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Big news for ‘Walking on Logs’ volunteers: Much-needed grant
July 31, 2011 9:24 pm
|      18 COMMENTS
 |   How to help | West Seattle news

(March 2010 ‘Walking on Logs’ photo by Christopher Boffoli for WSB)
Volunteers have been doing their best to take care of the West Seattle gateway area along the Fauntleroy Way end of The Bridge for years, particularly the “Walking on Logs” sculpture and its surroundings. They’ve been doing it by scraping together what labor and materials they could get and give. Now, they’ve gotten word of a city matching-funds grant that will help with maintenance as well as an upcoming re-landscaping project. Nancy Driver has been the catalyst for many of the cleanup/restoration efforts as it became clear that longtime volunteer caretaker Earl Cruzen needed help (backstory here). She says they were pleasantly surprised to get news of the $8,163 grant. The budget for re-landscaping is almost that much – $7,900 – but Nancy says they’ve already raised some money, and they’re in line for a share of the West Seattle Garden Tour proceeds, which all means they’ll wind up with some money for ongoing maintenance. She says, “We will do most of the maintenance with volunteers, although we may hire day laborers to weed whack under our supervision on occasion. Our goal is to make the remaining funds last as many years as possible, both to cover maintenance and pay for any plants that may, from time to time, need to be replaced. We’ve already spent part of our funds on purchasing a good string trimmer (weed whacker) which is an absolute necessity for maintaining the site.”

Landscape architect Chuck Warsinske with SBA Landscape Architecture, who has donated his time, has been working with SDOT on the re-landscaping plan; Nancy says the only issue left is whether SDOT will let them add more trees to the site. They’re expecting to do the re-landscaping work this October. Meantime, she says the Landscape Restoration Group will be back out doing “weed-whacking and maintenance” at the site at 9:30 this Tuesday morning. Want to help, or find out more about the restoration group? nldriver@q.com.

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Fight cancer by walking/running the new Breathe Deep Seattle 5K
July 31, 2011 6:51 pm
|      2 COMMENTS
 |   Health | How to help | West Seattle news | West Seattle parks

Less than two weeks till a brand-new fundraising 5K in West Seattle – Breathe Deep Seattle, the first 5K event benefiting the LUNGevity Foundation, raising money for lung-cancer research. Starting at 9:30 am on Saturday, August 13, participants will run or walk the course through Lincoln Park, both through the forested upper area and along the beachfront lower area. Not signed up yet? Wondering what it’s all about? Organizers have shared a personal story in their latest news release – read on:Read More

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Village Green foreclosure-fight followup: More about the benefit
July 31, 2011 12:40 pm
|    Comments Off on Village Green foreclosure-fight followup: More about the benefit
 |   How to help | West Seattle news | White Center

The date and location are set for the benefit being organized on behalf of Vera Johnson‘s foreclosure fight to save Village Green Perennial Nursery (as first reported here), and the lineup’s in progress too. Organizer Justin Czapiewski says it’ll be 6-9 pm Tuesday, August 30th, at Big Al Brewing in White Center (9832 14th SW). They’re lining up music – Justin says local faves Rats In The Grass is signed up, for starters. They’ll also show “The American Dream,” and are planning to highlight what Justin describes as “special guest speakers addressing foreclosure prevention techniques and providing resources for home owners to take with them.” And another organizer, Aileen Sison of White Center Business Owners of Sustainable Support, adds that Full Tilt Ice Cream will be there. You can RSVP through Aileen’s Evite, here. P.S. You can contact her with items to donate for a silent auction, or if you’re a musician/singer interested in performing – aileentsison@gmail.com or 206-387-8145.

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Seal Sitters trains volunteers on Alki, as its mission expands
July 30, 2011 7:42 pm
|      1 COMMENT
 |   How to help | West Seattle news | Wildlife

(Lead investigators Robin Lindsey & Rachel Mayer train Seal Sitters volunteers; photo by David Hutchinson)
Big times for West Seattle-founded Seal Sitters – notice we say “founded,” because their reach now stretches a lot further. This news comes as Seal Sitters gets ready to add volunteers to the fold, following another training session today; Robin Lindsey shares this update:

Seal Sitters conducted an on-the-beach training session at Alki today for 30 new volunteers. This is the second phase of the two-part training provided in preparation for this year’s harbor seal pupping season, currently under way in Puget Sound. Various situations a volunteer might encounter and appropriate responses were discussed. Most of the volunteers had previously attended our intake and orientation session at Camp Long on July 10th.

Seal Sitters, founded in West Seattle in 2007, has recently expanded to become Seal Sitters Marine Mammal Stranding Network. We are the primary response team to all marine mammals from Brace Point (south of the Fauntleroy ferry dock) to Kayak Point in Snohomish County (north of Marysville). An additional training session is being scheduled for the 2011 season and new volunteers from all areas are welcome. If you are interested in volunteering, please email sealsitters@me.com. To learn more about the marine mammals of Puget Sound, their marine environment and the stranding network, please visit our website www.sealsitters.org. For what’s happening day-to-day on the beach, visit our blog www.blubberblog.org. If you see a seal pup or other marine mammal on the beach, observe from a distance, keep people and pets away and call the Seal Sitters hotline @ 206-905-7325 (SEAL).

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Happening now: Barton Street P-Patch bake sale, work party
July 30, 2011 12:31 pm
|    Comments Off on Happening now: Barton Street P-Patch bake sale, work party
 |   Gardening | How to help | West Seattle news | Westwood

Barton Street P-Patch volunteers are on duty on two sides of SW Barton south of 35th SW (map) right now – Top photo, the group we found at the fundraising bake sale outside the Tony’s Market produce stand, where they’re selling treats till 2 pm (including vegan baked goods, a P-Patcher assured a commenter on the WSB Facebook page). Below, another Saturday work party at the P-Patch site on the south side of the street – 2 1/2 months after groundbreaking, still lots of hard work to get the site ready for planting this fall:

Volunteers are having work parties every Saturday and Sunday TFN, and welcome more help. Best way to connect with what they’re up to is to join their Facebook group – go here.

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Wine & chocolate! 1 week till West Seattle Rotary event
July 28, 2011 8:18 am
|    Comments Off on Wine & chocolate! 1 week till West Seattle Rotary event
 |   How to help | Rotary Club of West Seattle | West Seattle news | WS beverages

It’s a first for the Rotary Club of West Seattle – a fun-draiser bringing together premium wine and chocolate – and with one week to go until the August 4th event at Salty’s on Alki, the lineup is set: ‘O’ Wines, DeLille Cellars, Hedges Family Estates, Goedhart Family Estates, La Coye, Two Brothers, Baron’s V, Hestia Cellars, Fat Cork, JM Cellars, Rasa, Theo Chocolates. Plus live jazz/blues music, hors d’oeuvres, and a live/silent auction, all supporting scholarships for local youth, the 38th annual Children’s Holiday Shopping Spree, and other humanitarian work. Major discount for signing up before next Thursday’s 5:30 pm event – you can register online right now. (The official poster/flyer can be seen here.)

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From ‘Stuff the Bus’ to ‘Stuff the Warehouse’ for WestSide Baby
July 27, 2011 10:37 am
|    Comments Off on From ‘Stuff the Bus’ to ‘Stuff the Warehouse’ for WestSide Baby
 |   How to help | West Seattle news | White Center

Just three days after the hugely successful 2011 edition of WestSide Baby‘s “Stuff the Bus” diaper drive this past Sunday (WSB coverage here), the double-match donation from Huggies is arriving – since WS Baby got 50,000 (and then some) diaper donations, Huggies is donating 100,000. The unloading operation is under way right now at WS Baby’s White Center donation processing/storage center; we’ll add more to this story later.

ADDED 12:48 PM: WestSide Baby executive director Nancy Woodland wanted to share words of thanks:

Below, Nancy’s with Amani Gomez from Kimberly-Clark (left) and WS Baby’s Jolyn Mason.

The forklift they used this morning, by the way, was provided by La Mexicana Foods next door. And as Nancy said in our video clip, they still need diaper donations to keep hundreds of local babies dry, healthy, and happy – here’s how you can help.

3:11 PM UPDATE: WS Baby has updated its final official Sunday total to 55,000 diapers.

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West Seattle schools: Pathfinder seeking host family for a teacher
July 27, 2011 1:39 am
|    Comments Off on West Seattle schools: Pathfinder seeking host family for a teacher
 |   How to help | West Seattle news | West Seattle schools

Another local school has a visiting teacher in need of a host family – even for just part of the year. This time, the request comes from Pathfinder K-8. Can you help?

Last year Pathfinder K-8 School was able to provide Mandarin instruction for our students. This was done through an exchange proram with the College Board. It has been a great experience for our students and our families. Students have been able to have Mandarin instruction during the school day and an optional afterschool program has also been available. Pathfinder would like to continue this program for the upcoming school year. In order to do this we must find a host family or host families for our teacher.

We are in need of a host family for our teacher, Mingqui Zhang, to stay with starting on August 22nd. Ms. Zhang would stay with the host family for all or part of the 2011-2012 school year. Families could host on a trimester basis. This is a great opportunity to learn about Chinese culture and pick up some Mandarin Chinese, while doing a great service for our schools. Hosting the Guest Teacher is much like hosting an exchange student, families are responsible for providing the teachers with a room of their own, including the teachers in family meals, and providing them access to things like a washer and dryer. The teacher will receive a modest salary through the Chinese Ministry of Education and the Confucius Institute, and will be provided a bus card for transportation.

If you are interested in serving as a host family, or know of someone in West Seattle who would be interested, please have them contact Pathfinder’s Assistant Principal Lisa Clayton at lclayton@seattleschools.org

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Be part of history: New round of Fauntleroy Church tiles offered
July 25, 2011 10:03 pm
|      1 COMMENT
 |   Fauntleroy | How to help | West Seattle news

(One tile names members of a family that influenced Fauntleroy into the 1980s. Photo courtesy Phil Sweetland)
Your name – or some other inscription – can be etched into Fauntleroy history! From Judy Pickens:

What do a state legislator, sculptor, and school office manager have in common? Their names get walked on by more than a thousand people every week in the Fauntleroy Church/YMCA lobby.

That’s because each contributed in an important way to what Fauntleroy is today. Bill Leckenby was a conscientious voice in Olympia for district residents, Frank Evans made fine art as well as very popular “Thora-ware,” and Betty Bogardus Colman greeted children every day at Fauntleroy School.

These names and several dozen others with a past or present in Fauntleroy have graced the church/Y lobby since 1996, when the church initiated the buy-a-tile project. During the building remodel last year, the lobby grew, as did the number of blank 8″ X 8″ tiles. Now 200 are available to capture more of the neighborhood’s flavor for decades to come.

The tax-deductible cost is $100 per tile for up to two lines of lettering, and pretty much anything related to Fauntleroy goes. Buyers might choose to

§ commemorate grandparents
§ honor a special Y coach
§ mark a wedding or baptism
§ list family members
§ recognize a neighborly business
§ credit an influential resident

Deadline to purchase tiles is Nov. 1. Proceeds benefit the church’s Fund for the Future. Order forms are available in the lobby, church office, or at www.fauntleroyucc.org.

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Red Cross helping apartment-fire victims at West Seattle church
July 24, 2011 9:49 pm
|      8 COMMENTS
 |   How to help | West Seattle news | West Seattle religion

(ADDED MONDAY MORNING: South Park donation dropoff spot to help fire victims)

If you’re among those wondering how to help the victims of this afternoon’s huge apartment fire in unincorporated South King County southeast of South Park, here’s the first answer: Donate to the local American Red Cross. We just found out they are setting up an emergency shelter for fire victims at Peace Lutheran Church in Gatewood. Volunteers are setting it all up right now with the help of Amanda Rudd from the Red Cross; she told us outside the church that the latest count indicates 41 people are without a home tonight, from the 19 units gutted by the fire. They’re planning to shelter and feed about a dozen of them at Peace Lutheran. The Red Cross stresses that it cannot accept donated items, though, just money to fund operations like this; you can donate here – and we’ll let you know about any donation drives we find out about. (Thanks to Anne-Marie for the tip, e-mailing us after spotting the Red Cross vehicles at the church.)

ADDED MONDAY MORNING: From the South Park Yahoo! e-mail group, another way to help fire victims:

Providence Regina House and the South Park Neighborhood Center will be the drop off for donations to support the families who were burned out of their homes yesterday, many with only the clothing on their backs.

Here is what they need the most:

Men’s clothing (WE HAVE VERY LITTLE OF MEN’S CLOTHING AND SHOES HERE)
Full size toiletry items
Furniture for smaller apartments
Gift cards for food and stores such as Target and Fred Meyer
Non-perishable food
Bath linens
Bed linens (twin & full)
Mattresses & box springs (twin, full, queen)
Housewares of all sorts
Shoes for men, women, and children

WE HAVE LOTS OF NON PERISHABLE FOOD and women’s clothing, and some hygiene items, but could use the other things!! WE ALSO COULD REALLY USE lunch/snack friendly foods, such as applesauce cups, snacky foods, etc…so these hungry/stressed folks can snack, too.

I’m here now (address below) and will be here all day….and tomorrow….and until there is no more need!!

Paige Collins, Manager
Providence Regina House
8201 10th Ave. South, Seattle,WA 98108
206-763-9204
www.providencereginahouse.org

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Video: WestSide Baby meets & beats ‘Stuff the Bus’ diaper goal
July 24, 2011 10:40 am
|      3 COMMENTS
 |   How to help | West Seattle news

(Scroll down for updates – including the jubilation, on video, when the 50,000-diaper goal was hit)

10:40 AM: Just before 10:10, WestSide Baby volunteers welcomed their first official drive-up/walk-up diaper donation of the day for the 2011 edition of “Stuff the Bus.” You don’t even have to get out of your car if you don’t want to – just enter the Viking Bank parking lot from SW Alaska between 40th and 41st SW:

…and volunteers will be glad to receive your donation and add it to this stack (which at 10 am included 2,266 diapers just dropped off by Laurie Paul from Bright Horizons West Seattle, who told us they were donated by the new child-care center’s families).

Or, if you’re with a child who would like to honk the school-bus horn, you can get out and do that while dropping off diapers! We’ll be back to check on the drive’s progress later. “Stuff the Bus” continues till 2 pm, and WS Baby hopes to amass 50,000 diapers to qualify for a double-matching donation from Huggies.

10:59 AM UPDATE: Via e-mail from WS Baby:

A donation of 6,591 diapers just arrived from a surprise private donation!! They certainly turned heads loading up carts at Target yesterday. At 10:30, we have loaded over 14,000 diapers already. More than the total of the entire day in 2010!!! Keep ’em coming!!!

12:52 PM UPDATE: We stopped by around 12:30, and they were up to 32,000 diapers – then suddenly Valerie O’Mara arrived with almost 5,100 more that she had collected by hosting a diaper drive:

WestSide Baby encouraged people to sign up as diaper-drive hosts this time around – to collect in the days leading up to today’s big “Stuff the Bus” event. Oh, wondering how stuffed the bus was, as of 12:30 pm?

Still room for more! P.S. WSB is proud to be among the Stuff the Bus co-sponsors again this year.

1:56 PM UPDATE: Goal met! More than 50,200 diapers as of quarter till 2! (added) WS Baby executive director Nancy Woodland announced it jubilantly to her crew:

The final tally: 51,266. Celebratory group shot:

And of course, WS Baby is happy to have donations – diapers, other items, money, volunteer help – any time. You can check their website to see what’s needed the most when you’re next able to give.

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West Seattle firefighters ask you to ‘Fill the Boot’ for MDA
July 22, 2011 11:10 am
|      15 COMMENTS
 |   How to help | Seen around town | West Seattle news

If you can spare a few dollars to help fight muscular dystrophy, keep the cash close by as you drive through West Seattle – local firefighters are out asking you to “Fill the Boot“ for the Muscular Dystrophy Association. This morning we spotted Seattle Fire Department Lt. Sue Stangl and the Admiral District’s own Engine 29 at Admiral Chevron; she says they’ll be back in that area and near Taco Time at 35th/Fauntleroy starting around 4:30 this afternoon, to catch people heading back home.

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Be a winner! Clock ticking on North Delridge logo contest
July 22, 2011 9:04 am
|    Comments Off on Be a winner! Clock ticking on North Delridge logo contest
 |   Delridge | How to help | West Seattle news | WS culture/arts

(WSB photo from July 2009)
They’re known for the stylish (Heart) Delridge T-shirts sported by many in our photo from the Delridge playground-construction event two years ago this week – but now, as noted here earlier this month, the North Delridge Neighborhood Council is in search of a full-fledged logo, for “a letterhead, posters, and other outreach materials,” as NDNC’s Holli Margell explains. Two weeks left to get in on their logo contest, perfect for a graphic designer who needs to build a portfolio and/or one who’s able to give back to the community with a donation of time and talent. The winner gets not only one of the famous T-shirts, but also $50 in gift certificates to local businesses. If you’re interested, e-mail ndnclogo@gmail.com – and check out the rules/criteria on the NDNC website, here. Deadline is August 5th!

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Big West Seattle weekend ahead, with promising weather…
July 21, 2011 1:38 am
|      1 COMMENT
 |   Fun stuff to do | How to help | West Seattle news | West Seattle Outdoor Movies | WS culture/arts

Another round of reminders about big events this weekend (besides The Parade) …

Late-in-the-day rain canceled last weekend’s West Seattle Outdoor Movies opening night (“Ferris Bueller” is rescheduled for August 27th), but so far things look good for THIS Saturday, when “Pee-Wee’s Big Adventure” is planned for the courtyard screen next to Hotwire Online Coffeehouse (WSB sponsor, 4410 California SW). Movie’s at dusk; free, but bring a few dollars for concessions and a raffle, both benefiting nonprofits, and of course bring your own blanket/chair. It’ll be a great followup to whatever you spend Saturday doing – maybe first the parade, then an afternoon at the beach, full of art and music:

That’s the MoodSwings Jazz Band, scheduled as the first of 29 music acts on the schedule for the two-day Alki Art Fair this Saturday and Sunday. Music starts at 10 o’clock both mornings, continuing till 8:30 pm on Saturday and 7:15 pm Sunday – two stages, so it’s pretty much nonstop. Other activities – besides admiring and buying art! – include a chance for kids to help create a composite mural, with Charley Danner (who facilitated a different round of painting with kids during a CoolMom event at Alki earlier this year) – Art Fair organizers say each participating child “will be given a space on the mural to create a painting.”

As an Alki Art Fair co-sponsor, we’d love to see you at the beach both days this weekend, but here’s something else we’re also co-sponsoring that’s worth taking a break to be part of on Sunday:

It’s WestSide Baby‘s big “Stuff the Bus” diaper-drive day this Sunday. Your diaper donation counts extra, because if WS Baby gets 50,000 diapers, that’ll mean 100,000 more donated by Huggies. Don’t forget that the location has changed – go to Viking Bank (40th/Alaska) on the east side of The Junction, 10 am-2 pm on Sunday, to drop off your diaper donation!

*** More weekend previews later today…***

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Help beautify Boren – and discourage tagging vandalism
July 19, 2011 12:59 am
|      3 COMMENTS
 |   Delridge | How to help | West Seattle news

(WSB photo from June 4th)
Last month, a small, spirited group of volunteers spent a sunny Saturday morning at Boren School on Delridge, painting the backs and sides of mural panels that will go up around the closed campus to both beautify it and discourage tagging vandalism. Now, Pete Spalding (who’s at left in our photo) says, your help is needed to finish the work so the murals can be put up. You don’t need artistic talent – just a little time to lend to the work. 9 am July 30th (one week from this Saturday); e-mail Pete at bayouwonder@comcast.net so he knows how many people might show up.

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Why you should buy diapers this week even if you don’t have a baby
July 17, 2011 11:11 pm
|      8 COMMENTS
 |   How to help | West Seattle news

Just one week till WestSide Baby‘s big Stuff the Bus diaper-donating day – but two big differences this year: For one, you’ll find the bus at Viking Bank (40th/Alaska) on the east side of The Junction next Sunday, rather than at the West Seattle Farmers’ Market as in years past. Second, WS Baby supporters have been having dozens of smaller drives all leading up to Stuff the Bus Day – so be on the lookout for additional places to donate diapers. But mark your calendar for 10 am-2 pm next Sunday (July 24) – there’s more room in the Viking Bank lot to get in, drop off, and get going – this page on the WestSide Baby website has all the details, including the sizes of diapers currently needed the most.

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Tracy Dart fundraiser update: New website & ways to help
July 17, 2011 7:11 pm
|      1 COMMENT
 |   Health | How to help | West Seattle news | West Seattle people

New information tonight about fundraising efforts to help West Seattle born-and-raised Tracy Dart, who’s helped raise tens of thousands of dollars for breast-cancer research even while fighting the disease herself. Lisa Dawson, one of the organizers of the August 7th “We Heart Tracy Dart” benefit event (here’s our report from last week), sent word this weekend that a new website is now set up at wehearttracydart.com. It not only has details of the August 7th event, but also a PayPal link for online donations any time. As noted on this page of the new website, these efforts are intended to help Tracy – who’s on her third round of the breast-cancer fight at just 36 – handle living and medical expenses. (There’s also a bank account and postal-mail address for donations, listed here.)

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Photos: West Seattle Garden Tour, ‘July showers bring August flowers’
July 17, 2011 1:22 pm
|      11 COMMENTS
 |   Gardening | How to help | West Seattle news

1:22 PM: At least, that’s how we’re looking at it, as the West Seattle Garden Tour continues till 5 pm. We just dropped in on the “Whirligig Garden” tour stop near Schmitz Park, lots of visitors, some with umbrellas, more without. What’s perfect about this particular stop, on this particular (rainy) day, is that it’s a garden making good use of rainwater:

At the back of the shot is a 1,000-plus-gallon cistern that holds rainwater for reuse in the garden, which has many beautiful touches – note this perfect squash blossom, encircled by creative stepping-stones:

This is just one of ten stops. They’re all in the ticket book (check West Seattle Nursery and TrueValue to see if they have any left), which you show to the volunteers manning an information table outside each stop (under an umbrella, which MOST years is needed for sun – we’ve heard this is the first rainy July 17th in 34 years!). We’re proud to be a co-sponsor again this year; WSGT proceeds benefit eight local nonprofits.

ADDED 5:17 PM: Brad Lovejoy shared four photos from along the tour:

The other three, after the jump (and if you have a Garden Tour photo to share, we’d be honored to add it – editor@westseattleblog.com – 9:58 PM, added more – MON. AFTERNOON, added even more, thanks for sharing!):Read More

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Community benefit August 7th for breast-cancer fighter Tracy Dart
July 14, 2011 9:36 am
|      3 COMMENTS
 |   How to help | West Seattle news | West Seattle people

She has led efforts that have raised tens of thousands of dollars for breast-cancer research – our photo at left, in fact, is from her appearance as a model during the Northwest Hope and Healing benefit fashion show two months ago, and her 3-Day Walk “Team Tracy” efforts are legendary. Now a group of friends insists that it’s time West Seattleite Tracy Dart accept a little help for herself, in her three-time fight against the disease. They’ve just announced the event “We Heart Tracy Dart,” set for 7-10 pm August 7th at The Bridge (4439 35th SW). The bands Explone and In Cahoots are already lined up. Find out more on this Facebook page. On her own website, Tracy mentions it in her newest post – right after talking about her latest chemo treatment, making it clear this isn’t something she has asked for, but her friends “REALLY want to do it.” Donations will be taken at the door during the benefit, and you’ll be able to buy raffle tickets; organizers note, “100% of donations go into a trust account that will be used to pay living and medical expenses while Tracy recovers from treatment. Stuff like prescriptions, insurance premiums, utilities, rent and transportation costs.”

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West Seattle wildlife: Update – injured gull rescued
July 12, 2011 2:54 pm
|      15 COMMENTS
 |   How to help | West Seattle news | Wildlife

ORIGINAL REPORT, 2:54 PM: Katie took that photo of an injured gull and explains, “I wanted to report an injured seagull on the beach between Cormorant Cove and Rocky Beach. His wing is badly injured and just hanging limp. I called Sarvey Wildlife Rescue, but they don’t have the resources to come out and help. They do have info about dropoff centers if someone wants to take on the task of capturing and transporting him. I am unable to do so, so I wanted to put the word out for anyone that might be able to help. Sarvey’s phone number is 360-435-4817.” We also suggested she call PAWS, but she says they had basically the same message. So if anyone’s able to help – the gull was still there last time she looked. (Cormorant Cove is the park in the 3700 block of Beach Drive, just north of the Harbor West out-on-pilings condos.)

9:10 PM UPDATE: Denise has the good news, after pitching in – “The gull was rescued – Michelle was awesome. She doesn’t even live in West Seattle and she came down to help! She threw a netting over him and we were able to get him in a cardboard box with a lid. He was in the same location as you posted – got a little spooked when we first showed up and tried to go back into the water, but then quickly realized that wasn’t a good idea and came back to land. Dropped him off at the Burien emergency vet. Sarvey will pick him up tomorrow and keep me posted on his status.” (She’s also posted an update in the comment section.)

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Foreclosure fight sprouts at Village Green Perennial Nursery
July 12, 2011 1:05 pm
|      51 COMMENTS
 |   Gardening | How to help | West Seattle news

(March 2011 photo of Village Green’s Vera Johnson during West Seattle for Japan fundraiser)
By Tracy Record
West Seattle Blog editor

Driving to Village Green Perennial Nursery from the south edge of West Seattle, there’s a yellow sign about a block before you get there, pointing to a property involved in a foreclosure auction.

Village Green owner Vera Johnson is fighting tooth and nail to keep a sign like that from appearing outside the 26th Avenue SW site where she has lived, worked, and organized community events for eight years.

Vera took her struggle public a few nights ago, by launching an online petition at change.org and asking for support. But this is not a tale of “woe is me, somebody save me.” This is a tale of an entrepreneur who is also a longtime community advocate, and with those instincts, trying to make sure her battle yields help and support for the many others she is learning are going through the same thing.

It is also a tale of fighting against a big bank that she says has frustrated and complicated her attempts to do the right thing and get her loan “modified” while she struggles to get on her feet after a life change that suddenly slashed her household income.

Read More

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Happening now: ‘Pancakes and Pirates’ at Alki Bathhouse
July 9, 2011 7:35 am
|      4 COMMENTS
 |   Fun stuff to do | How to help | West Seattle news

Blue sky, blue water at Alki, as the 2011 Seafair Pirates’ Landing approaches – and setup is under way:

But there’s a reason to go to the beach early – till 10 am, as a fundraiser for Sports in Schools, there’s a pancake-breakfast fundraiser at Alki Bathhouse, $5/person. (The landing itself will be between 11:30 am and 12:30 pm, according to the Pirates’ website.) Randy, Will, and volunteers are on the water side of the Bathhouse, outside:

More shortly on other events happening today (plus a West Seattle Summer Fest, Day 2, preview).

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Barton Street P-Patch: ‘We are beginning to form the web’
July 8, 2011 9:11 am
|    Comments Off on Barton Street P-Patch: ‘We are beginning to form the web’
 |   Gardening | How to help | West Seattle news

(Photo courtesy Kate Farley)
From back when it was just an idea for what to do with a big empty city-owned lot, through Parks and Green Spaces Levy funding, community meetings, and now, volunteer-powered site work, the birth of the Barton Street P-Patch (34th/Barton) has charged forward. Of all the work parties they’ve had, this weekend is among the most pivotal – they’re starting to “form the web” that makes up the garden design, and they need labor help the next two weekends – including anyone with construction skills -as well as donated materials, and some tools (all the way up to a cement mixer – they have one, and need one more) – read on for details:Read More

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