Staff

Executive Director

Monica Peabody is the proud mother of an incredible daughter born in 1990. A single mother shortly after her daughter’s birth, she got to experience our society’s lack of support and disrespect for single mothers first hand. A committed breast-feeder, Monica was made to feel even that was an act of defiance by many of those around her.

Raising a child during the passage of welfare reform made an avid activist of Monica. She became a member of the Welfare Rights Organizing Coalition (WROC) in 1990, joined the policy committee in 1992. She lobbied her legislators, even picketed Slade Gorton’s front lawn. When she moved to Olympia from Seattle in 1995, she was shocked to discover there was no welfare rights organization. After multiple conversations with parents who were being told they had to quit college and go find low-wage work, they started organizing and held their first welfare rights meeting in Olympia in 1997. A young woman Monica knew, Jade Souza, provided the childcare.

In 1998, this group of committed parents was offered office space by the First Christian Church and meeting space by the First United Methodist Church, and launched the South Sound Chapter of WROC, the Welfare Rights Organizing Coalition. Monica served as a VISTA volunteer for two years, and was able to organize full time to build the organization. She organized meetings with parents from Vancouver to Aberdeen to Tacoma. Although the VISTA stipend is considered poverty wages, it was twice her welfare grant.

WROC hired Monica in 2000 as a full time community organizer and paid her a living wage with benefits! In 2007, WROC members asked her to help them start a new organization so they could continue WROC’s important work, when they could not come to an agreement about the future of WROC with the 4-member WROC Board. POWER came into being in June of 2007, by November, thanks to their voracious fund-raising and the support of the larger community, the POWER Board was able to offer Monica a salary and asked her to be POWER’s Executive Director. Jade Souza was POWER’s Board President.

When not working, Monica loves hanging out with her family and friends and playing in her old-time bands, Deaf Lester and Yodelady. She drives as little as possible, preferring the bus and her trusty bicycle.

Americorps

Rebecca Eaton Wyllie de Echeverria began working with POWER though the childcare collective in the Winter of 2009. She was interested in this project because after leaving the small community she grew up in she realized that it is difficult to become a part of a multigenerational community, and she missed hanging out with kids.    While attending the Evergreen State College, Rebecca studied book arts, poetry and social justice. She was drawn to the school because of its interdisciplinary nature and thinks it is very important discover the creativity in every structure and draw connections between the work we all do. During her 5 years in Olympia Rebecca has worked with the Women's Resource Center at Evergreen, Books to Prisoners, The Counterpoint Journal, the Evergreen Queer Alliance and Gateways for Incarcerated Youth.   Though writing and listening, Rebecca attempts to find the stories behind people's actions and link these actions to a larger system of privilege and oppression. She thinks people need to tell stories as often as possible and find commonalities in our shared experience. She is dedicated to developing her skills as a popular educator and poet by using art to discover the truths in the world and develop plans of actions. Rebecca sees the work of POWER as instrumental to cultivating the kind of movement necessary for our survival.   Outside of work Rebecca loves to make books, play music and ride her bike whenever possible. She also likes the rain, sailing and climbing trees.

Development Director

Jade Souza is a lifelong Olympia resident and longtime community activist. She is self-employed as a labor and postpartum doula with MotherLove Doula Services. She has worked with many organizations in Olympia including POWER, Safeplace, Community Youth Services, Bread and Roses, Olympia Friends Meeting, Olympia Free School, and the Birth Attendants Prison Doula Project. She lives with her partner Jared and three children Stella, Ezra, and Solace. Mothering is her hardest job and greatest happiness.

Community Jobs

Angie Kelly My name is Angie, and I have lived in Olympia since 2001. Over these years, I have called on the advice and advocacy of WROC/POWER on many occasions and over the last few months have been doing some in office advocacy for other POWER members. When I first heard of WROC, I was as surprised and excited as my first semester of college when I learned about Women’s Studies! I just had no idea that something so important and empowering existed – something that resonated so strongly with me.

I am a single mother of 1 teen and 2 toddlers, and I am so appreciative of the value POWER places on mothering. I am driven by social justice and anti-oppression work and would be proud to serve a year on the board to further the mission of POWER.

Evergreen Work Study

Laura Studebaker is the mother of two wonderful, creative school aged children. She discovered POWER soon after moving to Olympia WA, to continue her bachelors degree at The Evergreen State College, in spring of 2009. She had moved from the Chicago area where she grew up and continued to  live there into her mid twenties  until moving to Pacific Northwest. She was thrilled to find a welfare rights organization that shared many of her beliefs regarding parenting and low income organizing. She is grateful for the knowledge, empowerment, and encouragement she received from POWER members and advocates while navigating Washington's welfare system. She has learned a wealth of knowledge and the "system" while self advocating and advocating for others while working for POWER. Besides sometimes taking and working on advocacy calls she also fliers for events, and assists with office work. As a mother she deeply appreciates being a part of a workplace that is welcoming of children and sensitive to the needs of mothers.

She hopes to continue with POWER as a work study student (work study grant willing) until she graduates from Evergreen in 2012 with a focus in social justice and human services. During the 2010-2011 school year she has been involved in the gateways for incarcerated youth college class.  After earning her BA she is looking towards earning a Masters in Social work. She hopes in the future to continue working with low income mothers, children and youth. She believes families and communities are strongest when parents are well rested, supported and able to care for their own children to the best of their abilities. In her "free time" Laura enjoys hanging out with her partner and children, especially outdoors, exploring and enjoying the amazing scenery of the Pacific Northwest, reading and knitting.

Kara-Liv Anderson first got involved with POWER back in 2005, when it was still WROC (Welfare Rights Organizing Coalition), during her first year at Evergreen and living in Olympia. She wanted to get involved with a local grassroots organization working on poverty issues, and was immediately won over by the shared leadership and genuine compassion of the organization. She did not know a whole lot about the history of welfare rights and policy, but dove right in, did whatever she could, and has not looked back since.

Kara grew up with a family that has been dedicated to working with poverty issues around the world, which gave her the heart to get involved and give back to her community at an early age. As a low-income student and person, she has been grateful for the help of student aid grants and loans that have allowed her to get an education, and have put food on the table through food stamps. For the past year she has been fully engaged with POWER through internships, volunteering, and WorkStudy. She is currently a WorkStudy student and volunteer, having started as an intern. She will be graduating Evergreen this spring with a Bachelor of Arts in community studies/social work and languages. As someone who plans on continuing her life’s work in social justice work, being here at POWER has been an incredible and inspiring experience.

When Kara is not working at POWER, she is either studying as a full time student, working her other job (Traditions Cafe!) or trying to get out in the world, in any way she can. She recently married the best man ever, who has helped keep her sane through unconditional love, support, and delicious meals. She loves to go camping, hiking, mushroom hunting, listening to great live music, and traveling anywhere she can.