way and so that’s why this is home to me. – That’s a great answer, I love that.
I too agree that the entire, really the entire investment thesis with Seattle Magazine and Seattle Business Magazine and some of the other things that we’re involved with is based on this fact that the culture here in Seattle is just the right mix of a lot of really wonderful things, the work ethic, the innovation, the creativity, the grittiness as you said, and it’s just the right size that I think that if you worked hard at putting yourself out there and being vulnerable, you can sort of get to know everyone or anyone and network.
So I guess my question is with the recognition that there’s so much good about Seattle, in your opinion, and I’ll direct a question at both of you, Doug and Hilary, what can Seattle be better at?
What can we do more of? – I would say from Pioneer’s perspective, we could be more welcoming and we could be more accepting of people who may have different life experiences of people who’ve been involved in the criminal legal system and really provide real opportunities throughout the community, really come together to embrace people and to recognize their potential and not just label folks.
And I do think that as a community, everybody talks about the Seattle freeze, right?
Like that’s real for a lot of folks.
And I will say that it is even more real when you have a background that may involve incarceration, substance abuse, mental health challenges.
And the fact is, is that those are things that people deal with across every part of our society.
And I think as a city, it would be nice to see the city come together to really just embrace people no matter what their differences are. – Yeah, I wholeheartedly agree with that.
And I don’t want to be misconstrued of us talking negatively about the city ’cause that’s not what this is about.
But I think just as human beings, like there’s always things that we can be better about, right?
And I think specifically with Seattle, what I feel, and maybe I’m projecting a little bit because I feel this about myself as well, is I think there’s an opportunity for us to be more grounded, more humble, right?
I do respect, again, I respect the grind and the grittiness of this region, but I also know that it comes with some of those accolades, some of that affirmation, right?
There’s some hard work and then there’s some successes.
And then it gets spotlighted and it’s like, yeah, look at us.
Look at what we’re doing, right?
But I think, I know there’s some issues, some hard things that come with that, right?
And I think the Seattle freeze is part of that, right?
But if we’re more grounded, if we’re more, carrying ourselves with more humility about just, the opportunities that this region has presented about just the culture, you spoke to that culture and I feel like I know that really well at this point.
There’s things that we can do as individuals and now I’m speaking more in the philanthropic realm.
Like, yes, there are folks who have done tremendous work, who have had many successes and with those successes comes the arrogance of, I’ve done this, I can do this, it’s me who has done this.
And that’s just not the case, right?
And I know that from the perspective of a team sport, like it doesn’t matter how good your quarterback is or you’re running back or your receiver, if the team itself is not a good team, you’re not gonna win, you’re not gonna be successful.
And I think there’s a lot of individuals, a lot of organizations that could, that have the opportunity to look more through that lens of how do I become part of a team?
Not necessarily being the leader or being the one that makes the decisions or that then also tells other organizations how to run their organizations, right?
It’s more so how can I be a part of a team?
How can I be a champion for Pioneer Human Services?
How can I help them scale?
How can I put a spotlight on them?
So these other organizations that are like-minded can come in, support them, help them do what they do best so that more folks in our community can be impacted by that.
And then generationally, I think that changes the landscape and the fabric of our community.
But to answer your question, I think what we can do is we can be more grounded in that reality that it takes a team for us to be successful. – That’s great, that’s great.
And so speaking of team, one of the things that I know I’m deeply interested in what you have to say about it is, how do you get people off the sidelines?
I know that when I was campaign chair for United Way, there were some people that were already on the team and then there were some people who were on the sidelines that it was hard to convince them and I’m not actually sure that I was ever really that successful at cracking that nut.
How did you and how do you continue to get people off the sidelines and join the team? – It’s building relationships with folks.
At the end of the day, we’re all human beings and I do believe that we’re created for connection.
And so you have to build a relationship with folks and really understand what are their values?
What is their mindset?
How do they wanna approach their life?
What’s important to them?
And then when you figure that out, then you can figure out what role they can fit into.
But not necessarily, again, I’m now gonna go back to the humility part of it.
It’s not necessarily me saying what role they fit into.
It’s this person has to figure out what role best suits them.
When they wake up in the morning, what gets them exhilarated to go to work or to do whatever they do, they have to find that.
And if they find that, then yeah, I think they will get off the sidelines and go and do that work.
But that’s also part of the process, is it’s not an overnight thing.
You gotta figure that out and you do that through relationship. – Doug, what’s it like to win a Super Bowl? – You know, quite honestly, it was like we won it and immediately we were like, what’s next?
Let’s go do this again.
So don’t get me wrong, an amazing feeling, when that confetti’s falling and we’re celebrating and realizing, oh wow, we really won this thing.
But then you get back on the bus and you’re like, man, that was it.
You know, now let’s get back to work.
I’m ready to go do this again.
Let’s go, like, honestly, I think for elite athletes, elite competitors, I’ll say this.
I don’t think necessarily the summit itself or the reaching the pinnacle, I don’t think that actually drives anybody.
I think it’s the climb, you know, and I’m realizing that more and more, the more folks I talk to that have been successful in different realms, you know, reminiscent with my teammates, it was the struggle to get there that we remember the most and that we appreciate and that we value the most.
It wasn’t necessarily winning and that may sound odd to folks, but genuinely, I think it was the struggle to get there that we value the most. – So Doug, do you still follow football?
You see Hawks fan? – I am, I just, my body still responds strangely when a game comes on.
I got, you know, you know, you gotta think about this.
I’ve been playing football since I was six years old, so I’m conditioned during that time of the year to be a little bit more aggressive and ready to, you know, impose my physical will on another human being.
So, you know, there’s stuff that still comes with that.
I still, my body still, even though my mind and my heart doesn’t want to play anymore, my body still wants to because it’s been conditioned to do so.
So I watch it when I can.
Obviously, you know, I stay in contact with my teammates, my teammates that are still there on the team.
But yeah, I’m always gonna be a Seahawks fan. – Well, speaking of champions, tell us about the Champions of Change teams.
Who are the coaches and who are the players? – Yeah, so Sue Bird and Marshawn Lynch will be one team’s set of coaches and then Jewel Lloyd and Gary Payton will be the coaches for the other team.
We got a great roster.
I’m a little frustrated right now because Cliff is hoarding all of the NBA players, but you know what?
We’re gonna win.
I’m not worried about it.
We’re gonna figure it out.
But it’s a great roster.
Jamal Crawford, Isaiah Thomas, Richard Sherman, Jermaine Curse, obviously Cliff, Trey Simmons, or who’s gonna be, who is the coach at UW, Jaylen Stewart, who’s a young kid who’s gonna be going to UConn, I believe.
We got a lot of great, I wanna say players, but more so than players.
We got a lot of great people on our rosters.
So I’m looking forward to it and I’m looking forward to winning too. – Doug, what’s the best part of your game? – The best part of my game? – Yeah, are you a shooter, a passer, steal? – All of it. – I’m gonna talk about all of it. – No, I would like to say I’m a 5’10” LeBron James. (laughing) – And in full disclosure, Rob’s got some game here. – Oh, really? – Yeah, absolutely. – It ain’t like it used to be.
It was better 20 years ago, trust me. – I feel it.
My game was a lot better a few years ago as well. – Yeah, it doesn’t get any better going forward. – I like to brag, I’m getting my old man game.
Old man game is coming. – That’s a physical game then. – Yes, it is.
Yes, it is.
I’m getting there though.
How can the community get involved with the Champions of Change? – Well, for one, they can go buy tickets and show up at the game and support all the folks who are joining us.
And in doing so, they’re also supporting the organizations that we get to support.
So, just coming in and enjoying the game and all the activities.
But then also, ’cause that is how we support the organizations, but then also, and I think this is, I don’t know how our staff is gonna take this, but genuinely just being good people is really what it comes down to.
I’m recognizing more and more, and I think news is playing a big part in that is what’s going on in our world is that I don’t think we see each other as just human beings on this planet trying to survive and thrive.
And if we can do that, maybe we can just approach each other differently.
Maybe we can treat each other differently.
Maybe we can recognize that there are folks who come from really, really hard backgrounds who may have made bad decisions in their previous life or were in the wrong place at the wrong time and now they’re in jail.
And then they go and they serve their time and now they’re out of jail, but they’re still good human beings or there’s still people on this planet trying to survive and thrive.
And that we can look at them as such and give them an opportunity to have access, to have opportunity and have a sense of belonging to our greater community.
And if we do that, man, I just think our world would be a different place.
So again, to answer your question, come and support us by coming and watching the game, hanging out with us at Climate Pledge Arena on the 23rd.
I got a lot of things going on this month, so my mind is all over the place.
June 23rd is the game, but come and hanging out with us at the game, helping us celebrate not only the players who are playing, but also the organizations that we’re supporting and then just genuinely being good people in the community. – And this one is for either Hillary or Doug or both.
And can you share one or two stories of individuals whose lives have been changed because of Champions of Change? – Well, I can give examples of people whose lives are going to be touched and changed because of Champions of Change this year.
We have several stories, you say that and I just light up because I think of so many people who I’ve watched come through Pioneer and really who are thriving today.
So I’ll give one example that came immediately to mind.
We had someone come through our roadmap to success job readiness training.
And at the same time, he was involved with local drug court and went through that program, graduated, ended up working for us while he was there.
He earned his CDL and he now, and also got some help with housing and various other services through Pioneer.
He was with us for probably about three years.
And I actually just talked to him recently because he did leave.
He took that CDL and got himself a really, really good job making six figures.
He just got married and bought his first house and he was sending me pictures actually from the wedding.
So, people have unlimited potential and Champions of Change is gonna help support that for many, many more. – And that’s why we do this, right?
For stories like that.
And so, I look at it from a standpoint of, this specific individual got the support and love, right?
And potentially change the trajectory of this person’s life.
And now you said that he’s married, has a kid, and now there, his family, the trajectory of his family is gonna change.
And so that’s generational impact.
You know, that’s, I mean, that’s the perfect example of what we’re trying to accomplish with this effort.
And that’s why we love working with organizations like Pioneer Human Services because they’re doing that work.
And I don’t know, there’s no real way to measure this, right?
From our standpoint, and I gotta be honest, I don’t really care about measuring it because I know the work is gonna be impactful.
You know, you have a specific example like this.
We may not see the true impact of this in our lifetime, right?
But that child that grows up because their father’s life trajectory has changed now, they’re gonna grow up, and they’re gonna make decisions based on what they see.
And their father is gonna be a different human being because of that change.
And maybe they’re gonna do something different with their lives and impact their world and their community further better.
And then what happens to their children when they see that, right?
This is generational stuff that we’re talking about.
And I’m really fortunate to be working with Hillary and with Pioneer Human Services because they do that work. – We’re so honored to have had this dialogue with you.
And I think you’re gonna inspire many of our listeners to action.
As a matter of fact, our listeners will be able to find links to the organizations and causes we discussed and the ways that they can help on the very page this podcast is hosted on seattlemag.com.
Thank you for listening to the Seattle Magazine podcast.
You can always find us on seattlemag.com.
Look for new episodes approximately every two weeks on our website.
A special thank you to the entire Seattle Magazine staff and to podcast producer Nick Patrie.
Contact Lisa Lee at lisa@seattlemag.com for partnership opportunities.
Until next time, let’s keep celebrating Seattle. (upbeat music) [BLANK_AUDIO]