As we’ve reported in recent months, West Seattle Hi-Yu – with an 80+-year history – is working to decide if it has a future. Community participation is vital. Your next chance is Monday – here’s the announcement:

The next West Seattle Hi-Yu general meeting will be held on Monday, March 6th, from 6:00 pm to 7:45 pm at the Seattle Public Library, West Seattle branch, 2306 42nd Ave. SW. The topic of discussion will be the 2017 budget.

The West Seattle Hi-Yu Board is proposing two (2) versions of the budget: a barebones budget and a re-organization budget. The re-building version focuses on taking a year away from parades and a court(s) to re-build the organization and create a lasting program. The barebones version maintains some semblance of the legacy program with limited participation in events and parades assuming we have a court(s) to participate. Both proposals call for a significant increase in revenue. The proposed budgets can be viewed on Hi-Yu’s Facebook page.

The Hi-Yu Board would like to invite you to come and discuss these proposals. Although there has been some interest from the community to assist in our volunteer efforts, after the October 2016 meeting, interest and attendance at the general meetings has dropped significantly. While we very much appreciate those who have reached out and are willing to help us continue the organization, it is clear that in order for Hi-Yu to continue, we need to have more involvement from the community, both in terms of volunteer hours and financial support. Hi-Yu is an all-volunteer organization, so while financial support is greatly appreciated and needed, it’s the people that make it run.

The Board is working under the question “What will be missed if Hi Yu is gone?” For many, it’s the nostalgia of the wonderful courts that were for years, the mainstay of Hi-Yu. For some, it’s the scholarship opportunity. For others, it’s the opportunity to represent West Seattle in wonderful summer festivals around the region. If you have your own personal answer to the question, what will be missed, and you don’t want to see Hi-Yu go away, please join us in working toward re-building Hi-Yu.

(WSB photo, above right: Hi-Yu Youth Ambassadors and court members at Hi-Yu Concert in the Park last summer)