Seattle, I love you
Five days in a great American city.
We had a blast this week in Seattle.
Lauren gave a talk on Wednesday at the 2025 Woodmark Summit, which was held from May 6 to May 8, at the Seattle Westin. Organized by The Woodmark Group, this annual event is a national educational conference geared towards mid- to senior-level fundraising professionals in pediatric healthcare. The summit focuses on sharing best practices, with content developed and delivered by members to ensure practical relevance to day-to-day challenges in children's health philanthropy. Lauren’s work leading Red for Our Kids, Riley Children’s Hospital’s premiere annual fundraising event, earned her a trip out here to talk about building the event and share her expertise.
I was able to sneak in to her panel, despite her demanding several times (and in no uncertain terms) that I not show up.
She absolutely rocked it. Seriously. It was a panel of three presentations: a children’s hospital in Atlanta, one from Cleveland, and then Lauren’s presentation about Red. The other presentations were fine, but you could just tell the energy in the room shifted when Lauren got up to speak as the third and final presenter.
I’ve been in higher education nearly a quarter century, so I’ve seen a lot of presentations: good, bad, ugly, sometimes an unholy combination of all three. Lauren’s was fresh, well-articulated, energetic, and at times hilarious. I have never been so proud.
This year’s event attracted approximately 400 attendees, providing a platform for networking, learning, and collaboration among professionals dedicated to advancing philanthropy for children's health.
For the rest of this post, I’ll give my fingers a break and just post some pics. Enjoy!
