Grays Harbor Spotlights

Long before the early 90's when a group of influential Harborites came together with an idea to create a Community Foundation, Isabelle Lamb had already spent decades in Grays Harbor dedicated to education, opportunities for youth and the vitality of business in Grays Harbor.

For many years, her and her husband George led Enterprises International, Inc. and its subsidiaries; traveling the world together doing business. She dedicated her life to her community through philanthropy and public service. She was elected as the Grays Harbor County’s first woman Port Commissioner in 1994, serving until 2004. Often, she was the first or only woman in her endeavors and was a role model and mentor to many, including being the first woman to serve on the board for the Grays Harbor Community Foundation.

With Isabelle's leadership, alongside several other influential Grays Harbor individuals, such as Frank Larner, Jim Stewart, Tom Brennan, and Ron Caufman, in 1994 the Grays Harbor Community Foundation was formed. By the end of that year, the Foundation had grown to a little over $6,000 in the assets. Fast forward 32 years later, the Foundation has grown to over $130 Million in assets today, because people like Isabelle believed in the power of people coming together to serve your community well.

Isabelle also believed it was important to lead by example and during her lifetime created a Donor Advised Fund that supported many worthy projects over the years, mostly for youth and education. She also created the Lamb Family Scholarship that supports a Hoquiam High School graduate that shows outstanding character as well as academic achievement.

We believe it is important to honor the people that helped get us to where we are today, including board members and donors who led with the belief that Grays Harbor is special, and our residents deserve a thriving community. We will continue to spotlight our community pillars in the coming months as we celebrate our continued growth and success in Grays Harbor.

For more information about setting up a fund with the Foundation, contact Executive Director, Eric Potts at eric@gh-cf.org.