By : Belle Bennett
Every year at this time we proudly honor someone who is special to Insights, either for their personal accomplishments or for their outstanding support of our agency. This year, on behalf of Insights' Board and staff, Diane and I are proud to present Insights "Inspiration Award" to Mr. Tobey Chadsey for his outstanding support of our work with young parent families.
Tobey came to Insights by way of a Tri-met bus ride, which some might call one of life's little accidents, but like me, Tobey believes there are no accidents, only opportunities! On a Friday morning in 2004, Tobey's wife Jaynee dropped him off at the mechanics shop to pick up his MG. As she drove away, Tobey went to the door which was locked. He looked inside and it was dark. So he quickly called Jaynee's cell-phone but it was turned it off. Tobey stood there for a moment, considering his options and decided he'd walk the several blocks to the nearest bus stop - a transportation option he's admitted to not using in years. When he got on, Tobey asked the driver if the bus would be going anywhere near Clackamas Community College? The driver's curt reply was, "Yeah, and I hope you brought along a good book."
Tobey took a seat and settled in for a long quiet ride home but soon noticed that he was sharing the bus ride with some very young moms and their babies. We all know that there isn't much privacy on the bus, so he couldn't help but overhear what they were talking about: they were sharing intimate and personal details about their lives as young mothers, about their relationships and problems, and about how hard it was to be a parent.
Tobey didn't get his MG that day, but he learned some new things about the daily lives of some women and children that he'd never really given much thought to. And as he listened, rather than feeling judgmental or angry, Tobey felt sad. He got off the bus, and went home wondering if anyone was helping those moms and children. He didn't know the answer, but he knew that if he could, he wanted to help make the lives of such families a little better. Tobey did some research and discovered Insights.
Since his accidental bus ride, Tobey has donated $11,000 to Insights, through his family trust, The Antrim Charitable Trust at the Seattle Foundation. His grants have paid for many things, including our youth development program, YPCI, which is run by young parents who want to give back to the community; his dollars have purchased new items for the children we serve and for our childcare room, and last month, Tobey's Trust granted Insights $5,000 dollars for general support of our agency.
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