A Week and Day Out

I clearly remember the moments before the first wave of guests entered the Depot Market Square that Thursday. The dignitaries were finishing up their speeches to volunteers and I couldn't stand still because the adrenaline was flowing in my system. Up until then, everything that we were doing was just theory. Would the systems work? Would splitting the event across three venues turn into a disaster? What if hardly anybody showed? What if a thousand people did?

A core group of about a dozen people had been working on putting together the first Bellingham/Whatcom Project Homeless Connect for over six months. Towards the end of that planning, it felt like being on a rocket that was burning its fuel as fast as it could so that it could break free from gravity. It was not uncommon to have hundreds of emails every day or for the phone to ring endlessly. The only thing I can compare it to is working on political campaigns. You have a team, everyone has roles, there's a goal line in sight and you're there to win. Making PHC happen was like that. 

- Dan Hammill