HELPING: Impact West Seattle’s ‘hyperlocal’ choice
By Tracy Record
West Seattle Blog editor
In these chaotic times, nonprofits have to rely on direct community support more than ever.
That’s why Impact West Seattle seems made for this moment.
But the “giving group” of West Seattle women is far from new – it launched seven years ago, collecting modest donations from members each quarter to amass a large gift for a collectively chosen organization. Back in May, we reported on Impact West Seattle passing the milestone of half a million dollars given.
The group’s latest quarterly gathering filled the big upstairs room at the Center for Active Living last Thursday night, as members learned about three nominees for this round of funding – this time, under the theme “Hyperlocal West Seattle” – and made their decision.
But first, they heard from a past recipient – another tradition at Impact West Seattle meetings, to hear what’s happening with an organization they’ve supported.
NORTHWEST IMMIGRANT RIGHTS PROJECT: Last quarter, IWS donated more than $21,000 to NWIRP. Development director Aarti Khanna told the group Thursday that NWIRP’s work has intensified further, given that immigrants “are under severe attack.” So, she told IWS members, “You’ve had more of an impact than you could imagine.” What they’re doing now, in addition to helping detainees, includes “know your rights” presentations and working toward “systemic change” – “We’ve already sued the government several times this year.” What do they need most right now? she was asked. They’re looking for pro-bono attorneys (who do not have to be immigration-law specialists).
Next, the three pitches for this quarter’s funding. Distinctive to Impact West Seattle’s format, the pitches are not made by officials or representatives of the organizations, but rather by IWS members.
A CLEANER ALKI: This volunteer coalition, founded by Erik Bell, does its work far beyond Alki, elsewhere around West Seattle and even off-peninsula. IWS member Pam, presenting the pitch, declared Bell a “hyperlocal hero” and showed the REI-made video featured here last winter. She explained that A Cleaner Alki does far more than pick up trash – its work parties also focus on “sprucing,” such as clearing away vegetation blocking line of sight. Last year alone, A Cleaner Alki logged 289 organized cleanups and 4,700+ volunteer hours. And she said the organization needed funding because it lost a state grant that had helped cover the cost of tools, supplies, and upkeep on the donated van used for cleanups. She summarized ACA’s work as “community-building as well as community-cleaning.”
SCHMITZ PARK CREEK RESTORE: This project was pitched by Molly, who said she happened onto it “in my neighborhood one day.” She gave a bit of Schmitz Preserve Park‘s history (which we covered at the restoration group’s launch), and the mission of the group: They’re partnering with community groups, schools, and public agencies; it’s a city park but “resources for parks don’t get fully funded” so this would be supplementary. They’ve been working from the outside in to clear and restore. “Their idea is to keep enhancing the trail systems that are in there” – mostly “social trails” – and “someday make it a salmon run again.” It’s a place to “be Seattle’s classroom around heritage, scholarship, this incredible resource … huge trees, beautiful birds …” She also recounted UW students’ design concepts for restoration (as covered here) “to really vision out what could happen at the park over time” and noted that regular work parties are happening, with a big event planned in November to get 400 native plants in the ground (sign up here to help). The restoration group now has 501(c)(3) status, she added.
WEST SEATTLE HELPLINE: This is the West Seattle Food Bank‘s program providing emergency assistance to struggling families, to prevent homelessness. IWS member Charlynn said the need for this assistance has increased by about 30 percent a year, every year since 2020, and it’s not going to drop any time soon, with landlords in King County filing an average of 27 eviction cases a day. The people who are being evicted are neighbors in need, Charlynn said: “These are our neighbors – their kids are going to school with ours – I kept going back to those [news stories about] eviction notices, and my heart keeps breaking.” She was asked a variety of questions about what clients can use the money for – not discretionary spending, but rather housing costs, Charlynn explained.
VOTING: This was open to members not in attendance, via online voting, as well as those who were there, via QR code. West Seattle Helpline was the winner, so that WSFB program will get more than $21,000 from Impact West Seattle. Group leaders also invited members to support the other nominees if they’re moved to do that.
ANOTHER VOTE: The group also voted on topics for next year’s giving – four themes, one for each quarterly meeting. Here are the dates, topics, and descriptions, from the newsletter sent post-meeting:
January 22nd (Thursday) – Issues Impacting Basic Needs – Ensuring everyone in our community has access to essentials like food, housing, and employment. Includes efforts to address housing instability, homelessness, food insecurity, unemployment, and to support low-income residents.
April 27th (Monday) – Issues Impacting Children, Youth & Families – Helping kids and families thrive through support, education, and opportunity. Includes youth development programs, child advocacy, family support organizations, and initiatives addressing legal or social issues impacting children.
July 21st (Tuesday) – Issues Impacting Social Justice & Inclusion – Building a more equitable and connected community for everyone. Includes organizations addressing racial and social justice, immigrant and refugee issues, peacebuilding, and efforts to bridge divides through civic dialogue and polarization reduction.
October 21st (Wednesday) – Issues Impacting Health & Wellness – Promoting mental, physical, and emotional health for individuals and families. Includes mental health services, addiction prevention and recovery, and whole-health supports for parents and caregivers navigating stress, child-care shortages, and health-care access.
Find out more about Impact West Seattle here.
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