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<figure><img alt="" src="https://cdn-images-1.medium.com/max/1024/1*QVV97WkoKc66l7zr4TiaWQ.jpeg" /></figure><p>A couple of weeks ago, members of the Hello Neighbor Network team traveled to Seattle, Washington to visit with Network partners, funders, and members on the west coast. This is the second of three site visits made possible by our partners at The Starbucks Foundation as the Network completes filming for an upcoming storytelling project.</p><p>At the start of 2022, Hello Neighbor partnered with The Schultz Family Foundation, The Starbucks Foundation, The Stand Together Foundation, and<a href="http://welcome.us"> </a>Welcome.US to distribute $1.3 million to 60 organizations across the country welcoming Afghans through the <a href="https://www.schultzfamilyfoundation.org/initiative/mobilizing-america-for-refugees-fund">Mobilizing America for Refugees Fund</a>. Over the course of the year, the Network has brought these leaders together into a <a href="https://www.neighbornetwork.io/learning-collaborative">Learning Collaborative</a> to exchange resources and learn from one another.</p><figure><img alt="" src="https://cdn-images-1.medium.com/max/1024/1*4VBnBZi7T-gOnslyowZBow.jpeg" /></figure><p>On Tuesday night, we partnered with Starbucks to host a Grassroots Gathering at the SODO Starbucks Reserve. Representatives of The Schultz Family Foundation and The Starbucks Foundation attended and had the opportunity to meet some of the leaders of organizations supported by the Mobilizing America for Refugees Fund.</p><p>One highlight of the night were remarks given by Thanh Tan, Founder and Executive Director of <a href="https://www.vietsforafghans.org/">Viets for Afghans</a>, and Aneelah Afzali, Executive Director of the <a href="https://mapsredmond.org/amen/">Muslim Association of Puget Sound-AMEN</a>. These two leaders have worked together closely to mobilize the Vietnamese community and allies in the Seattle area to support newly arrived Afghans, as they saw so much in common with their and their families experiences of migration to the U.S. During the event, Viets for Afghans made a $50,000 donation to MAPS-AMEN as a continued investment in the community! They also announced a partnership in a forthcoming website of resources for Afghans in the Seattle area (we’ll share more soon!)</p><p>This mutuality, partnership, and community care is at the very heart of what the Hello Neighbor Network can be at its best.</p><figure><img alt="" src="https://cdn-images-1.medium.com/max/1024/1*H-qdKCalb0H60avNmXCaxg.png" /></figure><p>On Wednesday, the Network team visited MAPS at their physical location in Puget Sound. MAPS is the largest Islamic Center in Washington, with a diverse community of over 5,000 families from more than 50 countries. Our team members bore witness to the tremendous beauty of their facilities as well as the myriad of engaging, impactful programs offered by MAPS. Some of the highlights we saw included the facilitation of the five daily Islamic prayers, well-equipped and well-staffed classrooms for youth enrolled in their on-site school, packing and delivery of food, furniture, laptops and other essential items to those in need, and much more.</p><figure><img alt="" src="https://cdn-images-1.medium.com/max/1024/1*cWYM99QeiK7Darzay6TPkw.jpeg" /></figure><p>Thank you to all of our partners and members in Washington who welcomed us this past week. We are grateful for the chance to visit our partners on the west coast and see their work and communities in action. Stay tuned for more updates from our third and final site visit of 2022.</p><p>In Partnership,</p><h4>Your Neighbors at the Network</h4><figure><img alt="" src="https://cdn-images-1.medium.com/max/202/0*yvBYJRbGLiTbYSVk.png" /></figure><p>Learn more about the <a href="https://www.neighbornetwork.io/">Hello Neighbor Network</a>. The Hello Neighbor Network accepts applications for Fellows every fall. <a href="http://eepurl.com/hnAmkT">Sign up for our newsletter</a> to be the first to know when applications open.</p><img src="https://medium.com/_/stat?event=post.clientViewed&referrerSource=full_rss&postId=be256054ad62" width="1" height="1" alt=""><hr><p><a href="https://medium.com/hello-neighbor-network/the-network-visits-seattle-washington-be256054ad62">The Network Visits Seattle, Washington</a> was originally published in <a href="https://medium.com/hello-neighbor-network">Hello Neighbor Network</a> on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.</p>