The Giving Tree

Wendi Anderson
Founder and Executive Director of The Giving Tree
Wendi Anderson spent the majority of her formative years in Bellingham, Washington, being raised by her hard-working single mother and spending much of her time painting, drawing, and dreaming. Wendi’s creative passion served as her port throughout her tempestuous teen years, and she emerged with a great respect for the power that lies within ones ability to express oneself.

A fine arts major in college, Wendi’s focus shifted when she began teaching at an elementary school and discovered that her students knew little to nothing about art. After developing her own curriculum and witnessing the transformative power that art had on her students, Wendi began to seek out opportunities to use her creativity as a catalyst for positive change. Her path eventually brought her to Oregon, where she began working in property management as a Resident Services Coordinator for the residents of low-income housing. It was within these complexes that Wendi soon discovered a gap in services; people were receiving assistance to secure housing, but once housed they were often left to their own devices. Residents were feeling no connection to their new environment and the rate of recidivism was high; with no encouragement or incentive to seek out positive experiences within their new community many found it easier to go back to homelessness, where the surroundings were more familiar.

After successfully launching a series of creative, community-building programs to combat recidivism and empower the residents, and again bearing witness to the positive transformations experienced by her clients, Wendi ultimately recognized her own potential and set her feet firmly on the path to realizing that potential by founding The Giving Tree.