Living Their Values through Giving Back
Family, travel, lifelong learning, social justice, and giving back are some of the core values and interests Carolyn Hayek and Steve Rosen share.
Raised on opposite coasts, Carolyn and Steve both grew up with faith and community central to their lives, helping inform their paths into public service, volunteering, and charitable giving. During her upbringing in the Pacific Northwest, Carolyn attended the Presbyterian Church, where she explains she “took to heart the message of service to others and a sense of obligation to give back to the community.” Religious roots and values were also important to Steve, who grew up in Connecticut deeply involved in his Jewish faith.
Carolyn’s and Steve’s paths intertwined when they met at University of Chicago Law School, where they became interested in public service (and each other). After graduating, Steve worked for the U.S. Department of Justice in Washington, D.C. for a year before moving to the Seattle area. Following their marriage, Steve worked for the state government and later the Washington State Bar Association. Carolyn was an attorney in private practice before leaving to become a judge of the King County District Court, putting substantial energy into improving the fairness of court procedures.
During this time, they raised two kids and, like many families with different faith backgrounds, found Unitarian Universalism. Steve explains, “We turned to Unitarian Universalism at first as a kind of compromise of our religious backgrounds but soon came to appreciate the values that UUs accept and promote.” He has served as the administrator of his current church’s Men’s Group for over 15 years. After retiring as a Judge, Carolyn continued to serve the community in various ways, including as a wedding officiant and Executive Director of a nonprofit which helps people plan for and deal with end-of-life issues. She also volunteered on the local planning commission and supported her UU congregation as board member and president. Currently, she helps connect her congregation with UUSC’s human rights work as a UUSC Congregational Liaison.
Like many UUs, Carolyn and Steve first learned about UUSC through their congregation when they participated with their family in UUSC’s Guest at Your Table program. Over time, as their financial situation evolved, they were able to increase their donations to UUSC as well as to other non-profit organizations they care about. Carolyn has given deep thought to charitable giving, which she organizes into categories based on her values and supports through a variety of methods, including a donor advised fund through the Seattle Foundation, a charitable remainder trust, and bequests in her will. She explains: “I think all of us should give a significant portion of our income to charities which make life better for all of us and help to preserve our planet and heritage.”
UUSC is grateful to be among the causes Carolyn and Steve support, not only today but also through their legacy giving plans. Steve explains, “I admire [UUSC’s] approach...partnering with local people and organizations, to find out what they need and how they can help, rather than marching in as if they know all the answers.”
In addition to helping secure UUSC’s future, Carolyn and Steve recently got to witness some of UUSC’s history up close, when they traveled with other UUs to Portugal. During the trip, they visited a safehouse that Martha Sharp used to help children escape the Nazis and flee Europe. Carolyn shares, “It made us proud to be supporters of UUSC, which was inspired by the Sharps’ courageous work during World War II.”
As members of UUSC’s legacy society, Carolyn and Steve join hundreds of others in helping carry forward the Sharps’ important work. Interested in joining them? Contact Carly at ccronon@uusc.org.
