A message from Cyndy Knight, Executive Director
Dear WWVDN families and supporters,
As you will see in the announcement below, I am stepping down from the role of Executive Director. This has not happened without much thought and consideration. The Walla Walla Valley Disability Network is near and dear to my heart, and representative of my life's best work.
As a mother of a 20 year old daughter with Down syndrome I knew the day was drawing near when I would be assuming her full-time care when the school bus stops coming. This next year may be the one year of "retirement" that I will have in my life as her caregiver (she will be in the STEP Program for one more year), and I feel I would regret not taking this time. As parents, we understand this impending "cliff", the importance of part-time jobs to full-time caregivers, and the need for parents to feel supported.
I will dearly miss working with the WWVDN Dream Team of Staff and Board of Directors. The Parent to Parent program has been the friend I have needed as a caregiver, and we are so very lucky to have Angie Witt (P2P Coordinator) and Ysabel Fuentes (Hispanic Outreach Coordinator) connecting parents to needed resources and support under the WWVDN umbrella. Shamra Baez has brought WWVDN to the next level of connection with the creation and administering of the robust, incredible WWVDN website, wwvdn.org. As parents we know that our need for information does not often fit in business hours. Having the information so easy to access on the website has been a game-changer for the Network. The SOAR program was launched last Fall, and has been highly successful due to the creative efforts of Tash Foxe, offering a weekly social activity for teens and adults with disabilities.
This is all to say, WW Valley Disability Network is unique and matters to the over 500 families in our community raising children/adults with disabilities. The Network has allowed families to dream big, and collaborate to find solutions for inclusion. This Network will continue to meet the needs of families because families are the focus. Thank you for this opportunity to build a more inclusive community for individuals with intellectual/developmental disabilities. My daughter and others with I/DD now have a place of belonging, and for that, I am very proud. Thank you for this chance to make a difference.
Respectfully,
Cyndy Knight
From the WWVDN Board of Directors...
After nine plus years of dedication to the Walla Walla Valley Disability Network, Cynthia (Cyndy) E. Knight is resigning as Executive Director July 26, 2023.
The Board and WWVDN families are going to miss Cyndy as the vivacious face of the nonprofit. However, knowing she wants to spend more time with family, we understand her need to resign. She’ll be missed but understand close by to help.
Summer 2014 three mothers of children with disabilities sat around a kitchen table and had a dream. Walla Walla Valley Disability Network (WWVDN) was the outcome of their dream becoming a 501(3) nonprofit incorporated in 2014. Cyndy Knight was hired as the first Executive Director in January 2017.
Through Cyndy’s guidance WWVDN started with two staff members, three volunteers and a board of directors. The mission to improve the quality of life for individuals with disabilities and their families through community inclusion and support has been her passion and gracious duty ever since.
Cyndy, leading her capable and caring staff: Shamra Baez, Website Administrator/Executive Assistant; Angie Witt, Parent to Parent Coordinator/Transitional Specialist; Ysabel Fuentes, Parent to Parent Hispanic Outreach Coordinator; and Tash Foxe, SOAR coordinator has brought the programs (support, information, recreational and social) from numbering 14 in 2014 to 278 in 2022. Amazing growth and interest in their families!
WWVDN Staff and Board of Directors is going to miss Cyndy but wish her the very best.
As of June 1, 2023, the WWVDN Board will be accepting applications for Executive Director. Please email cover letter and resume to Shannon.Bergevin@ExpressPros.com.
