A new blueprint for connection takes root in Seattle
How connected are you to your community? This report shows that 52% of U.S. adults are at risk or vulnerable to social disconnection. In 2023, the Surgeon General declared it a national emergency. Loneliness is undermining cultural participation both in Seattle and nationwide, but it can be addressed with intentional actions. Investing in social connection fosters civic engagement, improves mental health, and enhances identity, safety, and purpose across society.
We know we must rebuild the structural integrity of our social fabric. Which is why we are investing $250,000 to help establish and grow the Chamber of Connection here in Seattle to support healthy, connected, thriving communities. This investment funds the first year of a pilot from the Seattle Chapter of the U.S. Chamber of Connection to make social connection a measurable, actionable, and sustainable civic priority. Allen Family Philanthropies aims to not only address immediate social isolation but also establish a long-term framework for healthier, more resilient communities in our backyard of Seattle and across the United States.
The message is simple, but it is rooted in a methodology and framework known as the "Social Connection Index," which measures the everyday, place-based behaviors of connection.
The Six Points of Social Connection are the kinds of relationships, support systems, and shared spaces that enable people to thrive and fully participate in their communities. These points of connection don’t just materialize naturally; they have to be mindfully created and nurtured, and if ignored or undervalued, they decline and disappear.
Neighborhood Contact
Community of Identity
One-on-One Relationships
Third Place
Community of Play
Community Service
Led by Charlotte Massey, the Seattle Chamber of Connection will implement a civic network model designed to strengthen community bonds and increase shared accountability across neighborhoods, employers, and cultural institutions.
Central to this effort are two flagship campaigns launched in 2026:
Seattle Welcome Night is a citywide orientation that was piloted in 2025 in partnership with the Mayor’s Office and is co-hosted with local cultural venues. Each event brings new residents and people going through other life transitions together for an evening of connection, featuring interactive programming, facilitated small-group conversations, and personalized “connection roadmaps” to help participants build meaningful relationships and navigate their new community.
Best Day Ever is a series of seven neighborhood events—one in each Seattle City Council District—co-developed with the City of Seattle’s Department of Neighborhoods. Designed as immersive, one-day civic experiences, these events celebrate neighborhood identity through service, movement, learning, gathering, connection, and play, offering residents accessible entry points to reconnect with their communities.
Most recently, Charlotte and her team co-led attendees in a Best Day Ever event in Seattle’s South Park neighborhood in partnership with Seattle’s Department of Neighborhoods and Cultivate South Park, and one attendee described their experience there as “life altering.” Another said, “I absolutely loved the amount of intentionality and structure to connect with others… It was so amazing to have such awesome quality activities and feel like everything was done with intention.”
All in one day, participants:
Met new friends and learned about the importance of connection
Ate delicious local food, including a chocolate tasting
Learned to make pizzas, which were donated
Toured the South Park neighborhood with local community leaders and learned about hidden gems
Completed a group art project
Addressing the epidemic of loneliness with a measurable framework gives us concrete actions to take to address the crisis with the ability to measure impact. People need connection. By amplifying local leaders to energize attendees, foster partnership, and run supporting programs that provide structured, guided opportunities, we can rebuild the connective tissue of our communities. The Chamber of Connection’s Seattle Chapter is leading the way to a more connected society, a fundamental need for thriving communities.
Learn more about upcoming Chamber of Connection events here in Seattle and take the steps to make sure you are addressing all Six Points of Social Connection in your life.
