You want hope? See what ELSE happened in WS today!

At our caucus, so many said they yearn for hope. Want some now? Before and after caucusing, we visited other events where people gave their time today to make West Seattle a better place:

9 am, Metropolitan Market and beyond: In the breezy drizzle, the Admiral Neighborhood Association kicks off its Adopt-a-Street cleanup. Among those on hand, city councilmember Tom Rasmussen. (That’s him in the green hat in the short video clip before the pix.)

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10 am, east edge of The Junction: The drizzle lifts as the Junction Neighborhood Organization gathers for its own Adopt-a-Street cleanup, preceded by coffee and scones donated by Jefferson Square Starbucks (first photo), then procurement of tools (second photo) and, in the short video clip, important advice. (P.S., Erica Karlovits of JuNO just e-mailed to let us know her 14-volunteer cleanup squad picked up 16 bags of trash in 2 hours.)

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10:30 am, High Point Community Center: Good crowd for a free pancake breakfast served by beaming volunteers, one of dozens of Neighborhood Appreciation Day events at Seattle Parks Department facilities around the city today:

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10:45 am, Cooper Elementary School in Pigeon Point: Cooper head teacher David Kipnes and helpers prepare a garden space that will soon be planted for the EARTH Project @ Cooper, part of Cooper’s unique environmental-education program.

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11:15 am, West Seattle PCC: Incredible turnout for the bike-donation event (read more about it here) that will help kids in Africa. West Seattleites of all ages showed up to donate bikes and parts. Short video clip features a little girl showing up to donate her bike; then three photos, first one by Jerry from JetCityOrange, next two ours:

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3:30 pm, West Seattle Family YMCA (WSB sponsor), east of The Junction: Volunteers make calls for the Y’s Partners with Youth program. They’re hoping 200 volunteers will help them raise almost $200,000 this month to pay for scholarships to make YMCA programs available to more local kids.

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Last but not least, an event this afternoon that we couldn’t attend, but Bonnie sent photos — the lovely layout for the Hi-Yu Festival Valentine’s Tea at The Homestead on Alki, and hard-working Hi-Yu volunteer Danette Carufel and husband Brad. (Without fundraisers like this, no summer parade or other Hi-Yu events!):

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And that’s just a sample of what was going on — hundreds of quiet heroes, giving their time, talents, and treasure — not necessarily for grand causes that rock the world, but every effort spins a thread to help weave a better community for us all.

SUNDAY AFTERNOON ADDENDUM:
Related to a question in comments about Danette and Hi-Yu … an anonymous source (thank you!) sent this photo from the Hi-Yu coronation in Lincoln Park 1983 (for the 1984 court), with this caption: “left to right, 1st princess Danette (Schaefer) Carufel; Queen Michelle (Baker) Campbell”:

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2nd Princess Bunny (Campbell) Parker.

5 Replies to "You want hope? See what ELSE happened in WS today!"

  • add February 9, 2008 (8:59 pm)

    Hooray and congrats to Danette and the Hi-Yu Tea!
    And to all the other efforts today – what a wonderful weekend of community spirit in West Seattle. I love this place!

  • Indaknow February 9, 2008 (9:42 pm)

    Is that Danette from the 1984 WS Court?

  • Paul February 9, 2008 (9:57 pm)

    Wow, what a great community we live in! Makes me happy every day when I drive around West Seattle.

  • Bonnie February 9, 2008 (11:59 pm)

    Yay Danette! Without you and others West Seattle wouldn’t be the great place it is today.

  • Praying Man-tis-i February 10, 2008 (7:04 am)

    This is a great thread, WSB! What an awesome thing to see people who get it. The real test will be time, and I can only tell all of those individuals working hard to better their community and make a difference is to hang in there and know you’re doing a great thing. Here, again, I call out all of you WSB bloggers who aren’t involved in a community event to get out there and make a difference.

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