Chili, Creativity, and Community: Making a Difference for DAWN
Chili, Creativity, and Community: Making a Difference for DAWN
What better way to celebrate National Make a Difference Day than by coming together for a cause close to our hearts?
On Saturday, October 24, approximately 500 attendees joined WMFHA’s Chili Cook-off to enjoy delicious chili, creative booths, and an afternoon of fundraising for DAWN, the Domestic Abuse Women’s Network. Our members brought enthusiasm and generosity, making this year’s event another wonderful example of what our community can accomplish together.
From Minions and Flight Crew to Scary Carnival, Star Wars, One Piece, Under the Sea, and Game of Thrones, the booth themes showcased our members’ imagination. The costumes, decorations, and chili gave attendees plenty to enjoy, and our judges had tough decisions to make!
Mark Davis of HERO Creative kept the afternoon moving as our emcee. Seahawks dancers mingled with the crowd, and the Seahawks drumline, Blue Thunder, delivered another great performance, thanks to Impact Property Solutions. Their energy added even more excitement to an already lively day.
Celebrating Our Chili Cook-off Winners
A special thank-you to our judges for taking on the delicious challenge of choosing this year’s winners:
- Angie Bentler, Pacific Crest Real Estate — WMFHA Board Past President
- Brett Waller, Weidner Apartment Homes — WMFHA Board President
- Sarah Fassett, AMC — DAWN Board Member
Chili awards & winners decided by our judges included:
Hottest (yet still edible)
Most Creative Use of Ingredients
Judges Choice Best Chili
Awards decided by our attendees included:
Best Theme or Costumes
People’s Choice Best Chili
Congratulations to all our winners and thank you to every team that put its chili and creativity to the test!
A Community That Gives Back
At the heart of the Chili Cook-off is a shared commitment to supporting DAWN and its work serving survivors of domestic violence. Every registration, raffle ticket, and donation helped bring that purpose to life.
We are grateful to the donors who contributed such amazing raffle prizes and to everyone who purchased tickets. Your generosity helped make the fundraising portion of the day a success.
A heartfelt thank-you also goes to the WMFHA Gives committee, led by Chair Kim Rowan of Asset Living and Co-chair Jennifer Vivette of Thrive Communities, for helping plan the event. Your time, care, and dedication helped create a memorable afternoon for our members and guests.
To every booth team, sponsor, volunteer, donor, and attendee: THANK YOU. Our members' dedication and creativity make this event special year after year. You showed up ready to have fun, give generously, and make a difference, and we couldn’t be more grateful.
A New Chapter for a Favorite Tradition
After 20 years, the WMFHA Gives committee has decided it’s time to breathe new life into this beloved event. The event isn’t going away; it’s evolving! Welcome Harvest Fest!
We’re keeping what matters most: our commitment to raising money for DAWN, a family-friendly atmosphere, and the costumes and creative booth themes our members do so well.
Moving forward, chili will be optional, giving booth teams more freedom to make the experience their own. Want to cook and serve your favorite chili? Absolutely! Would you rather offer kettle corn or hot apple cider? That’s welcome, too!
Thank you to our Big Chili Sponsor