Civic Participation: Building a Better Future Together
Perception of civic participation is strong on Bainbridge Island. As BCF's Community Report shows, engagement with elected officials could be stronger. Below are some key highlights.
Below are some stories from nonprofits working directly on civic participation.
One Call For All's (OFCA) mission is to enrich and improve the lives of our neighbors by coordinating an annual campaign that supports nonprofit organizations serving Bainbridge Island. OFCA is the home of the RedEnvelope campaign, with over 130 participating local nonprofit partner agencies. This annua
l appeal has been an iconic community tradition since 1960, and over the years has raised millions of dollars of unrestricted operating funds for our partner agencies. OFCA does this at no cost to these nonprofits that serve our community and help make Bainbridge the truly extraordinary place we all cherish. Additionally, the annual Red Envelope campaign helps reduce direct mail solicitation for every Bainbridge household, while also allowing our nonprofits to focus on their important work within the community and spend less of their time and fewer resources on fundraising. Best of all, 100% of donations goes directly to nonprofits.
"One Call For All works to offer the necessary support to our nonprofit partner agencies as well as our donors, and engage and inspire the community at large to rally around the causes that matter most to them," stated OCFA’s Executive Director, Lisa Timmins.
Regional Model United Nations conferences (KINGMUN and PACMUN) provide realistic simulations of the United Nations through its two-day conferences. They include over 1,000 in-person attendees annually from the Pacific Northwest and many more virtual attendees from other countries around the world. Bothconferences provide students with opportunities to improve their public speaking and research skills, as well as learn about international relations, diplomacy, and global perspectives. PACMUN, the largest conference in the Pacific Northwest and only hotel conference in Washington State, and KINGMUN, a smaller conference for students in the region, both strive to provide equitable access to Model United Nations. All money received from grants and sponsorships is used to provide partial or full financial aid to participants and significantly lower registration fees for delegates, staffers, and Secretariat members..jpg)
Through the services provided by both conferences, participants are able to gain more insight into United Nations committees and resolutions, specialized bodies, prevalent global issues, and better fundamental skills such as collaboration, teamwork, and negotiation. In addition, staffers and Secretariat members—who help manage committees and conferences—can gain useful leadership, organizational, and research skills, benefiting them greatly. Overall, KINGMUN and PACMUN provide extracurricular opportunities to participating students and help them gain twenty-first century skills in educational and professional settings. According to a participant, “Everyone is very supportive and eager to learn.”
In the words of another participant, “[The community was] the greatest group of people I’ve ever met, such a supportive and cohesive team that made the process of the conference 1000x better.”
In the words of Leadership Kitsap, “Leadership makes things happen. It identifies opportunities, shapes opinions, and meets challenges. Meeting these complex challenges requires a vigorous, informed group of leaders that represents all segments of our community. Leadership Kitsap produces colleagues who can and will help each other get things done.” Leadership Kitsap’s purpose is to provide focus for an effective group of alumni who respond to challenges facing our dynamic and evolving region.
Leadership Kitsap’s goal is to build a new and continuing source of strong leaders. The program brings together people from both public and private professional fields, including finance, manufacturing, construction, education, law, government, military, media, health care, utilities, retail and human services. The program creates a structured system of communications among leaders from different sectors and constituencies, and facilitates access between the existing and the merging leadership of the community. In the end, it sharpens the leadership skills necessary to motivate and engage others to help meet challenges together.
As of June 2025, Leadership Kitsap has graduated 745 servant leaders into the community and developed 131 community service projects throughout the county.
Other stories connected to BCF’s Community Report:
Addressing Affordability Together
The Power of Cultural Connection
The Power of Learning
Accessing Justice
Want to learn more?
Contact us at info@bainbridgecf.org — we’d love to hear from you.
