We are delighted to announce that BAAY has been awarded a 2024-2025 Education First Grant from WECU! The Education First program is an expression of WECU’s commitment to making a meaningful difference in our community, a commitment they fulfill in part by supporting work of educational nonprofits throughout Whatcom and Skagit Counties. It’s an honor to be recognized this year along with our fellow recipients: Whatcom Literacy Council, Skagit Preschool and Resource Center, and the Economic Development Alliance of Skagit County’s Startup School.
BAAY’s Executive Director Juliette Machado (right) and Development Director Anna Evans (left) at the WECU Education First award ceremony.
WECU’s generous support will provide BAAY with $40,000 over two years, helping to ensure that we have the resources we need to continue to make our programs accessible for all students. This also comes at a time when our costs are rising and requests for tuition assistance are at an all-time high. This is the second time BAAY has been fortunate to receive an Education First award from WECU. The first grant, in 2019-2020, was aimed at capacity building. That award helped us re-design our website and hire our first ever Development Director, both of which proved instrumental in BAAY’s survival during the COVID shutdown.
We are so incredibly grateful for their continued support — THANK YOU, WECU!!! For more information, visit wecu.com/educationfirst.