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Our
Mission
The Power of Hope unleashes the positive potential of youth
through arts-centered intergenerational and multicultural
learning programs that value self-awareness,
leadership, community and social change.
The Power of Hope has offices in Victoria, BC and in
Bellingham and Seattle, WA.
We are 501(c)(3) non-profit organization in the USA and a
registered charity in Canada.
Contributions to Power of Hope are tax-deductible in the US
and in Canada.
In the USA:
Power
of Hope
Youngstown Cultural Arts Center
4408
Delridge Way SW, Suite 103
Seattle, WA 98106
206-938-6090
1337 Lincoln Street, #2
Bellingham, WA 98229 USA
phone: 360-671-7390
fax: 360-671-7580
poh[at]powerofhope[dot]org
In British Columbia,Canada
#7 - 1921 Fernwood Road
Victoria, BC V8T 2Y6
phone: 250-381-4673
pohvic[at]powerofhope[dot]org
Power of Hope Trustees
USA:
Becky Guzak, President
Bill Carroll, Jeanne Carroll, Linda Henderson, Jonathan
Keith, Kelly
Smith, Mark Smith, James Sutter, Billie Taylor
CANADA:
Gloria Hansen, Chair Diana Cawood, Diana Smith, Soasis Sukeweh, Mark Vonesch,
Ian Watson, Bill Weaver
Power of Hope Staff
The Power of Hope is coordinated by a talented and diverse staff of artists, musicians, writers, actors, naturalists, community activists, and more. We
have staff in Washington state and British Columbia with offices in Seattle,
Victoria, BC, and Bellingham, WA.
Staff in the Seattle, WA office:
Michael Harris, Executive Director,
joined the Power of Hope team in November, 2005. Over the
past thirty years he has led non-profit organizations
to success in the Pacific Northwest, working in the performing arts, youth work and advocacy, health and human services, low income housing development
and the natural foods industry. In his youth he worked
professionally as an actor / director/ writer for theater -
at age 16 he made his Broadway debut in the original cast of
HAIR. Over the years Michael has worked for Microsoft,
served on many non-profit boards and on the faculty of the University of Washington, Graduate School of Public Affairs.
In his spare time he leads sing-alongs for groups of all
kinds in Seattle, where he lives.

Alan Wong, Program Manager, leads the
Seattle-based Youth Voices team and Gear Up programs in the
Yakima and Skagit Valleys - and
serves as a lead facilitator at Power of Hope camps and
trainings. Alan is a poet and musician who trusts deeply in
the creative process as a means of personal and community
transformation. Alan’s given Chinese name, “Peng”, means,
“peace, balance, and equilibrium” – qualities he strives to
bring to his work and to the world around him.
Kat Vellos,
Program Manager and GEAR UP coordinator, is
a native of Belize, and a recently naturalized U.S. citizen.
She wakes up each morning to manifest creativity in service
of the greater good. She has a rich background in visual art
and spoken
word/poetry, and received her B.A. in Graphic Design at
Flagler College in St. Augustine, Florida. Kat has served
youth from K-12 as an AmeriCorps member and
committed youth
work volunteer. In fact, she started off with Power of Hope
as an energetic volunteer for Hip Hop Hope! In all her
endeavors, Kat strives to create environments that value
positive and authentic community as well as individual
evolution through courageous self-expression. In her spare
time she's creating vegetarian masterpieces in the kitchen,
sending snail mail, and thinking in ink, rockin' them spoken
words.
Devon Little,
Youth Voices Coordinator/Americorps, grew up exploring dance, theatre, nature and
different cultures. In college, she studied Sociology and
Peace & Conflict Studies. In general, she has focused her
time working with transformative communication models in
dynamic, cross-community settings, including a race
relations group, process work in Northern Ireland, a
nonviolence youth organization, a half-way home, and a
dialogue-project across religious and political divides in
Colorado Springs. She continues her education by studying
Nonviolent Communication, Spanish, educative movement and
dance, and permaculture, as well
as offering experiences in the performing arts and dialogue.
Maureen Nelson,
Administrative and Program Assistant, joined the POH
staff after spending two years as
an AmeriCorps with the Youth Voices program. She trains and
guides the new Americorps team in the Bellingham office as
well as, handling administrative duties and staffing youth events.
Originally from Seattle, she graduated from Western
Washington University in 2003 with a B.A. in Theatre
Education. She has worked with youth in local schools
and in-patient facilities, supporting her passion for the
arts, conscious youth work, community change and more
well-rounded school curriculums and environments.
Jamie-Rose Rothenberg,
Youth Voices Coordinator/Americorps, first encountered Power of
Hope as a youth, when she attended a summer program in 2000.
She has since returned to the organization as a mentor and a
summer camp manager. She is thrilled to enrich her Power of
Hope education and experience through this year of service
as a youth voices coordinator. Throughout her youth
education career, she has coordinated programs in a variety
of subjects, such as: mural-arts, creative writing, literary
magazine production, and reading literacy. As a graduate in
Peace and Global Studies and a recipient of a “Grant for
Peace” from Davis Foundation, Jamie-Rose believes that the
arts are a powerful medium through which constructive social
change may be inspired.
Staff at the Victoria, BC office:
Gita John,Program Manager,
comes to Power of Hope with several years experience with
Community Development agencies in India and Canada. She is passionate about working with and for
children and youth. She was raised in a Gandhian Christian
center begun by her parents during India's freedom movement,
and her life has been deeply influenced by this experience.
Her work background and interests include food security,
environmental protection, natural healing and simple living.
Annie Banks,Program Assistant,
started out as an enthusiastic volunteer with Power of Hope.
Annie is passionate about working with and learning from
people of all ages and she is active in Victoria's community
as a outreach youth worker, volunteer, activist, artist, and
bicycle enthusiast. Annie plans to continue her education as
a student of life in many different capacities!
Staff at the Bellingham, WA office:
Sharon Akers serves as
Power of Hope's Senior Program Manager, handling outreach and coordination for all Power of Hope programs. Sharon came to POH as a volunteer/workshop leader in 1999, having worked with youth at risk since 1985 in shelters, group homes, and alternative high schools, utilizing music & play therapy.
Jen
Dickenson
is a
Youth Voices Coordinator/Americorps member.
Her road to The Power of Hope has
been a long and winding one. Originally from South Dakota,
Jen graduated from the University of Minnesota with a double
major in Theatre Arts and Global Studies in 2006. While in
college, Jen conducted a research project on how street
theatre can and has been used as a catalyst for social
change in India. Jen also collaborated with Central Touring
Theatre In St. Paul, MN where she worked with youth to
develop a touring play focusing on issues of race, cultural
acceptance and Identity. Jen is excited to spend her second
AmeriCorps year as the Youth Voices coordinator with The
Power of Hope to continue combining her passions of theatre
and social justice.
Rebecca White,
Youth Voices Coordinator/Americorps,
arrived on Power of Hope’s scene after spending a year
working in Esteli, Nicaragua with the Mural Arts
Organization, FUNARTE (Foundation to Support Children’s
Creative Art). She serves as an Americorps Youth Voices
Coordinator with Power of Hope. She received a bachelor’s
degree in Peace and Global Studies from Earlham College in
Richmond, Indiana. She speaks Spanish and has experience
working with refugees and mentoring international students.
She hails from the Empire State (NY) and loves many things,
including art as a means of community development and social
empowerment; and her 50-year-old cat, Clarissa.
Co-Founders of The Power of Hope:
Charlie Murphy
is an
accomplished recording artist and former director of
training for the YMCA Earth Service Corps, a national youth
environmental organization. For his work with Power of
Hope, Charlie recently an Ashoka Fellowship in 2005. This
prestigious award honors “leading social entrepreneurs
recognized to have innovative solutions and the potential to
change patterns across society.”
Peggy Taylor, MA,
brings a rich experience in holistic education, the arts,
nonprofit management, and publishing to her creative work
with youth. She is co-author of Chop Wood, Carry Water:
A Guide to Finding Spiritual Fulfillment in Everyday Life
and was co-founder of New Age Journal, where she
served as editor-in-chief for fourteen years. Peggy is a
creative development specialist with a Masters of Education
in Creative Arts in Learning and is actively involved in
designing and leading Power of Hope trainings.
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