Allen Foundation Donates $100,000 to Pacific Connections

Native plants in the new bog garden in the Cascadia Forest section of Pacific Connections.

In July, the Paul G. Allen Family Foundation donated $100,000 to our new Pacific Connections Campaign. Though routed through their family’s charitable foundation, the donation came directly from Paul Allen and Jody Allen as a personal commemorative gift in honor of their mother, Faye Allen, who passed away in early June. The gift will be used to fund the Phase 2 planting of the Cascadia Forest in the Pacific Connections Garden.

An inspirational figure in the lives of her two children, Faye Allen also inspired generations of young students at Ravenna School, where she worked as a teacher, instilling in them her deep passion for books and reading. Her love of literature, teaching, and children was reflected in her lifelong commitment to public libraries and public education, causes she championed in her later years through her family’s Foundation.

Along with being a lover of good books, Mrs. Allen was also an avid sports fan and theatergoer. And she had a special fondness for flowers and plants. Mrs. Allen died of complications from Alzheimer’s disease at the age of 90.

The Arboretum Foundation and its University and City partners would like to thank Paul Allen and Jody Allen for their generous gift. We appreciate the continued support of the Paul G. Allen Family Foundation, which has given generously to the Arboretum in the past and was a key donor in the creation of the Japanese Garden Entry Gatehouse in 2008.

We will be installing a permanent plaque at the trail entrance to the Cascadia Forest celebrating the memory of Faye Allen. When the forest is planted, it will become an outdoor classroom for generations of school kids to explore and learn about their local flora.