West Seattle, Washington

26 Thursday

64℉

How to help 4117 results

Followup: WestSide Baby expands its car-seat recycling
September 18, 2011 7:15 am
|    Comments Off on Followup: WestSide Baby expands its car-seat recycling
 |   Environment | How to help | Safety | West Seattle news

(Photos by Ellen Cedergreen for WSB)
After previewing WestSide Baby‘s kickoff for “Re-Ride,” their expanded car-seat-recycling campaign, we checked back toward the end of the four-hour Saturday event to see the results: Above, some of the 40 or so seats WS Baby told us they received. About one in five could be reused; the rest will be disassembled for recycling. Volunteer Caxambu showed up on Saturday to pitch in with that:

Keep an eye on westsidebaby.org – and here, of course – for updates on upcoming opportunities to donate *any* used car seat you have on hand.

Share This

Also on Alki today: Walk & Roll for Ataxia
September 17, 2011 8:03 pm
|    Comments Off on Also on Alki today: Walk & Roll for Ataxia
 |   Health | How to help | West Seattle news

(Photos by Ellen Cedergreen for WSB)
Houston Wong was the first one back to the start of the course for this morning’s Walk & Roll for Ataxia, an annual fundraiser on Alki. He told WSB contributor Ellen Cedergreen that he was there on behalf of a friend who has ataxia, a nervous-system disorder (explained here). Ellen also caught up with Tony Lewendon, an ataxia patient who “rolled” on the course with his recumbent bicycle:

Two more photos after the jump:Read More

Share This

WestSide Baby: Volunteer help welcome today, and carseats!
September 17, 2011 7:02 am
|    Comments Off on WestSide Baby: Volunteer help welcome today, and carseats!
 |   How to help | West Seattle news | White Center

(Photo courtesy WestSide Baby)
Today’s the big kickoff drive for WestSide Baby‘s expanded car-seat-recycling effort – and to get ready for that, an army of volunteers descended on their HQ on Friday, according to executive director Nancy Woodland:

WestSide Baby had an amazing crew from Microsoft Office Product Marketing Group here through the United Way Day of Caring. Twenty men and women showed up (Friday) morning and worked like crazy to sort clothes, match bottle pieces, bundle diapers and dismantle car seats for recycling. This is just in time for our big Re-Ride Car Seat Reuse and Recycling event (today), 10 am-2 pm in WestSide Baby’s back yard @ 10032 15th Ave. SW. The “wrecking crew” separated all the car seat parts so that out of about 100 seats, we will send only 1 garbage bag to the landfill. Amazing impact from a great group of people. We can use more volunteers (today) Saturday from 10-2 for all kinds of similar projects if folks have extra time.

Or at least, bring your car seat – no matter what condition – to be recycled. (Here’s our preview from earlier this week.)

Share This

WestSide Baby expands car-seat recycling: They’ll take ’em all
September 14, 2011 11:58 am
|      3 COMMENTS
 |   How to help | Safety | West Seattle news | White Center

WestSide Baby has accepted car seats for recycling before – but usually, just the ones in good enough shape to reuse. Starting this Saturday, they will accept ALL used car seats – 10 am-2 pm on Saturday, bring yours to their donation HQ in White Center, 10032 15th SW (map) – so if you have one, in any condition, in the basement, the attic, the closet, the garage, bring it over! For the new campaign Re-Ride: Car Seat Reuse and Recycling for Local Children in Need, WS Baby is now partnering with recyclers Total Reclaim to enable acceptance of any and all car seats (if yours can’t be reused, they request a $5 minimum donation to help cover the cost of recycling its materials). WS Baby says they are only able to fill about HALF the requests they currently get for car seats, so widening the recycling program will hopefully help them fill more. P.S. If you can help them dismantle car seats in preparation for recycling, please contact Shana Allen at shana@westsidebaby.org or 206-767-1662.

Share This

Happening now: Dog-swimming fundraiser in Arbor Heights
September 12, 2011 5:50 pm
|      6 COMMENTS
 |   How to help | Pets | West Seattle news

After the first mostly gray day in some time, the sun came out just in time for the first day of the “Dog Days of Summer” fundraiser at Arbor Heights Swim and Tennis Club – as explained here last week, the AH pool is closed to people for the year, so they’re opening it to dogs only, for a special session daily through Saturday, as a fundraiser for the water-polo team. Tonight’s session is on till 7; we were there in the early going, and a half-dozen or so dogs already were having a blast dogpaddling and ball-chasing around the pool.

AHSTC is at 11003 31st SW; tomorrow’s session also runs 5-7 pm.

Share This

West Seattle scene: SW Youth and Family Services fundraiser
September 10, 2011 1:51 am
|      1 COMMENT
 |   Fauntleroy | How to help | West Seattle news

Southwest Youth and Family Services is a West Seattle-based nonprofit that does a lot of hard work, fairly quietly … but once a year, it’s time to have fun. In our photo are State Sen. Sharon Nelson and SWYFS executive director Steve Daschle, snapped at The Hall at Fauntleroy Friday night, during the agency’s annual gala dinner/auction. Not just the standard auction fare – check this array from Seattle’s popular Pop Cap Games:

The night also featured a dessert dash for treats from the quite-dashworthy Bakery Nouveau:

As explained on the SWYFS website, their main areas of emphasis are counseling, education, and family support (high-school classes are even taught on site, for high-risk students trying to get back into the groove).

Share This

Gardening at Genesee Hill School: Lend a hand this Saturday
September 8, 2011 9:56 am
|    Comments Off on Gardening at Genesee Hill School: Lend a hand this Saturday
 |   Gardening | Genesee Hill | How to help | West Seattle news

(Photo courtesy Genesee Hill School Garden)
On this back-to-school week, neighbors of a closed West Seattle school are getting ready for the second-to-last garden-cleanup day of the year – and inviting you to join in. The Genesee Hill School Garden volunteers and Genesee Schmitz Neighborhood Council have been working hard along the northwest section of the shuttered school’s grounds. By late August, toward the end of their first growing season, the garden was alive with plants including sunflowers, corn, and tomatoes – and the Genesee Hill gardeners donated close to 100 pounds of produce to the food bank in August alone! As reported here previously, their project got off the ground – and into the ground! – with the help of a city Neighborhood Matching Fund grant, but volunteer labor makes all the difference, and they’re hoping for help this Saturday (September 10th) and two weeks later (September 24th). Both of those days, they’re asking for volunteers to meet them at the front of the school along SW Genesee (map) at 9 am – the tasks will include tending and weeding the beds, and taking steps to discourage invasives.

Share This

West Seattle Garden Tour support grows, in giving & receiving
September 8, 2011 2:17 am
|    Comments Off on West Seattle Garden Tour support grows, in giving & receiving
 |   Gardening | How to help | West Seattle news

(WSB photo from West Seattle Garden Tour 2011)
The drippy doldrums of June and July seem a distant memory now – but even the 2011 West Seattle Garden Tour fell on a rainy day. Its popularity, however, was waterproof. 800 people toured this year’s ten showcased gardens, according to WSGT’s Jane Watson, and the total take from ticket sales, sponsorships (with co-sponsors including WSB), and miscellaneous day-of-tour sales was up almost 10 percent over a year earlier. That meant a commensurate increase in the proceeds awarded to the beneficiaries, almost $24,000.

To celebrate that success and generosity, WSGT organizers and supporters gathered last night at the Duwamish Longhouse to officially make those awards to the beneficiaries – eight local nonprofits (including a garden project at the Longhouse itself – note Duwamish Tribe chair Cecile Hansen on the left side of the ceremonial check):

Representatives of each project/organization got a moment during the actual ceremony to explain their work – we got it all on video:

As a volunteer-powered nonprofit, the Garden Tour needs lots of helping hands – so if you’re ready to dig in, you can find the contact information here.

Share This

Trash, shore, water don’t mix: Consider a holiday cleanup
September 2, 2011 5:30 pm
|      7 COMMENTS
 |   Environment | How to help | West Seattle beaches | West Seattle news

Neal Chism – who more than does his part to clean up local waterways – sent photos this week, showing last weekend’s trash trouble at the fishing bridge just east of the “low bridge.”

It’s not just an eyesore. It’s a reminder of why trash by the water carries an extra hazard, whether bagged or not – if it gets into the water, it’s not only a hazard to local wildlife, it could eventually find itself to giant, growing repositories like the “garbage patch” in the Pacific. Neal also sent his photos to local authorities, and replies indicated that SDOT, which manages/maintains that area, would investigate more-frequent trash pickup during fishing season.

But a separate note we received, from Suzanne, brings a suggestion/solution: We can not only take care of our own trash, but can go the extra mile, as has Neal, to pick up others’. She suggested that if you have some time this Labor Day weekend, you might consider an impromptu beach/shore cleanup effort, no matter how small – every little bit helps:

I’m hoping that by getting the word out, it might also help people become more aware of the impacts that littering has, and cause folks to think twice about just leaving something behind to let the wind and water take it away – for someone else to deal with.

A friend and I spent several hours picking up LOTS of litter [earlier this week] along the beach at Constellation Park during low tide. We were shocked at how much we collected. It would be fantastic if other folks helped out this weekend along their favorite beaches. Low tides this weekend in West Seattle: Saturday: 3:33 pm; Sunday: 4:45 pm; Monday: 6:23 pm. Be sure to bring bags to collect the litter. Gloves too, ideally. -We didn’t have gloves and wished we did.

Suzanne also says that People for Puget Sound would like to have photos of anything you pick up, particularly plastic trash, since they are getting ready to launch an awareness campaign, so she sent us a postscript before we published this:

Please ask everyone to take photos of what they collect, with the plastic being especially evident and send them to Heather Trim, htrim@pugetsound.org. She is asking that the photos be taken at an angle to show detail, and ideally not in super bright sunlight.

P.S. If you do find some time to do some beach cleanup this weekend – we’d love to see your photos too, to celebrate everything, no matter how small, that neighbors are doing to keep Puget Sound healthier. (P.S. In two weeks you can also join an organized cleanup at Lincoln Park – info here – but don’t let that stop you from getting out this weekend … two more weeks and who knows where today’s trash will be. (Read up on the sea-trash problem here.)

Share This

My Big Fat Purple Benefit: Fun(draiser) for cancer-fighting realtor
September 2, 2011 2:46 pm
|      5 COMMENTS
 |   Health | How to help | West Seattle news | West Seattle people

By Tracy Record
West Seattle Blog editor

Most know that pink is the official color for breast-cancer awareness.

If somebody asked you which cancer-awareness campaign uses purple … would you know the answer?

Many more people in the area do, because of Prudential Northwest Realty‘s 48-year-old Dawn “DJ” Jump, who is being treated for, and working to raise awareness of, pancreatic cancer.

If you haven’t heard much about pancreatic cancer, you’re not alone. (I hadn’t, until my mother was diagnosed with it 13 years ago.) Not to imply any cancer is a “good” cancer, but cancer of the pancreas is an especially “bad” one. Because of where the pancreas sits in your digestive system, it’s seldom diagnosed early, and the tumor often is too close to vital arteries/other organs for doctors to safely remove. As a result, the 5-year survival rate is 5 percent. But somebody’s gotta be in that five percent – so in an expectation that she’ll be part of it, DJ is undergoing chemotherapy now, shrinking her tumor to get to an operable point (with surgery already scheduled for December), and fighting with so much spirit, her support website is called “CancerDiva.com.”

Right now, her co-workers want to get the word out that you can support her by buying tickets ASAP for an upcoming benefit – it’s in early October, but they need to know by next week how many people can come.

That’s not the only way they’re supporting her – read on to see one vivid example (and to find out more about the benefit and other ways to help):Read More

Share This

Reminder: Star Anna @ Hiawatha tonight, and bring diapers!
September 1, 2011 10:51 am
|    Comments Off on Reminder: Star Anna @ Hiawatha tonight, and bring diapers!
 |   How to help | West Seattle news | WS culture/arts

That’s a look at the crowd from last Thursday’s Summer Concerts at Hiawatha show (Caspar Babypants, with concertgoers including Conan O’Brien) – tonight’s the final show of the season, the hot-and-getting-hotter Star Anna and the Laughing Dogs, and we recommend getting there early to stake out your (free!) spot on the grass. One more reminder: BRING DIAPERS for WestSide Baby – give them to the series-presenting Admiral Neighborhood Association, and you’ll get a Popsicle treat in return! Showtime is 6:30 pm; don’t miss your final chance to be part of the summer’s biggest concert series, with a West Seattle-based rising star ready to play for you. Walk/bus/bicycle if you can (joined West Seattle In Motion yet?); parking alongside the lawn (which borders Walnut) can be tough. There’s usually room in the West Seattle High School lot next door, but they’re having an event tonight too (for freshmen).

Share This

Back-to-school help, thanks to Pencil Me In For Kids
August 31, 2011 8:39 pm
|    Comments Off on Back-to-school help, thanks to Pencil Me In For Kids
 |   How to help | Rotary Club of West Seattle | West Seattle news

One week till the first day of school for Seattle Public Schools (some independent schools start earlier), and this gathering in Westwood tonight was good news for local students whose families can’t afford school supplies – it was the annual Pencil Me In For Kids sorting party.

Rotary Club of West Seattle president Sue Lindblom, Illusions Hair Design (WSB sponsor) owner and longtime PMIFK ringleader, says “Rotarians and friends who signed up to help us sort out those school supplies” planned a potluck barbecue after the work was done. Tomorrow, the supplies get delivered to a pickup site, and this year, PMIFK got extra help, Sue says: “West Seattle Helpline donated money and 100 extra backpacks they had!” PMIFK also will benefit from raffles at the upcoming West Seattle Junction Car Show on September 18th, organizer Michael Hoffman of Liberty Bell Print and Design has announced.

P.S. One more note from Sue: “There have been many shifts in Family Support Workers over the years and this year we were not able to get responses from two schools that usually receive some of these supplies. We are hoping if they still are in need they will contact us. Those two schools are Alki and Concord.” PMIFK contact info can be found here.

Share This

Village Green foreclosure-fight rally/party/benefit tonight
August 31, 2011 6:30 am
|    Comments Off on Village Green foreclosure-fight rally/party/benefit tonight
 |   How to help | West Seattle news | White Center

Tonight’s the night for the benefit rally/party/auction on behalf of Village Green Perennial Nursery owner Vera Johnson‘s foreclosure fight (first reported here last month). Organizers from Friends of Village Green and White Center Business Owners of Sustainable Support have put together quite the lineup for the event, 5-9 pm at Big Al Brewing (9832 14th SW). WC-BOSS founder Aileen Sison describes it as “a fun-filled evening of community solidarity with live music, ice cream and refreshments provided by Full Tilt Ice Cream and more for your enjoyment. We will also be showing a entertaining and informative short film as well as having guest speakers addressing the housing crisis to raise foreclosure prevention awareness. Stick around for the super silent auction for killer local items and cool out to tunes by Del Rey and WC’s home grown musical talents like Rats in the Grass, Graves 33, and The GNU Deal! … Come show your support and toast to homeowner advocacy, local businesses, and be seen wearing the night’s color of support and go GREEN!” Sison shared the list of silent-auction items – read on to see the list (and a few photos):Read More

Share This

Arbor Heights crime-prevention meeting brings new info on helping Saturday’s fire victims
August 31, 2011 2:37 am
|    Comments Off on Arbor Heights crime-prevention meeting brings new info on helping Saturday’s fire victims
 |   Arbor Heights | How to help | West Seattle fires | West Seattle news

Arbor Heights is among the few areas of West Seattle not represented by a community council – but Arbor Heights Community Church leaders say they’re trying to step up and help with neighborhood organizing. Tuesday night’s community meeting at the church was announced 2+ weeks ago as a chance to get information about crime prevention, and that certainly was discussed, with the help of Southwest Precinct Crime Prevention Coordinator Mark Solomon. He presented information including how to set up Block Watches. But last Saturday’s house fire, less than a block from the church, was a big topic too.

As first reported here Sunday night, AHCC is coordinating donations for the family who lost everything in the fire, and we got an update on that from Pastor Ken Ross, who says he has met with the fire victims and describes them as still in a state of shock:

*Red Cross has provided them with lodging for 2 weeks; they are still looking for a rental, preferably in the Arbor Heights area, since they have two kids about to go back to school (12-year-old girl and 15-year-old boy, according to family members’ comments).

*Fundraising has totaled $3,000 so far (donation info is here)

*Want to offer clothing or other types of non-monetary donations? The church doesn’t have storage but asks that you e-mail ahfiredonations@yahoo.com to coordinate, or, as previously requested, call 206-935-5714 between 10 am-2 pm today or Thursday (after that the office won’t be staffed again till the following Tuesday)

The pastor also says he plans to meet with a Seattle Fire Department representative regarding the complications of Saturday evening’s firefighting operation – including response time and water pressure. (Here’s our Monday night report on the city’s review plan.)

Share This

Star Anna concert @ Admiral this Thursday, and bring diapers!
August 30, 2011 3:08 pm
|      1 COMMENT
 |   Fun stuff to do | How to help | West Seattle news

(July 2011 photo by WSB’s Patrick Sand)
Thursday is both the first day of September and the last show in this year’s Admiral Neighborhood Association-presented Summer Concerts at Hiawatha series (with co-sponsors including WSB) – and one of our area’s hottest rising stars, Star Anna and the Laughing Dogs, provides the grand finale. Our photo is from her Junction-rocking performance at Easy Street Records last month. The show’s free as always BUT – go buy some diapers and bring them to donate to WestSide Baby, and ANA president Katy Walum says you’ll get a free Popsicle! 6:30 pm Thursday, east lawn of Hiawatha Community Center (2700 California SW, but the lawn faces Walnut), bring your own chair/blanket – and a box/bag of diapers! (Who knows, you might even see a celebrity.)

Share This

Arbor Heights fire: How to help family who ‘lost everything’
August 28, 2011 11:11 pm
|      52 COMMENTS
 |   Arbor Heights | How to help | West Seattle fires | West Seattle news

Arbor Heights Community Church, less than a block away from the home destroyed by fire Saturday evening, is organizing efforts to help the family who lived there. They were out of town when the 2-alarm fire, blamed on “spontaneous combustion,” happened. Church volunteer Jerri Anne Forehand tells WSB they returned to West Seattle today and are “trying to sort everything out,” dealing with the fact they “lost everything.” First, the Red Cross found them a place to stay tonight, but for the longer run, they are looking for a house to rent, preferably in the Arbor Heights area, because their kids start school next week. Second, the church is collecting monetary donations for them. Jerri Anne says you can drop a check off at the church or mail it in – make the check out to the church, designated for the fire victims’ fund, and they “will cut one big check for them” later this week, she says. Arbor Heights Community Church is on the corner of SW 102nd/41st SW (mailing address is 4113 SW 102nd, zip 98146), 206-935-5714; if you want to stop in or call with a check and/or information on a potential rental, someone will be there 10 am-2 pm Monday-Thursday this week.

Share This

Video: 1,200 run/walk foggy but festive Alki Beach 5K; 10-year-old leads female runners
August 28, 2011 9:58 am
|      5 COMMENTS
 |   How to help | West Seattle news | WS & Sports

We’re on Alki, still socked in with fog, but spirits are bright as runners and walkers finish the 2011 edition of the Alki Beach 5K, raising money for Northwest Hope and Healing. NWHH executive director Shari Sewell estimates almost 1,200 came to the beach for this year’s fundraiser. The first finishers, by gender, were identified as (male) Brett Winegar and (female) Kelsey Lenzie:

(Photo courtesy Cami MacNamara)
Kelsey is 10 years old, according to race emcee Eric Radovich; she finished in 20:48! Pre-5K warmups were courtesy of Lori and Tim McConnell of West Seattle Runner (WSB sponsor):

Pep talk was courtesy of “Warrior Marathon Runner” and breast-cancer survivor Carolyn Dellinger :

(Here’s our story about Carol, published last night). Post-5K treats are being distributed now – including the Kiwanis Club of West Seattle scooping Husky Deli ice cream:


And Spud Fish and Chips is handing out clam chowder.

ADDED 11:07 AM: A dynamic duo we met before the 5K:

Elizabeth Crouch and Kim Schaaf are with CheckYourBoobies.org – a nonprofit that will send a breast-health educator if you organize a party – it can be a party just for breast-health education, or, says their brochure, an event coupled with some other kind of gathering you’re already having.

P.S. Alki has a few more 5K (and similar events) coming up in the next few months – on September 17th, the Walk and Roll for ataxia awareness, and a new event, Beat the Burn, on October 16th.

Share This

Alki Beach 5K tomorrow! Join ‘Warrior Marathon Runner’
August 27, 2011 9:07 pm
|      3 COMMENTS
 |   Health | How to help | West Seattle news | WS & Sports

Story and photos by Ellen Cedergreen
Reporting for West Seattle Blog

Tomorrow morning, “Warrior Marathon Runner” Carol Dellinger will cheer on the Alki Beach 5K run-walk participants, and then will join them.

They are walking/running to raise money for Northwest Hope and Healing‘s work, helping breast-cancer patients.

Carol knows what that’s like. She is not your average marathon runner. Completing more than 250 marathons is a feat in and of itself, but the 49-year-old Spokane resident has an even bigger claim to fame: She’s a breast-cancer survivor, and she completed her 235th marathon just 9 weeks after undergoing a mastectomy. Since then, she’s completed 8 more, bringing her grand total to 253, 254 after next weekend. We talked with her at West Seattle Runner (WSB sponsor), shortly after she arrived in Seattle this afternoon for the Alki Beach 5K (9 am Sunday morning – and you can still register in person at the Bathhouse, starting at 8).

Dellinger lost her mom to breast cancer 25 years ago and has other family members who’ve battled the disease. She’s a firm believer in early detection and has been getting annual mammograms since the age of 35. According to her cancer treatment center, many age-eligible women do not get mammograms, often due to fear, but Dellinger wants to remind women that breast cancer can be100% curable if discovered early.

Dellinger chose not to have reconstructive surgery after learning her cancer had not spread to the lymph nodes.

Read More

Share This

Also tomorrow: Pitch in at Delridge’s Recovery Garden
August 26, 2011 10:01 pm
|      1 COMMENT
 |   Delridge | How to help | West Seattle news

An update tonight from Tasha Mosher about tomorrow’s work party at the Recovery Garden in North Delridge: She says that staff from the Downtown Emergency Service Center, including its executive director Bill Hobson, are expected to join in; Tasha says she invited DESC to participate after hearing that they wanted to get more involved with the community, since they are proposing building a 75-unit apartment building here for chronically homeless people dealing with issues including substance abuse and/or mental illness, and she says it’s a chance for community members to come chat with them one on one – while of course working in the garden: “We will be spreading mulch over the areas we didn’t cover at the last cleanup. We might also spread burlap and wood chips. And of course, we will be doing some light weeding where little tenacious plants have popped back up.” 10 am-2 pm. The garden is at 26th/Brandon (here’s a map). Tasha says gloves and tools will be provided, but if you have a last-minute question, e-mail her: t.m.mosher@hotmail.com.

Share This

Lafayette playground update: Help needed tomorrow
August 26, 2011 8:31 pm
|      6 COMMENTS
 |   How to help | West Seattle news | West Seattle schools

You can almost hear those kids thinking “Can’t wait to get in there!” as they peer through the fence at the Lafayette Elementary playground, now in the final stages of the latest upgrade phase, with less than two weeks to go till more than 500 kids start the new school year there. Yesterday, volunteers from ING Direct Investing pitched in – and Lafayette parent volunteer Luckie shares these photos of some of the results:

Tomorrow, they could use all the community help they can get for tasks including painting, moving wood chips (you can see the pile in the background of Luckie’s photos), weeding, and washing, at various spots around the playground/school. Just show up at California/Lander and they’ll put you to work – even if you can only help for part of the time they’ve blocked out from 9 am to 4 pm. They are planning an art project for kids, too.

Share This

Big day for Lafayette Elementary playground; your turn’s next
August 25, 2011 11:13 am
|      4 COMMENTS
 |   How to help | West Seattle news | West Seattle schools

The upgrade-in-progress playground of West Seattle’s most populous elementary school, Lafayette, are swarming today with hundreds of volunteers in bright orange shirts. The ING Direct Investing team members are working on playground components including maps of the world (top photo) and the U.S., and the new play structure itself:

They’re also painting, and planting, in and around playground walls:

And they’re helping install the bricks that helped raise money for the project, which is using a combination of community donations and city matching funds:

Next step: This weekend, a community work party, which might stretch to a second day if needed. Here’s the announcement from one of the project chairs, Holly Grambihler:

We still need your help to finish our project. Our next big Lafayette volunteer work party is scheduled for Saturday, 8/27. We will start work at 9 am and will work until 4 pm. We’re hoping to once again to complete our tasks on Saturday and work on Sunday 8/28 only if needed. …

The main objectives of the weekend work party are to put the final touches on the playground. We’ll be spreading fresh wood chips around the new big toy, and completing any planting and weed pulling. In addition, we will be working on finalizing any of the interior painting projects (we’re painting the front lobby, around the classroom doors and in the new portables), and helping move the teachers into their portables.

Please bring work gloves. Also, we are in need of: wheel barrows, shovels & rakes, tarps to help carry the wood chips, and planting/weeding tools. Please make sure to have your name on your tools. … Please bring snacks/lunches. We’ll provide waters.

Kids are okay to bring – but there will still be a fence separating the satellite play area, and they will not be able to play on the new big toy yet. We may have a special project or two for the kids!!

The playground’s grand opening is set for September 6th, 5-7 pm – on the eve of the first day of school.

Share This

Need your car washed? Benefit car wash Saturday for Nickelsville
August 24, 2011 12:08 am
|      4 COMMENTS
 |   How to help | Nickelsville encampment | West Seattle news

In case you haven’t already seen this in the WSB Forums: The encampment that’s been on a city-owned site in easternmost West Seattle since mid-May, Nickelsville, hopes to raise some operating funds this Saturday with a benefit car wash. As posted by longtime WSB’er and current Nickelsville resident Mike (miws) in the Forums, it’ll be at Les Schwab Tires in SODO, 6111 4th Avenue South, 8 am-5 pm Saturday (August 27th). Cash donations accepted; they’ll use the money to cover ongoing operating expenses, particularly portable restrooms and trash service.

Share This

‘Ritual Running’: Local student invites you to run, and reach out
August 22, 2011 4:00 am
|      3 COMMENTS
 |   How to help | West Seattle news | WS & Sports

Matt Haggerty is going into his senior year at Seattle Lutheran High School in West Seattle – a time when students not only are completing their coursework, but also working on their senior projects involving community service. Matt’s project is called “Ritual Running,” and he’s inviting you to be part of it. It’s a running group that will start meeting in September, working up to a 5K/10K run/walk event that will raise money to go toward buying and shipping shoes to areas of the world where they’re most needed, in conjunction with One World Running, which donates shoes in the U.S. as well as other parts of the world. Participation in the group is free, but the eventual event will have an entry fee and will encourage participants to gather pledges for the cause. Running is one of Matt’s passions – he says he runs both cross-country and track and has completed 4 marathons, “3 of which I ran in under 3 hours.” He’s planning on running the Boston Marathon next year.

The running group is set to start September 6th – a little over two weeks away – meeting Tuesday and Thursday evenings, 6:30 pm, and Saturday mornings at 10:30 am. The target date for his 5K/10K is October 8th, but Matt warns that could change. In the meantime, you can sign up by e-mailing Matt at ritualrunning@gmail.com. He has a website in progress at ritualrunning.com, and Ritual Running is on Facebook, here.

Share This