Where Purpose Meets Community

On any given morning, you can sit with a cup of coffee inside the Lake Chelan Community Center and just watch.

Kids playing while parents catch up nearby. A group gathered in the lobby, knitting and talking. Someone heading into a class. Someone else hosting a meeting. People moving in and out—together, in ways that didn’t exist before.

For Raye Evans, those moments are everything.

“I love just sitting here and watching people,” she says. “It feels good to be in this space.”

Because she remembers when it was nothing more than an idea—and a muddy field.

Before there was a building, before the plans, the fundraising, or even a clear path forward—there was a question:

Am I living beyond the things of this world?

For Raye, that question was shaped by a series of life-changing moments—a wildfire that destroyed her family’s home on Anderson Road, the sale of a family business, and the kind of loss that forces you to rethink what really matters.

So when the call came in 2017 from Seven Acres Foundation board president Ben Williams, asking for help with infrastructure questions on a new project near that same stretch of road, it felt like more than coincidence.

It felt personal.

“The location had meaning to me,” Raye says. “And they had a need I could help with.”

What started as a conversation quickly became something more. She joined the board, bringing her experience in permitting, planning, and infrastructure. But it didn’t take long to realize the project needed more than big ideas—it needed someone willing to step in and move things forward.

So she did.

Raye transitioned off the board and into an operational leadership role, helping bridge the gap between vision and execution. Permits, logistics, coordination, grant writing—whatever was needed, she leaned in.

“I didn’t set out to be in that role,” she says. “But there was a need, and I just stepped into it.”

That willingness to step in—and follow through—left a lasting mark on the project.

“Raye stepped in at a time when we had big ideas but needed someone to help move them forward,” says Ben Williams. “She brought both the practical experience and the personal commitment to make that happen. This project is better because of her.”

From Vision to Reality

What now feels natural—people gathering, connecting, using the space—was once anything but certain.

In the early days, the project looked very different. The location shifted. The scope evolved. The path forward wasn’t always clear.

And like many community-driven efforts, it came with a wide range of ideas about what it should be.

“There were a lot of opinions,” Raye says. “A lot of ideas about what it could become. But underneath all of that, there were people who genuinely cared about creating something good for the community.”

Turning that shared vision into reality meant navigating complexity—balancing ideas with execution, aligning funding with timelines, and bringing together public support, private giving, and grant funding.

It also meant staying committed.

“If you say you’re going to do something, you follow through,” she says. “Even when it gets complicated.”

And it did.

COVID disrupted timelines, increased costs, and forced the team to rethink nearly everything. Momentum slowed. Confidence was tested. At times, the path forward felt uncertain.

“I never doubted it would happen,” Raye says. “But there were moments where I didn’t know how all the pieces were going to come together.”

The Power of People

If there’s one thing that stands out to Raye when she reflects on those years, it’s the people.

The donors. The volunteers. The quiet supporters behind the scenes.

“Watching people give without expecting anything in return—that changed me,” she says. “It showed me what really matters.”

Moments of generosity came in many forms. Some were planned. Others came as complete surprises—arriving at just the right time to keep things moving forward.

“It’s humbling,” she says. “What feels impossible to one person is completely possible for someone else. And when everyone does what they can do, it all comes together.”

That spirit—of shared ownership and shared purpose—became the foundation of the project.

A Place That Connects

Today, when Raye walks through The Community Center, she doesn’t see a project she worked on.

She sees people.

And that’s what matters most.

Kids playing while parents connect over coffee. A knitting group gathering in the lobby. Local organizations hosting events. Tenants building their businesses while contributing to something larger.

After losing their home in Chelan, Raye and her family rebuilt in Manson. During construction of the Community Center, their daily life stretched between the two communities—kids in school in Chelan, a daughter attending middle school in Manson.

“The Community Center felt like a halfway point,” she says. “A place that connected both communities.”

That connection is still growing.

“There’s more here,” she says. “More opportunity for people to engage, to collaborate, to build relationships. I don’t think we’ve even come close to its full potential yet.”

Stepping Back—and Moving Forward‍

As the building reached occupancy and the first phase of the vision became reality, Raye knew it was time for a transition.

New leadership stepped in. New energy took hold. And she stepped back, confident that the foundation was strong.

But the impact of the journey didn’t stay behind.

“It changed me,” she says. “It shifted how I see things—what’s important, what lasts, what really matters.”

Today, Raye continues to stay involved in her community through property management and by spending more time with her family, including time at their cabin in Stehekin.

Along with friends, she also co-founded True North Fishes & Loaves. Through retreats in Stehekin and quarterly gatherings, they create space for connection, reflection, and shared experiences—bringing people together in much the same way The Community Center was always intended to do.

“It’s about taking what you have and using it to create something meaningful,” she says.

Still Unfolding

For Raye, The Community Center has always been about more than a building.

It’s about people choosing to invest in something bigger than themselves.

It’s about showing up, giving what you can, and trusting that it matters.

And it’s about a story that’s still being written.

“There’s more to come,” she says. “More people to reach. More connections to make. This place—it’s just getting started.”

To make a tax-deductible contribution, visit our fundraising page or contact Executive Director Maribel Cruz at maribel@chelancommunity.org.