Donate
If you would like to honor Michelle’s memory, consider donating to one of the following charities:
Charities
The Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society (HIAS)
Originally set up by Jews to help fellow Jews for reasons of religious imperative and communal solidarity, HIAS in the 2020s is a multi-continent, multi-pronged humanitarian aid and advocacy organization with thousands of employees dedicated to helping forcibly displaced persons around the world in keeping with the organization’s Jewish ethical roots.
Coyote Central
Since its founding in 1986, Coyote Central has built the creativity and self-awareness of over 17,000 middle-school youth of diverse races, economic backgrounds, family situations, and neighborhoods. Coyote is unique among Seattle nonprofits in focusing exclusively on early adolescence, when kids are first starting to figure out who they are and what they want to do in the world. As they learn the skills and tools of creative mediums, they realize their own capabilities and passions. Coyote teaching artists, who are all professionals in their field, model the dedication and perseverance of their creative professions and give youth a sense of what it means to make a career of creativity.
The David Lynch Foundation
The David Lynch Foundation helps to prevent and eradicate the all-pervasive epidemic of trauma and toxic stress among at-risk populations through promoting widespread implementation of the evidence-based Transcendental Meditation® (TM) program in order to improve their health, cognitive capabilities and performance in life. In 2005, we started the David Lynch Foundation for Consciousness-Based Education and World Peace to ensure that every child anywhere in the world who wanted to learn to meditate could do so. Now, the Foundation is actively teaching TM to adults and children in countries everywhere.
How are we able to do it? Because of the generosity of foundations and philanthropists and everyday people who want to ease the suffering of others—and who want to help create a better world.
If you don’t already meditate, take my advice: Start. It will be the best decision you ever make.
The American Cancer Society
The American Cancer Society is a nationwide voluntary health organization dedicated to eliminating cancer. Established in 1913, the society is organized into six geographical regions of both medical and lay volunteers operating in more than 250 Regional offices throughout the United States.
Save The Music
Save The Music is a nonprofit organization dedicated to helping kids, schools, and communities realize their full potential through the power of making music.
826 National
826 National is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization that is dedicated to supporting students and educators in youth writing education. We believe that every student in every classroom should have the access to the power and joy of writing, no matter what classroom they sit in. At 826 National, we further the writing education landscape by creating more access to better writing education and more platforms to amplify student voices.
Michelle's Legacy
Michelle loved to promote the arts and had a profound affection for visual art, music, and literature. She always had a song to share or book to lend to friends, family, and acquaintances. She collaborated on projects in her community: promoting local poets, artists and makers. Michelle had a weekly practice of shared art projects with friends and family creating paintings, drawings and ceramic pieces shared across the country.
As a professional artist, Michelle specialized in the mediums of ceramics, illustration, paint, and graphic design. She established herself as a skilled graphic designer working at Whole Foods Market, NutPods and Microsoft. She also had an in-demand freelance practice, where she took on creative projects for independent small businesses and start-ups.
Michelle had a deep passion for domestic and international travel and enjoyed exploring the Pacific Northwest with Wesley, visiting friends and family across North America, and seeking out new adventures abroad. She coupled that passion with her dedication to public service and journeyed to Ghana and Thailand to service communities in need.