OPINION | From Cynthia A. Green: Thank You to My Community

by Cynthia A. Green

Sept. 6 commemorates Cynthia A. Green Day in South King County's Skyway community. For nearly two decades, Cynthia Green served as the operations manager for the then West Hill Family Center. However, she meant monumentally more to the community than that title suggests. Transcending her position, Cynthia functioned as the last line of defense for community members facing eviction and utility shutoffs, provided counsel to domestic violence survivors, helped former gang members transition to better lives, and served as a trusted sounding board to countless community members who sought out her guidance.

In 2014 the West Hill Family Center was renamed the Cynthia A. Green Center in her honor.

—introduction by Marcus Harrison Green

Today, I am grateful and thankful to the West Hill/Skyway community, Larry Gossett who was my councilmember of District 2 at the time, and the Metropolitan King County Council for making Cynthia Ann Green Day possible on September 6, 2014. I am grateful and thankful to Richard Brooks, executive director at that time of RAYS and the RAYS Board/staff, and the Westhill/Skyway community for naming the Family Center the Cynthia Ann Green Family Center. Without the opportunity to serve the people for 18 years at that time, this day would not exist.

I give special thanks to Jon Gould, chief community impact & government relations officer, and the Child Haven Board who now owns the center but continues to honor me with my name on their building.

The proclamation from the Metropolitan King County Council mentions my legacy of love, giving, and service which I strive to continue to do. I want this day to be more than just a day to have my ego boosted. I want it to be remembered as we go forward as a time spent honoring people from within King County regardless of their culture, race, religion, age, and sex.

I have spent many hours and months meditating on how I can make this day into a day to remember. Because of the stories I hear constantly, I realize that there are many individuals living with and through extreme circumstances but choose not to give up, give in, be bitter, cruel, destructive, or filled with hate, but want to contribute however they can to make their community and the world a better place. I realize that many are demonstrating my legacy of love, giving, and service regardless of their situation.

Beginning September 2023 and each year afterward, on Cynthia Ann Green Day my family will join me in honoring an individual or individuals from King County whose life speaks to my legacy.

Thank you, to many of you, for your continued encouragement, love, and support.

—Cynthia

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Cynthia A. Green is a lifelong South Seattleite. She currently works as a kinship care navigator for Catholic Community Services, helping King County kinship caregivers (including grandparents, aunts, uncles, siblings, and others caring for family members' children when circumstances prevent their parents from caring for them) find resources and support. Cynthia is also a volunteer tutor with the Lake Washington Youth Tutoring Program. Extremely modest, she will never tell you that the Cynthia A. Green Family Center in Skyway is named after her.

Featured Image: (Photo: Sound Publishing with editing by the Emerald team.)