If you are connected to the Seattle music and arts scene, chances are Michelle Searle has impacted your life in some way. She is a true pillar of our community. Over the years, she has dedicated her life to keeping Seattle’s culture alive and vibrant whether she was singing as part of the collaborative, all female improvisational group Blood Moon Orchestra, bartending around town, teaching the next generation of musicians at The Music Factory, coordinating volunteers and community at Northwest Folklife, or welcoming everyone with a smile at the Sea Monster Lounge door on weekends.

But Michelle’s impact goes way beyond her official jobs. She also does the Pac NW Care Package Group every year for the unhoused. She is the kind of friend who is always looking out for everyone else. If someone needs a lead on a new job, Michelle is on it. If someone is scrambling to find an apartment, she’s the one connecting the dots and helping them find a place to live. She is a natural caretaker and connector who never hesitates to lift others up.

Now, this incredible person who gives so much to everyone else needs our collective strength.

On Thursday morning, Michelle was riding an electric bike through Pioneer Square when she hit a railroad track and suffered a severe crash. The accident left her with both a broken leg and a broken arm.

Because of the physical nature of her injuries, Michelle is looking at a minimum of six weeks out of commission. She can’t teach, she can’t coordinate, and she can’t work the door. Like most independent artists and workers in our community, losing six weeks of income creates an immediate, overwhelming financial crisis on top of an already painful physical recovery.

Michelle has spent years building, supporting, and welcoming this community. Now, us her family and close friends are calling on that very same community to have her back. We want to raise enough funds to completely cover her rent, bills, groceries, and living expenses for the next month and a half so she can focus 100% on healing without financial panic.

Every single donation helps, no matter the size. If you’ve ever enjoyed the music she helped create, a festival she helped coordinate, a shift she worked, or if she's ever lent you a helping hand when you needed it, please consider giving back to her now. If you cannot donate, please share this link widely.

Let’s show Michelle exactly what she means to Seattle and to us! We love you Michelle!