Last fall on a crisp October morning, I sat with 350 civic, business and community leaders at Crosscut’s Courage Awards listening to Martha Kongsgaard illustrate and define courage. In her tribute to the late Billy Frank Jr., our first Lifetime Achievement Courage Awards honoree, Martha said that “bravery is temporary; it’s a rising to an occasion not necessarily of one’s own making. It is a kind of daring, but not the enduring kind. Courage, on the other hand, is a disposition, a quality of character. It endures.”
That enduring courage is the foundation of this event. For the third year in a row, you, our readers, will nominate public figures, business leaders, artists, change makers and those working tirelessly and often unacknowledged behind the scenes. We'll alert you when the nomination process officially begins.
Meantime, mark your calendars for October 29th (7-9am) and come help us celebrate bold leadership in business, culture and public service. This third annual fundraising breakfast features a keynote address from award-winning author and journalist Tim Egan.
I’m also thrilled to announce Pacific Lutheran University as the 2015 Courage Awards Presenting Partner. In addition to joining forces with Crosscut to honor bold leadership in the Northwest, PLU joins WSU and UW as a Crosscut University Partner, helping us provide readers with the facts and analysis they need to intelligently participate in civic discourse on campus and beyond.
The Courage Awards are made possible by a team of generous table captains, sponsors and volunteers. If you’re interested in getting involved with the 2015 event, please email me at tamara.powerdrutis@crosscut.com.
See you October 29th! In the meantime, go forth and be courageous!
