December is a month of reflection and celebration, and we have much to celebrate as we peer back at 2018 and anxiously await the glad tidings of 2019. From the innovative re-branding of Greater Spokane Incorporated and Innovia Foundation, to a united stand to support new middle schools across our region, to zany lime scooters bebopping around, 2018 was a step ahead for our region as our vibrant reawakening continues full force. Two years in, writing this monthly Renaissance article, the one constant in every article is that we are not looking back.  

Determination and decisiveness are part of our city’s DNA. Just a few years after the city was established, it was razed by the 1889 Great Spokane Fire, but from the ashes, the community was rebuilt brick by brick. A century later, a historic approval of the Riverfront Park bond, an explosion of startup companies spurring economic revitalization, sustained educational excellence and a rising tide of artistic expression signals our rebirth to a new era of vitality and optimism. The holidays certainly bring families together; in our community, we come together twelve months a year. As the Amazon Fulfillment Center takes shape on West Plains, so does our blueprint for continued growth and opportunity becomes clearer and clearer. We are determined to remain Spokane kind.

My organization, Girl Scouts, was founded by a visionary and iconic leader, Juliette Gordon Low, who built a movement still going strong today. Cancer took her life, but she rallied in her final years to fight every day to keep her dream alive. Likewise, my brother’s wife of 18 years lost her young life in recent months to cancer, and to her last day, she refused to give in. Her two children will forever be strengthened by her epic grit. 2019 is near for our enlightened community. Our future is bright because Spokane is determined to succeed together, and that is why our Renaissance will continue.   

Col. Brian Newberry, USAF (Retired) is the CEO of Girl Scouts Eastern Washington and Northern Idaho and the former Commander, 92 ARW, Fairchild AFB.