West Seattle, Washington
03 Sunday
A shelter for up to 20 men that was located in West Seattle until a year ago just moved back, according to a flyer received by neighbors (read a scanned copy of it here). The Calvary Lutheran Shelter, operated by SHARE, was at the church of that same name at 35th/Cloverdale from 1999 till last year, when CL sold the site to the former Gatewood Baptist Church (now Life Church). 
Now, as of last Friday, it’s located in the Church of the Nazarene building at 42nd/Juneau (photo left; map here), according to the flyer, which says there’s an informational meeting “for immediate neighbors” this Sunday night. The flyer includes info about how the shelter is managed and notes that the church has “temporarily hosted several other SHARE shelters in the past 5 years.” We have a message out to SHARE to ask a few followup questions; if you are interested in more information about the need for places for homeless people to go, the recent One-Night Count results are enlightening, as are pages from other groups such as the Committee to End Homelessness in King County. 11:18 AM UPDATE: Just talked with a rep from SHARE, and here’s what else we found out:Read More
That’s 10-year-old Olivia Shain, cuddling her cat Bebe during one of the many hospital stays Olivia’s had to endure in her short life. She has been living with Crohn’s disease – which seldom strikes children – since she was a toddler. Olivia’s West Seattle church and school community are coming together to raise money for her massive medical bills, and inviting you to join them for a spaghetti dinner and silent auction this Sunday. Olivia’s mom, local pet-sitting entrepreneur Demery Shain, agreed to talk with WSB about her daughter, their life, and how you can help:Read More
Ever heard the sound of what it takes to power an industrial-size walk-in freezer?
That’s one of the sights and sounds of our recent video tour of the White Center Food Bank. What were we doing there? Backstory: Last November, we took you inside the West Seattle Food Bank for a behind-the-scenes mini-tour. Then we got a recent invitation to come visit the “other” food bank serving part of West Seattle — the White Center Food Bank — where we learned about the service boundaries between WSFB’s area and WCFB’s area, and a whole lot more:Read More
(Still Valentine night, so we have to keep the “love” theme going …) To recap, Ercolini Park is now the official name for this under-construction park along Alaska west of The Junction, and work is well under way:
Months ago, we told you about the campaign to get money and commitments of volunteer time. Now it’s time to get ready to make good on the time commitment: Bill Barna, Ercolini volunteer (and WSB sponsor), says those who promised that time are asked to save the weekends of April 19-20 and 26-27, because that’s when the just-ordered play equipment is likely to be installed. Bill says they’ll need help with tasks including volunteer registration, bringing/distributing refreshments, distributing foundation materials, and of course, putting up the play structures. More details to come as April gets closer.
Finally got word of results from the bicycle-donation drive at PCC last Saturday (weekend coverage here) — 182 bikes donated (and a lot of bike parts), all going to help kids in Africa. WTG! One other weekend postscript — the cat-adoption event at Kitty Harbor (which was featured in this WSB report last fall) was a roaring success, according to KH’s Delyn Kosbab — new homes for all 60 of the cats and kittens that were available for adoption.
That’s an architect rendering of Neighborhood House, the new social-services center to be built in High Point starting this fall. 80% of the money for it already has been raised – now the “Heart of High Point” campaign wants to get the word out about this major West Seattle project, and invites you to a gathering next Monday night. Here’s what Cathy Cooper e-mailed WSB about it:
This “Heart of High Point” Neighborhood Center will be a Gold LEED certified
Green building, with solar panels, water filtration systems, a deep-well based heating/cooling system … all set in the environmentally sensitive and award winning High Point community. This building will be a real-life example of how to create sustainable spaces for delivering social services, combating poverty, and building a stronger community.The HPNC will provide vital community services and support programs to more than 4,000 residents and their families annually. It will provide access to critical support services to 700 low-income families living in the redeveloped public housing in the High Point mixed income community.
The center will also demonstrate how cultures all over the world view environmental stewardship, and how immigrants from these cultures can teach us all lessons about caring for our shared planet.
To help spread the word about this exciting new development in our own backyard, a group of West Seattle-connected volunteers are meeting at Mission (2325 California Ave SW) at 5:45 p.m. on Monday, Feb. 18. We’re focused on how to raise awareness about the “Heart of High Point” campaignand let West Seattelites know what this new building is all about. We’d like to invite our neighbors to join us. For more information, contact me at cooper1513@comcast.net.
At our caucus, so many said they yearn for hope. Want some now? Before and after caucusing, we visited other events where people gave their time today to make West Seattle a better place:Read More
CAUCUSES: FInally, at the 11th hour, just about every media site large and small has joined in with “how to” links. Ours will stay up at the top spot in the right sidebar till it’s all over at midafternoon. (P.S. At least one note suggests those robo-calls with the wrong caucus date were still continuing last night. According to citywide-media reports, it’s not a sinister plot; a firm paid by the Obama campaign programmed Maine reminders – for Sunday – to go to Washington numbers – where of course TODAY is caucus day.)
DONATE USED BIKES & PARTS TODAY: PCC, 11 am-2 pm. Here’s what it’s all about.
TWO CLEANUPS AND A WORK PARTY: All happening before you caucus, so no excuses — Admiral Neighborhood Association‘s area cleanup starts at 9 am (more here); The EARTH Project at Cooper Elementary has a work party on the south side of the school (next to Pigeon Point Park) starting at 9 am; Junction Neighborhood Association, at 10 am (more here).
HAPPY ANNIVERSARY: Received a couple notes about this — the Admiral restaurant Circa (2605 California) celebrates its 10th anniversary with a party tonight, described in one e-mail this way: “No regular dinner service – but a party for anyone who wants to celebrate. There will be raffles at 7:00 and 10:00, drinks, and food of course (miniature portions of Circa favorites: steak salads, Circa burgers and chocolate cake).”
Many more events are listed in the West Seattle Weekend Lineup.
Fun events to help students at Chief Sealth and West Seattle High Schools … an endless array of opportunities to do good tomorrow, even before you caucus … animal adoption … lots of live music … much more in the 41 West Seattle weekend events listed here:Read More
As you can tell from the WSB Events page, and the forthcoming West Seattle Weekend Lineup list, tomorrow is going to be an extremely busy Saturday around West Seattle — and not just because of the caucuses. We’ve spotlighted many of the events in advance and here’s one more that might require some preparation: If you have used bikes or bike parts to donate, they’re being collected at PCC in West Seattle (location info) 11 am-3 pm tomorrow, in the “Bikes for Education” drive. According to a PCC spokesperson: “Donated bikes will be crated and shipped, at the expense of the Alaffia Sustainable Skin Care Company, to Togo, Africa, for distribution to school kids who now walk up to 10 miles every day to get to school. Kids who bring their old bikes during the drive can even have their photos taken with their donations; the photos will be given to the bike recipients in Africa.” (10:50 AM ADDITION: PCC confirms, child AND adult bikes and bike parts welcome, “in any condition.”)
From the WSB inbox — yet another event happening this very busy Saturday, but even if you can’t lend a hand, perhaps you can help with the materials they need?Read More
NEED HAIR HELP? THE $ GOES TO COMMUNITY HELP! This Sunday is the annual “Have a Heart Day” at Illusions (WSB sponsor), and the folks there tell us they still have some appointments open during the event noon-5 pm. Here’s how it works: They’re donating their services, at reduced prices; the price you pay goes to help Southwest Youth & Family Services and Pencil Me in for Kids. You can read about Pencil Me In and Have a Heart Day at this page on the Illusions site; read about SWYFS here. Call Illusions @ 938-3675 for an appointment.
DRINK, DINE, AND PAY TRIBUTE TO JOHN HARTLEY: Last spring, we posted about the sudden, much-too-soon death of John Hartley, a larger-than-life, popular local waiter. Now comes word of a project to honor John’s memory — raising $5,000 for a bench at Alki with a plaque bearing one of his favorite sayings, “Sit down and shut up!” Matthew Darling tells us that JaK’s Grill, one of the places where John worked, will be accepting donations during Happy Hour and the rest of the evening next Monday, Feb. 11, 4:30-10 pm (Matthew says the crew will donate part of their tips, too).
DOES YOUR GROUP NEED TO RAISE $? WSB sponsor Garlic Jim’s Pizza is offering a chance for local groups to make some $. Co-owner Ryan Reese says, “I have a really good fundraising opportunity for any local school, church group etc. I can guarantee a cash payment to whichever group chooses to help out a MINIMUM $750/week. This opportunity will be available for at least the next 5-6 weeks maybe even longer. That is a potential of $4,500 in six weeks. A group of 50 people can earn the $750 in under two hours. A group of 25 can earn the money in under four hours and so on.” To find out more, call Garlic Jim’s in The Junction at 937-JIMS (or drop by during business hours — east side of California Ave, midblock between Oregon and Edmunds).
SATURDAY’S NOT JUST CAUCUS DAY: There’s a boatload of events happening around West Seattle on Saturday. Before you caucus – how about helping clean? There are Adopt-a-Street Cleanup campaigns Saturday morning both in The Junction (check the JuNO website for more on how to help – they’re looking for volunteers right now) and the Admiral District (see this Admiral Neighborhood Association group page to get details).
GOT A FRUIT TREE THAT NEEDS PRUNING? Experts will show you how! Check out this announcement:
Do you have one of those apple trees that hasn’t been pruned in years? Or maybe you have a young pear tree that you’d like keep in good “shape”? Now’s the time for pruning those trees. The Community Harvest of West Seattle, in conjunction with Solid Ground, will be offering 2 pruning workshops in West Seattle. These basic workshops will be taught by a certified arborist, and will include lecture, demonstration, and the possibility of some hands-on experience. The workshops are free, but are limited to 18 participants, so please RSVP if you are interested. We are looking for a plum tree or 2 for the demo. We are hoping that attendees will share their new skills with their neighbors.
Dates: Saturday – February 23rd, 10 AM-1 PM – Apple and Pear Trees – Duwamish Cohousing
Saturday – March 8, 10 AM – 1 PM – Plum Trees – Site to be decidedRSVP to Aviva with your contact info – 200-2107 or info@gleanit.org
Thanks to OP for that photo of one of the flyers (weatherbeaten as they can get) that’s up alerting people about the poison concerns at two local parks. As previously mentioned, the locally based animal-advocacy group Pasado’s Safe Haven (whose post-Katrina rescue had included Mo, the West Seattle dog that got sick last week) is offering a $5,000 reward, and there are now details on its website, including a flyer you can download to print and post. (P.S. A pet-helping side note: This Saturday and Sunday, 20 cats and 40 kittens will be available for adoption at Kitty Harbor next to ActivSpace on Harbor Ave, 11 am-7 pm both days. KH has found new homes for more than 500 felines in its first four months in West Seattle! 11 am-7 pm both days; call 935-1919 or go here to find out more.)
Luminaria like those grace the field at West Seattle Stadium one night every summer as part of the Relay for Life, an overnight event that brings together local people whose lives have been touched by cancer. Tonight, organizers are inviting you to the Relay for Life of West Seattle kickoff party, 6:30-8 pm at Fauntleroy Children’s Center; map here. (The actual Relay for Life happens 6 pm Friday, June 27, through noon Saturday, June 28.) To get more information – even if you can’t make the party tonight – call Karee Boone at 206/674-4105, Melissa Bazala at 206/281-3738, or Diane Redenbaugh at 206/937-2291.
Just out of the WSB inbox, from Denise:
I’ve got a giant garbage bag full of my three teen sons’ castoff stuffed animals. Most are in excellent condition. Do we know anywhere to donate these other than Goodwill or “the truck in your neighborhood”?
Good question, and we don’t have a West Seattle-specific answer. Do you?
The West Seattle-based animal helpers at Furry Faces Foundation are working on Spay Day USA events coming up next month, including a special clinic day for feral cats, 
but there’s one thing you can help them with RIGHT NOW – they need donations of clean, used towels. The towels are used to keep the animals warm while they recover; towels donated now will be reused for future events too. Teri Ensley of FFF (aka “F-Cubed”), says the success of spaying/neutering campaigns will help more than just the cats directly involved — it means “less kittens will enter our shelters which will increase the adoption rate of adult cats because they don’t have to compete with the cute little kittens.” (Seen above, two cats we adopted as adults – them and us! – from local shelters.) Take your clean, dry used towels to Pet Elements in Morgan Junction (6701 California Ave SW). And if you have a question about Spay Day USA, e-mail Teri (furryfaces@hotmail.com). There are some other ways you can help – check the WSB Pets page.
There’s a new way to help out the son and husband of Red Cup Espresso owner Angelia Paulsen, killed in a crash on I-5 earlier this month, and the organizer says West Seattle rock superstar Eddie Vedder‘s band is involved. Here’s the announcement e-mailed to WSB by Jonathan French:
I am hoping you can spread the word about a raffle we have set up to benefit the O¹Dea family. (Sean & Julian O’Dea) The band Pearl Jam has asked me to donate 2 very rare, autographed limited edition prints signed by the entire band on their behalf. There will be 2 drawings with one win per person. First person who wins chooses the first print. Buy as many tickets as you wish. Tickets are $10.00 each. They can be purchased at Red Cup Espresso (4453 California Ave. SW) (206) 923-0431. Or people can e-mail me (Jonathan French jfrench@alki.net) and I can make other arrangements to get tickets out. Drawing is at 12 pm February 23, 2008. Need not be present to win. Write your name and contact info on the back of one of the tickets and they’ll put it in the bucket. Framed prints can be viewed inside Red Cup Espresso.
As we mentioned earlier this week, Red Cup is currently open 6-2 weekdays, 7-4 weekends.
Checking the website of West Seattle Christian Church (WSB sponsor, but fyi we check many local churches’ websites weekly for event listings etc.) – we discovered part of the congregation was headed to Lewis County today to help the people down there who are still having a terrible time recovering from the December flooding. We wrote WSCC’s Dan Jacobs to ask for more details, and he tells WSB, “A group of about 15 people are going down a second time (the first was just before Christmas) to help with cleanup for families who were flooded. They’ve been working through the United Way and this weekend will again be helping to dig out / mud out / and clean out homes. I believe this weekend they will be working with some elderly people who can’t physically do the work. … Feel free to let people know that they are going and that there is still a need for others to follow in the future.” If you are interested in helping Lewis County flood victims, we found this state page with some info on how to help.
Just out of the WSB inbox, from Judy Pickens:
Fauntleroy documentary project seeks marketing expert:
Fauntleroy is coming together to write, film, produce, and screen a 30-minute documentary that will capture the historic events, people, and places that shaped the neighborhood, profile what it is today, and explore the challenges of nurturing community in an increasingly urbanized city. This combination volunteer/professional project is just getting under way and needs a marketing expert on the team. If you could solicit sponsorships to augment grant funding, develop a marketing plan, and identify screening venues, you might be the one! Passion for Fauntleroy a plus. To explore this opportunity, contact Judy_Pickens@msn.com.
After we mentioned the “Day of Service” volunteer work planned for Monday @ West Seattle Elementary, Seattle Works e-mailed to let us know some of the work it’s doing in conjunction with City Year would actually start today. Here’s some of what’s happening at the school right now — starting with the outlining of a hummingbird mural outside a classroom:
Outside the school, these volunteers are literally laying the groundwork for a play area that will serve the district’s special-needs preschool that’s on the WSES campus:
And this carpentry work will create decorative planters for the school’s entrance:
As you might have guessed from the orange shirts, most of the volunteers at WSES today are from Home Depot — Seattle Works says the Delridge store coordinated the effort but the HD workers are from all around Puget Sound. Meantime, organizers are still looking for donations to complete the preschoolers’ play area; our original post has info on how to help.
Now that it’s mid-January, we can truly see the summer light at the end of the tunnel – and in fact, there are three ways you can get involved with this year’s West Seattle Hi-Yu Summer Festival right now:Read More
Have you ever been to Pigeon Point Park? The trail we walked in the video clip above is just a small part of this hidden treasure next to Cooper Elementary School in northeast West Seattle. Tomorrow, it’s one of the places on the WS “east side” that will get special attention during Green Delridge Day — plenty of time for you to participate before settling in for the Seahawks game. The Pigeon Point Park event is the first-ever work party there for the Nature Consortium, whose restoration-project staffers Mark Tomkiewicz and Elizabeth McDonald gave us a mini-tour (much of which we videotaped):Read More
Go here to set up an appointment online to donate blood through the Puget Sound Blood Center. We got a note from WSB reader Mark wanting everyone to know that PSBC supplies are at emergency (low) levels – confirmed by the red bar across the PSBC home page. Mark is a regular blood donor, and when we e-mailed PSBC for more info, they sent this update asking that more people make that part of their lives:Read More
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