May 26, 2023

Dear Friends:

Once again, the state legislature is out of session, and All Aboard Washington is planning how we can best promote passenger and freight rail in Washington State in the next session. As a membership organization, our mission is to serve our members’ interests – members who have said and written time and again that they want frequent passenger rail on more routes with reliable point-to-point service.  

Our successes this year have been modest. As Amtrak recovers from the business effects of Covid-19, it’s been a year of regaining services lost and making plans for the future. As we have consistently advocated for, the second daily round trips to Vancouver, BC have finally resumed service.   

Thanks to your financial support and volunteer efforts, we were able to visit 21 communities throughout Washington, Idaho, Montana, Wyoming, and Colorado with our 2022 “Train Trek,” including presentations at the Greater Northwest Passenger Rail Summit, as well as participating in the recent meeting of the North Sound Transportation Alliance. Recent remote meetings included such organizations as the Yakama Nation and Transportation for America. 

In addition to our work on your behalf, this year we’ve also sought to get more partners involved in our work. Our Train Treks have been great successes, with new members and partners coming forward to participate and provide direction to us as an organization. We have also expanded our coalition of transportation, environmental, health care, labor and community organizations supporting rail beyond Washington into Oregon and British Columbia. 

In 2023, I look forward to All Aboard Washington continuing on the paths we’ve taken and building on our successes to ask the legislature for incremental funding to build on our successes and position ourselves for the next big steps to improve frequency and add passenger routes to our statewide rail network. To do this, we need to maintain our policy presence in Olympia, where we are so ably represented by AAWA Government Affairs Director Luis Moscoso. To back him up, we need to continue finding partners, build our membership he represents, and engage our members in supporting activities including calls and letters to our elected representatives from us, their constituents, and provide the volunteer and material support necessary to advance our mission.    

We’re on a shaky track to at least break even this year - because our savings aren’t enough to pay for a full month of operations, just enough to tide us over for a couple of lean months.  

This year we need to raise $1,000 more per month so that we can continue to fund: 

• The services we receive from Luis Moscoso, our voice in Olympia promoting rail issues 
• Informing members on rail issues through emails and social media 
• Travel to remote events, such as the Second Annual Greater Northwest Passenger Rail Summit in Boise in July 

My hope that that with your help we can bolster our funding base to have at least 3 months of operating expenses in the bank to continue these uninterrupted services, and to have a stable recurring income from members that will give AAWA the stability to take advantage of emerging opportunities. Please consider enrolling in or increasing your monthly donations to AAWA to support our cause.  

All Aboard Washington continues to amaze me. With the work of dedicated volunteers, a very limited budget, and a portion of Luis’s time, we have made big things happen. I want this to continue this in 2023, and hope that you will continue to support All Aboard Washington through your memberships and other contributions.

Thanks for your support that ensures All Aboard Washington can provide you with an ongoing and highly visible impact on rail mobility issues going forward. 

Harvey Bowen
Director Emeritus
All Aboard Washington

AAWA is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, to which donations are generally tax-deductible. Check with your tax tools or tax advisor for specific details.  

Here’s how to give. 

Recurring or one-time donations

Donate online at https://www.aawa.us/donate
or send a check to
All Aboard Washington
PO Box 70381
Seattle, WA 98127-0381

Planned Giving (wills)

See information at https://www.aawa.us/support/planned-giving/ 

Other ways to give

You may donate through your workplace, donor advised funds, and retirement accounts. You may also donate stocks and vehicles. See information at https://www.aawa.us/support/ 

For help donating, please contact AAWA’s Treasurer Hendrik de Kock at [email protected] or 360-529-5552 ext. 7.

Download this page