A Legacy of Thomas C. Wales

Dear Pongo Community,

We want to share news about a humbling honor that Pongo has received. Thomas C. Wales was a federal prosecutor, a man of great courage and deep commitment to social justice. He made a difference in the community and in the lives of everyone around him. He was president of Washington Ceasefire, a prominent gun-control advocacy group. In 2001, he was shot to death while he was working at the computer in the basement of his Seattle home. The case is still unsolved.

For personal reasons, the Wales family is shutting down a foundation they established in his honor. After spending hours considering Thomas Wales’ “life experiences, values, and personality traits,” they chose Pongo to receive their remaining funds of $60,000. You can read the story in this moving article by Nicole Brodeur of the Seattle Times.

Nicole quotes Thomas Wales’ daughter Amy: “The focus of Pongo is encouraging people to lift up their voices. What they’re feeling and where their hearts are. It values kids who are otherwise not seen as valuable. Their voice, their experience, their creative struggle. And it helps them value themselves.”

Pongo will do its best to continue the legacy of this very good man.