The challenges of the past two years have changed the way we live, the way we work, and the way we show up for each other. They have also given us a rare chance to collectively reimagine our future. Through the Reimagine Seattle Storytelling Project we invite community members to reflect on their current experiences in Seattle, how they have been impacted by recent events, and their hopes for the future of our city.

Storytelling from Chief Seattle Club & Sara Thomas

At Chief Seattle Club we use a “Story First” model because the stories of lived experience help us to understand the barriers that exist and how we can help on the path to wellness. 

In the video below, Sara Thomas shares her story of overcoming addiction, incarceration, and homelessness to help others in her community do the same. Now a Staff Member at Eagle Village, our first housing project and the first modular housing project in King County, Sara says her biggest job is to protect our members. Around the 6:30 mark, Sara reiterates the importance of hearing the stories of Elders. She imagines a Seattle future where the stories of elders who have lived through boarding schools or the military are honored and where their stories are kept for the next generation and valued for their wisdom and their ability to heal others where they are in their story. 

Chief Seattle Club is a 501(c)(3) registered organization dedicated to physically and spiritually supporting American Indian and Alaska Native people. Chief Seattle Club is a human service agency that provides basic needs for their members, many of whom are experiencing homelessness. Over 90,000 meals are served every year and members can access quality nursing care, mental health providers, chemical dependency professionals, and traditional healing practices. Native people in urban areas face unique challenges and Chief Seattle Club embraces the cultures, languages, and traditions of American Indians and Alaska Natives as the primary method for healing and transformation.

Submissions for the Reimagine Seattle Storytelling Project were commissioned by the Seattle Department of Neighborhoods. The opinions expressed and information contained in each submission do not necessarily reflect the policies, plans, beliefs, conclusions, or ideas, of the City of Seattle.