By: Laurie Ward, CEO of Washington’s National Park Fund
When I first joined Washington’s National Park Fund over a decade ago, I was a deep believer in the power that our national parks hold. I couldn’t have possibly imagined how far the organization would come over the years.
Today, I look at all that Washington’s National Park Fund has made possible in Mount Rainier, North Cascades, and Olympic National Parks and my heart is full knowing how much these parks mean to all of us, and how much impact we’ve been able to have on them.
As I’ve gone from Executive Director with a team of 1.5 in 2011 to Chief Executive Officer with a talented team of 8, I’ve watched the needs grow in the parks – and our donors step up year over year to help meet them. I’ve seen revenue grow from $300,000 a year to today’s level of more than $2.5 million in service to the parks.
Truly, these parks wouldn’t be where we are today without each staff member, board member, donor, and supporter of Washington’s National Park Fund.
Every year, the Fund gives more. And these parks deserve it. As visitation has grown at national parks across the country, including the three here in Washington, the parks’ needs have grown significantly as well.
That’s why the Fund’s board and staff have launched a groundbreaking $20 million campaign, Together for the Parks, that will grow the parks’ endowments and fund high-level projects while maintaining their current practice of funding annual priority projects that would otherwise go unfunded.
From addressing the park staff housing shortage in the North Cascades to revitalizing Paradise in Mount Rainier, providing regular transit up to Hurricane Ridge in Olympic, and supporting innovative partnerships with area tribes, this campaign is investing in the future needs of these parks. And I know that these efforts are in capable hands as the campaign continues with more momentum than ever from our thousands of dedicated donors.
While it has truly been a privilege to serve these public lands and help ensure our community’s generosity is put to good use within the national parks that we all love, after twelve years of service, it is time for me to move along on down the trail and turn the reins over to someone who will take it on from here to that next level.
I look forward to watching the team bring the Together for the Parks campaign across the finish line and grow the impact Washington’s National Park Fund has in Mount Rainier, North Cascades, and Olympic National Parks to new, greater heights.
We hope you will join us in celebrating Laurie and wishing her all the best as she embarks on new adventures beginning in 2024. Thank you, Laurie, for all that you’ve done for Washington’s national parks!