Gratitude and optimism are two of the key ingredients that punctuate the lives of Greg and Michele Goodwin, resulting in a marriage enriched by an enthusiastic commitment to community service. Whether its co- leading a large capital campaign for a children’s hospital, donating a greenhouse and establishing a garden for adults with developmental challenges or working one-on-one each week to help a child improve their reading and math skills, Greg and Michele fully embrace opportunities to open their hearts, strengthen their community and inspire others to do the same.

 

The Classic Wines Auction has been a foundational part of the Goodwin’s philanthropic efforts. In their many years of service to the auction and its nonprofit beneficiaries the Goodwin’s have engaged as donors, sponsors and volunteers, with Greg serving on CWA’s Board of Directors. As the CEO for Kuni Automotive, Greg was the driving force behind the annual contribution of a new car, which became an exciting and iconic part of the auction. Who can forget the year that two highly competitive bidders both ended the evening with a BMW i8 thanks to Greg and Kuni Automotive? During Greg’s tenure as CEO, Kuni was a presenting or main sponsor of the Classic Wines Auction for 7 years, and the Kuni name became synonymous with community engagement.

 

Greg and Michele have also served as board members and donors to wine auction partners such as Friends of the Children (Greg is currently national board chair of Friends of the Children) and Randall Children’s Hospital Foundation (Greg and Michele co-chaired the capital campaign for Randall and Greg served on the foundation board for six years.) The dynamic duo of service also helped to spearhead the capital campaign for the Unity Center for Behavioral Health. In fact, Michele’s love of gardening will forever be shared with others through the naming gift of the Michele Goodwin Healing Garden at Unity. Currently, Greg and Michele serve as local champions for the effort to expand Friends of the Children to Southwest Washington. In 2017, Greg and Michele were honored by the Community Foundation for Southwest Washington as Philanthropists of the Year.

 

After Greg led the sale of Kuni Automotive to New Jersey-based Holman Automotive, he retired in 2016 and invested his philanthropic and entrepreneurial talents in The Wayne D. Kuni & Joan E. Kuni Foundation, where he serves as Board Chair. The Foundation was created by the Kuni family, and as the largest shareholder of Kuni Automotive it became one of the largest family foundations in the region upon the sale of the company. The Foundation’s priority focus areas are cancer research and initiatives that enhance the lives of individuals with intellectual challenges, two areas that personally impacted the Kuni family. Previously, Greg served as vice chair of the Community Foundation for Southwest Washington, and board member of the YMCA of Columbia Willamette; Samaritan Institute in Denver; and George Fox University.

 

Michele currently serves as a board member and volunteer for Stephen’s Place, a residential community for adults with intellectual disabilities, located in Vancouver. She has also invested significant time and care in the greenhouse and garden for Stephen’s Place residents, who enthusiastically grow fruits, vegetables and flowers.

 

Greg and Michele consider 2018 VINI award recipients Duncan and Cindy Campbell as close friends and mentors and are proud to follow their lead in working to break the cycle of poverty for our community’s most vulnerable children. Winston Churchill is famous for saying that “We make a living by what we get, but we make a life by what we give.” This perfectly captures the lives of Greg and Michele, who each day demonstrate their profound love of community by giving of themselves.