Campaign Highlights
Julie Cramer has spent the last several years serving as our Capital Campaign Manager. Her job is to know the numbers. Read on to hear some of the most encouraging highlights of the last few years of fundraising.
Back in 2017, I was talking with a fellow Trinity member about how truly amazing it was to receive a $1M anonymous gift for our Capital Campaign.
A week before, we learned that the cost of the project had increased from $3.1M to $4.7M.
It was overwhelming.
I’m the kind of person who likes to see the whole plan and understand how we will get to our goal. Staffing this campaign full of unknowns has been an incredible growing experience for me. Through the ups and downs, I remind myself that when the $1M gift came in, I heard God saying, Keep going, this is my will.
I remember her commenting that she was glad we did not know the total cost of the work at the onset of the Capital Campaign, otherwise we may never have started. I agree. It would have seemed impossible.
But in that $1M gift, God said, you can do this, I want you to do this.
So we continued on. I have seen and marveled first hand at all the other signs God has given that we are doing God’s will in this neighborhood by undertaking this project. I want to share some of the highlights that struck me along this journey, so we can take a moment together to be thankful for all that God has provided thus far:
The jaw dropping $1M anonymous gift, right after we learned of the significant increase in the project cost.
A $20K donation from someone who attended this church as a child and happened to drive by and think of us.
Gray Lumber agreed to sell us building materials at cost.
When we could not afford the masonry bids to grout our bricks, an essential component of the building stability, our team at Mountain Construction decided to learn the work themselves, saving us over $200K.
When we learned the Trinity House foundation may be compromised by the BNC plaza excavation, Barry Nilsen donated his company’s shoring expertise, saving us ~$100K.
The donation of lightly used carpet from the Bellevue Expedia Office, allowing us to re-carpet the building now, instead of waiting for additional fundraising in Phase 2.
The owner of Cascade Masonry stopped by to ask if he could help. His aunt, Hazel Pflugmacher, had started the TAP Program in 1986. He offered his business to complete masonry work that would have been delayed for additional fundraising, with a savings of ~$200K.
We have received gifts from 176 people outside of our congregation, evidence of immense community support for what we are doing here.
As we remember all the incredible progress we have made, I continue to look forward to working together to finish turning our vision for serving this neighborhood into a reality.
Interested in supporting this work? Learn more about the campaign, or donate to Here for Good: The Bryant Neighborhood Center Campaign.
