Ethan and Angela Stowell, co-founders of Ethan Stowell Restaurants, are celebrating 10 years since opening their first restaurant here in Seattle. They’ve also been celebrating our community at United Way events all over King County. They’re moving quickly and getting a lot done. We recently caught up with them (a little out of breath over here) for their views on their campaign year so far.

Q: What have been your top moments so far?

A: Ethan: Speaking with United Way’s Emerging Leaders in the fall has been a highlight. There’s so much energy in the group that you can’t help but feel fueled by it. Angela: Meeting with other Champions, learning their passions and expertise, and sharing the wins with donors has been huge. So has getting to do new fun events, like planning our summer 2018 celebration with Macklemore. Trying new things to encourage new people to get involved is very rewarding.

Q: We often hear people say “I don’t know where to start” regarding issues facing our community and nation. How have you been responding?

A: This feeling of helplessness is common. We have a lot of work to do in our community. That’s not to say that organizations like United Way aren’t making a lot of progress on highly visible issues like homelessness. That progress should be celebrated—and propelled forward.

We tell people the truth: Our community has big goals. We have big goals as United Way campaign chairs. But we see our community as a team. We all have different roles to play regarding what we’re passionate about and how we feel most pulled to help. And helping is easy because the work United Way’s doing is so brag-worthy! Let’s keep educating our friends and family. Let’s influence people in positive ways. All progress is a win, especially with issues like the homelessness crisis.

Q: What do Ethan Stowell Restaurants’ employees think of your year as campaign chairs?

A: We’ve heard our employees feel proud to work for such a community-minded company. They like the message it’s sending—that we care about our business as well as the community in which we’re doing that business. We recognize that business and community work take a team effort, and we’re loving that aspect of this year.

Thank you, Ethan and Angela Stowell, for leading our campaign!

Want to meet the Stowells yourself? Want to ask them about homelessness or high school graduation rates? Check out our upcoming United Way Champions events for ways to plug in.