After over 10 years of commitment to and leadership of Bellevue LifeSpring, we would like to express our immense gratitude to our outgoing President and Chair of the Board, Joseph Brazen of Brazen Windermere. Joseph first joined our Advisory Council in 2009 and then joined our Board of Directors in 2012 before graciously accepting the role of President and Chair of the Board in 2016.
Joseph, who is an active community and business leader here in Bellevue, was moved to work with Bellevue LifeSpring when he learned that there were thousands of children within Bellevue schools living in poverty: “At that moment I decided it was important for my family and I to get involved with such a great organization that was helping families right here in Bellevue.”
We cannot thank Joseph enough for the dedication, passion and enthusiasm he has given Bellevue LifeSpring over the years. Thanks to Joseph’s unwavering commitment, Bellevue LifeSpring has never been better positioned to make this transition into new leadership of our board.
We are thrilled to announce and give a warm welcome to our incoming President and Chair of the Board Tracy Wort, the Assistant Director of Community Relations for Symetra. Tracy is a passionate community advocate who has been involved with Bellevue LifeSpring for over 10 years, her first encounter being through Symetra employee food drives and volunteerism.
Tracy became a board member in 2015 and has served twice as the co-chair of our Step Up to the Plate Benefit Luncheon. We look forward to Tracy’s strategic leadership of the board and to working with her on furthering Bellevue Lifespring’s vision for the children of Bellevue.
We asked Tracy to share with us her vision for her new role and why she chooses to serve with Bellevue LifeSpring:
What does being the President and Board Chair for Bellevue LifeSpring mean to you?
“Being the President and Chair of the Board for Bellevue LifeSpring is an incredible honor. The role is a huge responsibility, we have a commitment to serve our Bellevue community to the best of our ability and I want to ensure we continue to do this in a transparent and compassionate way.”
Why do you choose to do your service with Bellevue LifeSpring?
“The need in our community is not going away, nor is it reducing. As our clients face being squeezed out of the small amount of available affordable housing in Bellevue our services become more important. Clients who have to choose between rent and food for their children do not really have a choice and to me that’s unacceptable. If we can help families stay in their homes, feed their children or help kids go to college we are having a positive impact – it really doesn’t take much to change someone’s life forever.”
What does community mean to you?
“Bellevue LifeSpring’s philosophy of neighbors helping neighbors is the way I would define community. In my role at Symetra, I work in Community Relations, so I truly believe in the power of people helping people. I love my work with Bellevue LifeSpring, it is important to me to be able to give back knowing we are helping people who need a hand up is incredibly fulfilling. No one wants to be in the position to have to ask for help so treating our clients with dignity and compassion when they are at their most vulnerable is so important.”
Thank you Joseph and welcome Tracy!
