West Seattle, Washington
01 Saturday
Earlier this month, we brought you the story of 11-year-old Avery Berg, who, in the same week she started middle school, also started radiation therapy for a rare type of brain tumor. She is battling it with good humor and her mom Kristie is sharing that humor with the world via an online chronicle, Step by Step with Awesome Avery. As mentioned in our first report, family and friends are raising money for pediatric-brain-tumor research via tomorrow’s Run of Hope. You still have time to donate to their effort. Kristie, meantime, shares what’s new with her daughter:
… This week Avery shaved her head. Most people think that only chemo makes you lose your hair, but when you radiate your whole brain, that does the trick as well. I desperately wanted to shave my head with her, but she asked me not to. “Mom, the last thing I want to see is you without hair” is actually what she said. I know shaving my head doesn’t really do much, but honestly, I just wanted to feel this loss with her. I don’t know about you, but my hair is absolutely a security blanket for me. I’ve cried on several occasions just from a bad cut!
I was surprised she didn’t have the same reaction as she had to me when she learned four of her friends were planning on shaving their heads too. Let’s just pause for a moment and remember these are middle school kids who all just started a new school! Two of them are girls with gorgeous, long, healthy hair that will take years to return. They did it during her nightly radiation treatment and in tandem with her own shave so she wouldn’t have to walk into school alone the next day. We should all be so lucky to have friends like this. Again, any expression of gratitude falls well short of how I feel. …
In the same post, she also marveled at the Run of Hope pledges for Team Awesome Avery surpassing $100,000. As of today, it’s jumped to $137,000+, yet that is still a drop in the proverbial bucket for an underfunded type of research, so their gratitude continues to grow for every new contribution … on behalf of Avery and other children who have been and will be affected until there’s a cure.
(Family photo, used with permission)
If you haven’t already seen this announcement in the WSB West Seattle Event Calendar, we’re spotlighting it now since tomorrow’s daily preview will likely be too late:
MENTAL HEALTH 101 AND COMPANIONSHIP: DEMYSTIFYING MENTAL HEALTH AND REMOVING THE STIGMA OF MENTAL ILLNESS
Our Lady of Guadalupe’s Life, Justice, and Peace Commission invites you to one or both of these great events on Saturday, September 17 in the Walmesley Center (7000 35th Ave SW).
Mental Health 101 (10-11:30 am) will focus on fostering a deeper understanding of common mental illnesses, what they look like, how they develop and tips for relating to the people who live with them. We will discuss strategies for families and other caregivers to support the mental health of themselves and others.
Companionship Training (12:30 pm-3 pm) will introduce the five practices of Companionship: hospitality, neighboring, sharing the journey side-by-side, listening and accompaniment. Once completed, you will have tools to listen consciously, with openness and awareness, to enable at least a momentary reprieve, and to encourage a strengthening for the journey ahead.
$10 suggested fee per class or $15 for the whole day.
Information: Jennifer Ibach at jibach@olgseattle.org or 206-935-0358 x.120. Please be sure to bring a lunch if you’re staying for the day.
(Photo courtesy Momentia)
You might have noticed the newest decorations at Walking on Logs near the southwest end of the westbound West Seattle Bridge, but not recognized the name on the banner: Momentia. We just heard from the people behind it, with an explanation:
Momentia Seattle is a grassroots movement empowering people with memory loss and their loved ones to stay connected in the community! You can visit the community website to learn more about the movement, our community partners, and to see a full calendar of programs and events throughout the Greater Seattle Area: www.momentiaseattle.org
Part of it is Camp Momentia, happening next Saturday at West Seattle’s Camp Long, a day-camp experience for 48 people with memory loss. Cayce Cheairs with Seattle Parks tells us the camp is fully enrolled, but if you are interested, you can connect to get on the list for next year’s camp and other “dementia-friendly recreation” in the meantime – e-mail cayce.cheairs@seattle.gov – one of the upcoming events is a community gathering here in West Seattle next month “to hear from the West Seattle memory loss community about what programs you’d like to see in your community. Hosted by community partners – including the UW Memory and Brain Wellness Center, the Senior Center of West Seattle, Providence Mt. St. Vincent, Full Life Care, and Seattle Parks and Recreation – this gathering will offer an opportunity for people living with memory loss and their loved ones to have their voices heard and to help create more creative and social engagement opportunities for people living with memory loss in West Seattle.” More details soon – we’ll have it on the WSB West Seattle Event Calendar once we get them.
I love you.
Chad
Those words are tattooed on the inside of Laura Crooks‘s left wrist:
Her son’s last written words.
Chad Crooks died by suicide last January, at 21. (You might have read his obituary here.)
Within weeks, Laura and husband Todd found themselves turning their grief into action.
“For his service, people wanted to have a way to donate to something. We couldn’t really find anything that that people could donate to for psychiatry” – so they found themselves setting up a foundation, Chad’s Legacy Project.
This Saturday night (September 10th) at Duos Lounge in West Seattle (2940 SW Avalon Way), you are invited to be part of the foundation’s first fundraiser “Unmask the Night,” which has a very specific goal – to fund a summit next year to bring together people who can make a difference on the issues the Crooks family has prioritized, from “ideas about what should change because of the care Chad received, or didn’t receive.”
You see – suicide isn’t what you might think it is. It is seldom simply a decision someone takes because of a life crisis. It is far more often a deadly symptom of mental illness. For Chad, that illness was schizophrenia, which is often first diagnosed just as a person is coming into young adulthood – already a vulnerable and challenging time. He was diagnosed less than a year before his death.
“There’s so much to be done,” Laura said. They want to support education to end the stigma of mental illness, better care for people living with it, research to find cures. Mental illness can be curable, not just treatable, she says – “we just haven’t studied it (enough) yet.” Read More
Today, we welcome Alki Dental as a new WSB sponsor. Here’s what they would like you to know about who they are and what they do:
Every now and then, you discover a hidden gem or best-kept secret in our neighborhood. Alki Dental is just that. For over 15 years, Alki Dental has served the West Seattle community with outstanding dental care from their office overlooking Elliott Bay and downtown Seattle. They have earned a reputation of caring for all patients as well as for providing a safe and relaxing experience for patients who fear dental visits.
Their staff is legendary. They are seasoned professionals who are truly concerned about the well-being of their patients. Under the new ownership of Dr. Hanbit Chi (pronounced “chee”), Alki Dental is the only dental practice in West Seattle that offers:
*A dental-health approach focused on your total well-being: body, mind and spirit
*A variety of sedation-dentistry techniques, including IV Sedation, to help patients manage pain and stress
*Panoramic and 3D digital imaging to enhance treatment diagnoses, providing patients with a clear picture of their oral health
*A spectacular view of downtown Seattle from every patient chair
*An office environment that feels like home rather than a medical institution
*Alki Dental Club, a patient-membership program designed exclusively for patients who do not have dental insurance and who want a simpler way to manage the cost of their oral health. No dental insurance? Join the Club! Modeled after managed-care dental plans, the Alki Dental Club offers patients a predictable way to obtain prompt, high-quality, cost-effective dental care. Alki Dental strengthens their patient/care-giver relationships and removes costs that add little or no value to dental health by removing third-party insurance companies from all decision-making.
Contact us for a FREE consultation with Dr. Chi to experience the Alki Dental difference. Alki Dental is located on the waterfront at 1331 Harbor Ave SW; call 206-933-9300. Online, you can learn more here.
We thank Alki Dental for sponsoring independent, community-collaborative neighborhood news via WSB; find our current sponsor team listed in directory format here, and find info on joining the team by going here.
(Family photo of Avery Berg as her 5th-grade year concluded)
“She’s one hell of a kid.”
That’s how Kristie Berg describes her daughter Avery, who starts middle school Wednesday at Explorer West.
The move from elementary to middle school is challenge enough for any child, any family, but things got unimaginably more complicated for the Bergs just a few weeks ago, when Avery was diagnosed with a brain tumor.
We found out about it from family friend Alana, who e-mailed WSB on Labor Day weekend.
Avery’s mom has been writing online about her family’s journey. From today’s entry: “My baby girl confidently walked into her middle school orientation this morning with half her head shaved and a pair of glasses with one eye blocked with scotch tape. She hasn’t been able to take a shower for days as she had a surgery last Friday and then ended up having an emergency shunt surgery on Sunday. And yet she still walked in with her head held high and her spirit eager and ready to embark on this adventure. I have never been so impressed with someone in my life.”
A few days earlier, Kristie wrote that she doesn’t know how the school year will go – after day two, on Thursday night, Avery is scheduled to start radiation therapy, which she will need five times a week for six weeks, in addition to six months of chemotherapy. The type of tumor she is fighting, AT/RT (Atypical Teratoid/Rhabdoid Tumor), is rare – 100 cases a year in the U.S., almost all diagnosed in infancy. But Avery was approaching her 11th birthday, on vacation with her family in August, when, Kristie recalls, she “casually mentioned she had been seeing double for a few weeks. And in that instant, our life changed.”
You can read all of Kristie’s updates – many with video of updates by Avery, who has a remarkable sense of humor (don’t miss the story of “Bob”) – by going here. She dubbed the updates “Step by Step with Awesome Avery,” and that’s the title of her mom’s website, too.
Kristie told us via e-mail, “These past three weeks have been unbelievably hard, but our community has been incredible. We should all be so lucky to live in a place with such supportive neighbors and friends. We’d love to extend this invitation to our entire West Seattle crew and have any attention we can brought to fighting pediatric brain tumors.”
The invitation to which she refers is an invitation to support friends and relatives’ team, Awesome Avery, for the Run of Hope coming up on September 25th to raise money for researching pediatric brain tumors. Avery’s dad Joe Berg has a fundraising page here. You can donate there and/or run by registering here.
(Photo by David Hutchinson)
9:16 AM: “Today, you changed a woman’s life.” That’s the message Northwest Hope and Healing executive director Kristina Dahl gave hundreds of runners and walkers as they got ready to head out on this year’s Alki Beach 5K, which started at 9 am.
(WSB video/photos from here, unless otherwise credited)
The nonprofit helps breast- and gynecologic-cancer patients deal with their daily lives as they embark on the fight of their lives. They’re on the course right now – which means Alki/Harbor Avenues are closed for a while – and we’ll be updating.
9:32 AM: Runners of all ages (a 9-year-old finisher was just announced!) continue crossing the line. First was Devon Grove of Kirkland, 20, in 16:15:
(added, next 5 names/photos) Second finisher, Joseph Walker of Federal Way, 21, in 16:38:
Third finisher, John Serrano of Seattle, 17, in 16:54:
Now, the first three female finishers – 1st, Abigail Sargent of Seattle, 33, in 18:38:
2nd, Hailey Kettel of Edmonds, 20, in 19:22:
3rd, Alicia House of Seattle, 27, in 20:55:
10:37 AM: The Alki Beach 5K is officially over, and the waterfront road has just reopened.
ADDED SUNDAY EVENING: Our traditional “everyone leaving the starting line” video is now added near the top of the story. Here are a few more scenes from the Alki Beach 5K:
Robert Spears shared that view of the runners/walkers going in both directions along east Alki. Next – one of the youngest runners, if not THE youngest, who sported the handcrafted bib number “707 1/2”:
Another closer-to-the-ground runner even had a T-shirt:
It wouldn’t be a running event without Lori and Tim McConnell of West Seattle Runner (WSB sponsor):
And finally … Kristina Dahl from NWH&H wore her reasons for the run on her sleeve:
(Full results from today’s Alki Beach 5K can be found here.)
(WSB photo from 2015, right before the Alki Beach 5K)
Two weeks from today, start your Sunday morning by gathering with friends, family, neighbors in and around Alki Statue of Liberty Plaza, right before you run, walk, and/or roll the waterfront route of the Alki Beach 5K! It starts at 9 am Sunday, August 28th, with a waterfront route on Alki Avenue SW, to Luna/Anchor Park and back.
The Alki Beach 5K is a major fundraiser for West Seattleite-founded and -led Northwest Hope and Healing, which helps hundreds of breast-cancer and gynecologic-cancer patients every year deal with the fact that everyday life doesn’t stop while they deal with diagnosis and treatment. Here’s how to sign up; you can do it online any time, or if you happen to see this before 2 pm today, we noticed that NWHH has a table toward the north end of the West Seattle Farmers’ Market.
(Photos courtesy Dr. Bryan Wiebe)
Starting next week, you’ll find longtime WSB sponsor Dr. Bryan Wiebe and his Fauntleroy Chiropractic team in a brand-new location. Here’s the announcement:
After 18 years on Fauntleroy Way, Fauntleroy Chiropractic (Dr. Bryan Wiebe and team) is moving to 4154 California Ave SW as of August 1st!
Fauntleroy Chiropractic was established in the early ’80s by Dr. Greg Tindal (now passed) and taken over by Dr. Wiebe in 1998. In that time, thousands of patients have seen Dr. Wiebe and his team of massage therapists.
This move will continue to allow us to serve the West Seattle community, in a space that is contemporary and congruent. The space was originally a dental office, and recently remodeled by the last tenant, an online advertising company.
The interior has been entirely updated with a remodel that nods to its mid-century history. The original atrium/light bays allow natural light in while maintaining privacy.
“It’s a special place,” says Dr. Wiebe, “with a good degree of WOW factor. Besides stable and classy, it really feels like a healthy space.”
As of August 1st, Dr. Wiebe will be seeing patients at the new location on the regular Monday to Friday schedule. Massage is available daily, including weekends.
Phone number’s the same – 206.932.6605. The new location is on the north edge of The Junction – here’s a map.
Thanks for the tips about the construction-office trailer arriving on the west side of the site of the future Aegis Living West Seattle project, at 4700 SW Admiral Way, wondering if that means demolition is finally near. Last time we checked in with Aegis, they expected to get their demolition permit in June. They do have the permit now, spokesperson John Yeager tells WSB, and: “We will mobilize the first week of August. We’ll start demolition on August 8th, give or take a few days.”
The former Life Care Center building has been empty for more than three years; Aegis bought the site in late 2013 and got Design Review approval last February for a three-story center with 80 assisted-living and memory-care units.
If you’ve never been closer to the Navos Mental Health campus on SW Holden than driving, riding, or walking by, you might not know those townhouse-style residences are part of it. They were shown off this afternoon during a visit by Governor Jay Inslee and County Executive Dow Constantine, a progress report of sorts on a task force they launched almost two years ago.
It’s the Community Alternatives to Boarding Task Force – an effort to help people find their way out of the mental-health-hospital system when they’re ready. “We ARE making progress,” the governor said, while acknowledging “a lot of work” remained. He said mental-health facilities have “more inpatient beds” and “more treatment options,” to get people “the right help at the right time … getting people out of locked wards.” The director of the programs spotlighted at Navos is Ravenna Candy, a West Seattle resident:
She spoke of the six “village-style townhouse units” in which 24 adults live. Around South King County, she said, “300 adults get low-barrier housing through Navos,” as an alternative to longterm hospitalization. The “people who should not live in the shadows,” as the governor called them – people like the resident who told her story, Sandra Anderson:
She said she had spent five years in Western State Hospital, and had also been homeless – 40 percent of people experiencing homelessness are dealing with mental illness, Navos says – as well as having been an addict and a prostitute. Now, she said, she’s been “clean and sober” for 12 years, and is living in her own apartment for the first time ever, at age 52. (It’s in Federal Way, after she spent time living on the Navos campus.)
After a short peek inside one of the “village” living units, media and other tour participants heard again from the governor and county executive. Constantine said, “Too often, people wind up where there’s space, rather than where they need to be” – that space sometimes even turns out to be the King County Jail. He and Inslee promised to pursue, in their budgets and other ways, more support for supportive housing like this. Here’s the news release with details on the task-force recommendations their visit was meant to spotlight.
You might be able to save someone’s life. Next Sunday (July 24th), you can find out how, by talking with a fellow West Seattleite during a Be The Match donor-registration drive. Rebecca Harvey says it’s happening on the new patio at Fresh Flours Bakery in South Delridge:
I, along with other volunteers and a representative from Be The Match, will be there from 9 am to 2 pm Sunday to answer any questions regarding being a donor, as well as registering on the spot anyone that would like to join the donor registry. This is an important cause as these donors have the potential to be the cure a cancer patient needs.
Be The Match is a great organization that operates the largest and most diverse donor registry in the world, in order to connect patients with blood diseases to their life-saving marrow or stem-cell transplant. Anyone between the ages of 18 and 44 who is in good health and committed to donating to a patient in need is encouraged to join the donor registry. Joining is simple and takes less then 10 minutes – all you need to do is fill out a form and swab your cheek!
Seattle is a premier city for cancer treatment, with some of the best doctors in the world. In fact, Fred Hutch scientists pioneered the development of bone marrow transplantation to treat patients with blood cancers, and to this day Seattle doctors are considered experts on the treatment and procedure.
The more donors we register, the more patients we can potentially help find their cure.
Fresh Flours is at 9410 Delridge Way SW. If you are interested in registering and can go there on Sunday between 9 and 2, e-mail Rebecca at rebecca_harvey@icloud.com or RSVP via this Facebook event page – she’d like to know how many donor-swab kits to bring. If you already know you can’t make it, but you’re interested in registering anyway, go here for the online version of the donor-registration drive.
Today we’re welcoming a new WSB sponsor, Park West Care Center in North Admiral. Here’s what they would like you to know about what they do:
Park West Care Center is the only Skilled Nursing and Rehabilitation Center in West Seattle to be rated 5 stars by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid. We offer inpatient physical and occupation therapy 7 days a week. In addition to our rounding physicians we also have a consulting physiatrist, which is a doctor who specializes in rehab medicine. Offering this level of expertise means Park West can successfully serve clients with complex rehab needs. Many people may be surprised to learn we also operate an outpatient rehab clinic on site that is open to the public.
Among the things clients tell us: Our food is excellent and our therapy staff is dedicated to the individual successful outcome of each patient. Our staff are masters at the gentle nudge and don’t take no easily when working with clients who need motivation to do therapy. We are also sought after for our 5-star rating, convenient location right off the West Seattle Bridge and on a major
bus line. Park West also offers a locked dementia-care unit that accepts Medicaid, which is almost unheard of these days.
We are always happy to serve repeat customers who tried us the first time based on our excellent reputation and were pleased with their outcome. Park West Care Center has the most loving staff. Their dedication to our clients and teamwork toward each other is evident in everything they do. We accept a wide range of insurance including Medicare, Medicaid, and most commercial plans.
We see patients and families during crisis. Often, it’s the social economic and lack of support that exacerbated a patient’s medical condition and leads to he hospital admission that rolls into a need for inpatient rehabilitation. Park West strives to not only physically bring the patient back to their highest level of function but also tackle the social issues that are happening in the patients life to lessen the cycle of illness when ever possible. We rely heavily on our community partners such as the Senior Center of West Seattle, Meals on Wheels, DSHS, and Navos, to name just a few key partnerships.
Something new for the community: For the first time ever, Park West Care Center is looking forward to inviting the general West Seattle Community to enjoy our large outdoor patio this summer. Fun events such as an outdoor movie night and food truck showdown are in the works! Mark your calendar for the movie night, showing “The Never-Ending Story,” 8:30 pm July 30th.
Park West Care Center is at 1703 California SW; 206-937-9750; online at parkwestcare.com.
We thank Park West Care Center for sponsoring independent, community-collaborative neighborhood news via WSB; find our current sponsor team listed in directory format here, and find info on joining the team by going here.
(Delridge Fitness Zone equipment, photographed last Tuesday evening)
A week and a half ago, in our report on the July 30th grand-opening plan for Hiawatha‘s new Fitness Zone outdoor-workout equipment, we promised to check on the other new West Seattle set, outside Delridge Community Center. Found out over the weekend that the grand-opening celebration is planned for the upcoming Delridge Day festival on August 13th; one of the festival’s organizers, Pete Spalding, told us about it during West Seattle Summer Fest. The two new Fitness Zones were announced last year and are funded with the help of nonprofit partners. The one in Delridge is just west of the play equipment outside the community center’s north side – you can admire it (through the protective chain-link fencing) if you’re going to any of the Delridge CC events happening tonight. Want to know more about Fitness Zones? Here’s the backstory.
Thanks to Mike for the tip that Hiawatha Community Center‘s new outdoor exercise equipment has been installed, by the east lawn. It’s not quite done – still fenced off – so we stopped by Hiawatha (a very busy place this summer – 20 day camps!) today to ask when it will be open to the public. Answer: The grand opening is exactly one month from today, currently planned for 11 am-1 pm Saturday, July 30th (you’ll see posters soon), and the celebration will include something for everyone, including a construction event (“like sandcastle-building, but with cardboard boxes,” we’re told). The Hiawatha installation is one of two announced for West Seattle last year, with the help of nonprofit partners – we’ll be checking on the status of the other one, at Delridge CC.
Until 7 pm, you can stop by the High Point Market Garden Farm Stand at 32nd SW and SW Juneau and be among the first to shop there this year!
The HPMG is a mini-farm right next to the stand, tended by local residents, and what they’re selling was picked right there. As previewed here on Tuesday, you also can buy produce grown a little farther away via the mobile farm stand ROAR, which is visiting during Farm Stand hours again this year.
If you can’t make it there today, stop by any Wednesday through the end of September, 4-7 pm.
(WSB photos)
A lap around the track by cancer survivors is a traditional part of the start of the annual West Seattle Relay for Life, under way right now at West Seattle Stadium, until 9 am tomorrow. This year, the lap was followed by the survivors walking under a human arch:
At the stadium (4432 35th SW), visitors are welcome until the gates close for the night at 11:30 pm, and then again at 5; participants, however, will be on the track all night, or taking breaks for activities including movies at 12:30 and 2:30 am. When morning arrives – remember, it gets light early this time of year! – the schedule calls for special laps including “Bubbles of Hope” at 5:30 am and a “pajama lap” at 7 am, followed by 7:30 am yoga and a closing ceremony at 8:30 am. If you stop by, here’s one way you can help:
A textile drive is under way throughout the event, collecting clothing and other textile items as part of the cancer-fighting fundraiser. This year, more than 20 teams are taking part in R4LWS, including Key Club members from Chief Sealth International and West Seattle High Schools.
(WSB file photo)
Need some inspiration? We know one place you can find it … West Seattle Stadium (4432 35th SW), tomorrow night through Saturday morning, during the annual Relay for Life. It’s a cancer-fighting fundraiser but it’s also a gathering of hundreds of your West Seattle neighbors, starting with the survivors’ lap at 6:30 pm, following the opening lap at 6. Also a highlight: The luminaria ceremony at 10 pm, during which you’re invited to light one for someone you’ve lost to cancer and/or someone who’s fighting the battle. The full agenda for Friday night and Saturday morning, concluding with closing ceremonies at 8:30 am Saturday, is here. Even if you just show up to applaud the survivors at 6:30 pm tomorrow, it’s a stirring sight to see.
P.S. You can donate through a button on that same page. This year, they’re also having a textile drive – clothing, shoes, and more – see the list of donatable items here.
Today we’re welcoming a new WSB sponsor interested in helping you stay healthy:
GoodMed Direct Primary Care, located in West Seattle’s Morgan Junction neighborhood, is part of a small but growing movement to change the face of primary care. At GoodMed, we provide unlimited primary care for a low monthly fee, sidestepping insurance billing. This simple change prioritizes the doctor-patient relationship and allows us to deliver care that is high quality, very personal, convenient, and cost effective.
GoodMed Clinic, the combined efforts of myself, Dr. Ryan Campbell, ND, and Dr. Wendy Hueners, ND, present a model for care that dispels two common myths of health care. Myth #1 is that insurance is necessary for all health care. Myth #2 is that it must be expensive. Of all of the insurance coverages that exist, health insurance is the only one to also cover routine events. Imagine what car insurance would become if everyone submitted claims for oil changes and new tires. This is essentially what has happened in the health-care system. At GoodMed, we believe that health insurance is essential for risk management, but is most effective, like other insurances, for unforeseen events, like hospitalizations and unexpected major surgery.
Five reasons current members love the care at GoodMed:
Access: We have removed the hurdles to getting care. No longer do our patients wonder if they are sick enough to contact their doctor or worry about what it will cost. As providers, we are accessible 24/7 to keep our patients healthy.
Affordability: Adult memberships start at $50 per month for unlimited care. Considering 80-90% of healthcare needs can be met through primary care, using GoodMed fixes out-of-pocket costs for the majority of member’s needs. For those with high-deductible health plans, this provides a level of predictability to healthcare expenses throughout the year. Members also have access to discounted labs (80-95% savings), and at-cost prescription medications and supplements (45%-90% savings). Essentially, we hustle to find the best rates for our member patients and pass the savings along to them.
Convenience: We offer same or next day appointments for acute health needs. We are also on-call 24/7 for our patients and can be reached a number of different ways. A large amount of care can be safely handled without an office visit. Do you have four kids and can’t get out of the house? Ask us about house-calls.
Transparency: We have pulled back the curtain on health-care costs. All fees are discussed upfront, before any lab is ordered, or medication or supplement is prescribed. The member patient is in the financial driver seat.
Community: We love West Seattle (the rest of Seattle is pretty good too)! We feel very blessed to be able to live and serve our neighborhood families. We are proud members of the West Seattle Chamber.
At GoodMed, we are passionate about changing the system. If you have any questions about how GoodMed might be able to work with your current health coverage, or if you are a small employer, feel free to contact us. We offer free 15-minute meet-and-greet visits. We also have employer-sponsored programs for small businesses. GoodMed is at 6553 California SW; call 206-420-7520.
We thank GoodMed Direct Primary Care for sponsoring independent, community-collaborative neighborhood news via WSB; find our current sponsor team listed in directory format here, and find info on joining the team by going here.
Quick biznote tonight for anyone wondering about the former Redline space on the ground floor of The Residences at 3295 on the southeast corner of 35th and Avalon, since the “for lease” signs came down recently: Building permit and “site plan” documents reveal it won’t be another restaurant, but instead will become a dental office; renovations are under the name Glo Dental Studio.
Elite Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu of Seattle invites you to its Grand Reopening next Sunday (May 22nd). This is the big gym at 5050 Delridge Way SW, known previously as Straight Blast Gym of Seattle (WSB sponsor). From the announcement: “Recent events have allowed the two female owners of BJJ gyms to come together and grow our communities and provide a number of martial-arts programs such as Brazilian Jiu Jitsu and Muay Thai, along with Strength and Conditioning classes for both youth and adults! We’d like to invite the community to our event and check out the mini clinics that will be held. There will be a gathering of people of all skill levels and interests.”
That photo is from this past Sunday, when they had a staff meeting with other Elite groups from around the metro area. Next up before the Sunday event, they’ll be doing renovations and rebranding this Wednesday through Friday, “which will include transformation of both the inside and outside facilities!” And then on Sunday, set for 1-4 pm, here’s what you can enjoy:
Join us in celebrating a new chapter as we open our doors and start our journey as a part of the Elite team.
Elite Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu offers year-round programs for the entire family for kids and adults of all ages and skill levels, in a fun and safe environment.
1:30 and 3:30 pm
Take part in either a Muay Thai, Strength & Conditioning, or Kids clinic. A short 30-minute class with highly experienced coaches, you’ll have fun and learn something new. All skill levels welcome.2:30 pm
BJJ clinic with Professor Miriam Cardoso, head professor of Elite – 5x World Champion; check out her technical jiu-jitsu skills and coaching!* Stop by for some local eats and fun!
* New student and family specials!
* Raffle Prizes
Northwest Hope and Healing presents Style '16 Fashion Show Benefit from Captive Eye Media on Vimeo.
Lots of West Seattle involvement again this year with the annual fashion show raising money to help breast- and gynecologic-cancer patients via Northwest Hope and Healing. For starters, NWHH’s executive director Kristina Dahl is from WS (as is NWHH’s founder Christine Smith), as is videographer Edgar Riebe, whose Captive Eye Media created the highlight video above. From Kristina:
Style ’16 was a smashing success this year, and we are so grateful to this community! Local boutiques Carmilia’s, Coastal Surf Boutique and West Seattle Runner (as well as other area boutiques) showcased fabulous fashions, and Ola Salon & Spa glammed up our inspirational models. The female models were all cancer survivors (several of whom are from West Seattle), some of whom are currently in treatment, and this year we were joined by the Bellevue Fire Department to model the men’s clothing (and they were a big hit!).
(Photo by Matt Browning)
Thanks to the incredible support of our community, the event raised an astounding, record breaking $205,000 to support women undergoing breast or gynecologic cancer treatment at Swedish Cancer Institute who need help with groceries, rent, utilities, and more, and we couldn’t be happier that NW Hope & Healing is growing so that we can help more women than ever in 2016.
NWHH’s next big fundraiser is the Alki Beach 5K on August 28th. Meantime, Kristina adds, “The need for our grants has risen dramatically, and we are determined to rise up and meet that need. Anyone wanting to get involved is welcome to contact me at kristina@nwhopeandhealing.org.” Find out more about NWHH via this video, also produced by Captive Eye Media.
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