2022 Leadership Kitsap Graduate, Galina Georgieva

Galina Georgieva, Liberty Bank VP and Relationship Manager, completes Leadership Kitsap program with opening of Eleanor’s Inn for domestic violence victims.

Poulsbo, Wash. (June 10, 2022): Liberty Bank extends its congratulations to Vice President and Relationship Manager Galina Georgieva for graduating as part of Leadership Kitsap’s 2022 class. Georgieva and her team completed a project to support domestic violence survivors in Kitsap County.

“We want to congratulate Galina and the entire Leadership Kitsap Class of 2022 on their efforts this year to give back to and strengthen our community,” said Rhonda Morris, Senior Vice President and Chief Risk Officer. “We are very proud of Galina and the hard work she has put into this program and her team’s project.”

Georgieva and her team created “Eleanor’s Inn,” a new safe space for local domestic violence victims and their children to escape to for 24 to 48 hours while awaiting more long-term placement. It also serves sexual assault victims.

“I was excited about Leadership Kitsap because I’ve always worked in community banks and I really like the community involvement component, volunteering, and giving back to the community,” Georgieva said. “I was also new to Kitsap County, moving here in November 2020. To me, it was a really great way to get to know the community faster and get involved and connect with other leaders in the area. I’ve gone through my education, getting a BA, and I’ve taken professional development classes and programs. This by far is my most favorite one.”

Team members devoted their time and energy to creating Eleanor’s Inn after hearing from the Poulsbo Parks & Recreation and the Poulsbo Police Department that they were seeking an additional safe and calming place in the community for women who faced domestic violence and sexual assault. As the team worked on the project, they kept in mind Eleanor, a local woman who survived 18 years of domestic violence before devoting her life to help other survivors. She often met with domestic violence survivors in her bedroom or her kitchen and offered comfort and good advice. Eleanor’s Inn offers a space that will allow survivors to leave their situation, find comfort, connect with resources, and be able to go on and have a completely different life.

Eleanor’s Inn was designed with special attention on how to help the healing process. The team consulted with behavioral health specialists to choose calming and healing colors and purchased rocking chairs because the soothing rocking motion relieves stress. The team stocked the shelves with books specifically recommended for healing. Every aspect of Eleanor’s Inn was carefully designed to enhance calmness and improve recovery.

The team secured funds, redesigned the space, painted, decorated, and stocked the room, which will benefit the community and allow victims to leave their situation, find comfort, and connect with resources to move forward with their lives. Other team members along with Poulsbo Parks & Recreation and the Poulsbo Police Department were community partners. The project was sponsored by Poulsbo Rotary DV Committee, Liberty Bank, and Peninsula Paint.

Georgieva also appreciated learning more about her community through Leadership Kitsap’s Positive Leadership curriculum designed to help identify, expand, and enhance leadership capacities, in addition to participating in the program’s Challenge Days. One day each month, community leaders exposed the Leadership Kitsap participants to what is happening with local government, economics, education, healthy communities, state government, public safety, arts & recreation, and environment & planning.