SWACH and SWEC Host Legislative Wrap-Up Block Party

On May 16, SWACH and the Southwest Washington Equity Coalition (SWEC) hosted a block party in downtown Vancouver to celebrate the close of the 2025 legislative session.

Held behind the SWACH office at 311 W. 11th Street, the event brought together community members, partners, and advocates who contributed to legislative efforts throughout the year. With food, music, and a relaxed outdoor setting, the event gave space to reflect on the work accomplished and build momentum for what comes next.

“It was intended to be a session wrap up celebration; celebrating our wins and being in community with advocates and citizens who are most impacted by changes,” said Heather Sheppard, SWACH’s Equity and Collaborative Impact Manager. “Recognizing all the hard work everyone put in is important for momentum building. Next year’s advocacy session is right around the corner.”

Throughout the 2025 session, SWACH’s Equity and Collaborative Impact (ECI) team and its partners focused on community-driven priorities like housing, mental health, Tribal rights, and access to care. The block party created an opportunity to reconnect, celebrate those efforts, and highlight the value of advocacy rooted in lived experience.

“Bringing community members together to build relationships is the foundation of all of our work,” said Sheppard. “Working with and for community means being in community – that is the center of both our organization’s work, mission, and values.”

Choosing to host a block party wasn’t just about logistics—it was an intentional act of community recognition.

“It’s especially important to celebrate the wins when working in policy,” Sheppard added. “Advocacy and community organizing is really hard and can be emotionally taxing, whether there are wins or not. Celebrating each other, the dedication each of us put in, and the fact that everyone came together for a common cause is sometimes the best part of this work.”

One of the highlights of the event? Simply being in the moment together.

“I loved being able to relax, laugh, listen to music, and eat delicious food with the people I care about,” said Sheppard. “Looking back, seeing all the smiles and laughter – even dancing – brought a lot of joy to everyone. Shaun, our DJ, was so awesome – he really set the vibe for us.”

The event also included outreach about further opportunities, such as Community Care Collaborative (C3) recruitment. For those who couldn’t attend but want to stay connected:

Please reach out to Heather at heather.sheppard@southwestach.org, Dominique at dominique.horn@southwestach.org from SWACH, or Alondra at SWEC, aabregoviveros@swecwa.org

SWACH also has a listserv for our advocacy updates, fill out Community Care Collaborative’s interest form if you want to get more involved in advocacy efforts, and keep an eye on our newsletter for our latest happenings.