This blog post is from Dr. Catherine Cushinberry, Interim CEO, United Way of King County.

A couple of weeks ago, my mother from Memphis, TN, visited me. I was fortunate to find a rental on Lake Washington, so we were able to enjoy lake views and be extremely close to the lake. While we were standing and looking at the vastness and beauty of the lake, my mom marveled at how this same lake could be seen in other parts of the area, like Rainier Beach, Mercer Island, Kirkland, and, of course, other areas of Seattle Proper.

 I told her it was large but not among the twenty largest lakes in the U.S. She looked at me and said, “Really?” I immediately knew what was coming next.

She pulled out her phone and uttered the words, “Hey Google.” She is always on a fact-finding mission and somewhere in her, she likes to challenge me. It’s part of our competitive nature.

She asked Google about the top twenty lakes in the U.S. and information about Lake Washington. She learned that it is the thirty-seventh largest lake in the United States, the second largest lake in the state of Washington, and the largest in King County.

She was amazed. From her vantage point, it was so big, and she couldn’t imagine anything being bigger. Some of her lack of knowledge was because she didn’t know enough lakes beyond the Great Lakes to have a comparison to Lake Washington. Much of her opinion was based on her perception and perspective as she stood, in that moment, by the massive body of water.

Perspective is so important. Our history, knowledge, and vantage points create what is real to us. It frames and informs us about what we understand about others and, honestly, ourselves.

The responsibility of the team at United Way of King County is to stand in the moment with clients and organizations who work proximately with diverse groups. We must see what reality is for them – what is vast, what is the largest and greatest thing impacting their lives.

We also have to be informed about how what we are doing in the moment is situated within a broader context to help us identify larger issues that are beyond what is in immediate sight and can allow us to best understand what we see and experience relative to the larger picture.

United Way of King County is often the eyes, the widened lens or gaze that our community, supporters, and partners need to bridge to understand how our service can be most impactful, not only in the immediate, but also at a macro level. It is part of our critical role in this community.

What an honor to be in this position. It is an important one.