Washington Area Women's Foundation

New Office for Washington Area Women's Foundation

Moving 2012 005As I walked through our now vacant space one last time at 1411 K Street, it made me stop and think about what that space meant to our organization over the last seven years, and what our move to a new space means for us at this moment in our history. Without all of our furniture, cabinets, staff, and – for lack of a better word – stuff in it, the space at 1411 K Street suddenly felt huge, when just a few days before we could barely maneuver around the packing crates piled high. As I closed the door on our old office and walked the two blocks to our new one at 1331 H Street, I could understand what the founders of this organization must have felt when they opened the very first Washington Area Women’s Foundation office: new possibilities, a sense of excitement and optimism, and a big step forward.

As we continue to orient ourselves in our new office layout, it’s clear what this move means to us as an organization. There’s the practical: our old office had become very cramped and frankly uncomfortable, while our new space is bright, airy and has room for us to grow. But there’s also the philosophical and aspirational: our move into this building feels like the right thing at the right time. The new space gives us a new perspective and a fresh start at the same time as we are rolling out our new strategic plan and vision for the future. It represents how far we have come as an organization, who we are now, and what we hope to be.

So as we unpack our last crates this week, I truly believe that this move will only enhance our ability to focus clear-eyed and with determination on the critical issues facing women and girls in our region.

I look forward to welcoming you at our new offices in the coming months. If you’re in our neighborhood, please feel free to stop by!

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Toasting our new office
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Board members Rachel Kronowitz & Cathy Isaacson
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Our new reception area

Nicky Goren is president of Washington Area Women’s Foundation.