Car by car, box by box, the diaper donations came, and tonight – following up on our in-progress coverage earlier today – we have the official wrapup for WestSide Baby‘s 13th annual “Stuff the Bus.” From WS Baby’s executive director WestSide Baby:
Thank you so much to the communities of West Seattle and Burien today for the amazing support of Stuff the Bus. As of today, the Stuff the Bus Campaign for WestSide Baby has raised 193,000 diapers! We still hope to reach 250,000 diapers but we see it in sight. We count our goal through a combination of physical diapers donated, cash gifts and sponsorships.
The West Seattle Bus brought in 35,595 diapers and the Burien Bus gathered 23,750 today!! We have special thanks for all of our staff and the 80 volunteers and board members who blanketed Seattle in yellow over the last 2 days to support our efforts.
Special call outs to Burien Toyota and Burien Chevrolet for hosting a record drive, gathering more than 12,000 diapers for a first-ever effort. AmericanWest Bank lent us their support, parking lot and an incredible group of energetic volunteers. First Student bus company, and especially Jerry our bus driver, rock for donating services and time. Much appreciation to Bright Horizons and Ages and Stages child-care programs for diaper drives and volunteer efforts. Local grocery stores at Safeway, West Seattle Thriftway, QFC and Albertsons offered incredible support, resulting in many diapers and gifts. There were many, many drivers, volunteers, and others who went out of their way to make our event a success. We will continue to recognize folks on our Facebook page, website and other outreach over the next couple of weeks. Thank you to everyone who gave!!
In the waning moments today, we photographed Nancy and daughter Mcinnis:
WSB is proud to be among the many community co-sponsors for “Stuff the Bus.” And it’s important to note, you can help WestSide Baby help local families in need ANY time of year – by donating diapers, other items they need, your time as a volunteer, and/or money – details on all of the above can be found on the WS Baby website.
11:14 AM: Look for volunteers like Gracie and Ned to point the way to WestSide Baby‘s West Seattle headquarters for the “Stuff the Bus” diaper drive until 2 pm today – the AmericanWest Bank lot on the northeast corner of 40th and Alaska. Here’s the bus they’re hoping you’ll help them fill with diapers (sizes 4, 5, 6 are the ones most needed):
Among the first donors: Laurie from Bright Horizons in The Triangle brought the results of their diaper drive:
Through earlier drives and contributions, WS Baby executive director Nancy Woodland says, they have received 121,000 diapers of the current 250,000 goal. They’re hoping to net more than 63,500 in West Seattle today. If 40th/Alaska isn’t convenient, here are four other places you can drop off diapers today:
*West Seattle QFC on SW Alaska St & 42nd Ave SW (Alaska Junction)
*West Seattle Safeway on SW Admiral Way & California Ave SW (Admiral Junction)
*West Seattle Safeway on SW Alaska St & 42nd Ave SW (Jefferson Square)
*White Center Safeway on SW Roxbury St & 28th Ave SW
WestSide Baby helps thousands of local families each year.
11:30 AM UPDATE:Via Facebook, WS Baby reports almost 15,000 diapers received in West Seattle so far. But that’s not even a quarter of the way to the goal – hope you can help!
2:22 PM UPDATE: When today’s collection officially concluded a short time ago, the unofficial West Seattle tally was up to almost 34,000 – note the “tote board”!
They marched and rolled and chanted in the West Seattle Grand Parade on Saturday; today, it’s your turn to take action – to answer WestSide Baby‘s call to “Stuff the Bus” in their biggest diaper drive of the year on behalf of thousands of King County babies and toddlers in need. It’s a really simple action to take, too; buy diapers and bring them to either the major West Seattle dropoff spot, the one where you’ll find the big yellow bus 10 am-2 pm, in the parking lot of AmericanWest Bank on the northeast corner of 40th/Alaska, or to one of these grocery stores where you’ll find WS Baby volunteers those same hours:
*West Seattle QFC on SW Alaska St & 42nd Ave SW (Alaska Junction)
*West Seattle Safeway on SW Admiral Way & California Ave SW (Admiral Junction)
*West Seattle Safeway on SW Alaska St & 42nd Ave SW (Jefferson Square)
*White Center Safeway on SW Roxbury St & 28th Ave SW
Sizes 4, 5, and 6 are most needed, according to WS Baby’s website. Speaking of which: If you can’t bring a donation of diapers anywhere in person today – you can donate money online and WS Baby will buy the diapers. “Help us help more kids than ever before,” is their request – as you’ll see in this WS Baby-provided video, also featuring their parade appearance:
So whatever you’re doing at midday today, detour for a few minutes for a gift to help our littlest local neighbors.
An unusual and very specialized volunteer request is just in from Anna at Twelfth Night Productions:
Twelfth Night Productions, a local West Seattle community theater troupe, is looking to the community for assistance with their summer musical.
Our summer musical this year is “Guys & Dolls,” a quirky romantic comedy set in Damon Runyon’s mythical New York City. Although we have a fantastic cast and crew, we’re asking the community for assistance in helping us present a flawless performance. Specifically, we need help building our sets at West Seattle High School this Monday, July 22nd through Friday, July 26th, from 10:00 am to 3:00 pm.
Although we have an enthusiastic and dedicated crew, more hands are always needed. No experience is required- we welcome all willing helpers and will provide the tools needed. If you’re interested in assisting with our “build week,” or in any other way (including being an usher or helping sell concessions), please e-mail volunteer@twelfthnightproductions.org with your information. Thanks in advance, and we look forward to entertaining you!
WSB shares volunteer requests depending on how things are going in the news stream; e-mail info to editor@westseattleblog.com. We also encourage posting in the WSB Forums.
West Seattle’s waters, beaches, and marine life need your help – so here’s heads-up on two cleanups with which you can help:
THIS SUNDAY MORNING: 9-11 am next Sunday (July 21), Puget Soundkeeper Alliance will be teaming up with Tuxedos and Tennis Shoes Catering to clean up any fireworks debris found following the Saturday night fireworks show off Beach Drive. They are looking for help from kayak AND shore-patrol volunteers, and will be removing “summertime trash” along the way. It starts at Emma Schmitz Memorial Overlook (4503 Beach Drive SW). Just show up – with or without a kayak; Puget Soundkeeper Alliance will be providing staff, trash grabbers, and bags; Tuxedos and Tennis Shoes will have pastries, coffee, and fruit for volunteers.
SATURDAY, AUGUST 3RD: Seal Sitters, along with the Alki Community Council and Seattle Parks, is organizing a cleanup in honor of the marine mammals killed or otherwise harmed by trash at sea – from Sandy the seal pup (strangled in April 2012 by derelict fishing line; archived Seal Sitters updates here) to the Arroyos gray whale (whose necropsy in April 2010 revealed a stomach full of trash) and many others. This cleanup will be on Alki Beach, 9 am-noon on August 3rd, as part of Seal Sitters’ “Year of the Seal: Sentinels of the Sound.” They’re requesting RSVPs so they know how much supplies to bring – e-mail sealsitters@me.com. More information here.
(June 8th WSB photo)
Five and a half weeks after a hit-run driver or other attacker left a West Seattle woman unconscious and badly hurt by the roadside in Fairmount Ravine – where two Good Samaritans found her (and organized a run on her behalf a week later) – that woman is home from the hospital. This news comes from a friend of hers who has launched a crowdfunding campaign to help with her medical expenses. Ed Lorah worked in hospice services with the victim – whose name we now know is Sarah. He says she has a long road of therapy and recovery ahead before she’ll be going back to work, so he has set up a GoFundMe page to raise money for her. You’ll recall that Sarah is a runner and was out for an early-morning run when she was hit; so is Ed, who is training for the Chicago Marathon and dedicating his training to her. You can donate via the GoFundMe site here. Meantime, still no word of a break in the case.
Throughout the summer, the work of getting ready for the next school year proceeds – and if you have some time to spare this Thursday, Roxhill Elementary could use the help:
Roxhill Elementary School is in need of a few volunteers to stamp and sort new books for our classrooms. We will be meeting at 12:00 on Thursday, July 18, at the main office. We will be done by 3:00 at the latest. Come in comfy clothes as the building does not have a/c. Contact Amanda Shutters, amshutters@seattleschools.org (814) 335-6853 for more information. Service hours available!
Out of the WSB inbox – Seattle Parks is hoping for a big volunteer turnout at Lincoln Park on July 26th, less than two weeks away:
Seattle Parks and Recreation, Seattle Parks Foundation, Green Seattle Partnership, EarthCorps and six corporate sponsors, including REI, have teamed up to host Love Parks Day on Friday, July 26, at Lincoln Park. From 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., volunteers will clean the park and remove invasive vegetation species.
The goal is to have 200 volunteers who will work with Seattle Parks and Recreation crews and Friends of Lincoln Park who have identified projects throughout this 135-acre park.
(Click image for full-size PDF view)
The neighborhood council for the areas at the epicenter of West Seattle’s major changes is getting ready to re-launch. The Junction Neighborhood Organization – JuNO – has been dormant a while for a variety of reasons, but is getting ready to re-launch – and making this call for involvement:
Do you live in the West Seattle Urban Hub? Do you love West Seattle and envision a beautiful Junction and Triangle community?
If yes, then you can join your West Seattle Junction Neighborhood Organization: JuNO!
JuNO is a community group from the Alaska Junction and Triangle neighborhoods who volunteer to make this neighborhood the best to live, work, and play in!
In 5 years, will we still have parades, street fairs, and Halloween at the Junction? Will we have enough parks and green space with the new developments? How can parking and beautification be addressed with the City? Can we preserve our community feel and manage density and development? JuNO is a neighborhood advocacy group that provides a voice for sensible growth. Join JuNO and be a part of shaping our growing community!
7/16 – Pre-Launch Meeting
Seeking interested individuals to be actively involved on the board and on committees … we will be forming a new leadership team for 2013!
7/23 – First Juno Meeting of 2013
Hot topics you want to discuss? Attend and let us know what matters most to you.
Both meetings will be held at the West Seattle Senior Center, 4217 SW Oregon, from 6:30-7:30 pm in the Alhadeff room.
Still time to get to Skylark Café to help friends and family raise money for Logan Wicker‘s recovery, post-crash (backstory in our report from earlier), continuing until 6 pm. Big turnout, and they were taking group shots displaying “L” for Logan.
Skylark proprietor Jessie SK tells us there’ll be a nighttime benefit later this month, with karaoke – watch for more details on that. There’s also donation information online at getrightlogan.com.
Here is a list of some of the items that will be raffled and auctioned today at during the benefit for Logan Wicker. We will also be calling the silent auction at staggered times between 3:30pm and 5pm (does not have to be present to win) and we will have the raffle items split into 3 different raffle pulls at 3, 3:45, 4:45 (must be present to win). The raffle tickets are good for all pulls so 3 chances to win!
Auction Items
1. Earl Thomas Signed Seahawks Helmet
2. X-box and 2 Brand New Games
3. Art by Dee Wicker “Car”
4. Art by Dee Wicker “Goth Bat”
5. Art by Dee Wicker “Gas Pump”
6. Art by Dee Wicker “Tractor”
7. 8 Hours Basic Landscaping Services, Including Consultation and Use of Green Products
8. 90 Min Swedish Massage
9. 1 hour Professional Photography Session
10. Mariners Ticket Package for Four + Parking Pass
11. Wine & Cheese Tasting Package @ Apex Winery in Woodinville
12. Brass Cannon
13. Beatles Rock Band for Play Station
14. Sounders Signed Soccer Ball with Certification of Authenticity
Raffle Items
$20 Talarico’s Gift Card + 2 Movie Tickets
$20 Talarico’s Gift Card + 2 Movie Tickets
$25 University Bookstore Gift Card
$50 Yard House Gift Card
$25 100 Bistro Gift Card + 2 Movie Tickets
Dr. Pepper Snowboard
Rainier Beer Hoodie
Community Fitness 4 Class Pass
$50 Angelina’s Gift Card + 2 Movie Tickets
$65 Facial
$25 3rd Place Bookstore Gift Card+ Handmade West Seattle Blanket
$25 100 Bistro Gift Card + 2 Movie Tickets
West Seattle Bowl Gift Certificate for 1 Hour of Bowling + Shoes for 4 People
$25 Luna Park Gift Card + Luna Park T-Shirt
PBR Beach Umbrella
$20 Talarico’s Gift Card + 2 Movie Tickets
$75 Aveda Spa Gift Card
$25 100 Bistro Gift Card + 2 Movie Tickets
Seattle Logo Pro Shop Gift Bag Including Men’s Shirt, Women’s Shirt, Sweatshirt, Hat, Stickers + Bag (T-Shirts can be exchanged for different sizes)
Tyee Golf Package + Golf Bag
Rainier Sleeping Bag
With the West Seattle Grand Parade just nine days away, coordinators have a request: They’re looking for two people who have convertibles and would be willing to drive them in the parade, with dignitaries on board! The parade heads down California SW from Lander (by Hiawatha) to Edmunds (south end of The Junction) starting at 11 am on Saturday, July 20th. If you can – or might be able to – help, please e-mail parade co-coordinator Dave Vague ASAP at vagued@comcast.net – thanks!
Go bowling on Sunday and help local students! The photo and announcement are from Jeanne Flohr at Seattle Lutheran High School, who :
The SLHS football team is holding their annual bowling fundraiser this Sunday, July 14, 2013 from 3:00 pm to 6:00 pm at the West Seattle Bowl. This is a great way to enjoy fellowship and fun with family and friends while supporting Saints athletics. Proceeds from the event will benefit the SLHS football and cheer programs. Cost is $20.00 for two games, including shoes. Bowling teams are welcome. For more information, please contact Football Coach Jeff Scott at 206-696-5333.
You’ve seen movies film at Alki Beach. But this might be the first time a movie has sought publicity via a cleanup at Alki Beach. Just got word that you’re invited to a beach cleanup this Thursday morning (July 11th), 8-10 am (meet at Alki Bathhouse), one of eight cleanups (along with 5 in California plus Honolulu and Vancouver) tied into the release of “Pacific Rim.” If you’re one of the first 100 people to show up to volunteer, they’re promising prizes including two tickets to see the movie. More details on the official flyer.
Help make wishes come true – by getting out on the greens with the West Seattle Eagles Auxiliary, whose past Madam President Amy McGrath shares the invitation to this upcoming tournament:
Since 1995, The West Seattle Eagles Ladies Auxiliary has raised over $95,000 for the Make-A-Wish Foundation of Alaska and Washington by holding various fundraisers. At three years of age and suffering from a brain tumor, Craig Wilkerson was granted his “wish” to drive a race car. He passed away shortly after his “wish” was granted, spurring his grandmother, Past Madam President Mary Lou Wilkerson, to start raising funds for the program. Now in its 16th year, the Craig Wilkerson Golf Tournament is our largest fundraiser of the year.
The tournament is open to everyone and will be held at Jefferson Golf Course Saturday, August 17th. Cost is $80 per golfer, if preregistered and paid by August 1. After August 1, cost is $85 per golfer. Deadline for entry is August 10. Entry fee includes dinner at the West Seattle Eagles after the tournament. We will also be holding a live and silent auction and have entertainment to follow dinner.
Friends and family have announced a benefit one week from tonight for 29-year-old Logan Wicker, who was driving home from his job at Skylark Café and Club late at night two weeks ago when a van driven by an alleged drunk driver hit his car at 17th and Cambridge, sending him and a friend to Harborview Medical Center. In our photo from the scene (left), you can barely see his car behind the van. Police say the other driver was running away from the scene when they caught her; as reported here June 26th, she is charged with two counts of vehicular assault and one county of felony hit-and-run. But for Logan’s family and friends, the focus is on his recovery; here’s how you can help:
Friends and family of Logan are hosting a benefit in his name to take care of the financial load that is accumulating so that he and the family can focus solely on his health and recovery. To raise money toward his recovery, we are organizing an all-ages benefit on July 13th from 2-6pm at the Skylark Café. There will be live music, information about the consequences of drunk driving, a raffle containing numerous items, and an auction. Hella Sunshine will be playing at 5 pm and we will have another band (tba) before that. There will be a cover (tba) at the door. All proceeds go directly to the Logan Wicker Fund.
There’s a website too – getrightlogan.com – and a Facebook event page for the benefit. And if you can’t make it to the benefit at Skylark (3803 Delridge Way SW), you can donate via any Chase Bank; the Logan Wicker Fund is account #954-989-786.
P.S. We don’t know how the other crash victim is doing, but would be happy to publish an update too if family/friends contact us. Meantime, the accused drunk driver who hit them, 26-year-old Kalameu Paulo of Seatac, remains jailed in lieu of $75,000 bail.
Big news for WestSide Baby as this year’s “Stuff the Bus” mega-diaper-drive approaches (Sunday, July 21st). Today its warehouse is receiving a million diapers, the first of two committed shipments by the National Diaper Bank Network, for WS Baby, partner Eastside Baby Corner, and the Tri-Cities Diaper Bank. The WS Baby announcement includes this reminder of why they are desperately needed:
King County reports over 10,000 children* under the age of three living in poverty. The diapering needs for these children is 22 million diapers per year. Unfortunately, this incredible need forces many families to choose between buying diapers and paying bills. Diapers are not covered by any government aid program, including food stamps and Women, Infant and Children (WIC) programs. Struggling students or working parents most often must bring a daily supply of diapers when dropping their children off at daycare.
According to Joanne Goldblum, Executive Director of the National Diaper Bank Network, “Children can miss out on early childhood opportunities if parents cannot supply diapers, which most centers require. Though Early Head Start programs are mandated to provide diapers, the budgets they receive from the federal government are often too tight to allow for that. These programs sometimes turn to diaper banks, community-based non-profits dedicated to keeping every baby clean, dry and healthy.”
Big donations like this are only a drop in the diaper bucket – your help matters in a big way, too. You can donate to WestSide Baby in a variety of ways detailed on their website – and watch for diaper drives big and small, including at the Admiral 4th of July Kids’ Parade this Thursday and then the big Stuff the Bus collection on July 21st, 10 am-2 pm in the parking lot of AmericanWest Bank.
At West Seattle Stadium, 200 people are in the early hours of an all-night annual tradition raising money to fight cancer – Relay for Life of West Seattle. It’s running a different schedule this year, but one thing didn’t change – the survivors’ lap (above) to start it off. One of the two-dozen-plus survivors there today was the highlighted speaker for the kickoff, Angela Hurst(in purple, below). It’s been a year since she was diagnosed with colon cancer at age 37 and 16 weeks of pregnancy … a baby she lost from side effects of as she was about to begin chemotherapy that she was assured would be OK:
(added) Here’s video of Angela telling her story:
The stories are everywhere at Relay for Life, without even having to be told aloud:
And while the event itself runs about 18 hours, the fundraising began weeks and months ago. You might remember this mother-daughter team:
We reported onLauri and Gerry Cunningham‘s take-out spaghetti-dinner fundraiser a week ago. They told us proudly today that they brought in $800!
WHAT’S NEXT: This morning’s daily preview on WSB includes the schedule for this evening, with events open to the public including Bubbleman‘s performance right now and the popular kids-music band Recess Monkey at 6:30, and then the luminaria ceremony at 10 pm, as participants and visitors remember those they’ve lost as well as paying tribute to those who are fighting. The stadium gates will lock at 11, but people will remain on the track all night, with closing ceremonies planned at 7:30 tomorrow morning. If you want to donate, you can do so while visiting the stadium or online, here.
This weekend is the annual Relay for Life of West Seattle, a 2-day, 1-night event raising money to fight cancer. That overall mission is the same as ever, and the location is the same – West Seattle Stadium – but otherwise, there are big changes, including entertainment to which you’re invited to bring the family, and a timeframe change too. It starts at 2 pm Saturday (tomorrow, June 29th), continuing till midday Sunday, and here are the lineup highlights:
2 pm: Opening Ceremony
2:15 pm: Survivor Lap (we will have a lounge with snacks for our survivors!) followed by Teams Lap
3-3:45 pm: ACS Cancer Action Network presentation
4-4:45 pm: Hair Donations
5-8 pm: Contigo Food Truck will be onsite
5-6 pm: Bubble Man
6:30-7:30 pm: Recess Monkey concert for the kids!
7-10 pm: Massages by M3 Bodyworks
7:30 pm: Squirt Gun Game
10 pm: Luminaria Ceremony
The ceremony is in honor of lost loved ones and those who are fighting or have fought cancer. The public’s welcome to stop by at any time during the events above – for a few minutes or a few hours, whether to enjoy the entertainment or simply to show your support for the fight against cancer.
*We have scheduled a new volunteer training session on July 24th from 6:30 – 8:30 pm. This will be the last training until the end of pupping season in late fall, due to time constraints on volunteers. The training will be held at Alki UCC. Please RSVP for the event (find the link here). We welcome children – our Seal Sitter kid volunteers ROCK! Here’s more info on the content of the training.
*Harbor seal pupping season is officially underway in South Puget Sound with reports of lanugo (premature) pups in and around area rookeries. Whidbey and the islands north of us have had newborns for several weeks now. There was a report of a small, new pup at Golden Gardens on Monday. As we reported a couple of weeks ago, an adult female seal died at Constellation Park and the necropsy revealed she had given birth two days earlier. We searched the beaches for the next few days, but were not able to find a newborn pup.
So, any day now we could have some seal newcomers to West Seattle – or, of course, one of the yearlings still hanging around from last year could decide to rest on shore. Please be on the alert and, as always, call our hotline 206-905-7325 (SEAL) if you see a marine mammal on the beach!
A change in dates for the first of the Rotary Club of West Seattle‘s three berry sales this summer means that strawberries will be on sale THIS Friday and Saturday – and the deadline for advance orders is this Wednesday morning. It’s one of the ways the Rotary raises money for its community projects, including the annual Children’s Holiday Shopping Spree. See the prices and sizes here (but the strawberry dates are different – moved up, as we just mentioned); follow the links to place an advance order. Then you’ll pick up your berries on the specified dates, Friday 1-5 pm or Saturday 10 am-5 pm at West Seattle Produce. Raspberries and blueberries are coming up in July. If you miss the advance-purchase date there *might* be same-day sales available – but no guarantees.
Lauri and Gerry Cunningham – daughter and mother, respectively – don’t even look one bit tired, though they certainly have the right to. In the Fauntleroy Schoolhouse kitchen tonight, they made and sold about 100 spaghetti dinners as a benefit for the upcoming Relay for Life of West Seattle, an American Cancer Society fundraiser that they’ve been involved with for more than a decade. They cooked, dinner purchasers picked up, and by the time we saw Gerry and Lauri around 6:30, they were sold out. Relay for Life, by the way, is coming up in less than a week and a half – Saturday, June 29, at West Seattle Stadium; even if you are not part of a team, you can support the cause by visiting during the all-night event, and by donating online.
One month ago, volunteers organized by Sustainable West Seattle planted a “Presto Garden” to grow food for those in need (WSB coverage here). Today – the first harvest! The photo and update are from SWS’s Stu Hennessey:
The “Presto Garden” was created at a four hour work party a little more than 4 weeks ago as a final to a community forum series presented by Sustainable West Seattle. The garden was built at the Westcrest P-Patch and is a designated food bank garden for the White Center Food Bank. The forum series focused on gardening with a permaculture technique referred to as lasagna gardening. The different layers of the garden foundation were built up from the existing ground and were layered much like compost layering, green brown, green brown. You can see the results.
The first Harvest today 6/20 netted 15 pounds of lettuce and spinach to the White Center Food Bank.
In our photo from the scene (left), you can barely see his car behind the van. Police say the other driver was running away from the scene when they caught her; as 
2 pm: Opening Ceremony
| Comments Off on WestSide Baby ‘Stuff the Bus,’ report #2: Today’s tally