(WSB photo by Patrick Sand)
Every year, Holy Rosary School sells Christmas trees not only to raise money for its programs, but to donate part of the proceeds to local nonprofits. Tonight, this year’s beneficiaries accepted checks for $1,752.92 each. From left, West Seattle Helpline, represented by new executive director Kate Stannard; Salvation Army‘s Hickman House shelter, represented by Mary Libby and Carmen McRoy from the SA; and the West Seattle Food Bank, represented by Judi Yazzolino. Only seven months until next Christmas (but who’s counting?)!

Getting to the goal lines of life requires help sometimes – and that’s what retired 14-season Seahawk Mack Strong‘s Team-Works Foundation is all about, helping hundreds of kids every year. We photographed Strong this afternoon outside West Seattle Thriftway (WSB sponsor), where the first official benefit barbecue of the season raised $ for the foundation, led by Strong and wife Zoe Higheagle Strong, founded more than a decade ago. As the poster next to him in the photo points out, the foundation’s biggest benefit of the year is coming up in mid-July, a golf tournament and dinner/auction (registration/tickets are available online). Next Thriftway barbecue, meantime, is coming up in two weeks (since next weekend brings Memorial Day, you’re probably having your own barbecue).

Let’s say you’re already set for the West Seattle 5K tomorrow morning, benefiting WS High School students through the PTSA. You have another chance to get moving for a good cause later in the day – Sunday afternoon, it’s the Zumbathon benefit for Transitional Resources, sponsored by an array of local businesses to assist TR in its work helping people living with mental-health challenges. Get dancing 1-3 pm Sunday with instructors Jennifer Cepeda and Annie Stilts, inside the spacious West Seattle Christian Church Activity Center at 4400 42nd SW; registration info is here.

8:46 PM: A bit more than three hours to go in this year’s GiveBIG one-day donate-a-thon organized by The Seattle Foundation, which has “stretch dollars” to add to donations made to participating nonprofits until 11:59 tonight. Around the city/region, people are answering the call:

We passed another milestone–as of 7pm we're at $10.1 million in #GiveBIG donations. Amazing!

— Seattle Foundation (@TheSeattleFdn) May 7, 2014

If you missed it earlier – or saw it and forgot to go back and do something about it – here once more is the link to the page we put together with 70+ participating LOCAL nonprofits, working in West Seattle, White Center, and/or South Park. Show one or more some $ love if you can, with the knowledge each dollar will go further!

1:20 AM: And the final regional tally:

$12.89 million. 64,000 donations. I think we can officially call it a successful #GiveBIG! Thanks everyone! pic.twitter.com/HDagwlGunM

— Seattle Foundation (@TheSeattleFdn) May 7, 2014

Dozens of local nonprofits are participating in today’s GiveBIG one-day donation drive coordinated by the Seattle Foundation. Whatever money you give TODAY ONLY to any or all of the participating nonprofits is not only a big help all by itself, it also boosts their eligibility for a “stretch pool” of partial matching funds, to be distributed proportionately depending on how much each participating nonprofit raises during GiveBIG, by 11:59 pm tonight. BIG catch: You **must** donate through the special pages all participants have on the foundation’s website, NOT via their own websites. So again this year, here’s our list of those special pages for participating West Seattle, White Center, and South Park-based or -founded/-connected nonprofits. The special links take you to pages on the Seattle Foundation website with background information, as well as the donation links to use for this one-day event. (P.S. Please let us know if we missed a WS, WC, or SP-based organization – post a comment or e-mail us ASAP at editor@westseattleblog.com – thanks!)

ART FOR ANIMALS’ SAKE – go here

ARTS CORPS – go here

ARTSWEST – go here

ASSISTANCE LEAGUE OF SEATTLE – go here

DELRIDGE NEIGHBORHOODS DEVELOPMENT ASSOCIATION – go here

DENNY-SEALTH PERFORMING ARTS – go here

DUWAMISH RIVER CLEANUP COALITION/TECHNICAL ADVISORY GROUP– go here

ENVIRONMENTAL COALITION OF SOUTH SEATTLE – go here

ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE CENTER – go here

EXPLORER WEST MIDDLE SCHOOL – go here

FAUNTLEROY CHILDREN’S CENTER – go here

FRIENDS OF SEALTH – IB SCHOLARSHIP FUND– go here

HELPING LINK-MỘT DẤU NỐI – go here

HIGHLINE SCHOOLS FOUNDATION FOR EXCELLENCE – go here

INVEST IN YOUTH – go here

KILLER WHALE TALES – go here

KING COUNTY LIBRARY SYSTEM FOUNDATION – go here

KOL HANESHAMAH – go here

MARRA FARM COALITION – go here

NATURE CONSORTIUM – go here

NAVOS – go here

NEIGHBORHOOD FARMERS MARKETS – go here (gifts of $50 & up will be matched, says NFMA)

NEIGHBORHOOD HOUSE – go here

NONFICTION MEDIA– go here

NORTHWEST CENTER – go here

OUR LADY OF GUADALUPE SCHOOL – go here

PLUMBERS WITHOUT BORDERS – go here

PONGO PUBLISHING – go here

PROVIDENCE MOUNT ST. VINCENT FOUNDATION – go here

PUGET SOUNDKEEPER ALLIANCE – go here

SAFE FUTURES YOUTH CENTER – go here

SCHOOL OF ACROBATICS AND NEW CIRCUS ARTS – go here

SEAL SITTERS – This is an unusual path; you need to go to the Associated Recreational Council GiveBIG page, click donate, and then in COMMENTS, you must write that it’s for Seal Sitters (ARC is its fiscal sponsor)

SEA MAR COMMUNITY HEALTH CENTERS – go here

SEATTLE CHINESE GARDEN SOCIETY – go here

SEATTLE GLEE CLUBS – go here

SEATTLE PARKS FOUNDATION – go here

SEATTLE POLICE FOUNDATION – go here

SEATTLE PUBLIC LIBRARY FOUNDATION – go here

SEATTLE YOUTH SYMPHONY ORCHESTRAS – go here

SENIOR SERVICES – go here

SOUTH PARK AREA REDEVELOPMENT COMMITTEE – go here

SOUTH PARK INFORMATION AND RESOURCE CENTER – go here

SOUTH PARK NEIGHBORHOOD ASSOCIATION – go here

SOUTH PARK SENIOR CENTER – go here

SOUTH SEATTLE COMMUNITY COLLEGE FOUNDATION – go here

SOUTHWEST SEATTLE HISTORICAL SOCIETY – go here

SOUTHWEST YOUTH AND FAMILY SERVICES – go here

SPORTS IN SCHOOLS – go here

TECHNOLOGY ACCESS FOUNDATION – go here

THE CABIRI – go here

THE SALVATION ARMY – KING COUNTY – go here

THE SERVICE BOARD – go here

THE VILLAGE OF HOPE – go here

THE WHALE TRAIL – go here

TRANSITIONAL RESOURCES – go here (matching-gift pool from their board, too!)

TWELFTH NIGHT PRODUCTIONS – go here

URBAN ARTWORKS – go here

WEST SEATTLE FOOD BANK – go here

WEST SEATTLE HELPLINE – go here

WEST SEATTLE JUNCTION ASSOCIATION – go here

WESTSIDE BABY – go here

WESTSIDE SCHOOL – go here

WHITE CENTER COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT ASSOCIATION – go here

WHITE CENTER FOOD BANK – go here – and again this year, WCFB has added events on GiveBIG day. This morning, there’s a donation station at Caffé Delia; then it’s Dine Out For Hunger, as announced by WCFB:

Several fabulous White Center restaurants will host Dine Out for Hunger events by donating a portion of their proceeds (today/tonight) to the White Center Food Bank. Grab a friend, a colleague, or a family member and head out for burgers at Zippy’s Giant Burgers, pizza at Proletariat Pizza, dinner and drinks at Company, ice cream at Full Tilt, or pub fare at Mac’s Triangle Pub. Look for White Center Food Bank staff board members at these locations, and come say hello!

According to the WCFB Facebook page, Meander’s Kitchen also has joined.

WHIT PRESS – go here

YES FOUNDATION OF WHITE CENTER – go here

WEST SEATTLE/FAUNTLEROY YMCA – go to the YMCA of Greater Seattle donation page and write in the comments that it’s for the West Seattle YMCA

YOUTH MEDIA INSTITUTE – go here

YOUTH VIOLENCE PREVENTION NETWORK – go here

YWCA OF SEATTLE-KING COUNTY – go here

Five days and counting until the 10th annual West Seattle Community Garage Sale Day, 280+ sales of all sizes, all over our area this Saturday, May 10th (online map here; printable guide/map debuts tomorrow). While you’re out shopping and browsing, maybe you’d like to do a little extra shopping for the nonprofit that helps local babies and kids? In addition to accepting unsold items, this year WestSide Baby is also inviting you to take its wish list, buy items that are on it, and donate them. From WS Baby:

WestSide Baby is thrilled to accept items left over from garage salers at the end of the day on May 10th. Our drop-off locations are below for Saturday for extended hours and our facility will re-open again on Monday at 9 am.

However, we also believe children in need deserve a chance to get more than leftovers! With that in mind, WestSide Baby is excited to launch our first-ever Kids Shopping Squad (KSS) on May 10, 2014, during West Seattle Community Garage Sale Day. The KSS is for people who want to help local children in need by finding great deals on things like children’s clothing, books, and safety equipment. WestSide Baby provides essential items for local kids. There will be hundreds of those items available throughout West Seattle at garage sales! We collect these gently used things, sort them and then add them to orders placed with us by more than 80 social-service agencies. We know that many people love the thrill of garage-sale shopping and we believe many are generous enough to purchase a few bargains to donate to us directly. To add to the fun, an anonymous donor will donate one package of diapers for every person that signs up (up to 15 Squad members!) A few key points:

Ø KSS members can “sign up” simply by sending a name and email address to Shana Allen, Volunteer Manager at WestSide Baby –
shana@westsidebaby.org

Ø The KSS are “shoppers” – while we will definitely take sale leftovers at day’s end at the locations below or in the week following, the KSS are meant to be buying things.

Ø The KSS should utilize the WSB shopping list provided – we most need the items on that list.

Ø Items can be dropped off between 10-6 pm at any of the following WS Garage Sale day dropoff locations

o Hotwire Coffee (4410 California SW; off the alley behind)

o Westside Dermatology/Edward Jones location at 4740 44th Ave SW

o WestSide Baby’s donation facility @ 10027 14th Ave SW

We hope a number of shoppers will sign up to help local children in need on May 10th. If all goes well, we may extend the KSS through the summer garage-sale season throughout the city. We also have a few additional activities available for volunteers on May 10th – contact Shana Allen if interested or fill out the volunteer form at westsidebaby.org.

The shopping list is simple:

1. Size 5T-12 clothes (especially pants)
2. Pajamas (all sizes)
3. Youth size shoes, sizes 1-6
4. Strollers, high chairs, baby swings, portable cribs

Through the warm(er) months, West Seattle Thriftway (WSB sponsor) has outdoors barbecue lunches many Saturdays, raising money for local nonprofits. Today, the season begins with a test run – so you’re invited to come have a free hot dog while they last. In our photo are Michele, Thriftway’s resident barbecue guru, and her new assistant Sam. The first official benefit barbecue is coming up in two weeks – Saturday, May 17th – with a celebrity guest chef expected, former Seahawk Mack Strong, and proceeds benefiting his TEAM-WORKS Foundation.

Again this year, we’re making a page of links to West Seattle/White Center/South Park nonprofits that are participating in the GiveBIG donate-a-thon, so that readers of West Seattle Blog, White Center Now, and The South Park News will have a handy cheat-sheet for where to donate. So if you are associated with a nonprofit in WS, WC, and/or SP, that’ll be part of GiveBIG next Tuesday, please send us the link to your GiveBIG donation page, ASAP. Best way to get us this info: editor@westseattleblog.com – thanks and good luck!