Kent Community Foundation

🖤🤍🧡🌊 Yesterday's A Sea of Baby Orcas debut in Kent, our first of three free public events this August, was more amazing than we could have imagined.
About 75 children, parents, grandparents, and individuals came together for a morning of storytelling, art engagement, and Southern Resident Killer Whale conservation education at the Kent Historical Museum yard 🌲🌳, joined by volunteers, presenters, and community partners.
It was cloudy and windy, of all days—but no problem. Then it rained. 🌧️ Still no problem! It was incredible. Everyone stayed at their tables and kept painting their baby orcas, or moved under the large trees and kept painting. 🎨 The rain passed. Joy and happiness shone throughout. ☺️
There was something, though, about the wind and rain that reminded me of Puget Sound, which somehow felt fitting for an inland program.
My heartfelt thanks to everyone who joined us and helped make our very first free public event so special. ♥️ Much gratitude to our special guests Deborah Horne for her beautiful narration of the story and to Julianne Ubigau and Jasper 🐾 for making conservation education fun!
Thank you to all at the Kent Historical Museum for opening these beautiful grounds for A Sea of Baby Orcas and for all your support.
I'm gathering photos from our wonderful volunteer photographers and will be sharing many more over the next few days. Here's a little first look! Photo credit: Julianne Ubigau. 🖤🤍🧡🌊
Allied Arts Foundation Kent Arts Commission Kent Community Foundation Kent Historical Museum

I'm excited to share the first commissioned professional illustration for my original storybook and accompanying fabric artwork. Story beat: 'Close to Mother'. 🖤🤍🧡 A long ways from my AI-generated prototype illustration! A big heartfelt thank you to the incredibly talented Marcela Soares for creating this gorgeous, scientifically-attuned illustration inspired by the mother orca Tahlequah J-35 and her calf J-61. ❤️ Follow 'A Sea of Baby Orcas' as I prepare for three FREE public storytelling, art engagement, and Southern Resident Killer Whale conservation education events in Kent, Friday Harbor, and Burien, Washington this August 2026! 🩵 Allied Arts Foundation City of Kent Government Kent Arts Commission Kent Historical Museum Kent Community Foundation

What a night celebrating Kent’s next generation. 💙⁠
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On May 21, Kent Community Foundation honored 39 scholarship recipients whose hard work, determination, and commitment to their futures earned them support for their next steps in education and career training.⁠
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These scholarships are a reminder that this community believes in investing in students, strengthening families, and helping build a brighter future for Kent.⁠
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Thank you to the donors, families, educators, volunteers, and ⁠
community partners who made this celebration possible. We are so grateful to everyone who joined us and helped make the evening meaningful.⁠
We’ll be sharing more photos and highlights from the event over the coming weeks, so stay tuned as we continue celebrating these remarkable scholars!⁠
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Photo credit: Lisa Hagen Glynn

Today is GiveBIG!

This is the day to come together and support the work happening across our community. Every donation made today helps strengthen local nonprofits, fund community programs, and create more opportunities for people in Kent.

Through Kent Community Foundation, your gift stays local and supports the people and organizations who make this community what it is.
Give today and be part of it!

GiveBIG starts tomorrow!

If you’ve been waiting to make your gift, now is the time. This is a short window where the community comes together to support the organizations and programs that matter most.

Through Kent Community Foundation, donations help fund local nonprofits, community events, and initiatives that strengthen Kent. This year, we’ll be able to award over 50 scholarships totaling over $135,000! None of this would be possible without the help of our amazing supporters.

Contribute to early giving via the link in our bio!

The Community Scholarship event is coming soon and we wanted to take a moment to thank our amazing sponsors! We’re so grateful to have their support in honoring 39 students with over 50 scholarships this year.

Want to learn more about how your organization can support students in Kent? Send us a message!

You have to eat anyway. Might as well make it count!

May 26th & 27th is the Kent Community Dine Out. Dine in at any of our participating restaurants and they’ll donate a percentage of their sales to the Kent Food Bank and Emergency Services. No extra steps, just show up and eat.

📸 Post a photo or video and tag us for a chance to win a $25 gift card!

🚫 Excludes Uber Eats and DoorDash.

Participating restaurants:
✦ Ting Tong Thai Cafe
✦ Mary’s Fine Foods
✦ Azteca
✦ Maggie’s on Meeker
✦ Thai Chili

www.kentfoodbank.org

Event link in comments.

HELP US MAKE A DIFFERENCE.

Early giving for GiveBIG is now open!

If you’ve been planning to give, this is the moment to do it. Early gifts help build momentum and expand the reach of the campaign from the start.

Donations made through Kent Community Foundation support local nonprofits, scholarships, and programs that keep Kent connected and supported.

Last year, we awarded 53 scholarships to 37 students, totaling more than $132,000. That's like an entire classroom receiving support to achieve their dreams! We're honored to be a part of their journey, and we're so excited to continue supporting Kent-area students in this way.

Give today and be part of it from the beginning! Click here: https://mtyc.co/v5zmxf

March 15 will be here before we know it!

Students, if you are a graduating senior or currently in college, we invite you to apply for a Kent Community Foundation scholarship. This year, we have streamlined the application process to make it quicker and easier than ever, so you can spend less time navigating forms and more time sharing your story.

Teachers, counselors, and administrators, we would love your help spreading the word! Please share the link with your students and encourage them to take advantage of this opportunity.

Do not miss the deadline! Apply by March 15 at
kentcommunityfoundation.com/scholarships

Please join us in welcoming Mark Chavez to the Kent Community Foundation Board of Directors!

Mark is a real estate advisor with Windermere and founder of Mark Chavez Homes, where he helps individuals and families move forward with clarity and thoughtful strategy. With more than 25 years of leadership, operations, and project management experience, he brings a steady, solutions-focused perspective to the board.

Mark is passionate about community involvement and proud to support KCF’s work strengthening local nonprofits and expanding opportunity across Kent!