MICL connected with Amy French, Executive Director, Mercer Island Youth and Family Services (MIYFS) Foundation and Board members prior to their 23rd Annual Fundraising Breakfast.
Amy French joined the Foundation as Executive Director earlier this year and she has been busy getting to know the Mercer Island community and the Foundation’s partners.
MICL: Amy, you are finishing your first year as the MIYFS Foundation Executive Director. How has the first year gone for you?
It’s been fantastic. The Community is so supportive of the Foundation and helping us keep MIYFS programs and services funded over many decades. MIYFS does such great work supporting Island students, seniors and families that need short-term assistance.
Have there been any surprises?
Amy: Yes, but mostly good ones. Any Executive Director that steps in expects to find some things that are broken. That has not been my experience so far. The Board functions at a high level and they are fun to work with. Our major fundraising activities like the Breakfast and the Tree Lot are well planned and we get a lot of help from community partners like MI Trade Inc., the City and our sponsors. My predecessors on staff, as well as the Board, laid a solid foundation for us to build from. We just need to continue to find ways to communicate that even affluent communities, like Mercer Island, have food insecure residents and need mental health and other supports offered by a social-service department like MIYFS
The theme for this year’s Breakfast is “Together We Help Islanders Every Step of the Way.”
MIYFS touches the lives of every Islander in one way or another. It might be parenting resources for young children. Or the amazing work that the YFS Counselors do with students at each of our Island’s public schools. Or programs like Death Café and Seniors Living Alone for seniors and their caregivers. It’s also great that the community and MIYFS recognize that some Islanders fall on tough times and need short- term assistance. The MIYFS partnership with Hopelink is very innovative and helps to provide food-insecure Islanders with fresh and healthy food options via a mobile food market that visits the island twice a month.
MIYFS Foundation Board Members
What inspired you to join the MIYFS Foundation Board?
Cindy Goetzmann, Board President: I joined the MIYFS Foundation Board because I have a strong commitment to community service. MIYFS’ mission to support the mental health of Islanders and to help those Islanders experiencing financial distress only strengthens our community. As someone who has experienced firsthand how MIYFS can help children who struggle with anxiety and overwhelming emotions, I want to ensure that every child continues to have access to that support in schools, now and in the future.
Terry Moreman – MIYFS in not just youth services. It’s one of the only social service providers that serves community members of all ages. I joined the Foundation Board because I wanted to support the range of services provided by MIYFS that includes resources for seniors.
Frank Schott – I wanted to honor my mom who worked at the Thrift Store for 35 years and got occasional help from YFS so that she could keep living on her own until age 101!
What have you liked most about working on the MIYFS Foundation Board?
Dr. Liz Evans – I like helping out at our community events. My favorite event is the Tree Lot and working as a lumberjack. I love seeing my patients, neighbors and meeting community members. It’s also fun when the students comment that their doctor is actually using a chainsaw!
Steffenie Evans – Hands down, the people. Everyone involved with MIYFS Foundation, from other board members, the staff and leadership to the major donors, are wonderful. This community truly embodies why I wanted to raise my family on Mercer Island.
What challenges does MIYFS Foundation face?
Steffenie Evans -- The structure of the MIYFS Department vs the MIYFS Foundation, the complicated funding mechanisms (Thrift Shop, City funds, private donations, tree lot) and the breadth of the community we serve (children, adults, and seniors) make our story a complicated one to convey quickly and easily. As the mental health crisis continues, and costs for services increase, we have to get better at telling our story and make sure more Islanders know about MIYFS.
What’s a fun fact about you that many don’t know?
Cindy Goetzmann -- Is it possible to grow up living all over the world and yet be incapable of fluently speaking any language other than English? Yes, that would be me. Vietnamese, Swahili, Amharic, Arabic, Sinhalese, and Tagalog all stumped me.
Frank Schott – My wife and I both went to Sunnybeam School at the same time and we both graduated from MIHS, Our 50 year reunion is this year!
Amy French – I cold plunge in the Puget Sound on average about 3X a week – rain, sleet or sunshine!
This community truly embodies why I wanted to raise my family on Mercer Island - Steffenie Evans
MIYFS touches the lives of every Islander in some way.