VANCOUVER, Wash. – PeaceHealth’s Women of Peace movement, which recognizes women leaders and changemakers inside of PeaceHealth, is starting the new year honoring the courageous work of three women non-profit leaders partnering with PeaceHealth to advance health justice and respect for all.

Women of Peace is pleased to announce a $105,000 donation, split between three recipients in Oregon and Washington. Each of the recipient organizations are led by changemakers known for their fierce advocacy and efforts in the care of underserved and marginalized communities. The recipients are:

• Marcela Leonor Suárez Díaz, founder, Oasis (Bellingham, Washington). Oasis was founded in 2024 in response to the challenges faced by the migrant Latino community that has made the Pacific Northwest their home, especially members of the Indigenous community of México and Guatemala. Suárez Díaz has made it her life’s work to compassionately serve the Latino migrant community to improve their quality of life in Whatcom, Skagit and San Juan counties. She was the long time Sea Mar Promotores manager and received the 2019 Peace Builder Award, 2020 Beti Thompson Community Trailblazer award, as well as the 2024 Liberty Bell award for her service and dedication to health equity.
• Brittini Lasseigne, chief executive officer, YWCA Clark County (Vancouver, Washington). YWCA of Clark County’s mission is to empower women and eliminate racism. The work led by Lasseigne serves individuals in Clark County who have experienced poverty, domestic violence, sexual assault and traumas due to systemic inequities. The work of the YWCA goes beyond services to survivors to include robust prevention programs for children, teens, and adults to create understanding and resilience for future generations while improving racial equity in Clark County.
• Drea Smith, co-owner and founder, Tip Tap Grow Performing Arts Preschool (Eugene, Oregon). Tip Tap Grow’s mission is to provide high quality childcare in a nurturing, safe, trauma-informed environment centered around performing arts, play-based learning and the Montessori approach. To establish a comprehensive pre-school and childcare business in the Lane County childcare desert, Drea has worked closely with Lane Quality Care Connections childcare business accelerator to make infant through age six childcare available in a large-scale setting. In 2020, Drea partnered to launch Eugene’s first Juneteenth celebration since the 1990s.

“We hope their stories will inspire our own Women of Peace to see the intertwined nature of our shared missions fueled by the charism of the Sisters of St. Joseph of Peace,” said Sarah Ness, PeaceHealth executive vice president and chief administrative officer. “It’s clear we can accomplish more together. It’s time to soar!”

Learn more about Women of Peace.

About PeaceHealth: PeaceHealth, based in Vancouver, Wash., is a non-profit Catholic health system offering care to communities in Washington, Oregon and Alaska. PeaceHealth has approximately 16,000 caregivers, nearly 3,200 physicians and clinicians, more than 160 clinics and 9 medical centers serving both urban and rural communities throughout the Northwest. In 1890, the Sisters of St. Joseph of Peace founded what has become PeaceHealth. The Sisters shared expertise and transferred wisdom from one medical center to another, always finding the best way to serve the unmet need for healthcare in their communities. Today, PeaceHealth is the legacy of the founding Sisters and continues with a spirit of respect, stewardship, collaboration and social justice in fulfilling its Mission. Visit us online at peacehealth.org.

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