Every year Futurewise members and friends get together for our annual dinner and auction.  This year was no exception as we joined with over 300 guests to successfully raise more than $83,000 to protect our communities from sprawling, irresponsible growth patterns.

As always, our time together is about more than raising funds - it’s about capturing the spirit of a community.  That’s why we were so pleased to present this year’s Community Champion Award to Senator Chris Marr!

In his first-term in the Washington State Senate, Chris joined with us to take on a big fight: reducing global warming pollution through the growth management act.   Though we can’t think of any combination of issues that could generate more controversy in Olympia, Chris was ready and able to lead the charge in the Capitol.

 
Maybe it was his history in the car business that led his opponents to angrily compare the Local Solutions to Global Warming bill to the state’s first seat belt laws for “infringing personal liberties”. Whatever their rationale, the comparison was warranted in Chris’ mind:  “I hope this bill will be as successful in saving lives and money for our state and its people.”

We hope so too.  Thanks again to the good Senator from Spokane, it’s always a pleasure to be able to recognize someone who shares a commitment to protecting our environment and building communities that we can all be proud of for generations to come.

We couldn’t have pulled it off without the support of our wonderful auction donors, volunteers and sponsors!   We’d like to give a special thanks to the following businesses and individuals that support Futurewise:

Bricklin Newman Dold
Bruce & Andrea Lorig
Gendler Mann, LLP
Jay Arnold & Mary Beth Binns
Julie & Karim Meghji
Parson Brinckerhoff
Sound Transit
UFCW Local 21