IRIS to Host 8th Annual North Central Washington Community Success Summit in Chelan

The Initiative for Rural Innovation & Stewardship (IRIS) plans to showcase success stories when it teams up with partners to convene the 8th annual NCW Community Success Summit in Chelan on Wednesday, November 8, 2017. “Pristine Lake, Passionate People – Where Beauty Runs Deep” is scheduled for 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Chelan Community Gym in Chelan, WA.

“We’re thrilled to work with the City of Chelan and the greater community to host the Summit this year,” said Nancy Warner, IRIS Program Coordinator. And as City of Chelan Mayor Mike Cooney points out, “this community that extends from McNeil Canyon in Douglas County to Stehekin on the west end of Lake Chelan has so many success stories.” Summit planners aim to highlight some of those that can inspire success in other parts of our region.

IRIS is gathering success stories that contribute to the kind of community we want to live in – one that maintains diverse, healthy ecosystems, fosters a high quality of life for all, and bridges cultural and political divides.

The public is invited to submit success stories from Chelan and from across the Grant, Douglas, Okanogan and Chelan county region. Visit www.irisncw.org to download the Success Story Exchange template or fill it out online.

To build on the last summit in Quincy, Warner said IRIS is working again with the local school district to engage a team of faculty and students in many aspects of the summit. One example of this collaboration is the art created by Li Ting Hsia, an exchange student from Taiwan, that was used to create the logo for this year’s event.

IRIS is working with an advisory committee to plan other elements of the summit that will include a locally-prepared lunch, live music, and sponsor displays.   Event planners anticipate that more than 160 people from Chelan and across the region will participate in the summit this year. An annual celebration of success, the summit also serves as a fundraising event that will enable IRIS to continue the cycle of highlighting success through 2020.

IRIS is proud to acknowledge our 2020 Legacy Partners including the Port of Douglas County, Community Choice, The Wenatchee World, and Wenatchee Valley College, and the 2017 annual sponsors for this event: City of Chelan, Chelan School District, Molina Healthcare, NCW Business Loan Fund, Lake Chelan Community Hospital Foundation, and the Bureau of Land Management.
For more information about sponsoring and how to get involved in the 2017 NCW Community Success Summit or 2020 Legacy Project contact the IRIS office at 509-888-7374, irisncw@gmail.com. An agenda and registration information will be posted on the IRIS website later this summer.

Our foundation’s grant, “Harvesting Relationships for Healthcare” (HRH) is a sponsor of the NCW Community Success Summit, 11/8/17.  The Initiative for Rural Innovation and Stewardship (IRIS) gathers success stories that contribute to the kind of community we want to live in – one that maintains diverse, healthy ecosystems, fosters a high quality of life for all, and bridges cultural and political divides.  IRIS will highlight five Success Stories that exemplify these themes.  Our HRH grant, with its focus on recognizing and celebrating the Latino community’s contributions to our Valley, has been selected as one of the five stories, reflecting “bridging cultural and political divides.”