Lifelong CEO James Shackelford (Image: Lifelong)

If rising costs have limited eating out to special occasions, then Lifelong’s Dining Out For Life might be such an occasion. The perennially popular event partners with local restaurants to raise money to support Lifelong’s range of services—from HIV support to food and nutrition, from housing to aging and disability—which the organization has provided for decades.

On Thursday, September 25, three dozen restaurants throughout Seattle will donate a percentage of their sales to Lifelong. Capitol Hill is well represented, with a/stir, Cantina del Sol, Gemini Room, Honeyhole, McMenamins Six Arms, morfire, Oddfellows Cafe and Bar, Plenty of Clouds, Stoup Brewing and Noodle Cart, Terra Plata, and Union joining the event.

If it’s your first time participating in Dining Out For Life, you won’t be alone.

Lifelong CEO James Shackelford is a newcomer, too. Hired this summer when Erica Sessle stepped down after three years as the organization’s CEO, Shackelford arrives having spent more than 25 years in nonprofit, mission-driven leadership roles, including at amfAR (Foundation for AIDS Research).

“As Lifelong’s CEO, I’m able to pull from my work in global and public health, HIV, aging and disability, policy and advocacy and community engagement to ensure we’re providing the very best client service, we’re being bold and innovating, growing to meet client needs and bringing the community along with us in the fight for health access,” Shackelford told CHS.

As Lifelong prepares for Dining Out For Life this week, CHS spoke to Shackelford to learn more about this year’s event, as well as Shackelford’s background and new role as the organization’s CEO.

Q: Have you picked a restaurant where you will be dining on September 25?

A: I’m planning to spend the entire day enjoying meals at our partner restaurants, beginning with Rachel’s Bagels & Burritos for breakfast, Oddfellows for lunch, Seattle Cider Company for a team celebration, and Palace Kitchen for a donor dinner.

Q: Is there anything new or different that diners can look forward to?

A: The Lifelong team worked hard to ensure we have a wide range of neighborhoods, cuisines, and experiences for the community to choose from. We have many returning restaurants, such as Plenty of Clouds, Terra Plata, Union, and McMenamins, as well as several new additions, including Stoup Brewing and Gemini Room. I’m thankful to each of our restaurant partners for their generosity and partnership. We hope to continue this relationship year-round with new ideas, programs, and events in the works.

Q: How important is this event to Lifelong’s larger fundraising goals?

A: It’s incredibly important to us. It raises critical funds specifically for our HIV community, helping us support them with care, medicine, housing, and food. One of Lifelong’s original organizations, the Chicken Soup Brigade, was funded by the community and local businesses. Today, we continue the spirit of that partnership with nearly 40 wonderful chefs and restaurant owners who look forward to welcoming diners on September 25.

Shackelford helps prepare meals for delivery to Lifelong clients (Image: Lifelong)

Q: You were hired this summer as Lifelong’s CEO. What drew you to the organization and this role?

A: I was drawn to Lifelong’s founding, more than 40 years ago, as a grassroots, community organization with a mission to help friends and neighbors living with HIV. As a gay man growing up and coming out in the early 2000s, I know the stigma, loss, and fight associated with HIV. Progress has been made, but we aren’t done yet—15,000 people across Washington are currently living with HIV, and it is access to proper treatment and care that allows them to lead long, healthy lives. Today, Lifelong still fights to provide that access to those who need it most, and we’re carrying on the same mission, now expanded to help other marginalized communities access the quality care, lifesaving medicines, and nutritious food they need to be as healthy as they can. Many of the communities we serve are being targeted in unimaginable ways. The opportunity is also a fight—we’re changing lives by improving access to health, and we can’t do it alone. We need community involvement and support to make a difference.

Q: Can you share a little bit about your background?

A: I was raised in Ohio, primarily by a lesbian single mother who was determined to introduce me to opportunities and expose me to diverse experiences that would demonstrate that I could, indeed, do anything I set my mind to. I bring that same determination, celebration of pride and inclusivity, and optimism to Lifelong’s fight for Health For All.

Q: Is this your first time living in Seattle?

A: This is my first time living in Seattle, having relocated from New York City. I’ve always enjoyed visiting Seattle for both work and pleasure, and I’m excited to now call Belltown home. I have many Lifelong colleagues living on Capitol Hill. My one-year-old goldendoodle, Charlie, enjoys the short walk to our Capitol Hill office and his time walking along the new Waterfront Park.

Q: Lifelong has a Client Services Center on Capitol Hill. Is this an important location for you and one you intend to be engaged in personally?

A: Lifelong’s Capitol Hill location dates back more than 20 years and stands as a beacon of hope and health in the very neighborhood where our community has congregated, protested, healed, mourned, and celebrated over the past 40 years. It’s where we’ve always been and where we belong. I’m excited to engage with the Capitol Hill community, both residents and businesses, to support one another and our clients as we elevate Lifelong’s presence and partner together to improve health access.

Q: What would you like to accomplish as Lifelong’s CEO?

A: Lifelong’s incredible legacy is its role fighting for others to access care, and I’m proud to lead a talented team and be supported by a board of directors that passionately carries that work forward. My goal as CEO is to continue to help the community get involved in that fight and to use the strong and diverse culture and rich history that Lifelong celebrates as a beacon of hope and health for the clients we serve—changing lives along the way by providing the very best, high-quality client service and support. I also want Lifelong to be a fun, interesting, and rewarding place for my colleagues to spend their time and deploy their talent, while helping society and the community by improving access to healthcare.

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