Hello everyone!
My name is Riley O’Leary. I am an Americorps VISTA, which is a volunteer contracted out to various institutions that are typically non-profits. I am just starting my service here in Bellingham with the Whatcom Prevention Coalition. I wanted to start this blog to accomplish a few different things.
I want to establish a connection with the community. I believe in engagement and connection. Often people fall behind or out of place because communication is lacking. I hope to at least open a one way, if not two way, line between the greater Whatcom area and this coalition.
Over the next few weeks I will begin to post about what kind of work I have been doing here and how it might affect you. I want to try to make sure that our goals are clear and transparent. My mission right now is to first establish communication with the community, eventually open up new youth prevention teams in a few of the schools in the county, help sustain programs that are already in the works and most of all, I want to listen to you all.
First a bit about me:
I am twenty two years old, I grew up in Seattle, Washington, and eventually moved out here after realizing the costs of a private university were too high. I fell in love with Bellingham after my first summer here. I spent it exploring the Chuckanuts, Locust beach, Larabee, lake Whatcom and the downtown area. I love watching the sunsets here in the summer, during the other seasons I like to sit on my porch and listen to the rain. I am interested in trying new things all the time and I always try to keep an open mind. I hope to educate not only the public but myself as well. Most importantly, I love this community, without selling it up too much I wouldn’t hesitate to call Bellingham paradise.
Expect to hear from me soon, hopefully I can establish a schedule for blog posts so that regular information can be passed along. I welcome all kinds of questions and people, do not hesitate.
