Our Vision
Transforming the Yakima Valley
Our Vision is of a Thriving Community in our Yakima Valley with Strong Leaders and Vibrant Organizations collectively engaged in transformative action to achieve the Common Good.
Our Mission
Our Mission is to achieve the Common Good through listening and building relationships, strengthening our local voice, empowering, and developing leadership among the most impacted, and engaging the diversity of our community in effective, collective action for systemic change.
Our Values
- We listen to one another.
- We relish our interconnectedness.
- We work patiently, inspiring hope in the arc of the moral universe bent toward justice.
- We educate ourselves, do research and deepen our understanding to effectively address issues.
- We embrace Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion.
- We honor the everyday champions of change in our community.
- We want full participation in our democracy, especially among the most impacted.
- We protect and restore Human Dignity.
- We live and act in ways that transform our community.
Our Current Work
Between the Ridges Alliance for the Common Good is organizing in the Yakima Valley around multiple issues with many partners. For example, we sponsored a Training on the Foundations of Community Organizing in the Fall of 2023. See below for comments from attendees about the tremendous value of this training. Our Annual Yakima Advocacy Day brings together a diversity of community organizations to advocate for local and state public policy around a range of issues including environmental justice, mental health, immigration, youth engagement and more. Watch our events calendar for our next Advocacy Day coming up. We joined other local and statewide partners in successfully defeating I-2117 that would have dismantled the essential work of WA state’s Climate Commitment Act. In January 2025 we co-sponsored a Defense Against Deportation Community Listening and Mobilizing Event attended by a 100 people from the diversity of our community throughout our Yakima Valley. This work continues as we work with many partners to help organize working groups around strategies to stand in solidarity with our immigrant community.
Alliance for the Common Good Organizational Partners
Individual Donors
We appreciate the generous donations from these individual donors in support of the formation of the Alliance for the Common Good:
Andrew Whitmont
Betty Van Ryder
Blaine & Preciosa Tamaki Foundation
Charles Forster and Joan Jacobs
Charley Mulvey
Cheryl Martin
Coleen Anderson
Danielle Surkatty
Elise Degooyer
Janet Louise Kincaid
Jeffery and Lucy Stevens
Joy E McKinney
Lana Dee Barnes
Lucy Valderhaug
Michele Nelson & Tim Janke
Philip and Gean Dindia
Ray Yates
Rev. David Hacker
Susan Kaphammer
William Jacobs
Participants Share their Feedback on the
Foundations of Community Organizing Training
Held September, 2023
“I love to see how passionate people are about many different injustices that can all intertwine somehow. Sometimes it feels like being pessimistic is the only answer because of these injustices, but working together can get things done.”
“Solid principles to build a strong foundation for community organizing. Yakima would greatly benefit from an alliance such as this!”
“My hope is a coalition of many organizations to work for the common good, for the people and by the people would form in the Yakima Valley.”
“This is an amazing concept that I think would benefit my organization as well as the community.”
“Thank you for inspiring me to stretch my mind! Exciting possibilities!”
“I feel inspired, empowered, and ready to make change happen in our community.”
“Very informative, with a deeper sense of me communicating with others as a better community leader and person.”
“Excellent. clear, informative, engaging, good modeling of teamwork, passion and respect. Exceeded Expectations!”
