West Seattle, Washington
02 Monday
You might recall the story we published earlier this week, written by Tilden School‘s fifth-graders, who are working on forest restoration. They’re volunteering weekly at nearby Dakota Place Park, too – removing trash as well as weeds and other invasive plants – as did last year’s fifth-graders, and Tilden shared the photo to help remind you of a communitywide work party TODAY at Dakota Place – it’s been on the WSB West Seattle Events calendar since Jennifer Cargal from Friends of Dakota Place Park sent word: “You’ve been enjoying that park. Well, it’s time to grab your gloves, a trowel or a shovel and join us for a work party … LABEL ALL TOOLS!! And come prepared for the weather! We work either way. We hope you’ll join us as we work together for a great fall clean-up for Dakota Place Park. Hope to see you at the park!” If you haven’t been to the park (dedicated exactly one year ago), it’s on the northwest corner of California/Dakota – here’s a map.
(What else is up in West Seattle today? Here’s the calendar!)
That’s the trailer for the animated Disney/Pixar movie “Ratatouille” – given its culinary theme, an apropos choice for tomorrow’s benefit for Sofia Goff and her children, for whom friends are trying to raise money. Now a local business is offering to match donations – as explained on this page, along with the backstory on the benefit (plus a button for donating if you can’t make it to the benefit), 11 am Sunday at Admiral Theater.
Big week for West Seattle’s biggest elementary school (526 students as of the newest enrollment report), Lafayette. Yesterday, we showed you a second-grade class’s special field trip; today, the entire school’s involved in the biggest fundraiser of the year, the annual Walk-A-Thon. Above, lining the course to cheer on the walkers – some run:
And some get company – that’s WestSide Baby‘s Nancy Woodland taking a lap earlier this morning. School fundraisers like this rustle up cash for what the budget just doesn’t cover any more – though at least the schools still get great folks like the Lafayette office team, Ms. Selena and Ms. Connie:
For years, by the way, Lafayette has been working on upgrade its playground – and an entirely different round of fundraisers is under way to take advantage of a grant that’ll evaporate if not matched – look for that story coming up here on WSB. And if you have a school fundraiser, celebration, event, need, whatever, that you want to make sure the greater West Seattle community knows about – send the info this way! Thanks!
36-year-old Nikki Mackey hopes you will watch that video of her recent haircut at Illusions Hair Design (WSB sponsor). Five weeks ago, Nikki was diagnosed with Stage 2 breast cancer. She explains why watching the video can make a difference:
Knowing that I will lose my hair to chemo, I decided to donate it to Locks of Love (my hair was very long and very pretty….)
I went last Wednesday to Illusions Salon in West Seattle and had them cut the hair for the donation – one of the stylists videotaped it for me since I have been trying to fully document this new and painful journey. I put the video up on YouTube to share with my friends and family (I’m from the East Coast so many of them are not here physically but want to share this experience with me in any way they can…)
The video generated a great many views very quickly and I received a notice from YouTube regarding ad-revenue sharing. Illusions gave their permission for me to
apply for the ad-revenue sharing and I contacted Locks of Love to let them know that I want all proceeds earned from the video to go to them. I just really want to get the video out there so we can perhaps earn some money to help this fantastic organization. Immediately following my surgery, one of the surgical attendants came to see me to make sure I was doing OK. She told me she had worked at St. Jude’s and was present when one of the Locks of Love wigs was presented to a 15 year old girl. She told me she never forgot how happy the girl was and how emotional it was to see this child get a wig which would allow her to feel like a normal 15 year old – at least as normal as she could possibly feel under the circumstances.… I want to raise awareness for this awesome organization, as well as for breast cancer awareness. As I said, I’m 36 years old – I have no family history of this disease – I exercise regularly and eat organically, yet here I am. I just want to get the word out that body awareness is the key to survival. It certainly was for me.
Locks of Love participation is one of the ways Illusions gives back to the community – as explained toward the bottom of the “Giving Back” page on their website. You can also find out more about Locks of Love, including other ways to help the organization, by going here.
… is this Thursday. Bordeaux, Bites, and Boogie is the biggest fundraiser of the year for the West Seattle Chamber of Commerce, which advocates for the health of our peninsula’s economy, while connecting local businesspeople with each other, and also making sure that key concerns such as sustainability are addressed as part of economic growth. The Chamber has a lot of big projects in the year ahead, and has had a busy year, but this one night is a time to celebrate and mingle, and you’re invited. The event is at Sodo Park, the events venue in SODO that’s owned by West Seattle-founded Herban Feast (which is also the parent of Fresh Bistro). It starts at 5 pm this Thursday night, and as the title suggests, there’s food, drink, and dancing, among other parts of the festivities – plus a raffle. You can get tickets online through Brown Paper Tickets (here’s the direct link), $50/person. (Disclosure note: WSB, like many local businesses, is a Chamber member and is honored to be its current Business of the Year.)
We mentioned Avalon Glassworks‘ pumpkin-making event earlier – seems there’s another patch of glass pumpkins in West Seattle today: WSB contributing photographer Ellen Cedergreen happened onto this show/sale that Tacoma Glassblowing Studio is presenting till 4 pm at Alki Bathhouse. Above, that’s studio co-owner Jeannine Sigafoos; part of today’s proceeds are going toward an orphanage in Romania and a Puget Sound charity (explained here, along with other venues that’ll be hosting the event in the weeks ahead).
Saturday night’s 10th anniversary celebration for West Seattle-based Killer Whale Tales was in an unusual – but thoroughly appropriate – setting: The Seattle Aquarium, after-hours. Killer Whale Tales is an educational program led by West Seattleite Jeff Hogan – who often sends first word of local orca sightings to share with WSB’ers. He presented a slideshow to last night’s partygoers:
WSB contributing photographer Ellen Cedergreen reports that the slideshow’s focus was on educating kids, to ensure the future of the whales. Jeff explained what he does in the classroom with the kids – not just interactive talks, but also having kids take pledge sheets home and fill them out and then send them back to KWT. They pledge to use less water, learn how to properly dispose of toxic waste, how to use less electricity, etc. They are also encouraged to get adults to pledge the same. In addition to Jeff’s presentation, the party included a fundraising auction, with items including a Killer Whale Tales San Juan Islands Orca Expedition. And there was more exhibit viewing – otter-feeding! Particularly a hit with young eventgoers.
There was also the chance to meet more volunteers working to educate people about local marine life, like another West Seattleite, Donna Sandstrom from The Whale Trail:
Last night, we also learned more details about upcoming events, including one on which Donna and Jeff are collaborating (we’d heard a bit while out whale-spotting last week): On November 7th at Alki Bathhouse, you’re invited to a “Welcome the Whales” Environmental Fair. Jeff is scheduled to give a talk as part of it; Donna will be talking about the Neighborhood Matching Fund grant that The Whale Trail has won to install local whale-viewing signs and to start an orca-steward training program. More on that, and the event, soon. (KWT, by the way, is a nonprofit, and donations are tax-deductible – here’s how to help, any time.)
(WSB photos by Ellen Cedergreen)
Three nights after White Center Food Bank executive director Rick Jump was at the microphone in South Seattle Community College‘s Brockey Center, telling the City Council Budget Committee about his agency’s new mobile service, its truck was at the same spot – on display for the food bank’s annual Harvest Dinner and Auction. With it above are volunteers Brittany McIntyre, Lena Guevara, and Johnny Huynh. It took to the streets for the first time on Tuesday, serving WC Food Bank clients at Arrowhead Gardens (WSB sponsor). Of course, the food bank’s leader himself was at last night’s event too, all smiles over the big turnout:
The Harvest Dinner program noted, “This year we’ve faced tremendous challenges as we coped with the realities of an economic downturn and the sharp rise in need in our community. Thanks to your support and partnership, we’ve more than met the basic needs of the families we serve to ensure nutritious meals are available to those who need them most.” Also on the program, quite the entertainment lineup, including Rainier Dance Group, photographed as they prepared to go onstage:
Also performing: Fusion Dance Crew, plus a harpist and jazz pianist. The night included live and silent auctions, a dessert dash (with all money going to buy holiday pies for WC Food Bank clients), and a 50/50 raffle. If you weren’t there, your chance to help out the White Center Food Bank – which is responsible for southern West Seattle too (Myrtle is the south boundary of the West Seattle Food Bank‘s service area) – is year-round, online – just go here.
As WestSide Baby‘s car-seat-collection drive was wrapping up at 2 this afternoon, that dumpster was packed full of car seats for recycling – about 400 collected today and at a Ballard dropoff last Saturday. The dropoffs today also included about 50 reusable car seats:
Today’s drive is in an expansion facility that WestSide Baby is finally ready to start talking about in a big way – it’s a former auto shop right behind their 15th SW headquarters in White Center, but it fronts on 14th SW, and gives them lots more room to accept donations for local families, and for volunteers to work on sorting those donations, starting in early November. WestSide Baby’s Nancy Woodland explains that it means not only can they accept more items to distribute to local families in need, they also can separate the pickup and dropoff areas, making it easier for people on both ends of the equation to deal with WS Baby. The expansion building – which is being remodeled with donated materials and labors by many businesses, groups and individuals (including WSB sponsor West Seattle Design Build) – is at 10027 14th SW; it’s also where the diapers collected in last July’s Stuff the Bus were taken for storage (here’s our report with video). If you missed today’s car-seat event, by the way, no worries, Nancy says they hope to have more!
That’s Katie Salinas from Waste Management, photographed a week ago when we got full details about the car-seat collection events in which WM is partnering with WestSide Baby. Today is the big collection event for West Seattle/White Center and vicinity; between 10 am and 2 pm, take your no-longer-need car seat/booster seat to 10027 14th SW in White Center (that’s a block from WS Baby’s current location – here’s a map). If it’s in good-enough shape to reuse, that’ll happen; if not, it’ll be recycled. More details on the WS Baby website – which says the collection event in Ballard last weekend netted 50 reusable seats and almost 200 recyclable ones. Can West Seattle/White Center top that? Just hours to go.
(Report on Pakistan flood-refugee camp, published last Saturday by The Guardian)
“The largest humanitarian crisis the international community has ever faced” is how Nazleen Ejarque describes the Pakistan flood disaster, in the announcement of a West Seattle benefit to reach out across the globe. Though the flooding happened two months ago, its aftermath continues to affect millions. On October 22nd, 6:30-8:30 pm at the Westside Unitarian Universalist Congregation church in Gatewood (7141 California SW), Nazleen is organizing a fundraiser for FOCUS Humanitarian Assistance, which is responding with search/rescue/evacuation as well as distributing food and medical/relief supplies. Food, dance performances, and henna painting are part of the plan; a $5 donation (for adults) is suggested. Nazleen says, “Please join us in this cause to help those in need…no matter their religion, color or class.” Here’s the full flyer for the 10/22 event. Questions? nazpejarque@yahoo.com
(Photo courtesy Laura Bermes)
If you just happened into Roxbury Lanes Friday night – it might have looked like another busy night bowling – but something special was going on: Pins for Pennies, a fundraiser for West Seattle-based Family Promise of Seattle, the area’s only shelter program helping homeless families, on hiatus right now (as first reported here in August) while trying to raise enough money to reopen. Laura Bermes from the Family Promise of Seattle board reports last night’s event raised more than 200,000 pennies!
Over 50 people bowled and even more showed up to support bowlers. A great time was had by all. Thanks to Roxbury Lanes for their support and to Full Tilt Ice Cream as well! We raised over $2,000 and still have pledged donations coming in! We have another fundraiser planned for November – West Seattle’s first ever Comfort Food Throw Down. The community will have a chance to eat delicious food, purchase homemade items, and will get to vote for the first-ever Comfort Food Champion of Seattle!
More details to come. You can also donate to Family Promise of Seattle any time, by going here.
You might not be able to tell the problem from a quick look at that photo, but those are two of the old car seats that WestSide Baby CAN’T give to new owners – because of moldy components like straps. However, we learned during a Thursday followup on WS Baby’s car-seat-collection drive announcement (published here Wednesday night), non-reusable car seats are not destined for the landfill – a different kind of recycling is in store, according to Katie Salinas from Waste Management, which is partnering with WestSide Baby for two upcoming collection events:
Katie, by the way, is a West Seattleite. She and WS Baby’s Nancy Woodland met with media on Thursday to answer questions about the upcoming collection drive, which has two dates in two locations, covering much of the metro area: You can bring your old car seat to WestSide Baby HQ in White Center (10027 14th SW – map) at 10 am-2 pm on October 16th, and tell your North Seattle friends to drop theirs off at the CoolMom booth at the Sustainable Ballard Festival by Ballard Viking Bank (2237 NW 57th – map) this Sunday, 10 am-4 pm. Bottom line, as explained in the WestSide Baby newsletter:
Any car seat will be accepted at these events. We’ll figure out if they can be reused or must be recycled. To be reused, car seats must be less than 6 years old, never been in a car accident and never been washed with harsh chemicals.
A nearby project needs your help today, and/or tomorrow, and/or Sunday:
This coming Friday / Saturday / Sunday (Oct 8,9,10th) from 10 am to 4 pm, Concord International Elementary School is looking for volunteers to help assemble their new Play Structure. … We have a new play structure for the school body and local community that we will be assembling this weekend under the supervision of the structure manufacturer. All tools will be provided. Volunteers are much appreciated. Please e-mail concordplay@live.com if you think you can help us out.
While Concord is in SP, the district considers it part of the West Seattle “region,” and Concord feeds into this area’s other two international schools — Denny and Chief Sealth.
(WSB photo from 2008 trick-or-treating in The Junction)
One more special event has been announced for Saturday, October 30th, in The Junction – Before, during, and after trick-or-treating at local businesses (1-3 pm), you’ll be able to get a professional photo of your little goblin if you go to Hotwire Online Coffeehouse (WSB sponsor) noon-4 pm. As a fundraiser for WestSide Baby and the West Seattle Food Bank, Stephanie Cristalli Photography will be set up at Hotwire. You’ll be able to go online later to view the photos, choose what you want, and pay online too. In addition to proceeds benefiting WS Baby and WS Food Bank, diapers and food donations will be collected during the photo shoots too.
From Carol at West Seattle High School – can you help?
West Seattle High School is looking for a host family for Mr. Jinan Jia for the 2010/2011 school year. Mr. Jia is a teacher from China who is teaching Chinese this year at West Seattle High School. This is an exciting opportunity for the host family to learn of the Chinese culture and the Mandarin Chinese language. A home in West Seattle is preferred as the teacher will use Metro to get to work and will be networking with his colleagues at Denny, Madison, Sealth and West Seattle High School. Please call West Seattle High School Principal Ruth Medsker or her secretary Carol Wakefield at 206 252-8800 if you are interested. Thank you!
It’s been a while since we’ve talked about the West Seattle Emergency Communication Hubs (above) – neighborhood-designated sites around the peninsula where you would be able to go in case of disaster/major emergency, to get information and help (here’s where to find the one that’s closest to you). This morning, we have a request for you to help the Hubs during an upcoming “fake quake.” From Cindi Barker:
On Saturday, October 16, there will be a citywide drill of volunteer Emergency Preparedness organizations. In West Seattle, the Emergency Communications Hubs will set up 3 of their Hubs and conduct a live drill of an earthquake scenario, complete with aftershocks. To make this as realistic as possible, we would like to have citizen “actors” come to the Admiral, Fauntleroy or Highland Park Hubs to report damage, request assistance or offer resources (we’ll provide the script ideas). We would especially like to invite SNAP groups or Block Watch members to help, so you can see how the Hubs could interact with your neighborhood group. The drill will run from 9:00 am to noon on the 16th and you can participate for part or all of the drill. If you can help, please contact us at info@bepreparedseattle.info.
Five days after the fire that ravaged its engine compartment, the Seafair Pirates‘ Moby Duck made a trip to the Pirates’ top-secret North Seattle HQ tonight – thanks to the donated services of Skyway Towing. The occasion: Pirate leadership – in red blazers rather than the standard pirate regalia – talking about what they need to get the World War II-vintage craft back on the road again before Seafair 2011, and what happened to do so much damage:
That’s spokespirate Mark “Keelhaul” Jensen, who explained that they’re hoping to raise $25,000 in donations, since that’s the original estimate. But they don’t just need money: The engine that caught fire is an old Chrysler, and the Pirates are currently debating gas vs. diesel — they are in dire need of someone who is an automotive electrical expert to go through the Duck. They are also in need of a place to work on The Duck – if anyone has warehouse or other open space, please contact them. They really need to get The Duck out of the elements, as the fire caused damage that’s already risking serious rust.
You can send money to
Seafair Pirates Moby Duck Fund
PO Box 27638
Seattle, WA 98165
or go to seafairpirates.org and click the PayPal link. Seafair Pirates president Rusty Harper – who lives in West Seattle – says if you can help, it’s part of saving a tradition, and they are grateful to have long had so much community support:
If you have questions or want to talk about helping out, call 206-365-1590.
(Car seats turned in for recycling during 2009 event, photo courtesy WestSide Baby)
WestSide Baby is getting the word out tonight about its car-seat-collection drive, about to be kicked off with the help of Waste Management – with two events, one on the north side of the city and one at WS Baby’s White Center headquarters. That car-seat-collection event is set for 10 am-2 pm on Saturday, October 16th (10027 14th SW – map); or if you just can’t wait to get the car seat off your hands, 10 am-4 pm at the Ballard branch of Viking Bank (2237 NW 57th – map). IMPORTANT: Check out the criteria for whether your car seat qualifies to be recycled for reuse – details here.
(YouTube photo montage of Bacon Kevin Bacon – substituted for previous video clip, which seems to be broken)
In recent months, you might have seen the What Do Bacon Do? folks around West Seattle — at the WS Art Walk last April, street festivals, etc., with their festive felt Bacon People. Right now, they’re gaining new attention for their role in a fundraiser – and they’ll even be on KING 5‘s “New Day Northwest” at 11 this morning, we just found out. The photo above is the reason why – they were part of the making of a bust of actor Kevin Bacon, crafted from, what else, bacon. West Seattleite Wendy Watkins is on the WDBD team and explains it’s being auctioned on eBay – three days to go, and the bidding’s past $4,000! – to raise money for Ashley’s Team, a foundation to help families dealing with childhood cancer (Ashley is a leukemia patient who is also the daughter of the owner of J&D Foods, a partner in the BKB endeavor and best known for Bacon Salt). Sorry, though, BKB is not edible – as the eBay description notes, it’s been “well-lacquered.” (Bid here!)
Out of the WSB inbox tonight, two events for this weekend:
TWELFTH NIGHT PRODUCTIONS CABARET AND AUCTION: It’s the event that yields much of the funding for community-theater troupe Twelth Night Productions, and it starts at 6 this Friday night at South Seattle Community College‘s Brockey Center – dinner, drinks, appetizers, silent/live auction (items including a Leavenworth getaway and “instant wine cellar”), and entertainment, $55/person, tickets available online through Thursday.
AT COVE PARK, HELP OUT, AND LOOK AHEAD: A work party this Saturday at the mini-beach park north of the Fauntleroy ferry dock will be followed up by a chance to talk about what’s ahead for the park, according to this note from Mardi:
Saturday, October 9th, Tom Jay, lead artist, and Kirk Hackler, lead landscape architect, will be at Cove Park to talk to any interested community members about ideas for the restoration of the space after the Barton Street Pump Station is expanded and restored. All are welcome to help maintain the park from 10 to 1, and then meet with Tom and Kirk at 1 pm.
Construction of the two-year pump-station project is scheduled to start in 2012 – here’s more info on the King County Wastewater Treatment Division website.
Every year, AAA offices around the state collect toiletries – shampoo, soap, toothpaste, etc., especially in “hotel sizes” – in the “Soap for Hope” drive. Alison from AAA in The Junction e-mailed to say that the West Seattle residential facility to which her office had been giving their donations isn’t around any more, so they are trying to figure out who the beneficiary for this year’s drive can be. Got a suggestion? Post a comment – or if you’d rather make the suggestion offline, AAA’s office number is 206-937-8222. (P.S. Once again this year, we will have a running list of holiday-time donation and fundraising drives on the forthcoming WSB Holidays page, so please let us know about anything you’re working on.)
Schmitz Park forest steward Dylan shares that photo along with an invitation for you to come help plant trees in one of West Seattle’s green gems. They’re having a tree-planting event this Sunday, as part of the 350.org 10-10-10 “global work party.” If you can spare three hours 9 am-noon, you can help plant Sitka Spruce and Western Hemlock in the park; RSVP here (and find out more).
Before we get to Sunday – a separate regional event gives you the chance to join in one of several West Seattle events on Saturday:
It’s a regional Duwamish Alive! work party day, 10 am-2 pm on Saturday – all cleanup and restoration events in the Duwamish River watershed, some even on the river itself (there’s a waterborne work party too) – go here to see where you can help out.
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