West Seattle, Washington
24 Sunday
Just back from the Admiral Neighborhood Association‘s monthly meeting (full report to come), where we found out that tickets are now on sale for a 
popular spring food/drink celebration/benefit – the West Seattle Helpline‘s “Taste of West Seattle,” May 17th at The Hall at Fauntleroy. WSH executive director Tara Byrne said more than 50 food/beverage establishments had signed on (some listed here) – there will be more room to roam this year! – and that they have a new ticketing structure: You can get in at 6 pm with a VIP ticket ($80) or at 6:30 with a regular ticket ($40). Tickets are on sale online now. In the past year alone, Tara said tonight, Helpline has helped about 3,000 people – this page on the Taste of WS website explains how.
If you haven’t already spotted the new Goodwill donation station in West Seattle – it’s been there at least a week – the nonprofit organization is now ready to tell the world about it. 4722 Fauntleroy Way SW is the address, on the south side of West Seattle Produce, between SW Alaska and SW Edmunds. Goodwill spokesperson Katherine Boury shared the news, and the photo (that’s the type of truck you’ll see set up there every day). The collection site is open 9 am-6 pm every day of the year (except Thanksgiving, Christmas, and Easter) and, as noted on its official web page, will even take electronics, as long as they’re not too big – no TVs or computer monitors larger than 19 inches. (West Seattle also has a donation-dropoff site for Northwest Center, 44th and Edmunds in The junction, 9 am-5 pm on Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays.)
One week from today, as North Delridge Neighborhood Council Beautification Committee chair Lisa Taylor-Whitley puts it: “Two hours of your time will make a visible difference in our neighborhood.” It’s the annual North Delridge Spring Clean, 10 am-noon on April 14th:
Volunteers will meet at the Delridge Community Center, 4501 Delridge Way SW, and break into groups from there.
We will provide the bags and pickers while you will provide the labor to spruce up our neighborhood! We will be cleaning Delridge Way from Andover to Juneau, pruning around the “Welcome to Delridge” sign, and planting plants at the Community Center.
P.S. And for other neighborhood happenings and discussions – NDNC’s monthly meeting is Monday, 6:30 pm, Delridge Library, agenda info here.
Headed for The Junction? Keep an eye out for these local Camp Fire Girls – the “Blue Angels” – and their bake sale raising money for WestSide Baby, outside CAPERS. True to their group’s name, they’re hoping their sale really takes off; help ’em meet their $325 goal (or soar beyond it). They’re there till 3 pm.
(Click to see full-size plan, including added text)
You can help beautify a key gateway to West Seattle. The volunteers who have been working for years on an improved landscaping plan – as reported here last summer – for the area around Walking on Logs have a plan, and two dates, and are asking for help. From Nancy Driver:
After much planning and a few hiccups, we are excited to announce that the new landscaping for the Walking on Logs site will be installed later this month on Saturday, April 21st, and Saturday, April 28th. Walking on Logs Landscape Restoration Group [WOLLRG] obtained final sign-off from SDOT for our landscaping plan in November 2011 (planting plan is attached).
On April 21 we will be at the site laying out the planting diagram and using augurs to dig the holes for the trees and shrubs that will be going in on the following Saturday, April 28. We are seeking additional volunteers to help with the work. For Saturday, 4/21 we need a dozen or so very able bodied volunteers to work in two hour shifts to handle the two-person augurs; we will also need volunteers for blackberry removal, trash pick-up and bagging up green waste for disposal. For Saturday 4/28, we will need volunteers, again in two hour shifts, for additional blackberry removal, putting trees and shrubs into the ground, applying soil amendments, staking trees, and collecting and bagging green waste for removal.
Safety goggles and ear plugs (as needed) will be supplied as well as safety vests for all volunteers. Anyone willing to help with blackberry removal will need to bring their own sturdy leather gloves. We have a small supply of cotton gloves for use in other tasks. All volunteers should be aware that the site is not easy to negotiate. In addition to the steep slope, the ground is uneven and will be quite muddy. If you are interested in volunteering, please e-mail us at ruth.hoover@comcast.net to let us know which date(s) and time(s) you are available and which tasks you are able to help out with. We will get back with you to confirm dates/times and provide additional details. Thanks!
P.S. This project is funded in part by a Neighborhood Matching Fund award from the City of Seattle Department of Neighborhoods. Funding was also provided by the West Seattle Garden Tour and numerous West Seattle residents. WOLLRG is very thankful and amazed by the support we’ve received for this project.
Two notes about thirst-quenching events that are also charity benefits:
EVENT #1: Check out the all-star crew we photographed Tuesday night at Company Bar in White Center, previewing Hi-Yu Brü before it goes out to the masses this Friday night! Proprietors of establishments participating in the release of the next West Seattle/White Center benefit beer gathered tonight with friends at Company for a tasting of sorts. As of 6 pm this Friday, Company is one of the places – along with Shadowland, Feedback Lounge, West 5, The Feedback Lounge, Mission, Big Al Brewing (which makes Hi-Yu Brü), The Bridge, Locöl, and Beveridge Place Pub. Also in the photo, by the way – front and center, in the gray-green shirt, that’s Tian Richardson, who came up with the winning name.
EVENT #2: At Tian’s left in the dark shirt is The Feedback’s Matt Johnson, who figures prominently in this next announcement about a separate benefit event coming up next month: Feedback Lounge has signed on as cocktail sponsor for WestSide Baby‘s upcoming “Shake, Rattle, and Roll” cocktail party benefit at The Hall at Fauntleroy on May 18th. (We’re told Matt himself will be there as guest master mixologist.) Tickets are available now; read on for the announcement of what’s new with the party plan:Read More
Another first-of-its-kind event is on the West Seattle calendar this month – the first Delridge Unsung Heroes awards banquet on April 20th. Outreach co-chair Holli Margell has an update:
We were so impressed with the all of the 27 nominees to the “Delridge Unsung Heroes Banquet” that we’ve decided to change the format to a celebratory banquet. Instead of recognizing just the top 8, we’ll invite all 27 nominees to gather together for recognition and celebration.
One Outstanding Unsung Hero will be our nominee to the 2013 National Jefferson Awards. Every neighborhood within the Delridge District is represented, and this event will provide a unique opportunity for bringing the district together.
We know there are many who would like to help us celebrate these Unsung Heroes. One way we still need help is with providing the banquet portion of the event. We’re still accepting sponsorships. If you’d like to be a sponsor, please contact Mike Shilley at michael.j.shilley@q.com. We wish to thank everyone for sending in nominations!
West Seattle-based Transitional Resources recently put out the call for restaurants to join in its first Food for Art benefit: You dine, a portion of the proceeds goes to TR. Today, we have word that seven local restaurants have answered the call, and on Thursday, April 12th – in conjunction with that night’s West Seattle Art Walk night – they’ll partner with you, to help Transitional Resources, which shares this announcement:
Seven West Seattle restaurants will donate a generous percentage of proceeds to Transitional Resources’ art-therapy program on the evening of Thursday, April 12 as part of the first annual Food for Art event. Representatives from Transitional Resources will be at each restaurant, selling $5 raffle tickets for prizes donated by local artists and businesses, including event sponsor Ola Salon. All raffle proceeds will benefit the art therapy program at Transitional Resources, a West Seattle-based non-profit mental-health center serving people living with severe and persistent mental illness.
Food for Art diners are encouraged to let their servers know they support Food for Art. Details about each restaurant’s Food for Art promotion follows:
CIRCA will offer two Food For Art specials, donating 50% of the proceeds from those sales. Promotion runs 5-10 p.m. (2605 California SW)
FRESH BISTRO will donate 10% of proceeds from sales off their regular menu (not their Restaurant Week promotional menu) and strongly encourages reservations. Promotion runs 5-10 p.m. (4725 42nd SW)
HIGHSTRIKE GRILL will donate 25% of proceeds from all restaurant sales. Promotion runs 7-10 p.m. (4505 39th SW)
LOCOL BARLEY & VINE will donate 25% of proceeds from all restaurant sales. Promotion runs 6-10 p.m. (7902 35th SW)
LUNA PARK CAFE will donate 25% of proceeds from all restaurant sales. Promotion runs 6-10 p.m. (2918 SW Avalon Way)
WEST 5 will donate 25% of proceeds from all restaurant sales. Promotion runs 6-10 p.m. (4539 California SW)
ZATZ A BETTER BAGEL will donate 15% of proceeds from all restaurant sales. Promotion runs 6-9 p.m. (2348 California SW)
Transitional Resources’ commends these local restaurants for their philanthropic engagement. By contributing to Transitional Resources’ art therapy program, these businesses are helping men and women have access to a creative catalyst for healing. The process involved in expressing one’s self artistically can help people resolve issues, as well as develop and manage their behaviors and feelings, reduce stress, and improve awareness. Art therapy is one of many programs offered at Transitional Resources, which provides respectful, optimistic, and highly personalized care to those most in need.
(Photo by Long B. Nguyen)
What you see in that recent aerial view is part of the West Duwamish Greenbelt – the largest contiguous forest in Seattle, and the focus of the restoration work done by the Nature Consortium. The West Seattle-based nonprofit is celebrating the other kind of greenery, too – almost $40,000 raised by Sunday’s annual benefit brunch at The Hall at Fauntleroy, double last year’s total, according to NC founder and executive director Nancy Whitlock:
Other big numbers could be found in the NC’s annual report, circulated at the brunch – 2,295 youth served with art classes last year, 3,651 volunteers helping plant 7,155 native trees and shrubs. “It’s pretty astounding even to me, how much is accomplished,” marveled Whitlock. She spoke of her organization “growing up,” coming out of its adolescence – next year is its 15th anniversary. The terms were apropos, given that Nature Consortium works with youth, including the two groups that performed at the brunch – Natural Voices sang “The Greatest Love of All”:
There was also a feisty dance performance by younger kids from Rainier Vista; though Nature Consortium is headquartered in West Seattle, it works elsewhere in the city, too. This year, a bit of a disappointment for fans of all ages of the NC’s signature Arts in Nature Festival – it’s going on a one-year hiatus to regroup for a big 15th anniversary blowout next year, and beyond. But the boost from Sunday’s brunch is bound to help power them in that direction. You can donate to the NC’s work online any time; you can also plug into their frequent forest-restoration work parties by going here.
Back in February, West Seattle Helpline put out the call for a new home for its Clothesline clothing bank. It’s found a new home, executive director Tara Byrne says – in the Admiral District, close to West Seattle High School, more accessible to bus lines, more conducive to expanded hours. However, there’s a bit of a downside, as explained in this excerpt from a donation-seeking letter they’re circulating:
In West Seattle we have the only clothing bank that offers 3 free outfits, a pair of shoes, and a coat to each family member in need. Our Clothesline is on track this year for giving out $68,000 worth of clothing to families in need in West Seattle so that they do not have to decide between groceries or coats for the children.
As excited as we are about helping our neighbors, the West Seattle Helpline needs some help from you. We found out last month that our rent-free space will soon no longer be an option for our Clothesline program. The good news? We found an excellent location to better serve our neighbors in West Seattle and we have amazing clothing on the racks for families. The bad news? Rent is no longer free.
Our goal is to raise $6,600 to cover rent for the next year at our new Clothesline space. How can you help?
$20 keeps the Clothesline open for 1 day …
$138 keeps the Clothesline open for 1 week …
$275 keeps the Clothesline open for 2 weeks …
$550 keeps the Clothesline open for 1 month …
You can donate through their website at wshelpline.org (see the button on the right sidebar) – where you will also find ticket information soon about Helpline’s big “Taste of West Seattle” fundraiser, coming up May 17th.
Trees mark the 11 spots where you can pitch in during the next Duwamish Alive! event, three weeks from today, 10 am-2 pm April 21st. As shown, you can volunteer in West Seattle spots from Alki to Westwood, or east in South Park, or even further south in Tukwila. Here’s the page you can use to sign up for the spot of your choice.
Two ways you can pitch in around West Seattle tomorrow, north or south:
NORTH: Janet Jones sends word that the community gardens at Genesee Hill School need some springtime love! 9 am-1 pm tomorrow, you can come help “spruce up the playground, tend the Nature Garden, distribute mulch, remove invasive species.” Seattle Public Schools, which still owns the shuttered-school campus, will provide tools and gloves. Meet at the north playground (along Dakota).
SOUTH: Join EarthCorps at Fauntleroy Park, 10 am-2 pm Saturday, to help with planting, invasives removal, and trail maintenance. You can sign up online – just go here. Volunteers will meet by the park entrance along SW 97th, near 39th SW.
Regina shares the photos, along with this message: “Thank you, West Seattle, for helping feed our neighbors – from Troop 282 and Pack 793.” Those are two of the local Scouting groups who collected food donations during Scouting for Food, door-to-door and at dropoff spots, last Saturday, and while we don’t have a poundage total, you can tell from the photos that people gave generously:
Remember that until the end of April, donations to the West Seattle Food Bank and White Center Food Bank, both of which serve WS, count for extra, because of the Feinstein Challenge – you can follow the links to their respective websites (click on their names in this story – all blue text in WSB stories leads to a weblink) to find out how to give, in multiple ways.
That’s the team you’ll find in the back room at Feedback Lounge (6451 California SW; WSB sponsor) till 4 pm today, with an amazing array of items for the “Hand Up for Mike” silent auction/party. (Mike’s the guy at front and center.) Till we saw the lineup for ourselves, we didn’t realize how many cool auction items they’d rounded up – here’s just a few things:
You might notice the Full Tilt logo. And there are gift certificates from Zippy’s Giant Burgers, Meander’s Kitchen, photos/merchandise from people whose work you’ve seen on WSB (Machel Spence, Jim Clark, and of course Christopher Boffoli and his now world-famous “Big Appetites”), and great stuff from folks you may not have met yet (but should!). The live dessert auction – emceed by Teri Ensley, who you might know from Furry Faces Foundation – promises to be a winner too, and that’s coming up at 3:05 pm:
If you don’t know Mike and haven’t read about him here before – in a nutshell – what happened to him is an all-too-common situation: A health crisis cost him his job, and his apartment, and suddenly he was homeless. After months at Nickelsville, he is now in transitional housing, and working hard to get a new start and get stability, with a new place to live, work, and more. This event is to get a little seed money for him … that “Hand Up.”
(Pack 793 photo courtesy Jon Gerhardt)
Reminder that if you got a food-drive door-hanger from local Boy Scouts last Saturday – have your donation outside your door for them to pick up tomorrow morning, as part of Scouting For Food! Multiple local troops/packs are participating. But even if you didn’t get a notice, you can contribute to the drive for the West Seattle Food Bank – tomorrow morning (updated) from 9 till 11 am, bring food donations to Pack 793’s collection spot at 44th SW/Ferry SW (the city-owned triangle of grass just south of Admiral Church – here’s a map).
Yet another way to keep polluted runoff out of Puget Sound – if you can spare some time at midday tomorrow, you can be part of it. Steve Richmond says, “It’s planting season and hundreds of trees need to get into the ground. Join us at Sanislo School to restore the wetland headwaters of Puget Creek. Improve habitat that helps filter stormwater, the #1 polluter of Puget Sound.” 10 am-1 pm tomorrow, in the wetland next to Sanislo Elementary at 1812 SW Myrtle (meet in front of the school), you can help get those trees into the ground. What to bring? He suggests: “Gloves, shovel, watering can (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.” They’ll provide snacks and water. If you have a question, call Steve at (206) 650-9807.
In a month, the first-ever Delridge Unsung Hero awards will be announced – and today is your last chance to nominate someone, we are reminded by Holli Margell. She says the online application form is open till midnight today; here’s the link. 16 nominations have come in so far, Holli says, but they’re hoping for more! She adds that they are still seeking sponsors in order to have a catered buffet for the awards event; the North Delridge Neighborhood Council has donated enough for table rentals and program printing, but they’re looking for $2,000 to cover the rest. Can you donate? E-mail or call Delridge Neighborhoods District Council outreach chair Mike Shilley, michael.j.shilley@q.com or 206-762-7111.
Once again, the Sustainable West Seattle presentation on how NOT to feed the Tox-Ick Monster – how to reduce runoff and help Puget Sound heal – drew a crowd tonight. Thanks to diver/photographer Laura James (who has seen Tox-Ick up close and personal) for the update and the photos – she says they drew the 50-plus needed to qualify for a $1,000 prize to go toward a runoff-fighting raingarden at WSHS:
That’s student Sage accepting the check. If you didn’t make it to one of the presentations in this series, no worries – you can view the PowerPoint, and video, online! Just go here.
If you’re a parent – you know children don’t arrive in the world with a handy instruction guide attached. But mentors can help! And one way to do that is to volunteer with PEPS, whose local communications manager Dana Guy shares this request:
PEPS is looking for volunteers to lead evening PEPS Newborn Groups in West Seattle. Several groups are scheduled to begin in April and need volunteer group leaders to get started. Volunteer leaders find joy and satisfaction in helping new parents connect and share through their PEPS groups. A commitment of 12 consecutive weeks is necessary (fewer if volunteers co-lead a group with a friend, spouse or partner). Volunteers attend one 4-hour training session. Training explains the structure of a PEPS meeting and provides practice with active listening, group dynamics, planning and facilitating topic discussions. PEPS training is designed to provide new skills and make leaders feel well prepared to lead a group. The next volunteer leader training is coming up on Thursday, April 5 from 5:30 to 9 p.m. Trainings are held at the Good Shepherd Center in Wallingford. For more information, go here. Contact Cate Palmer at catep@peps.org with questions or to sign up for training.
As noted in earlier coverage, this year’s World Water Week at Chief Sealth International High School is focusing on food issues as well as water – they are intertwined around the globe. And right now at nearby Southwest Teen Life Center, a basketball tournament organized by East African Sealth students is under way. Even if you can’t drop by to donate in person, you can do so online by going here. Here are the seniors who organized it:
Standing, from left, Samura, Nina, Hussein, Mohamud; sitting, Jueriya and Hanan. World Water Week continues with daily events on the Sealth campus, including an all-day “teach-in” on Friday in which WWW-related activities will replace regular classes for the day.
ADDED 8:16 PM: Thanks to Sealth teacher Noah Zeichner, who’s been working on World Water Week these past two years, for this photo of the tournament’s winning team:
Teams from other schools participated, but the winners were from Sealth.
(WEDNESDAY UPDATE: The dance has been canceled due to lack of ticket sales. 5K is still ON!)
Two West Seattle High School fundraiser reminders this morning – The WSHS Class of 2014 has organized a Father-Daughter Dance for elementary-school girls and their dads, coming up this Saturday night, 6-9 pm. More details are in the event’s listing on the WSB calendar. Also, today marks exactly two months till the West Seattle 5K on May 20th; it’s the run/walk along Alki that is the unofficial kickoff to summer (here’s hoping), and precedes the annual “car-free day,” aka Seattle Summer Streets (here’s our latest report on this year’s plan). The WS 5K is a presentation of the West Seattle HS PTSA. Online registration is open; you can sign up online right now! (WSB is co-sponsoring again this year, and there’s room for more sponsors.)
It’s been in the works for months, and now the CoolMom “Think Outside the Car” campaign is about to get rolling. CoolMom’s Terri Glaberson says you’re invited to a kickoff event 10 am-2 pm April 28th in the parking lot at Westside School (WSB sponsor). It’ll be a big celebration with food, music, and kids’ activities (including, Terri says, a Cascade Bicycle Club Rodeo and “Undriving”). Right now, they are looking for a graphic designer/videographer to help on the project – a “temporary paid position,” as she explains it; find out more here.
By Keri DeTore
Reporting for West Seattle Blog
The journey into homelessness is one that most of us can’t imagine taking. Insecurity, no basic services, no resources, no food, no promises — homelessness is comprised of a laundry list of what there isn’t enough of.
West Seattleites have become even more acutely aware of this since the homeless encampment that calls itself Nickelsville moved back to this area. Through West Seattleites working with Nickelsville – including many volunteers who know each other through the WSB Forums – this group of homeless individuals now has faces and names; they are our neighbors.
One person who has been living at Nickelsville has been our neighbor for years, even before he moved into the encampment. Mike Stahl has been a West Seattle resident his entire life: many locals know him from his work as a cashier at McLendon Hardware and from his WSB comments and Forum posts using the screen name “miws.”
Mike was a Morgan Junction resident until May of 2011, when he became a Nickelsville resident. WSB readers have been following Mike’s journey into homelessness beginning with Mike’s move into Nickelsville, chronicled in a story here last May.
Now, we’re re-visiting Mike to get more of his story, and to share his progress through this phase of his life – with help from friends, and more on the way.
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