Honoring Leadership and Welcoming New Beginnings
After nine years of dedicated service, Safe Crossings Foundation bids a heartfelt farewell to our Executive Director, Karen Schrantz, who stepped down from her role this summer. Karen’s visionary leadership and steadfast commitment to grieving children and their families have left a profound and lasting legacy.
Since joining the Foundation in 2016, Karen has expanded the scope and reach of our services while fostering a compassionate, inclusive community of care.
Under her guidance, Safe Crossings Foundation has:
Grown from supporting a small number of program partners to ten, including the Safe Crossings Program and Camp Erin, now collectively serving thousands of children annually.
Prioritized equity and inclusion by offering programs in Spanish and Somali and launching both Youth and Young Professionals Advisory Councils.
Piloted and funded innovative initiatives such as Wild Grief, Diaspora Family Healing Network, bilingual grief hikes in partnership with Seattle Children’s, and regional grief curriculum kits for schools.
Expanded community education and outreach through the NW Conference on Childhood Grief, public webinars, community events, family art activities, and resource toolkits.
We are immensely grateful for all Karen has contributed, and we look forward to building upon the strong foundation she helped create.
As we begin the search for our next permanent Executive Director, we are pleased to announce that David Cook, M.P.A., M.Ed., will serve as our Interim Executive Director, effective August 4. David brings deep nonprofit and philanthropic experience through roles at IslandWood, the Gates Foundation, and most recently, Nia Tero. He is also a longtime volunteer with Camp Erin and a dedicated Safe Crossings Foundation Board Member.
David’s personal connection to our mission, as a father of two and advocate for compassionate grief support, makes him an ideal leader to guide us through this transition.
We thank you, our community, for your continued support as we work toward a future where every grieving child is met with empathy, connection, and care.
With gratitude,
The Safe Crossings Foundation Team