Julie Lewis explains why she partnered with CfC…Julie is proud to partner with Construction for Change to oversee 30/30 Project funds and all construction management of healthcare facilities worldwide. Rather than create her own nonprofit organization, she felt strongly that CfC, a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization founded in Seattle in 2007, was the best organization to execute the mission and legacy for the 30/30 Project.Serving as a volunteer on CfC’s executive leadership team for the last three years, Julie is very familiar with the organization. CfC empowers nonprofit organizations and local governments by helping them build basic, yet quality infrastructure – from clinics to schools to community centers – that lasts at least 30 years. Julie joined CfC because she wanted to work with a grassroots, volunteer-based group that aspires to create a more sustainable approach to construction and development in low-income countries. She aligns with their community-centered model that partners with local entities to run the facility, employs local workers, emphasizes local capacity building, and utilizes native building materials on every project they help to build. At the same time, she also loves the fact that CfC gives professional volunteers – from engineers to science teachers (like herself) – the opportunity to volunteer their energy and talents to empower communities worldwide and affect global change on the local level.Julie plays a strategic role in CfC’s day-to-day operations – she oversees the Global Partnership Development team with Jenny Koenig of Studio JKoe. Together, they select our project partners on a biannual basis. She says that this experience has helped her to undersand all of the innovative and inspiring ways that community-based organizations were addressing poverty and how infrastructure (provided by CfC) can help fill the gap. This is especially true when providing quality healthcare and HIV/AIDS prevention and treatment measures to low-income populations.The launch of the 30/30 Project was a long time in the making and an important life decision for Julie, made possible by the love and support of her friends and family. She believes CfC plays an important role and is honored to be working with them to build quality healthcare facilities on a global scale. We’ll start in Malawi working with Partners in Health and then see how far we can take this…Julie Lewis will be the Keynote Speaker at Construction for Change’s 6th Annual Banquet on May 15, 2014.