Announcing the 2022 Placemaking Award Winner: Mary's Place
April 7, 2022 - by Sandy Vo
2022 Placemaking Award Winner:
Mary's Place
The Bellevue Downtown Association is proud to announce the 2022 Placemaking Award winner as Mary’s Place! The award recognizes individuals and organizations that have helped make Downtown Bellevue a more vibrant urban environment. It will be formally presented at the BDA's Downtown Forward event, an early-evening reception and keynote program at Meydenbauer Center on April 21.
Past award honorees include the City of Bellevue (for Meydenbauer Bay Park), the Bellevue Farmers Market, Rotary Club of Bellevue (for Inspiration Playground), and others. See all past honorees here.
Mary's Place was chosen because of their innovative solution to providing a safe shelter for women, children and families coming out of homelessness. In December of 2021, Mary's Place found an opportunity to use a former hotel, Silver Cloud Inn, as a temporary shelter in Downtown Bellevue. Since opening, they've provided resources, housing, employment services, and hope to the Bellevue community. The emergency shelter supports 200 family members with roughly 90 rooms and community space.
Marty Hartman, executive director at Mary’s Place, said they are "standing in the gap" from the moment a family worries about losing their home to getting assistance or a new home.
“When a family loses their home, they shouldn’t lose their community," Hartman said. "We’re meeting families where they are, bringing them inside to warmth and safety, providing housing and wellness resources, children’s programming and a community they can trust.”
Now through May 12, Mary’s Place is hosting dream Big, a spring fundraising campaign to raise critical funds to keep families in their homes and to operate emergency family shelters. Thanks to the generosity of Amazon, gifts will be matched dollar-for-dollar up to one million dollars. The campaign will conclude with a large event on May 12 at Fisher Pavilion at the Seattle Center.
Join us in celebrating Mary's Place at Downtown Forward on April 21! Enjoy live music, creative appetizers and a no host bar while connecting with city builders who are shaping Downtown Bellevue's future. Register today!
