It has been a joy and an honor for us SDCDO staff to have worked alongside our neighbors, community partners and friends, and it is with sadness and gratitude that we share this news with you that we are transitioning away from the organization but not far from community.
We thought this year would be different - didn’t we all? Amid a still-changing global pandemic, social isolation and disconnectedness as we figure out together how to gather safely and when, ups and downs with our economic and housing stability, and renewed calls for social justice for our BIPOC and low-income neighbors, we are so thankful to have spent this year alongside you. There is no other place we would rather be than by the sides of our friends, neighbors, and community partners to continue building community in the ways that we sought together this past year. This report details what we view as our collective achievements throughout 2021 and how we did this work together, by neighbors, for neighbors.
It is with a mix of sadness and gratitude that the Board of Directors announces Shawn Ryba’s departure as Executive Director of the South of Downtown Community Development Organization (SDCDO) effective December 17, 2021. Over the last five years, Shawn has been instrumental in many new initiatives to support residents in the Everett and Near South neighborhoods.
Two years after the first Makers Market, we are reflecting on markets past and future, eager to support our creative neighbors into the new year.
SDCDO is delighted to announce the launch of an inaugural residency program/project fund for placemakers!
With the experience of the 11th street alley entrances, organizers chose to use industrial grade street paint, requiring a very limited palette for the mural. Organizers prioritized a clear message of slowing down over complicated ornamentation. The result is a durable, funny, and happy yellow face with a reminder to slow your roll as we pass the school, the playground, cyclists and neighbors dining at local businesses.
