Volunteer Spotlight: Coming Home Again
Gretchen Sewall grew up on Bainbridge Island, but when she returned decades later, a pleasant surprise was waiting for her. Bainbridge Community Foundation (BCF), celebrating its 25th anniversary this year, had been making a profound impact on the community she thought she already knew so well.
After a long, fulfilling career in healthcare, Gretchen Sewall returned to the Bainbridge Island in 2019, ready for a quieter chapter. She had traded scrubs for watercolors and was settling into a slower pace of life. Then COVID hit, and the world went still. The streets emptied, the ferries ran nearly vacant, and isolation crept in for Gretchen and for just about everyone else.
But a lifetime of caring for others isn't something you simply set aside. By the time the pandemic vaccine became available, Gretchen had already joined the Medical Reserve Corps through Bainbridge Prepares. She found herself in at the Bainbridge Senior Center, prepping the first dose of the day for an elderly patient. As she gave the injection, both women teared up. "This is the first time someone has touched me in eleven months," the patient told her. It was a moment Gretchen will never forget.
That quiet exchange rekindled something in her. The pandemic revealed just how much people need one another, and Gretchen knew she wanted to be part of rebuilding that connection. So when she heard about BCF's volunteer opportunity with the Community Grants Cycle (CGC), she emailed Debbie Kuffel, BCF’s Program and Finance Officer, right away. A scheduling conflict kept her from the first round, but she stayed in touch and finally got her chance to volunteer in 2026.
What she walked into exceeded every expectation. This year, 78 volunteers reviewed more than 100 applications requesting over $1.2 million in funding, and Gretchen was thrilled to be among them. The CGC felt personal, immersive, and full of surprises. "The CGC's structure is really such an amazing experience," Gretchen said, "from the community involvement in reviewing and approving applications to the wide reach across all sectors. This was the most fun volunteer experience and the easiest, with the support of staff. Truly a treat all around."
But it also challenged her in ways she didn't anticipate. "Since I grew up here, I thought I knew the organizations on this Island," she admitted. "But this gave me an inside look at all the details and work being done behind the scenes. Normally we just see the end product, but seeing these organizations from the inside gave me a whole new appreciation for everything they do."
Given her passion for arts and culture, Gretchen asked to focus on organizations in that sector. She reviewed applications and interviewed staff and board members from Ovation! Performing Arts Northwest, Bainbridge Performing Arts, and the Suquamish Museum. While all three experiences were impactful, the visit to the Suquamish Museum left the most enduring impression. She sat with a Tribal Elder and the Museum's Executive Director, talking about funding challenges, how the tribal council operates, and the stories they are working to preserve. Gretchen loved every minute of it. Her only regret was that she didn't get involved sooner.
Gretchen described her experience with BCF as giving her “new eyes and a new bond with the Island." After the time of isolation during the pandemic, and also starting over on the Island, the CGC connected her to her community in a way she never would have found on her own.
If you're interested in volunteering for BCF's next Community Grants Cycle, contact Debbie Kuffel at debbie@bainbridgecf.org. As Gretchen has shown, sometimes the best way to rediscover the place you grew up is to see it through an entirely new lens.
Bainbridge Gives: Join us!
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Community Grants Cycle applicants are listed below. To see full descriptions and to contribute, please visit BainbridgeGives.org.
ARTS / CULTURE / HUMANITIES
Amabile Choir
Arts & Humanities Bainbridge
Bainbridge Arts and Crafts, Inc.
Bainbridge Ballet Performance Group
Bainbridge Chorale
Bainbridge History Museum
Bainbridge Island Film Festival
Bainbridge Island Japanese American Community (BIJAC)
Bainbridge Island Japanese American Exclusion Memorial Association
Bainbridge Island Museum of Art (BIMA)
Bainbridge Island Poet Laureate Program
Bainbridge Island Youth Orchestra (BIYO)
Bainbridge Performing Arts (BPA)
Ink & Ribbon Press
Kids Discovery Museum (KiDiMu)
Kitsap Local Arts & Music (KLAM)
Ovation! Performing Arts Northwest
Rambler Arts
Suquamish Tribal Cultural Center dba Suquamish Museum
Washington Museum Association
EDUCATION
Bainbridge Artisan Resource Network (BARN)
Bainbridge Book Festival
Bainbridge High School Instrumental Music Boosters
Bainbridge Schools Foundation
Battle Point Astronomical Association
InvestED
Kitsap Regional Library Foundation
Montessori Country School (MCS)
Neurodiverse Connections
Olympic College Foundation
Pacific Model United Nations
SEA Discovery Center / WWU Foundation
Sustainable Bainbridge-The Reuse Depot
ENVIRONMENT
Bainbridge Island Land Trust
Bloedel Reserve
EcoAdapt
Friends of the Farms
IslandWood
Puget Sound Restoration Fund
ANIMAL WELFARE
Assistance Dogs Northwest (ADNW)
Happy Hooves Sanctuary
Horse Harbor Foundation
Kitsap Humane Society (KHS)
One Heart Wild
Purrfect Pals
The Place of Horses
West Sound PAWS, formerly PAWS of Bainbridge Island & North Kitsap
RECREATION
BHS Fastpitch Booster
Bainbridge Island Boys & Girls Clubs / Boys & Girls Clubs of King County
Bainbridge Island Mountain Biking Club (BIMBC)
Bainbridge Island High School Baseball Boosters
Bainbridge Island Parks & Trails Foundation
Bainbridge Island Rowing
Disabled Hikers
Friends of Bainbridge Island High School Sailing
Good Play America Foundation
West Sound Soccer Academy
PUBLIC BENEFIT
Bainbridge Prepares
Island Volunteer Caregivers
Marge Williams Center
One Call For All
Washington Poison Center (WA)
HEALTH, HOUSING, & HUMAN SERVICES
Arms Around Bainbridge
Bainbridge Island Child Care Centers (BICCC)
Bainbridge Island Senior/Community Center
Bainbridge Island Special Needs Foundation (Stephens House)
Bainbridge Youth Services
Dispute Resolution Center of Kitsap County
Early Life Speech and Language
Evergreen Goodwill of Northwest Washington
Fairy Tale TruBridge® Foundation
Give to Heal
Habitat for Humanity of Kitsap County
Helpline House
Holly Ridge Center
Housing Resources Bainbridge
Islander Mobile Home Park
Kathleen Sutton Fund
Kids In Concert
KidVantage
Kidzz Helping Kidzz
Kitsap Homes of Compassion
Kitsap Immigrant Assistance Center
Kitsap Legal Aid Services
Knights Community Hospital Equipment Lend Program (KC HELP)
North Kitsap Fishline
Peacock Family Services
Planned Parenthood Great Northwest (PPGNHAIK)
Rebuilding Hope Sexual Assault Center
Scarlet Road
South Kitsap Helpline
Teen Talking Circles
Teens in Public Service (TIPS)
Vitalize Kitsap
West Sound Treatment Center
YWCA of Kitsap County
