West Seattle, Washington
31 Monday
Too often, music and theater are seen as “extra” for kids – but the benefits prove they should be considered essential. That’s why Mode Music Studios (WSB sponsor) proprietor Erin Rubin launched a nonprofit offshoot, Mode Music and Performing Arts, to provide it to more youth. A party last night at Youngstown Cultural Arts Center not only raised money for MMPA, it also showcased some of Mode’s students, like Ellie and Sophia:
The party’s emcee was Troy Nelson, who you probably know best from KEXP. Erin joined him onstage to express gratitude for the support they’re receiving in MMPA’s mission:
If you couldn’t be there but want to support MMPA’s quest to bring performing-arts education to more schools, you can donate online any time.
ADDED 3:42 PM: Update from Erin: “We had such a great night! We raised over $2500 for music and performing arts education in the schools and will continue to do so thanks to the support of our community.”
(Photos courtesy White Center Food Bank)
Could be the ultimate home decoration … a fire hydrant. It’s one of the auction items up for bids one week from tonight at this year’s Harvest Dinner and Auction benefiting White Center Food Bank, which serves part of West Seattle too. Here’s the reminder:
The White Center Food Bank’s 14th Annual Harvest Dinner & Auction fundraiser is October 20th from 6 PM – 10 PM at the Brockey Center at South Seattle College. The theme is “Back to Our Roots,” signifying the return of the WCFB auction back to its neighborhood after being in various venues the past few years.
Keeping with the theme, WCFB will have a former customer of the food bank share her story and what role the food bank played in her getting connected to achieve her personal and professional goals.
The food bank’s new Executive Director will address the audience, as will the board president and a local partner, CitySoil Farm.
Featured items in the Live Auction include a fire hydrant from KC Water District 20, Seattle’s “other” sports package, a week-long stay at a timeshare in Mexico or Florida, and a farm to table dinner for 12 at WCFB’s onsite Grow2Give Garden.
Tickets are $75. Get them here. Questions? Please email: auction@whitecenterfoodbank.org or call 206-717-2531.
P.S. Follow the ticket link to preview dozens of other auction items too!
(WSB photo from spring 2018 Duwamish Alive!)
One week from Saturday, the fall multi-site Duwamish Alive! event asks you to spend a few hours helping the river, which also will help the endangered Southern Resident Killer Whales who need the salmon supported by healthy habitat. Here’s the reminder:
What is the connection between the Duwamish River and our local Orca? The Duwamish River is home to 5 species of salmon, including the vital Chinook, which is a critical food source for Puget Sound Orca. Orca depend on the dwindling Chinook runs for the majority of their diet, and Chinook depend on healthy salmon habitat in the Duwamish.
Duwamish Alive! on October 20th will have volunteers working throughout the Duwamish Watershed to improve the health of our green spaces, creeks and especially our Duwamish River, which provide salmon critical habitat. Volunteers are needed at many local sites which provide critical habitat for our community and our river.
Duwamish Alive! celebrates the connection of our urban parks and open spaces to our river, wildlife and community. Starting at 10:00 am, volunteers of all ages, at multiple Duwamish sites throughout the watershed from river to forest, will participate in a day of major cleanup and habitat restoration in the ongoing effort to keep our river alive and healthy for our communities, salmon and orca.
A special opening ceremony will be held at T107 Park, across from the Duwamish Longhouse at 10:00, with special honoring of George Blumberg and Willard Brown for their work in restoring the Duwamish.
Opening Ceremonies:
T107 Park 9:45 – 10:30 am
Cecile Hansen, Duwamish Tribe
James Rasmussen, Presentation of Honors
Chris Wilke from Puget Soundkeeper, Stewardship
Sameer Ranade from Front and Centered Highlighting I-1631Longfellow Creek at Greg Davis Park 10 am
Representative Joe Fitzgibbon from the 34th District, State HouseDuwamish Alive! is a collaborative stewardship effort of conservation groups, businesses, and government entities, recognizing that our collective efforts are needed to make lasting, positive improvements in the health and vitality of the Green-Duwamish Watershed. Twice a year these events organize hundreds of volunteers to work at 14 sites in the river’s watershed, connecting the efforts of Seattle and Tukwila communities.
To volunteer, visit DuwamishAlive.org to see the different volunteer opportunities and to the contact for the site of your choice, or email info@duwamishalive.org This is a family-friendly event for all ages – tools, instruction and snacks are provided.
The two sites with opening ceremonies are only two of many along the river and its watershed.
(WSB photo from November 2014)
Again this fall, Puget Soundkeeper is hoping for help with its salmon survey. There’s an orientation tonight (Wednesday) for potential volunteers. Here’s the announcement, including how to RSVP:
Puget Soundkeeper is searching for dedicated volunteers to survey the Coho salmon that return to Longfellow Creek in West Seattle.
During the salmon run each fall, a population of Coho salmon enters the Duwamish River from Elliott Bay, and then swims up Longfellow Creek to spawn. As Coho migrate through urbanized waterways like Longfellow, they encounter a chemical cocktail of toxic runoff from roadways and other paved surfaces. These chemicals severely disorient adult Coho and result in “pre-spawn mortality” in many individuals, meaning the salmon die before reproducing. Previous surveys conducted by the City of Seattle and NOAA on Longfellow Creek have found pre-spawn mortality rates of up to 90% amongst females, an alarmingly high statistic. Examining the number of salmon that return to Longfellow Creek every year and documenting the pre-spawn mortality rate are great indicators of the health of our local waterways. Data gathered from these surveys shared with NOAA, the City of Seattle, Department of Fish and Wildlife and King County.
Volunteers will attend an orientation meeting (tonight) Wednesday, October 10th from 6:30-8:30 pm in West Seattle.
Requirements:
· The nature of this work is geared toward adults only.
· Surveying is a weekly commitment that takes approximately 1 hour to complete. The salmon run begins in mid-October and finishes mid-December, during which there will be a survey every day. Volunteers will be divided into teams of 2-3 people and assigned a weekday to conduct their survey.
· We’re looking for adventurous volunteers! Surveying requires handling fish carcasses found in the creek (with gloves) and dissecting the female salmon to check for eggs.
· Volunteers should be in good physical condition. Surveying in Longfellow Creek requires climbing up and down steep muddy embankments and wading through shallow water on uneven terrain.
· Surveying is conducted in varying weather conditions. If conditions are dangerous (e.g. a downpour), we will cancel on that day. Otherwise, we survey rain or shine.
· Volunteers will be provided with surveying kits and waders (unless you have your own pair). Data collected during the survey will be uploaded by the volunteers into Puget Soundkeeper’s database.
Salmon surveys are a great way to observe one of nature’s most amazing migrations and experience scientific field work. The data we collect from these surveys help us understand the effects of toxic runoff on one of the Pacific Northwest’s most iconic species and determine the best methods to protect them in the future!
RSVP here: pugetsoundkeeper.org/event/salmon-monitoring-at-longfellow-creek-west-seattle
Contact Morgan (morgan@pugetsoundkeeper.org) with additional questions.
Morgan can tell you where to be for tonight’s orientation, too!
(Photo courtesy Impact West Seattle. L-R, founding members Rachel Lazar, Robin Graham, Amy Huey, Rachel Hagenson, Kristen Corning Bedford)
Ever wonder what more you can do to help with community needs, beyond random occasional donations? Here’s a new option: A women’s giving group called Impact West Seattle is launching with an event one week from today. One of the group’s founding members, Rachel Lazar, tells WSB, “Our hope is that this group will bring together this community which has grown so much over the past few years, and to give women who want to engage and give back that opportunity.” Here’s how it works. The kickoff meeting is at 7 pm October 16th at South Park Hall (1253 S. Cloverdale), and its goal is explained here; if you aren’t able to be there, you can still join Impact West Seattle by going here. Questions? Here’s the FAQ.
Get your Halloween season going this Saturday by being part of a first-ever West Seattle event – the first Monster Bash fundraiser for nonprofit Mode Music and Performing Arts!
It’s MMPA’s first year of providing music and performing-arts education at Title I schools including Highland Park and Roxhill Elementaries, along with partial and full scholarships for families in need, all intended “to create equity in arts programming within our educational system.” And they’re raising money by offering you a night of food, drinks, music, theater, and fun! KEXP DJ Troy Nelson is hosting. Tickets are only $20 in advance ($25 at the door); the party’s happening at Youngstown Cultural Arts Center (4408 Delridge Way SW), 7:30-10 pm Saturday (October 13th). Get your ticket(s) online now!
Got your ticket(s) for Neighbors Helping Neighbors, the West Seattle Helpline fundraising dinner that’s now eight days away? Ticket sales end tomorrow (Friday). Helping the Helpline means you’re helping prevent homelessness; providing emergency assistance to help people stay in their homes is a big part of what the nonprofit does. Your ticket gets you a seat at the 6 pm October 12th event at The Hall at Fauntleroy (9131 California SW), which starts with music, a cocktail hour, and silent auction, continuing through dinner, a live auction, and dessert dash. Tickets are available online here.
P.S. If you voted for WS Helpline in the recent HomeStreet Bank (WSB sponsor) grant competition, a big thanks from WSH – they won!
The nonprofit preschool A Child Becomes (WSB sponsor) in North Admiral is teaching its students a lifelong lesson … helping others. They hope the wider West Seattle community will assist – you can watch the short video above to see why.
The preschool’s director, Michelle “Teacher Shelley” Neal, has educated thousands of students since founding A Child Becomes 30 years ago, and has witnessed daily how a quality early education can make a huge difference in young people’s lives. The curriculum blends education and outreach; Shelley and her staff teach social emotional skills, literacy, math, science, foreign language, and involve their students in numerous service projects each year. The school explains that “Shelley believes that practicing compassion, teaching it, and giving the students a chance to also practice compassion ‘hands on’ can help make us all happier more connected people. The service projects at A Child Becomes are a huge part of their curriculum.”
Now they’ve launched the biggest one yet: Building a preschool in South Africa.
That’s where Shelley’s husband Ralph is from, so for more than 20 years, they have traveled there each year. The school says:
Shelley and Ralph have witnessed the extensive poverty in South Africa that still continues after apartheid. They personally have always wanted to do something to help. There is an enormous gap between the wealthy and the poor in South Africa. There is a tremendous amount of corruption in the government and the Department of Education do not provide funds to most of the black children in the country. Unfortunately many of the children who are lucky enough to go to school, enter underprepared and drop out by 4th grade.
Shelley and Ralph chose to build a preschool in a region they felt, through statistics, has the most need. This area is in the Eastern Cape, the region where the Xhosa nation lives and that was also Nelson Mandela’s homeland. This unique opportunity to help young children who desperately need access to early education is also a way for the children of South Africa to connect their compassion to children across the world. Teacher Shelley is finally building her dream.
She visited the area in July and tells the story here of meeting the children that the “sister school” will serve – read about it here. But her dream is bigger than just one location, as explained here. And yes, she and her school already have service projects close to home – via programs including the West Seattle Food Bank‘s Backpack Program, Toys for Tots, and the seniors at Brookdale Admiral Heights.
Last school year they began their involvement in REACH! South Africa by collecting shoes, clothing, and classroom supplies. Now they’re expanding to a community campaign to help set up the first efficiently planned preschool – and scrolling down this page, you’ll see how, as well as how you can help, if you choose to. The benefits for the West Seattle students of A Child Becomes are explained too.
(2012 WSB photo)
Last year, four salmon spawners were spotted in Fauntleroy Creek. But each fall, hopes run high and anything can happen – it’s only been six years since 274 showed up in 2012. Right now, watershed stewards are seeking more volunteers to help keep watch. Here’s the announcement from Judy Pickens:
Whether or not coho spawners come into Fauntleroy Creek always depends on their having survived saltwater conditions. If they do come in, watchers need to be on duty to document them.
This year’s watch will start October 22 and continue until mid-November or until no more spawners have come in for one week.
Spawners are most likely to be present in the fish-ladder area during the five hours after daytime high tide, so the watch window varies day to day. Using a simple form, volunteers document activity for a half hour. Written details and a brief training session will be provided to new watchers.
Children are welcome with a parent, and teens may watch on their own. For questions and to sign up, email judy_pickens@msn.com or call 206-938-4203.
Thanks to Tom for sending the photos from Ysabel‘s hurricane-help bake sale, on now in Gatewood – pick up some treats for the game! More than cookies, we found out via this update from Ysabel’s mom. And here
Ysabel’s planning to be at the corner of California/Portland (map) until 3 pm. Even if you don’t want a baked treat and/or cider, you can make a donation that’ll be stretched thanks to a match from Ysabel’s family (who then will get their employers to match too).
(WSB photo)
Bob from HomeStreet Bank (WSB sponsor) and Tracey from the West Seattle Helpline are at Junction True Value right now to say hi to shoppers and share a reminder: You have until Sunday (September 23rd) to vote for the Helpline to get a bigger grant from HomeStreet! We first told you nine days ago that Helpline – which among other things helps prevent homelessness by providing emergency help to people in need – would get a grant between $3,000 and $10,000 from HomeStreet, depending on results of online voting. If you haven’t voted yet, take a moment and go here to do it!
(September 2017)
Last September, Ysabel and friends had a roadside stand to raise money for hurricane survivors. This year again, sadly, storm survivors need help, so she’ll be out raising money this Sunday (September 23rd), 11 am-3 pm, at California/Portland in Gatewood (map). Stop by for cider and cookies. Ysabel’s family plans to match donations and then seek matches from their employers, so whatever you can donate will be stretched!
(Photo courtesy Seattle Audubon)
You don’t have to leave the city to enjoy nature – or to teach kids about it, which is the goal of a Seattle Audubon looking right now for West Seattle volunteers. The announcement, from Wendy Walker:
Do you know how spiders navigate their own webs without getting stuck, or why tree leaves are different shapes? Explore these and other fun science topics with Seattle Audubon’s *FUN (Finding Urban Nature) program.
The FUN program introduces 3rd-grade students to the nature in their schoolyard habitat and examines how each organism depends on others to survive. Volunteers lead small groups of four to seven students through a series of outdoor investigations, which teach kids to use their senses and scientific practices to discover the importance of urban biodiversity firsthand.
Four lessons in the fall and four more in the spring give students the opportunity to build knowledge and observe seasonal changes in their schoolyard habitats. We are currently recruiting for volunteers for the fall lessons at Sanislo, Lafayette, and Genesee Hill Elementary Schools.
A volunteer training will be held in early October at Genesee Hill, and in-school lessons will be held at each school beginning in October.
Interested? E-mail Wendy at FUNvolunteer@seattleaudubon.org to receive an application and schedules.
Your next chance to help WestSide Baby amass diapers for local babies/toddlers in need is just days away. This year Holy Rosary School is holding a diaper drive throughout its WestFest festival – 6-10 pm Friday, 10 am-10 pm Saturday at the school, off SW Genesee north of 42nd SW. From organizers:
Did you know you can’t use food stamps to buy diapers and most day cares require you bring your own? An undiapered child is a health and safety concern that affects our entire community. That’s why we’re holding a diaper drive in support of WestSide Baby.
You’ll find collection bins all around the festival grounds. (Not familiar with WS Baby? Here’s what they do.) While you’re there, enjoy WestFest – games, rides, entertainment, food!
While people bicker over what should be done to alleviate homelessness, you don’t hear as much about people working to prevent it. That’s a big part of what the West Seattle Helpline does – emergency assistance to help people stay in their homes. Every dollar counts toward that work, and that’s why the Helpline is so excited about being in the HomeStreet Bank (WSB sponsor) Vote Your Heart final three – they’re guaranteed to get at least $3,000 from HomeStreet, but if they get enough votes, that could grow to as much as $10,000. Take a moment and vote by going here. (You’ll be asked for your email address but it will not be shared nor used for marketing – it’s just used to enforce one vote per person.) Voting continues until September 23rd, but go get yours in now.
We’ve shared news of many kinds of school fundraisers – but this is the first time we can recall one involving mattresses. It’s set for this Saturday (September 15th) at West Seattle High School, 10 am-5 pm. The WS Booster Club is running the sale to raise money for WSHS Athletics, in partnership with a fundraising company that specializes in this, and you will be able to shop for new, name-brand mattresses, every size (even custom) and type – even motorized adjustable bed frames; delivery and you-haul options, cash/check/credit/layaway. The school’s at 3000 California SW.
(September 2016 WSB photo)
For the next four days, you’ll see firefighters in The Junction … on a special call: Collecting donations for the Muscular Dystrophy Association. California/Alaska is one of five spots around the city where the annual Fill the Boot drive will be happening 9 am-7 pm Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday (September 11th-14th). More info is on SFD’s Fireline website; if you choose to donate, here’s what your dollars will help do.
Two West Seattle Food Bank updates:
‘A GRAND AFFAIR’: Just four days to go until the WSFB’s fall fundraiser cocktail party at The Sanctuary at Admiral. We just checked with the Food Bank and yes, tickets remain for the Roaring ’20s-themed (costumes encouraged but not required) Friday night party. You can get yours online through Thursday or at the door Friday, starting at 6:30 pm. $85 gets you a night of casino-style gaming (“$10,000” in chips, with a chance to win prizes!), hosted beer, wine, and “heavy appetizers,” and more. (Themed cocktails, too. And did we mention Husky Deli ice cream? Jack Miller will be there with Praline Swirl?) The Sanctuary is in a city-landmark former church a 42nd SW/SW Lander in The Admiral District. P.S. Co-sponsors of Friday night’s party include WSB.
VERITY’S DONATION DRIVE: Last Thursday, we mentioned the Verity Credit Union (WSB sponsor) roadside collection in The Junction for the WS Food Bank.
How generous were passersby? Very! Verity’s Pete Spalding sends the photo of West Seattle branch manager Jaime Gonzalez and this update: “We were able to raise $1,565.70 during the two commute drive times that our employees were out in West Seattle last Thursday.”
Chief Sealth International High School hopes someone has room and time to host a visiting teacher. Principal Aida Fraser-Hammer explains how it would work:
As in years past, Chief Sealth International High School is looking for a host family for the guest teacher from China for all or a portion of the 2018-2019 academic year. His name is Wenyi Tang and he has already begun working directly with students in the Chinese classes – from 1st year to the highest level of IB Chinese 6th year. He will introduce these students to traditional, contemporary, and innovative instructional strategies practiced in Chinese classrooms while he learns about our methods, culture, and ideas. He will also participate in cultural, educational, and social interactions within the school and community. Wenyi will help the CSIHS community to become more familiar with the Chinese culture and vice versa, and we are excited to welcome him to our school.
Should you choose to host Wenyi in your home, your family will enjoy a unique cultural experience – fun and exciting for both kids and adults! If you cannot host for the entire year, it is possible to co-host with other families. Possible share times are September- December, January-March or April-June. Host families are only asked to provide a bedroom for Wenyi as well as breakfast and dinner. Transportation costs, insurance, and general expenses are paid for by SPS or the sister school in China.
Thanks for considering this opportunity to host a guest teacher by offering Wenyi a place in your home; this can be a great experience for practicing Chinese and learning about the culture. The Chinese Guest Teacher Exchange Program is an excellent experience for the guest teacher, the school and the families that host.
Please contact us at 206-252-8550 or aifraserhamm@seattleschools.org, with any questions about the program or about being a host family.
(WSB photo from 2017 West Seattle Junction Harvest Festival)
It’s a little chilly, a little cloudy – technically still summer for another two weeks but it’s really feeling like fall. So – it’s time to talk about your opportunities for being part of this year’s West Seattle Junction Harvest Festival! 10 am-2 pm Sunday, October 28th, in the street, in the heart of The Junction. New here? Here’s how the West Seattle Junction Association explains it:
Now in our seventh year, the Junction’s Harvest Festival has become a favorite event for West Seattle. With California Ave closed, the streets are filled with colorful farmers and local vendors, fun art activities for kids supported by West Seattle businesses and community groups, plus a costume parade lead by West Seattle High’s marching band, the Farmers Market Applepalooza and a root beer garden. The Harvest Festival is good community fun!
(Here’s our as-it-happened coverage from last year.)
*WSB is proud to be the Harvest Festival media sponsor again this year. The festival welcomes sponsors to help cover the costs of presenting a free and fun event for the community – want to be one? Go here to sign up!
*Can your business/organization provide a free arts-and-crafts activity booth during the festival? Go here to sign up!
*Can you provide chili for the West Seattle Food Bank-benefiting Chili Cookoff at the Harvest Festival? (Note that you must cook and prepare the chili in a commercial restaurant/facility.) To sign up, e-mail lora@wsjunction.org!
*The Root Beer Garden will be back for a second year and needs volunteers. Can you help? Go here to sign up!
And of course – you can be part of the festival by just showing up as a participant, spectator, chili taster, costume-parader, trick-or-treater … Whatever your plan, we’ll see you in The Junction on October 28th!
In case you missed them this morning, Verity Credit Union (WSB sponsor) employees will be back out in The Junction collecting cash donations for the West Seattle Food Bank this afternoon. The photo is from Verity’s Pete Spalding, who says they were out 7 to 9 this morning and will do it again 4 to 6 pm – so if you’ll be passing through The Junction then, consider having spare change handy!
Short week, so we might as well look ahead to the weekend already. It’ll start with a beer-and-bowling benefit at West Seattle Bowl, on behalf of the families helped by the Seattle Ronald McDonald House, which tells WSB that lanes remain for Bob’s Bowl-A-Rama, 7-10 pm Friday (September 7th):
Gather your friends, family, or coworkers for an awesome night of bowling, beer, and raffle prizes! Proceeds from lane sales, raffle tickets, and Bob’s Ales will all go toward supporting RMHC.
Tickets? Tickets are sold per bowling lane. For $200, you and up to 7 others get bowling shoe rentals, 3 hours of unlimited bowling, and tickets for Georgetown Brewing Co’s beer! Pre-payment is required. To purchase tickets, call Jeff Swanson at West Seattle Bowl, 206.932.3731 or email him at jeffs@wsbowl.com.
Who Can Attend? This is an all-ages event! Not a great bowler? No worries! Turn on the bumpers or ask for a ball-roller.
Who was Bob? Bob was a child fighting cancer at the House who came to us all the way from Alaska. During his stay, he went to a local camp for seriously ill children where he met his camp counselor, Manny Chao, the brewmaster of Georgetown Brewing.
The two hit it off and an instant friendship was formed. When Bob passed away, Manny decided to brew a beer in his honor every year on May 14th, Bob’s birthday. Georgetown Brewing donates 100% of the proceeds of Bob’s Brown Ale to RMHC.
You and your friends/neighbors/family members are more than welcome at both of these:
(August Litter League photo courtesy of Jill Boone)
MORGAN JUNCTION LITTER LEAGUE: Tomorrow (Sunday, September 2nd) morning, 9:30-11 am. From Jill Boone:
We meet at 9:30 at the ATM lot in front of Domino’s and by the Shell station. I’ll be parked there with litter grabbers, bags and vests. Bring your own gloves. Bring a bucket if you want one. For kiddos, I have small vests, a few small grabbers (for toddlers) and some small buckets.
We need adults or teens who can walk to C&P and back or from the start to the UU Church and back and up and down Fauntleroy from the intersection! Families with small kids do the immediate area and bus stops. Kids are amazing at grabbing cigarette butts with those small grabbers!
Bring the family! It’s fun and it’s a way for small kids and big kids to do something to benefit their community. Pups are welcome if well-behaved and leashed.
ADMIRAL NEIGHBORHOOD ASSOCIATION ADOPT-A-STREET: Next Saturday (September 8th), 9 am-noon. From ANA president Larry Wymer:
Want to spend a few hours helping (and meeting) your Admiral neighbors clean the streets in the Admiral core around California Ave & Admiral Way? If so, then we look forward to seeing you at Metropolitan Market (2320 42nd Ave) the morning of Saturday, September 8 between 8:45-9:00 for our quarterly ADOPT-A-STREET clean up. Metropolitan Market is generous enough to provide coffee & pastries — and even a brown bag lunch. Supplies provided: Garbage Bags, Gloves, Grabber Tools, Safety Vests, etc.
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