While the Emerald is on winter break, we're sharing profiles of some of our monthly Rainmaker donors.
When Alexandra Chrysanthis and her husband moved to Seattle from Las Vegas six years ago, she was looking for a way to connect with her new community.
"My experience is that the word 'community' is rather overused," says Chrysanthis, who relocated to Seattle to be closer to her daughter and now lives on South Beacon Hill. "I like to use it with a very broad stroke — all the people I might cross paths with when I take a walk, going to the store, or going to the market."
The South Seattle Emerald has helped her do just that. The publication gives her and her husband information about events, art, food, and neighborhoods they might not encounter on their own.
"Most recently, we went to an international event in the park off of Othello. We also financially supported T'Challaween, and we go to all of the different parks and museums [the Emerald has] mentioned."
And it's not just the art and events that draw them to the Emerald. Chrysanthis says she thinks of the publication as having "three types of articles": ones that are "hard" about "homelessness," "the cost of living," hardship and violence; the "easy" ones, about openings and exciting events.
But Chrysanthis really appreciates "the middle-of-the-road ones."
And it's why she became a Rainmaker.
"That middle-of-the-road stuff makes me think, 'What should I do?' "Maybe I can give a donation or stand in a booth. Write a letter. It gives me a chance to respond in a responsible way. Not just screaming and yelling and feeling depressed all of the time."
The Emerald helps her feel like there is a way for her to get involved and channel some of her frustration about inequity and class disparity, something she noticed followed them from the "Casino-moguls" of Las Vegas to the "Dot.commers" of Seattle.
And she encourages others to let the Emerald "hit a chord" with them and to become a supporter.
"Everybody has their own personal struggles … I don't donate a lot because we're retired and have a mortgage … But I have to support this organization."
Support nonprofit media serving the communities of South Seattle by becoming a monthly Emerald Rainmaker here.
Sarah Stuteville is a co-founder of the Seattle Globalist and a mental health counselor. She sits on the South Seattle Emerald's Board of Directors.
Help keep BIPOC-led, community-powered journalism free — become a Rainmaker today.