How to help 4292 results

Help the West Seattle, White Center Food Banks now – and your donation goes further

Now that it’s March, it’s a particularly important time of year for you to help the two food banks that serve our area – the West Seattle Food Bank and White Center Food Bank (whose service area includes part of WS). The Feinstein Challenge is under way, a national program in which the food banks participate, with donations counting extra as a result. Here’s the official announcement:

The White Center Food Bank and West Seattle Food Bank are seeing a record number of families come to their doors for assistance. During March and April your donations to help neighbors in need can go farther.

For the 15th consecutive year, Allan Shawn Feinstein will divide $1,000,000 among hunger relief agencies nationwide through his Feinstein Challenge. All donations made between March 1 and April 30th, 2011, and that are specifically designated “Feinstein Challenge,” will count towards the challenge total and help these agencies receive a larger percentage of the million dollars.

For the White Center Food Bank, donations may be mailed to 10829 8th Avenue SW, Seattle, WA 98146. To make a donation online or for information about the White Center Food Bank’s programs benefited by the $1 Million Challenge, visit www.whitecenterfoodbank.org or contact Rick Jump at (206) 762-2848, or e-mail rick@whitecenterfoodbank.org.

For the West Seattle Food Bank, donations may be mailed to 3419 SW Morgan, Seattle, WA 98126. To make a donation online or for information about the West Seattle Food Bank’s programs benefited by the $1 Million Challenge, visit www.westseattlefoodbank.org or contact Fran Yeatts at (206) 932-9023, or e-mail fran@westseattlefoodbank.org.

For information about the Feinstein Foundation and the $1 Million Challenge, visit www.feinsteinfoundation.org

West Seattle schools: Schmitz Park auction March 31st

March 1, 2012 10:43 am
|    Comments Off on West Seattle schools: Schmitz Park auction March 31st
 |   How to help | West Seattle news | West Seattle schools

This morning, we’re continuing our ongoing series of school-fundraiser dinner/auction announcements – it’s a busy month, and they all welcome community support from beyond their immediate parents/staff/etc. circles. On March 31st, Schmitz Park Elementary PTA presents the “Livin’ the Island Life”-themed dinner/live auction/silent auction, 5 pm at South Seattle Community College‘s Brockey Center. From their note:

All proceeds from our auction benefit our amazing kids at Schmitz Park Elementary. The auction is the biggest fundraiser of the year for the PTA, so it’s a really big deal! Money raised allows us to support important programs like Singapore Math (unique to our school), Read Naturally, Writer’s Workshop, Visual Arts and Physical Education.

We are fortunate to have strong support from the West Seattle community with donations from businesses such as West 5, Junction True Value, Stella Ruffington’s, 8 Limbs Yoga, Salon Fauntleroy, West Seattle Karate, Bamboo Bar and Grill, Cactus, Mashiko’s (including WSB sponsors- Hotwire, C&P Coffee Company, Zippy’s, Tom’s Automotive Center, etc.).

They’re detailing auction “experiences” available to bidders here. (Haven’t sent us your school’s upcoming auction info yet? editor@westseattleblog.com)

West Seattle school auctions ahead: Lafayette on March 17th

March 1, 2012 1:03 am
|    Comments Off on West Seattle school auctions ahead: Lafayette on March 17th
 |   How to help | West Seattle news | West Seattle schools

As mentioned earlier, we’re sharing the news of three more school auction/dinner events for which we received announcements in the past day or so. Here’s the second one – Lafayette Elementary‘s “Raisin’ the Green” (on St. Patrick’s Day):

The Lafayette Elementary School PTA will host an auction to help support its ongoing fundraising efforts. The event, “Raisin’ the Green”, will take place at The Hall at Fauntleroy on March 17, 2012 at 5:30 p.m. It will feature dinner, cocktails, silent and live auctions, dessert dash, live music, and prize drawings.

Lafayette Elementary families and local community members are invited to attend this exciting event! Tickets are available now for $60 per person. Ticket price includes dinner, bid number, and a complimentary beverage. Purchase tickets online (here), or by following the link on the school web site at mylafayette.org.

For more information about the “Raisin’ the Green” auction, visit the auction website.

West Seattle school auctions ahead: Madison on March 10

February 29, 2012 8:48 pm
|    Comments Off on West Seattle school auctions ahead: Madison on March 10
 |   How to help | West Seattle news | West Seattle schools

In the past day or so, we’ve received announcements about three local schools’ upcoming auctions. These events are always your chance to help local kids – so here’s the first of three standalone shoutouts: Madison Middle School‘s “Class Act” auction event is coming up March 10th, with just two days left to buy tickets. Here’s the announcement:

Calling all Madison Middle School Alumni and auction fans everywhere!

Madison Middle School is holding its annual Class Act Auction on March 10, 2012 at 5:00 at the Hall at Fauntleroy.

We have some incredible donations just waiting to be bid on and taken home.

Madison has won a number of prestigeous awards this year and would like to continue to keep the bar high by raising money to fund up-to-date technology and curriculum to challenge and engage students.

Auction tickets are still available. To purchase tickets, sponsor a teacher or make a donation to the auction, go to madisonmiddleschool.schoolauction.net/madisonauction2012/ and click on the “purchase tickets” or “make a donation” buttons. Ticket sales end Friday, March 2, so get them soon!

Seafair Commodores want to bowl with you in West Seattle

February 28, 2012 11:34 pm
|    Comments Off on Seafair Commodores want to bowl with you in West Seattle
 |   Fun stuff to do | How to help | West Seattle news

The photo of Miss Seafair and young fans is shared by Kathryn Bohot of the Seattle Seafair Commodores. They’re inviting you to be part of the Commodores’ 20th annual Bowl-A-Thon, raising scholarship money in West Seattle on St. Patrick’s Day. Kathryn writes:

Once again the Seattle Seafair Commodores will host their Annual Bowl-A-Thon, their largest fundraiser of the year, at West Seattle Bowl. What better way to start your St Patrick’s Day! Come on out and bowl for a cause. The bowl-a-thon begins at 9:30 am on Saturday, March 17th, ending at 11:30 am.

The West Seattle Bowl has supported the Seafair Commodores and the Seafair Scholarship Program for Women for 20 years. Because of their dedication and commitment, we continue to host the Bowl-A-Thon in West Seattle. Ms. Hi-Yu and many young women across the greater Seattle area become participants in the Seafair Scholarship program for women and compete for a chance to be the next Miss Seafair. The Seafair Commodores and the Seafair Foundation together provide over $20,000 in scholarship funds to these young women each year. There was a slogan once that a mind is a terrible thing to waste. We agree and will continue to diligently support and raise funds for the Seafair Scholarship Program for Women.

In the past, they’ve usually had about 14 teams – this year, they’re going for 20. You can sign up as an individual for $50, team of 5 for $250, $20 for kids 12/under. That includes shoes, two games, and a ticket for a prize drawing. Not to mention, says Kathryn, you can compete for the titles of Best Bowler or Worst Bowler. You can register by contacting her at chiefofstaff@seattlecommodores.com – and you can download the registration form here.

West Seattle schools: Easy ways to give a little, matter a lot

(EDITOR’S NOTE: Fauntleroy-based writer and community advocate Judy Pickens is not only a local school volunteer, she also kindly gathers information about volunteer help needed at local schools, to share here, in hopes you can pitch in too. Here’s her latest list.)

By Judy Pickens
Special to West Seattle Blog

Because of the generosity of a West Seattle Blog reader, students in after-school reading and math clubs at Highland Park Elementary are receiving extra help that wasn’t available just a few weeks ago. I can guarantee that they are benefiting from the tutoring, enjoying a fresh face, and learning that how well they do at school is important to a total stranger.

Students at other area schools are having a similar experience as ordinary folks volunteer a few hours every week or once in awhile to reinforce classroom teaching. Read on for timely volunteer opportunities at three local schools – ones that would appreciate even a sliver of your time – and it’s not just for tutoring!Read More

Seal Sitters volunteer training next Saturday, and a sad reminder of why the mission matters

(Photo by Robin Lindsey)
Being a Seal Sitters volunteer can have its joyful moments – in the photo above, without binoculars, are volunteers Eilene and David Hutchinson, helping people see and learn about marine mammals. But there are also the sorrows – Seal Sitters’ Robin Lindsey told us today about a way-too-thin pup that died, though they tried to rescue him. The full story’s on Blubberblog, including a reminder that protecting pups on beaches is vital, as they need to be able to rest up between food runs. The protection requires a sizable volunteer corps, and if you would like to be part of it, this Saturday, you are invited to a training session, 10 am till about 12:30 pm, at Camp Long (5200 35th SW).

This will be a special session for those wanting to respond to and protect marine mammals on the beaches of West Seattle and along the Duwamish River.

A multi-media presentation by SS lead investigator Robin Lindsey will illustrate the unique challenges of protecting seals and marine mammals in an urban environment, as well as highlighting our educational work in the community. Zoologist and SS education and science advisor Buzz Shaw will discuss the biology and behavior of seals and other pinnipeds of Puget Sound. A companion followup “on-the-beach” training will be scheduled in the weeks to come. Space permitting, we encourage current volunteers to feel free to come on the 3rd for a “tune-up.”

There will be no training sessions during the summer or height of pupping season (mid-August thru October) due to time and staff constraints. However, there will be a new volunteer training in late May if you can’t make this date. Please contact us if you have any questions. Please RSVP as seating is limited to 60. We look forward to seeing you there!

You can do that by e-mailing sealsitters (at) me (dot) com.

West Seattle weekend scene: Pancake breakfast raises $2,300

Thanks to Kevin McClintic for that photo from the “Nickelsville” encampment’s pancake-breakfast fundraiser Saturday morning at West Seattle Church of the Nazarene. The fundraising total is in: $1,800 plus a $500 pledge, wrote Peggy Hotes on Facebook, saying about 20 people from the encampment pitched in to make it happen. She also writes that’s two-thirds of their monthly expenses. If you’re interested in helping, ongoing requests for encampment needs are often posted by WSB Forum members who volunteer there.

The encampment has now been at a city-owned site in Highland Park for more than nine months, in a sort of legal limbo – it didn’t ask permission, but the city has said it won’t evict them, nor will it provide utility hookups. The Highland Park Action Committee community council has been pressing the city to take a stand one way or the other, with Nickelsville on the agenda for its last several meetings (including presentations by camp residents); HPAC’s next meeting is this Wednesday, 7 pm, at Highland Park Improvement Club HQ (12th/Holden).

Busy beaches: Six seal pups ashore in West Seattle in 1 day

(Photo by WSB co-publisher Patrick Sand)
Most of the seal-pup photos you see here on WSB are courtesy of Seal Sitters – by “first responder” Robin Lindsey, or sometimes volunteer David Hutchinson. This time, we were lucky to see one ourselves, while out for a walk on the Lincoln Park shore. Two Seal Sitters volunteers were guarding this pup yesterday morning. This morning, we talked with Robin, who tells WSB this was one of SIX seal pups reported on West Seattle beaches yesterday! She also writes about that on the Seal Sitters “Blubberblog” (by the way, the one we photographed is NOT the one she says they’re worried about). Once again, you are reminded to please give them plenty of space – this time of year, they are weaned pups, at least six months old, who catch their own food, and come ashore to rest; off-leash dogs are a threat, as are some well-meaning humans – no, you don’t need to chase the seal back into the water, they’re fine while resting on land! If you see a marine mammal on a local beach, by the way – call Seal Sitters to make sure they know (206-905-7325 – that’s 905-SEAL), and if you would like to join their volunteer corps (big need for it, considering how busy they’ve been), a training session is coming up March 3rd; see how to be part of it, here.

Bringing Puget Creek Watershed back to life – with your help

February 24, 2012 8:22 am
|    Comments Off on Bringing Puget Creek Watershed back to life – with your help
 |   Environment | How to help | West Seattle news

(Photo courtesy Steve Richmond)
A restoration project on the grounds of a local school has just received last-minute district clearance – and so Steve Richmond is putting out a last-minute call for volunteers to work tomorrow on restoring the wetland that’s on the grounds of Sanislo Elementary School:

Puget Creek Watershed Alliance is working to be good upstream neighbors to the Duwamish Tribe to support their efforts to daylight Puget Creek and restore salmon habitat near the Longhouse and Cultural Center in West Seattle. Restoring the watershed with native plants and evergreen trees helps reduce stormwater and sewer overflows into Puget Sound. Help remove blackberry, plant a tree, and build a better community!

When: Saturday, February 25, 2012 (every 4th Saturday)
Time: 10:00 AM to 1:00 PM (Join for an hour or all day)
Where: Sanislo School Wetland; 1812 SW Myrtle
What to bring: Gloves, shovel, pruners (we’ll have extra, but write your name on your tools), weather-appropriate gear (rain or cold), hat/eye/sun protection, food/water, sturdy shoes/boots. Snacks and water provided.

Funded by a grant from King County Wastewater Treatment Division.

Local teens to compete Thursday as ‘social entrepreneurs’

Mid-winter break continues all week for Seattle Public Schools students – but they’re not all taking the week to relax. Tomorrow night, for example, students from West Seattle High School and Chief Sealth International High School will be part of the first-ever Youth Venture Community Showcase presented by Ashoka Seattle, whose Chris Kosednar describes it as “more than 30 high-school social-entrepreneur teams … pitching their ideas for a chance to be named ‘Top High School Social Entrepreneur‘ in King County.” Those who attend will vote for teams and their projects by “investing” pretend cash. The WSHS teams’ projects include gaming tournaments to raise money for an orphanage in China and selling bracelets made by LBGTQ youth; the CSIHS teams’ projects include staging plays/skits at assisted-living facilities. You are invited to attend the showcase tomorrow – not in West Seattle, but if you can go (not far – 843 Hiawatha Place South), it’s a chance to cheer on local youth! There’s an online RSVP form here.

West Seattle schools: Chief Sealth dinner/auction approaching

February 21, 2012 9:44 pm
|    Comments Off on West Seattle schools: Chief Sealth dinner/auction approaching
 |   How to help | West Seattle news | West Seattle schools

Two announcements from organizers of the third annual Chief Sealth International High School dinner/auction benefit, coming up in a week and a half – you can still get tickets, and they’re still rounding up auction items. Here’s an updated announcement:

3rd Annual Seahawk Spirit Dinner & Auction!
Co-Sponsored by Chief Sealth PTSA, Chief Sealth Performing Arts, and Chief Sealth Athletics

Saturday March 3, 2012
Doors Open at 5 pm ~ Hall at Fauntleroy
Tickets are $60 and include sit-down dinner and big fun!

Entertainment includes performances by Chief Sealth High School student musicians as well as local group Choro Tocanda, performing Brazilian choro music. Taking elements ranging from European dance forms to African-rooted beats, this popular music was the first to express the many cultures that meet at the crossroads that is Brazil.

We are still gratefully accepting sponsorships from local businesses as well as item donations for both the silent and live auctions. Ticket sales, item or cash donations, and sponsorship opportunities can all be handled online:

https://csptsa.ejoinme.org/?tabid=326316

Contact chiefsealthptsa@gmail.com for more information.

Update: Jared and friends at Kitty Harbor adopt-a-thon

1:52 PM: Jared the cat still looks a little stressed – and who can blame him? When last we saw him, he was wearing a special oxygen mask after being rescued from a fire at the house where local animal advocate Teri Ensley was fostering him. Now he’s ready for adoption, and he’s one of the 70-plus cats/kittens with which Kitty Harbor opened its two-day adopt-a-thon this afternoon. We dropped by early on – and of all the cats we photographed, we just had to share this one too – tailor-made for a caption along the lines of, “I’m ready for my closeup”:

The adopt-a-thon continues till 6 tonight and runs again noon-6 pm tomorrow, with other prospective adoptees including more than a dozen of the Auburn “camper cats.” Kitty Harbor is on Harbor Avenue just north of the West Seattle Bridge.

7:54 PM UPDATE: Delyn from Kitty Harbor told us just before 6 pm that 47 cats had found homes, and via Facebook, Stacey said the final count was 52. (We’re checking on Jared’s status.) That means still more to find homes tomorrow (Sunday), noon-6 pm.

8:33 PM UPDATE: Stacey ups the total to 54. And we’re also told Jared is still looking for a home. But the Siamese “Camper Cats” did. About 20 cats will be there tomorrow, awaiting you.

West Seattle pets: Rescued cats await you at Kitty Harbor Sat.-Sun.

(Jared the cat with firefighter Jeff Blevins; 1/9/2012 photo by WSB’s Patrick Sand)
Remember Jared, the foster cat rescued from animal advocate Teri Ensley‘s house during a fire last month? He is one of the cats and kittens who will be looking for “forever homes” during a special adopt-a-thon this weekend at West Seattle’s Kitty Harbor (3422 Harbor SW). As posted in the WSB Forums, Kitty Harbor will be open noon-6 pm Saturday and Sunday with more than 70 other cats/kittens, including some Siamese cats rescued from a recent hoarding situation – among those nicknamed the “camper cats.” More info (and photos!) on Kitty Harbor’s Facebook page.

Ticket time for West Seattle Community Orchestras’ 2nd annual gala

February 17, 2012 1:57 am
|    Comments Off on Ticket time for West Seattle Community Orchestras’ 2nd annual gala
 |   How to help | West Seattle news | WS culture/arts

Tickets are now on sale for the second annual gala benefiting the West Seattle Community Orchestras. This year, it’ll be at Highland Park Improvement Club, 6:30-9 pm on March 10th. Musicians from all three of WSCO’s orchestras (“all ages and abilities”) will perform, and a silent auction is planned, along with a “smorgasbord dinner.” You can buy tickets online now; they’re $20 till March 1st, when the price goes up to $25. Go here to buy yours (that link is also where you’ll find the form to donate an item to the silent auction).

West Seattle Helpline needs new home for its Clothesline – fast!

(West Seattle Helpline photo from a 2009 WSB story)
A local nonprofit that helps people in crisis is now in urgent need of some help – so it can keep providing one of its signature services. West Seattle Helpline executive director Tara Byrne says the Clothesline needs a new place to hang its hat (and coats, and so on), ASAP:

The West Seattle Helpline is looking for a new home for our clothing bank. The building we are currently in is being sold therefore, we must find a new location by the end of February in order to continue serving West Seattle families with clothing during financial hardships. People visiting the Clothesline get 3 outfits, a coat, and a pair of shoes at no cost to them. This free service has been provided by the Helpline for many years and we need help with finding a new location. Ideally, it would be donated or low-cost rental space that is around 800 square feet, on or near a bus line, and located within the West Seattle community. Please contact Tara Byrne at wshelpline@gmail.com with any opportunities.

Read more about Clothesline (and other WS Helpline services) here.

Be a literacy volunteer at local schools! Training tomorrow

To be able to read well is a gift so many of us take for granted. You can celebrate that gift by sharing it with local students — become a literacy volunteer. Jennie Morrison e-mailed us with news that she is facilitating volunteer training tomorrow (Wednesday) afternoon/evening, 3:45-6:15 pm at Concord International School in South Park – part of Seattle Public Schools‘ greater West Seattle service area – along with district literacy coach Dan Coles and Washington Reading Corps member Laura Rodriguez. They’d love to see you too. Jennie explains, “The goal of the training is to support community volunteers at local schools with resources and best practices to use as they work with struggling readers. We are doing outreach to our existing volunteer pool, but would also like to connect with the West Seattle community about this opportunity.” If you have the time and inclination, here’s the flyer with more information, including how to RSVP.

Greenways in West Seattle: Help lead the way, this Sunday

(October 2011 photo courtesy Mike Dady)
What started as a seed of an idea in North Delridge last fall – turning 26th SW into a “neighborhood greenway,” an idea that drew City Councilmember Sally Bagshaw to the bicycle tour in the photo above – is now sprouting into something bigger, involving more of West Seattle, and you’re invited to a gathering this Sunday to help the idea keep growing. The announcement comes from local bicycling activist Stu Hennessey:

The neighborhood greenway movement in Seattle has been gaining a lot of momentum lately. Neighborhood greenways are routes which provide safe connections for bicyclists and pedestrians between neighborhoods, and to schools, parks, shopping and other destinations. Often they are located on quiet streets parallel to busy arterials, and include traffic calming measures, protected crossings, pocket parks, and other elements that make the route safer and more pleasant for everybody.

The city of Seattle has committed to funding eleven miles of greenways in 2012, and twelve new miles per year thereafter. Because of the work of several local advocates, two West Seattle routes are under consideration for 2012: 21st ave SW between the West Seattle Bridge and White Center, and 26th Ave SW along the Longfellow Creek Trail through North Delridge. This is just a beginning: we hope to form a vision of bicycle and pedestrian connectivity through West Seattle as a whole, and prioritize greenway routes for future development.

Please join us at Pearl’s Coffee this Sunday, Feb 19 at 3 pm (Pearl’s is located at 4800 Delridge Way SW). We’ll meet with neighbors from around West Seattle to begin discussing our vision for bicycle and pedestrian routes throughout our part of the city. Hope to see you there!

Video: WestSide Baby Tea cup runneth over – to $175,000

By Tracy Record
West Seattle Blog editor

WestSide Baby‘s experiment in moving the annual Benefit Tea outside West Seattle/White Center, to enable more to attend (and theoretically, to donate), paid off in a big way:

WS Baby executive director Nancy Woodland made that announcement onstage at the Hilton Seattle Airport Conference Center with emcee Ian Lindsay at the end of this afternoon’s event. The preliminary tally of almost $175,000 was 40 percent higher than their goal.

It was facilitated in no small part by a round of raise-the-paddle donations:

They ranged from one teagoer’s pledge of $10,000, to many promising $311 – a number suggested by an anonymous donor who promised to match up to $10,000 worth of individual $311 donations – to smaller sums.

Each one of those is important, declared guest speaker Kathy LeMay, a “philanthropic expert” who said she had come from an upbringing more in a position to need donations than to give them.

Read More

WestSide Baby already making history with expected Tea turnout

Glass-art “babycakes” like that one, created and donated by Avalon Glassworks, will be part of the fundraising fun on Sunday, when WestSide Baby takes its annual Benefit Tea to the Hilton Seattle Airport & Conference Center for the first time. WS Baby executive director Nancy Woodland confirms there’s still some room left if you haven’t already procured your ticket – but she also says the expected turnout so far already has made history – more than 500! Want to join them, 2-4:30 pm Sunday, for tea, treats, auction fun, and guest speaker Kathy LeMay? The WestSide Baby website has ticket info. (Never been before? Here’s our coverage, with photos and video, from last year.)

Still room for you to ‘Have a Heart’ at Illusions Hair Design

February 9, 2012 6:58 am
|    Comments Off on Still room for you to ‘Have a Heart’ at Illusions Hair Design
 |   How to help | West Seattle businesses | West Seattle news

(WSB photo from 2011 ‘Have a Heart Day’)
The annual “Have a Heart Day” benefit at Illusions Hair Design (WSB sponsor) has a few new twists this time around. It’s not just haircuts this year – you can book any hair service that day, and half the proceeds will go to Pencil Me In For Kids, providing school supplies to kids in need. They also are taking “Have a Heart Day’ appointments for a full day, noon-8 pm; we talked with Heather from Illusions at the West Seattle Chamber of Commerce lunch on Wednesday, and she said there are still some appointments available – call 206-938-3675 to snag yours.

West Seattle weekend scene: Donations for donuts

From Sunrise Heights, Laura shared the photo and note:

My daughter, Becca (age 8), is selling homemade mini-donuts to raise money for her favorite charity, WestSide Baby, this morning. We are at 34th and Holden across the street from the 37 fire station. We’ll be here until (at least 1 pm) or until the donuts sell out. 3 donuts for one dollar.

12:44 PM UPDATE: Laura mentioned on the WSB Facebook page that they were almost sold out – so if you haven’t gone, probably too late.

1:10 PM UPDATE: Becca raised almost $59, according to her mom.

West Seattle 5K (& car-free day) May 20th: 5K registration open!

(May 2011 photo by Debra Salazar Herbst)
Again this year, the West Seattle 5K and “car-free day” Seattle Summer Streets events will be on the same day at Alki – and this year, that day is May 20th. May sound far away, but registration for the fundraising run/walk is open now! Denise Lathrop shares the news:

West Seattle High School PTSA is proud to sponsor the fourth annual West Seattle 5K Run/Walk on May 20, 2012 at Alki Beach. Funds raised from the West Seattle 5K will support music, arts, communications and other emerging needs at West Seattle High School. This is a great community event and provides an opportunity for everyone to participate.

Online registration is now OPEN! For more information or to register for the West Seattle 5K or donate go to: http://westseattle5k.com/

If you are interested in helping to plan or sponsor our event contact Denise Lathrop at: delathrop@comcast.net or 206-941-3924

(WSB is a 5K co-sponsor again this year.)