West Seattle, Washington
01 Saturday
(Photo of orchard-to-be site at SSCC, courtesy Aviva Furman)
From Community Harvest of Southwest Seattle‘s Aviva Furman, two announcements tonight: First, she confirms the deal is finally official for creating the Community Orchard of West Seattle on the south end of the South Seattle Community College campus, and COWS needs your help at a work party to really launch the effort:
Come be a part of an exciting new urban agriculture project here in West Seattle: The *Community Orchard*! With a generous grant from the Seattle Department of Neighborhoods, and the contract with South Seattle Community College finalized, we are ready to begin.
The orchard will be a demonstration site for growing fruit sustainably in our climate. COWS will hold the 1st design session and work-party on Saturday, January 15th. We will be learning from permaculturist, Laura Sweany, about the elements of site analysis. In the afternoon, we will be sheet mulching the garden beds and creating wood chip paths. Come see how quickly a site can be transformed! Future classes in February will focus on plant selection.
January 15th
10-12:15 Design Workshop (FREE)
12:15-1:00 Lunch
1:00-3:30 Sheet Mulch Work Party
Please RSVP [here’s the link]. All are welcome to the afternoon session, but space in the morning session is limited.
Second announcement – imagine being able to trade produce with neighbors/friends/community members so you’re not, oh, say, eating zucchini cookies, zucchini soup, stuffed zucchini, etc., all summer. Aviva says an online system is on the drawing boards and they’d like your input:
*Got kale…want carrots…*
While plants are dormant in these short days of winter, Community Harvest is busy germinating ideas. Have you ever had a bumper crop of zucchini? Lettuce bolting faster than you can eat it? Maybe you are one of those lucky ones with an Italian Plum tree in your yard. We are planning an online system for people to trade or sell their surplus produce with their neighbors, as well as a simple way to donate to food banks. We need your input. If you are a food gardener, or someone who enjoys eating locally grown produce, please take a few minutes and fill out this survey. Help shape Veg-eBay. Create a P-Pod in your neighborhood.
If we had time, we could create a collage with probably 100 photos this year of people helping the West Seattle Food Bank – from students to seniors to steelworkers, big donation drives and little ones. But just imagine it all as you read the message WS Food Bank executive director Fran Yeatts just asked us to share:
From all of us at the West Seattle Food Bank, we would like to offer a very sincere and heartfelt thank you to all who have helped us in our work to end hunger in this community. The demand for our services has been increasing and we are grateful that many neighbors in West Seattle have been there to help. Your support makes a big difference for many families, so especially on behalf of all the West Seattle Food Bank’s clients, thank you.
And of course you can help them out right now or any time – by going here.
(Photo courtesy Twelfth Night Productions)
On Christmas Day, we published an update on Family Promise of Seattle, the West Seattle-based nonprofit that still needs to raise about $40,000 before it can start housing homeless families again – a service no one else in this area provides. Today, Family Promise board member Laura Bermes sends word they’re partnering with Twelfth Night Productions (WSB sponsor) during the upcoming “Amahl and the Night Visitors“:
Twelfth Night Productions, West Seattle’s own community theater, is partnering up with Family Promise of Seattle this holiday season to change the lives of homeless children and their families. West Seattleites are familiar with Twelfth Night’s productions and reputation of putting on quality theatrical productions, giving opportunity for local community members to shine on stage. But, did you know that the production company regularly partners up with local non-profits and community groups to make a difference right here in West Seattle?
This year, Twelfth Night will once again bring the holiday opera, “Amahl and the Night Visitors,” to the stage. Amahl is a touching story about a poor young shepherd and his mother who receive a visit from the Three Kings on their way to Bethlehem. This fully scored orchestrated production is a perfect way to cap off your holiday celebrations, and is appropriate for patrons of all ages! And while you attend the show, volunteers from Family Promise of Seattle will be in attendance talking about the shelter, selling baked goods, and taking donations.
Amahl and the Night Visitors will be playing at Youngstown Cultural Arts Center
(4408 Delridge Way SW) Jan 7th and 8th at 7:30 pm and Jan 8th & 9th at 3 pm. Tickets
can be purchased online or by calling 206-937-1394. More information about Family Promise of Seattle can be found at www.familypromiseofseattle.org.
Tis the Season… come and top off your holiday with this beautiful show, and step up to help West Seattle’s only homeless shelter for families open its doors once again!
By Tracy Record
West Seattle Blog editor
In these final moments of a holiday whose backstory stars a family seeking shelter, a West Seattle-based organization continues to work toward its dream of once again helping families find shelter.
Family Promise of Seattle has not yet reached its $90,000 goal – but that’s all they need to resume helping homeless families stay together, safe, and warm.
It’s been four months since Family Promise of Seattle put its sheltering operation on hold, as first reported here. The organization’s leaders decided they would reopen as soon as they raised $90,000 to fund adequate staff and resources for the intensive job of offering newly homeless families not just shelter, but also assistance in finding employment.
We sat in on Family Promise’s most recent fundraising committee and board meetings, back to back on a rainy night earlier this month. They had progress to celebrate, but a ways to go to the goal – and in less than a month, the board says it will decide whether to soldier on, or call it quits.
More help for the family of Brian Teachout: The day after 30 ornaments made by West Seattle glass artist Brad Burzynski sold out in less than an hour for almost $1,100 in donations, results are in from the weekend’s other donation drive. Here’s the report from Jim Winder from the Helmstetler Family Spectacular music-synched-lights show (our clip above is what we shot on “opening night” Nov. 27; Jim’s videos for this year aren’t up yet):
This weekend the attendance at the light show was just AMZING!! I apologize for those stuck in the traffic jams!! lol
And those who came to watch were also even MORE amazing with their generosity for the Teachout family…donating $462!!So I will be dropping off $500 in cash to the Wells Fargo Bank in the next few days.
Thanks again to the great folks of West Seattle that make this one of the best communities in the Seattle area!!!
Jim e-mailed shortly afterward with a postscript:
And I wanted to thank Brad Burzynski … he stopped by and watched the lights and presented the Helmstetlers with one of his glass ornaments for helping out the Teachouts…
Donations for the Teachout Family Fund are still being accepted at any Wells Fargo Bank. (P.S. The schedule for the Helmstetler/Winder lights, at 3908 SW Charlestown across from the water tower, is on their website at westseattlelights.com.)
By Tracy Record
West Seattle Blog editor
It’s the name behind some of the biggest nonprofit projects in West Seattle in the past decade:
*Transforming historic Cooper Elementary School into Youngstown Cultural Arts Center.
*Creating the only mixed-use building to house a Seattle Public Library branch.
*Co-developing the new home of the West Seattle Food Bank and other nonprofits adjacent to the residential units of One Community Commons.
Yet for all those high-profile projects, Delridge Neighborhoods Development Association executive director Derek Birnie admits DNDA may have a little bit of a community disconnect:
At the West Seattle Farmers’ Market within the past hour, Tammy Teachout, widow of Brian Teachout – who died at 46 after surgery for an injury suffered while hanging Christmas lights – was moved to tears. She stood by and watched as local glass artist Brad Burzynski and his family sold newly created blown-glass ornaments to raise money to help her family. The Burzynskis started selling the ornaments at 10 am; within 10 minutes, 23 of the 30 ornaments were already taken, some for far far more than the $20 donation requested, and they were all gone in less than an hour. During a break in the rush, Brad stepped back for a quick pose, with daughter:
Tammy Teachout told us her husband’s memorial on Friday was standing room only; also, she went last night to see the Helmstetler Family Spectacular Christmas lights at 3908 SW Charlestown, which is giving all donations from the past two nights and tonight to her family. If you didn’t get an ornament and can’t see the lights but still want to help her and their three children, there’s information in our original story.
ADDED 12:06 PM: Brad sent word of the final tally:
Thanks to the wonderful people of West Seattle (and Poulsbo) for raising $1085 for the Teachout family! Amazing and heartwarming!
We mentioned earlier that local students are out early today. In at least one case, one school in West Seattle had no classes at all – Seattle Lutheran High School, whose students are out volunteering. The photos are courtesy Bil Hood, who explains:
The Saints are hitting the streets today for the culmination of the Seattle Lutheran Month of Giving.
The month started with a week-long food drive for the West Seattle Food Bank. That was followed by a week of change-giving to buy gifts for kids who would otherwise not get any. This week, toys and clothes were collected for the Salvation Army. At tonight’s 3-on-3 Charity Basketball game, the students at Seattle Lutheran should reach $5,000 and 1000 hours in giving this month.
Today, staff and students have fanned out across the community to use their last day before Christmas break to give. Saints can be seen this Giving Day cleaning at Alki and traffic circles in the neighborhood.
Students are knitting scarves and hats for donations. Groups are making cards and hand-crafted gifts for shut-ins. They are also helping at other local schools and community centers who have needs. It is our way to say thank you for your many years of support, and have a blessed Christmas, West Seattle.
This last photo shows the blessing of handmade scarves headed for a women’s shelter:
We have giving opportunities listed on the West Seattle Holidays page, if you’re still looking for someplace or someone to help.
One of the two food banks that serves West Seattle, the White Center Food Bank, just put out the call for volunteer help. Can you pitch in? From volunteer coordinator Audrey Zemke:
The White Center Food Bank needs help this coming week handing out food to clients. The most urgently needed shift is 3:30 to 6:30 pm Monday, December 20. In addition we could use help Wednesday, December 22 from 12:30 to 3:30. Please contact me by e-mail (audrey@whitecenterfoodbank.org) to sign up.
Friday, Brian Teachout will be remembered at a service in West Seattle, just one week after his untimely death following an accident while putting up Christmas lights. Since our original story, which includes word of a fund to which you can contribute to help his wife and children, we have received word of two fundraisers: First, donations made at the Helmstetler Family Spectacular Christmas-lights show this Friday, Saturday and Sunday will go to the Teachout family, according to lights mastermind Jim Winder. Find out more about that here. And local glass artist Brad Burzynski is making ornaments to sell this Sunday, with all proceeds to the Teachout family – here are the details on what’s in the works:
Although he’s never met Brian or his family, a local glassblower has been so touched by their situation he’d like to do something nice to show his support. Tonight he’ll create 25 Christmas ornaments in honor of Brian. On Sunday, at the West Seattle Farmers Market, these ornaments will be available for the very reasonable price of $20 each. [photo from Uptown Glassworks glassblowing session added 12:18 am Friday]
100% of the proceeds from these ornaments will be given to the family on behalf of the people of West Seattle. Get there early because once they are gone, they’re gone. The ornaments will be boxed and come with a label indicating they were hand blown and the proceeds will be given to the family. What a great way to help a West Seattle neighbor and get a meaningful gift for someone you love. Be a part of one of the little things that makes West Seattle such a special place.
The Farmers’ Market is 10 am-2 pm at 44th/Alaska; we’ll update Sunday morning (here, Twitter, Facebook) with word on where exactly you can find him around the perimeter. Brian Teachout’s service is at noon tomorrow (Friday) at The Hall at Fauntleroy. And in addition to the fundraising efforts mentioned above, you can donate to the Teachout Family Fund at any Wells Fargo Bank branch.
Her name is Nevaeh – “Heaven spelled backward” – and though she’s been through hell, she is one of the smiliest 7-year-olds you’ll ever meet. We met Nevaeh Harm earlier this week at Southwest Youth and Family Services‘ headquarters in North Delridge earlier this week, a place where she and her mom Thyda Phan spend a lot of time. They are among the survivors of the September shootings in West Seattle in which Thyda’s mother shot and killed three Phan/Harm family members – Thyda’s husband and two teenage daughters – and herself. Thyda is the only one to have survived gunshot wounds; Nevaeh was shot at, as was her older brother Kevin, but they managed to escape with no physical injuries. Cara Kroenke at SWYFS has been helping the survivors find new places to live, and new belongings to replace what they lost in the destructive rampage – or never had at all. In our photo, Nevaeh was trying on a helmet to use with one of the bicycles donated to SWYFS by Nucor (here’s our story on that). Cara was awaiting results of an inspection for the White Center rental house found for the family, near Nevaeh’s elementary school. And for those who have asked for an update on what they still need from this list we published a week and a half ago, Cara talked with us – that info’s after the jump:Read More
The photos are from Ruth Oldham of West Seattle See Dogs, who was in Tacoma for a special regional delivery in the middle of the Sunday rainstorm. Her group is hoping for new members to help them turn puppies like these into guide dogs – “a gift that keeps giving,” as she explains:
Bundles of yellow, black, and golden fur, sweet puppy breath, and wiggly joy were delivered into the arms of twelve puppy raisers from across Washington State in the midst of (Sunday) morning’s deluge.
The puppies, bred at our San Rafael, California campus were between the ages of 8 and 10 weeks old and traveled on the puppy truck which was converted to a special sleigh for Santa Paws and his helper’s deliveries!
The puppies will stay with their families for about a year and then return to be off to puppy college to become guide dogs and future “soulmates” with a visually impaired partner. This is a story about a gift that keeps giving long after the season is over!
Do you have love and time to share with a puppy? Call Ruth Oldham with the West Seattle See Dogs at 206-953-0268 or 1-800-295-4050 for information on how you can raise a Guide Dog Puppy in your area. More info at www.guidedogs.com; become a friend of the West Seattle See Dogs on Facebook to learn about events and meetings. Our next meeting is Monday, December 20th, 6:30 pm, at
Merrill Gardens-Admiral Heights.
Merrill Gardens-AH (WSB sponsor) is at 2326 California SW.
At right, that’s just one of the kittens awaiting new homes at West Seattle’s nonprofit cat-only shelter Kitty Harbor – and any Kitty Harbor kitties who don’t get those new homes this weekend will be going into foster care until June. That’s according to Kitty Harbor volunteer Anna, who says the shelter is open 1 pm-6 pm this Saturday and Sunday, and those will be its last days till next summer. Kitty Harbor is at 3422 Harbor Avenue SW, just north of the West Seattle Bridge. You’ll find tons more photos and info on the Kitty Harbor website.
(Santa photo by Donna Ryan Photography)
Two more Hometown Holidays (co-sponsored by WSB) events ahead in The Junction this week – another Shop Late Thursday tomorrow, then the third and final round of professional Santa photos and mule-drawn carriage rides 11 am-3 pm on Sunday. The Santa photos by Donna Ryan Photography raise money for local nonprofits, and West Seattle Junction Association‘s Susan Melrose just sent an update:
The Junction’s Santa Photo/Fundraising is going great. This is the Junction Association’s 6th year hosting Santa photos and a greater success is being achieved every year. In our 3rd year working with Donna Ryan Photography, we are not only delivering beautiful photos to West Seattle families, but also raising funds for community members in need. The first weekend raised more than $800 for WestSide Baby, last weekend raised more than $1,000 for the West Seattle Helpline, and this Sunday we’ll be raising funds for the West Seattle Food Bank. Thank you, West Seattle families, for participating in this holiday tradition.
And while you’re in The Junction for Shop Late Thursday, shopping any time (our 21 Holiday Shopping Guide sponsors include 11 Junction stores), or Hometown Holidays Sunday, get in on the $4,600 raffle, too.
(WSB photos by Ellen Cedergreen)
Two special holiday donation visits to the West Seattle Food Bank today. First, the annual Nucor Steel tradition – the company and its employees donated more than $17,000 cash and more than 2,400 pounds of food, some of which you see being unloaded above. The Administrative Department won the internal competition to see which department could gather the most donated food, we’re told. Here’s the team from Nucor:
From left, Bart Kale, Winky Lai, Trish Sweat, Larry Dalke, and Don Wood. Bart is the safety/environmental manager and told us this year’s donation means more than ever because times are tough for donors, too, and they had to dig a lot to make such a generous gift. (Earlier today, we reported on another major Nucor donation, for Southwest Youth and Family Services.) Here’s part of the WS Food Bank team:
From left, that’s Mike, Fran, John, Eve, and Jack. A few hours earlier, a different type of donations arrived – more than 50 special bags for toddlers, made from items donated by local families who have toddlers or preschoolers themselves and are involved with groups such as co-operative preschools, PEPS, and West Seattle Teeter Tots.
We heard about this from Jennifer Hedge, who came up with the idea last year, and is in the photo above with Food Bank operations assistant Mike Tinker. She explains that the bags are meant to be given along with regular monthly Toddler Food Bags that are part of the Toddler Feeding Program, and that they contain useful items not covered by that program, as well as some “treats”:
The Toddler Feeding Program provides a little something extra for toddler-age kids whose families use six local Food Banks including West Seattle – graham crackers, Cheerios, juice, peanut butter, fruit, veggies. The “toddler bags” were assembled with a checklist including hats, toothbrushes, toothpaste, a small toy, small book, stickers, goldfish crackers, and more. We asked Jennifer if they needed anything more – she said no, but she would love to see other community groups get involved in this – maybe for their own age, seniors making Senior Bags, etc. We asked Food Bank director Fran the same thing; she said they’re OK for this season, but the most important thing to remember is, please donate at other times of the year too. (Here’s how to give money online.)
Family and friends are mourning West Seattle business owner Brian Teachout, who died last Friday, after surgery for an injury suffered while putting up Christmas lights. They also have set up a fund to help his wife – laid off by the former Washington Mutual – and children. Here’s the story, and a photo, shared by family friend Candace:
Just over a week ago, Brian Teachout, owner of Alki Home and Garden, was doing what he loved to do during the holidays… helping clients hang Christmas lights. Unfortunately, while in the process of hanging lights, the ladder Brian was using slipped out from under him. He fell, shattering his left shoulder. Surgery was scheduled and took place Wednesday, December 8th. Two days after going through reconstructive shoulder surgery, and while recovering at home, Brian suddenly died.
Brian was just 46 years old. He and his wife Tammy were blessed with a son, Owen. Then a few years ago they opened their hearts and home, and made room in their lives to adopt a niece, McKenna, and nephew, Levi, after the children’s mother died unexpectedly.
When the three children came home from school last Friday, just two weeks before Christmas, their mother and family had to give them the hard news of their father’s passing. This would be a tragedy at any time of the year, but with the holidays and three children excited about Christmas, it presented a severe challenge to Tammy, as she recently lost her job at Washington Mutual after 20 years, and with it a significant change in her health insurance.
Brian had a heart of gold and devoted his time to his wife, three children, family and many friends. He was a longtime West Seattle resident and delightful character; you might have crossed paths with Brian. Dependable and delightful, for many years he was always there to help so many West Seattle residents maintain our homes, yards and put up our lights. Brian loved to be in the garden … and we will all miss seeing him in it!
It is a tough economy and we are all facing tighter budgets this holiday season. However, if you are looking for a family to assist in some way .. or if you are part of an organization that can help … please keep Tammy and the Teachout children in mind.
Individual donations can be made to the ‘Brian Teachout Memorial Fund’ established to benefit his children – deposits can be made at any Wells Fargo Bank branch.
For organizations or individuals who wish to make a tax-deductible donation in excess of $500, the 501(c)3) Sharing Foundation has generously offered to manage your contributions. For details on donating to the Teachout Family Fund through the Sharing Foundation, please contact Andy at 206-679-8909.
A memorial service will be held Friday 12/17/10 at Noon at The Hall at Fauntleroy, 9131 California Ave SW in West Seattle. A gathering and refreshments will follow.
Tricia and Bill from West Seattle’s Nucor might not have had white beards and red/white suits, but they were definitely doing Santa’s work at Southwest Youth and Family Services on Monday afternoon. They brought the first of two groups of donated bicycles to SWYFS — boys’ bikes on Monday, girls’ bikes coming today – and there was a big stack of Nucor-donated coats at the agency too. (Nucor also is presenting a big donation to the West Seattle Food Bank this afternoon.) They explained the donation drive:
Every month employees do a set number of Safety Observations – one employee observes another doing a task and then has a discussion on what the employee did that was safe and points out anything that was done that could potentially put themselves at risk. Nucor challenged its employees – watch out for each other more frequently and Nucor will make a donation to a local charity in efforts to make a child’s holiday a little brighter. For every 5 extra observations a brand new coat would be donated, and for every 15 extra observations a brand new bike would be donated.
The employees of Nucor Seattle responded to the challenge and did 660 safety observations; 286 of which were extra. 21 Torker Bicycles & Pryme Gear Helmets were purchased from local manufacturer – Redline Bicycles in Kent (locally sold at Alki Bike & Board in W Seattle). 57 Warm Coats were purchased and distributed to 3 local charities. The Southwest Youth & Family Services (SYFS) will receive 19 bikes and 45 coats to fulfill the wish list items of 64 W Seattle children. Nucor was able to sponsor a family from the Delridge Neighborhood Development Association (DNDA) and donate coats and bikes to the family. All other coats were donated to the W Seattle Clothesline who will host 6 coat giveaways in conjunction with the Food Bank. Nucor Seattle would like to thank its employees for making the W
Seattle community a little brighter this holiday season.
And while we were at SWYFS, we met Kristina Surface from Westside Unitarian Universalist Congregation, who said she’d rather be referred to as an “elf.” She’s the church’s liaison with SWYFS for donations like the ones just made by the church’s youth group:
(Pictured: WSUU adult advisor Lorelei Amato, Hawk Ehret, Logan Day, Albert Lorenzana, Irene Pemberton, Ryan Han, Mia Shaughnessy, and adult advisor Suki Kaplan)
WSUU had a Giving Tree for SWYFS – before we stopped by the agency (which is based in North Delridge but does work throughout West Seattle, White Center, and beyond), we received the photo and this report from WSUU’s Kari Kopnick:
This is a photo of the Westside Unitarian Universalist Congregation’s youth group with the donations from Westside for our 2010 “Giving Tree” benefiting Southwest Youth and Family Services http://www.swyfs.org/. The congregation donated almost all of the items needed, and the youth group and their advisors decided to take some of the youth group money saved to buy things for the last 17 people on the tree. After a wild trip to Target (Sunday) night, the tree was surrounded! Just a few weeks ago our younger children decorated tags that each had a list of things that people had requested from Southwest Youth and Family Services and hung them on the tree, hoping the congregation could fill requests of 170 people. The requests this year were heartbreaking, things like; towels, comforters and even boxer shorts. We were thrilled to be able to get something for each of the people.
Among the many families helped by SWYFS is the Phan/Harm family, which lost four members in the September murder-suicide shootings; we met two members of the family while at SWYFS, and we’ll update their story – with an update on what they need – separately.
(Photos by Aaron Hernandez, courtesy WSCC)
Tonight (Thursday), during the December edition of the West Seattle Art Walk, stop by Ginomai artist studios and put in a bid for art that will do double duty: A gift for someone (maybe even yourself?), and a gift for hundreds of people thousands of miles away. Local artists have donated pieces for a silent auction raising money for the next well-building trip by a delegation from West Seattle Christian Church. Dan Jacobs, the WSCC pastor who spoke at last weekend’s Junction Tree Lighting, was part of the group that helped build a well for a Guatemalan village this past summer and is making plans now to go to Honduras next summer. (Exactly where, they don’t know yet, because the demand is so great, the exact community isn’t designated till the last moment.) It’s in connection with a group called Living Water, and as Dan says, it’s a matter of living or dying, in many cases – until these new wells are dug, deep below the area where the ground might be contaminated by farming runoff or other pollutants, water-borne illnesses are common, and deadly, especially to children, who also lose countless school hours to frequent sickness.
West Seattle Christian has been supporting well-building projects for some years – but until recently, that just involved fundraising. However, Dan says the value of going to help out in person not only entails more help, but also more awareness: “There were 10 of us who went, and 300 involved in sending us.” The drive to raise money for the project always starts at Christmastime, and that’s on purpose: “Three years ago, I heard a statistic that the U.S. will spend $450 billion on Christmas. The estimated cost to address the need for clean water in the world is $10 billion. We thought we could do Christmas better than just spending money on stuff.” (Thus, the involvement with Advent Conspiracy.)
One individual well about 100 feet deep might cost about $5,000, he notes, not much of a cost for 300 people to “have clean water for the first time ever.” The wells are drilled only in common public areas like schools, so there’s little chance of a “water war” breaking out over access. Dan says his group this past summer only had to dig to about 80 feet to get clean water, and they’ve gotten reports, since their departure, that it’s yielding even more water than expected.
Paintings and photos comprise most of the work you’ll see at the silent auction during the Art Walk. Included is some photography by WSCC’s Aaron Hernandez, who also is part of the well-building delegation. Even for those who couldn’t go, the pastor explains, “our whole church felt they were part of (the journey) – including some older couples who were so proud to be part of it, we felt as if we were taking them there with us.”
Bid for some art at Ginomai tonight, and you can be part of it too. The silent auction is in the community room down the hall – enter from 42nd, on the SW corner of Genesee (parking is on the south side of the building, also entered from 42nd).
Two days after the latest West Seattle Volunteer Recognition Awards ceremony, here’s another major celebration of local volunteer power: Tonight at The Hall at Fauntleroy, people who volunteer for the West Seattle Food Bank were in the spotlight, at the annual holiday-season dinner given in their honor. Among them, the three women in our photo, who are among the food bank’s longest-serving volunteers – Norma Arbow, Caroline Boone, and Asenath Brozovich – volunteering is for people of ALL ages! There are lots of ways you too can help the food bank, even if you don’t volunteer your time – other ways to help are listed on this page of the WS Food Bank website. (And you can give money any time!)
A month and a half ago, Cara Kroenke at Southwest Youth and Family Services put out a call for help on behalf of the family members who survived an afternoon of deadly violence inside a West Seattle home in September – the murder-suicide shootings that left four members of the Phan/Harm family dead. We talked last night with Cara, who says a recent media report that the survivors were virtually homeless is not true – she has been working with them daily since October. They should shortly all have “permanent” new homes – she says the widower of the woman who opened fire now has an apartment of his own, while the other family members are awaiting final word on a 3-bedroom rental house. The woman who was shot, but survived, will get her bowling-alley job back when she’s ready to work again, Cara says. And the family is working to plan a memorial that in Cambodian tradition, according to Cara, is even more important than the first funeral – the 100-day remembrance. Read on for more about that and what the family needs now:Read More
On the left, with her Scrabble game face on, that’s Jessie SK, proprietor of Skylark Café and Club (WSB sponsor) in North Delridge. We dropped by last week as she and friends practiced for tomorrow night’s debut of fundraising Scrabble tournaments at Skylark. Every Monday night from here on out, you can go to Skylark to play Scrabble, with the entry fee going to a good cause. Tomorrow night (and every first Monday), the beneficiary will be Team Tracy, the breast-cancer-fighting-and-awareness-raising 3 Day for the Cure team (whose namesake/leader Tracy Dart is a former Skylark employee); other nonprofits are set (or being lined up) for the other Monday nights. The Skylark website has the full story; signups are at 7 pm Mondays, first game at 7:15. (Skylark opens for happy hour/dinner at 3 pm, so you’re welcome to chow down before your wordplay.)
From December 3rd through 17th – two weeks starting this Friday, continuing till the last day of school before the winter break – West Seattle High School hopes you will join in its Holiday Drive. Science teacher/cheerleading coach Christina Ruzzine says contributions will be accepted at the school office. Full details:
We are asking students and our community to donate all the warm clothes and blankets that they are no longer using. Also, we are taking canned and non-perishable food items.
Our goal is to have a two-week-long donation effort to raise clothing for the Orion Center, and food for the West Seattle Food Bank. We are having a competition between classes for who can raise the most, and want to open up our campus to those members of the community who would be willing to donate.
Our goal is to allow our community and school to work together in efforts to help those in need. We here at West Seattle High School have many families in need, which lead us to believe that there are many more families in West Seattle that could use our help during this cold winter season. We want to give community members a chance to step on to our campus and see what the Wildcats are all about.
Haven’t been there yet? WSHS is at 3000 California SW. The office is reachable from the entrance on the north (Hiawatha-facing) side of the school.
P.S. Got a holiday donation drive that’s not on the WSB West Seattle Holidays page yet? Please let us know so we can help get the word out.
From the West Seattle Holidays page:
HANUKKAH, NIGHT ONE: The eight-night Jewish Festival of Lights starts tonight at sundown. So far, the only public West Seattle event we have listed is a December 6th party co-sponsored by Seattle Kollel and West Seattle Torah Learning Center. Any others to add to the page? Let us know.
CHRISTMAS COCKTAILS: Just got word this morning from Jeff Gilbert at the Feedback Lounge (WSB sponsor) of holiday fundraisers including this one starting tonight, involving not just the Feedback:
Jeff explains that Feedback, Skylark Café (also a WSB sponsor), West 5, Shadowland, Maharaja, and JaK’s Grill are all participating:
• Each participating bar came up with a signature holiday cocktail or drink special.
• $1 of each of these beverages sold goes into a pool at the end of the promotion, with the cash proceeds being divided equally to benefit the West Seattle, White Center and South Park food banks.
• The promotion starts December 1st and runs through December 24th. This will help the food banks replenish their stock after the holidays, when they need it the most.
To see the list of drinks (and their ingredients) – go to this page on the Feedback website. Meantime, starting this Friday, the Feedback adds another donation drive: “Tots for Toys.” Yes, you read correctly. Jeff elaborates, “We’re giving away a FREE basket of Tater Tots for every new, unwrapped toy to be donated to the Marines’ toy drive.” That runs from December 4th through December 17th.
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