Seattle Kraken honor former DNDA board president and staff member
At the Seattle Kraken vs. Vancouver Canucks game on February 22, the Kraken and their partners honored longtime Delridge community leader Willard Brown as a “Hero of the Deep,” which included a $32,000 donation to a nonprofit of his choice. Willard dedicated the Kraken Unity Fund grant to Delridge Neighborhoods Development Association (DNDA) to support the nonprofit’s nature restoration and affordable housing work.
Willard Brown receiving the Kraken Unity Fund award on February 22, the night of the game. Photo by the Seattle Kraken.
Willard formerly served as president of the DNDA board of directors, as well as DNDA’s director of housing and environmental programs. He was, and continues to be, an advocate for affordable housing and green stormwater infrastructure — natural systems that clean rainwater by capturing and filtering it using plants and soil — in the West Seattle region. Throughout his career, Willard worked to provide Seattle families with permanent housing.
Willard working at a volunteer restoration event with DNDA’s Nature team.
His passion for environmental conservation and community engagement stems from a deep appreciation for nature and community greenspaces. Willard was a major advocate for establishing Delridge Wetland Park, helping to transform the previously neglected space into a hub for ecological stewardship, environmental education, and community connection.
Thanks to Willard’s years-long advocacy, seven years’ worth of construction at Delridge Wetland Park concluded in November 2023, and the site is now serving as a fully functional wetland. Even after retiring, Willard’s infectious optimism continues to inspire others to work toward creating a brighter Delridge. You can learn more about Delridge Wetland Park at dnda.org/nature/update-delridge-wetland-park-project.
The Kraken Unity Fund — a partnership between the Kraken, One Roof Foundation, and Starbucks — honors “inspiring individuals who are doing outstanding work to transform lives, enable resiliency, and uplift and unite our community across the Pacific Northwest.” Willard is one of few recipients of the award to put the funds into West Seattle.
Willard honored by the Seattle Kraken on the jumbotron at the Kraken vs. Canucks game at Climate Pledge Arena on February 22.
The entire DNDA team is incredibly grateful to Willard for his many years of service in the Delridge community, and for dedicating the generous Kraken Unity Fund to DNDA to continue the work he started many years ago. Many thanks to the Seattle Kraken, One Roof Foundation, Starbucks, and the other partners behind the Unity Fund for honoring a “Hero of the Deep” at every Seattle Kraken regular season home game.
Visit onerooffoundation.org/kraken-unity-fund to nominate a West Seattle community champion to be the next “Hero of the Deep.”
— Written by DNDA’s Environmental Engagement Specialist Louisa Keyani