Submitted by Megan Ehrmantraut for OCRC.

The Orcas Community Resource Center is proud to introduce Patricia Benton, as our new Board Chair. Patricia and her husband, Bruce, moved to Orcas full time two years ago after enjoying the island on a part time basis since 2016. Her education and experience bring a blend of management, financial and partnership building skills to the OCRC Board Chair position.

Patricia believes it takes working together as a village to thrive. We all face challenges and need support at one time or another in our lives. What would happen to those at risk in our community if safety nets weren’t available? While observing OCRC staff bring a hot meal and a sleeping bag to a client in the courtyard, Patricia thought to herself, “That young person in need could be MY son or daughter, and IS someone’s son or daughter.” Patricia cares about OCRC’s mission of helping islanders in need and is excited to serve as our Board Chair.

Patricia takes up the torch from Diane Berreth, having served since 2019, as her term as Board Chair comes to a close. OCRC is infinitely grateful to Diane as she has been a pillar of strength throughout these unprecedented times. Diane has guided our organization triumphantly through a major growth in both services and staff to meet the needs of our community. Diane’s heartfelt and talented contributions to OCRC go beyond measure!

The next time you see Patricia and Diane, please say hello and extend a big thank you for their service to our community. We couldn’t do what we do without great leadership! If you’d like to learn more about OCRC and our services, please click the link below. Thank you for your support!