Merrill Weyerhaeuser lives in Portland, Oregon. She is a dedicated psychotherapist with her own practice, a mother of two young children, and a progressive thinker. When I called Merrill to talk with her about her involvement in the Social Justice Fund, we ambled through the social graces—how’s your day? How’s the weather? (which was reported delightfully summery) but it was while talking with Merrill about The Social Justice Fund that her voice was audibly comfortable and warm.
Merrill cited the Social Justice Fund as her education, inspiration, and family. Joining the Social Justice Fund was “kind of like coming out for me,” Merrill laughed. The Social Justice Fund not only taught Merrill about philanthropy but also challenged the parameters of her upbringing. It took a while for her to really believe that the mass of people surrounding her at meetings and workshops “really embraced the values that they expressed.”
Merrill grew up in Tacoma and took off to Nepal for the Peace Corps in her early ‘20s. When she came home she realized that she wanted to learn a more proactive way to invest her money—“a more progressive way,” Merrill said. “Coming from a conservative family I didn’t have much guidance in that area.” As a kick start to learning the intricacies of philanthropy Merrill cold called one of the early members of ATR and soon after she joined the Social Justice Fund. To Merrill it felt like a network of friends and family to be mentored by and to learn from. “Summer meetings were like a family reunion of the best sort,” Merrill said as she reminisced about her early years with The Social Justice Fund. She says she learned the most in these summer meetings, in workshops, but even more in site visits where she was able to meet those who had had less financial opportunities than she had experienced.
Besides a form of education, Merrill has been inspired by this community in ways that have affected even how she raises her children. “Children can be a part of change. I remember 8 or 10 years ago there was a group of children who went on site visits and who were making decisions within the organization. I remember thinking how great that is.” Merrill’s vision of possibility was challenged and brought her motivation and hope that not only she could make changes for the better, but also that her children would be able to as well.
By the end of our conversation it became clear that there isn’t a part of Merrill Weyerhaeuser’s life that hasn’t in some way been touched by her involvement in the Social Justice Fund. She embraces this philanthropic community as a family, as a network of like minded people working to make the world a better place, and there isn’t a part of her life in which Merrill isn’t working toward that goal.