West Seattle, Washington
12 Tuesday
So many neighbors work tirelessly and often thanklessly to make this a better place. Today, one of them got some thanks, in the form of an award – Sharon Baker from Friends of Lincoln Park is among the recipients of the Denny Awards for Outstanding Volunteer Stewardship, announced today by Seattle Parks. From the announcement:
… The winners are a cross-section of Seattle’s most creative, dedicated and hard-working volunteers who donate precious time and energy to improving Seattle’s parks and recreation programs. …
In 2017, 36,198 people volunteered for Seattle Parks and Recreation, providing 196,448 hours of service, which is a donation valued by Independent Sector at $30.46 per hour or $5.9 million dollars.
Healthy Environment: Sharon Baker, Lincoln Park
For the past 13 years, Sharon Baker, lead forest steward with Friends of Lincoln Park (FLiP), has led volunteers in creating healthy habitats in the park. Sharon has spent countless hours restoring beautiful Lincoln Park forest, benefitting the surrounding community, wildlife and ecosystems. Since she became a master forest steward in 2005, she has been committed to restoring and maintaining much of the park’s extensive forested areas. Sharon creates a warm and welcoming experience for anyone who wishes to join the efforts of FLiP. Sharon welcomes many youth groups and local school classes to experience the forested areas of Lincoln Park, and she knows exactly the right spots in the park that will spark their interest and imagination.
P.S. Want to join Sharon and the FLiP volunteers? Their next work party is this Sunday morning!
What do you – what can you – do, if you’re there when hate happens?
Anti-Hate Alaska Junction has been offering an answer to that question via “bystander intervention” training. We first wrote about it almost a year and a half ago. Now, they’re following up. In case you don’t see this in the WSB West Seattle Event Calendar:
Anti-Hate Alaska Junction has held 9 Bystander Intervention Workshops, attended by more than 150 people in the last year.
Answering a number of requests, we are now providing sessions to practice these new skills and understandings. Scheduled for November 4, November 11, November 18, and December 2, these four sessions are designed for people who have attended one session. But these workshops are also open to the general public who have not yet attended a session. Email antihate3@gmail.com to register.
Each session is free, scheduled for 2-4 pm, at Admiral UCC (4320 SW Hill).
In case you missed the mention in today’s highlight list – at halftime of tonight’s Chief Sealth-Roosevelt football game, a tribute is planned to longtime Southwest Athletic Complex groundskeeper Nino Cantu, who died suddenly a week ago. We’re told that family and friends will gather on the field, and the tribute will end with a request for a standing ovation rather than a moment of silence – as his longtime friend Doree Fazio-Young (who provided the photo) says, “Nino is not a moment of silence.” The game starts at 7 pm and is the final scheduled home game of the season for Sealth; SWAC is at 2801 SW Thistle, across from the school.
(Michael Mallagh [Co-Director] and David Katt)
This fall sunshine has been a boon for outdoor activities – including a benefit golf tournament organized by members of the local real-estate community to raise money for the West Seattle Food Bank. Don Bereiter from Windermere has sent photos and a wrap-up on the event held at the WS Golf Course last Friday – all totaling a $7,000 donation to the WSFB, from $3,500 in sponsorships and donations matched by PepsiCo. All from a first-ever tournament that was pulled together in just two weeks! Don continues:
Michael Mallagh and Stephanie Quam (Berkshire Hathaway HS Real Estate) are the brains behind it. They wanted to do something for the Food Bank and get others involved in the Real Estate community. Agents, lenders, title companies, etc., all pitched in a very short time period to make this happen. Below are a list of sponsors and volunteers just to show how everyone came together for a good cause. This was the first annual, and with more time for planning for next year, the dollar amount raised will be significantly larger.
The picture below is the winning team (from left to right) Mike and Debbie Kerns, Jill and Jim Campbell, with a score of 10 under par:
Sponsors
Pepsi – Kenny Turner: Matching Donation Sponsor
JetClosing – Nate Eisele: Beverage Ticket Sponsor
Stewart Title – Cathy Steger & Mary Forrey: Check-in Sponsor
The Westy, Connelly Skis, & The Bridge: Prize Supporters
Ballad Pictures / Adam Bale & Kent Colony: Photos
Garrett Wheadon – Sign Pros
Kelli Strand – Chicago Title
Ron Ballman – American Home Shield
Chris Dutton – Guild Mortgage
Holmquist + Gardiner Attorneys at Law
Nick Perovich – HomeStreet Bank
Shari Kruse – Windermere
Napoleon Williams – Cornerstone Home Lending
(Cathy Steger, Mary Forrey, Jennifer Whip, Stephanie Quam (Tournament Co-Director), Jennifer Ruemping, Sally Hardwick, Kathy Sheldon)
Volunteers
Kathy Sheldon – Berkshire Hathaway
Jennifer Ruemping – Berkshire Hathaway
Sally Hardwick (and Emily!) – Windermere
Jennifer Whip – Windermere
Stephanie Quam – Berkshire HathawayThe Winners!
1st Place with a 62 (-10): Jill Campbell / Jim Campbell / Debbie Kerns / Mike Kerns ($300)
1st Place (Mixed Division) with a 69 (-3): Stephanie Quam / Marian Padgett / Tonya Hamilton / Chris Dutton ($200)
2nd Place with a 63 (-9): Napoleon Williams / Tyler Martinez / Matthew Martinez / Carsten Olufsen ($100)
Closest to the Pin (Hole 11): Jeff Dabbs & Nancy Spiro ($50 Gift Card)
Long Drive (Hole 12): Tyler Martinez and TBD for the women (the long drive results went missing, so if you hit the fairway let me know ;) ($50 Gift Card)
Motivated to join them in donating to the WS Food Bank? Here’s how.
Imagine getting a new award that is not only for your accomplishments but is also named in your honor for years ahead of honoring others! That just happened at the Senior Center of West Seattle, which shares the news:
The Senior Center of West Seattle held its yearly volunteer appreciation party to show our enormous love and gratitude to the more than 200 volunteers who donate their time, skill, and care that make it possible to do all that we do.
This year’s celebration was extra special in that we honored longtime volunteer Jean Carroll with the first annual Jean Carroll Extraordinary Volunteer Service Award. Jean has been a West Seattle resident for 86 years. Jean’s incredible dedication and commitment inspired us to create this award to recognize her 20+ years of volunteer service.
Not only are we honoring her this year, but this award will be given to a different volunteer each year who demonstrates these characteristics. Thank you, Jean, for the tens of thousands of hours of your time and expertise you have so generously given to the Center!
Jean was spotlighted in the center’s spring 2014 newsletter, which described her as helping with tasks from tracking hundreds of center memberships to leading prospective new members on tours to serving lunches in the center’s Junction Diner. Want to join her? Here’s how.
(Photo by Gail Ann Photography: Jean Carroll with the center’s executive director Lyle Evans)
Andrea Sisco is assistant coordinator at Hiawatha Community Center, and planner of a brand-new event tonight – a celebration for National Coming Out Day. NCOD isn’t new – today marked its 30th anniversary, in fact – but this was the first time Hiawatha has hosted a event. As Andrea explained in the announcement she sent us last month, “Whether it’s coming out as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer (LGBTQ) or as an ally, we come together in celebration and advocacy of equality and living openly.” Activities and resources were there for everyone who dropped in. Among the latter – the Seattle Police “Safe Place” program, overseen by LGBTQ liaison Officer Jim Ritter:
To see what else is happening at Hiawatha (and other West Seattle city-run community centers) this fall, check out the brochure (PDF)!
The cover image for the map/postcard promoting this quarter’s West Seattle Art Walk events – starting with tomorrow night’s WSAW – always has a backstory. This time around, there’s a lot to tell.
The image is a painting by Frances Smersh, the West Seattle artist who is co-proprietor of Junction shop Click! Design That Fits (WSB sponsor) with her husband John Smersh. She is also this month’s featured WSAW artist there, so you can visit Frances and her work there Thursday night (October 11th) 5-8 pm.
In conjunction with the showcase, Click! has an update for the community about the personal news they first shared three years ago – that Frances is living with younger-onset Alzheimer’s Disease.
Writing on the Click! blog this week, they explain that the disease has continued to progress. “This last year Frances has struggled with more challenges that the disease has presented, and found that art is an area that she can still thrive. … With painting as her primary focus for most of the last year, she’s produced an impressive body of work!”
You can see the show during tomorrow’s Art Walk. The update continues, “She has titled her show ‘With a Little Help from my Friends,’ an acknowledgement of the extra assistance she now needs.”
After details on how Frances is doing now, the update explain how that assistance is more vital than ever:
If you or someone you know would enjoy spending time or sharing a meal with (or providing a meal for) Frances, please reach out to John and let him know what you would be up for. She loves being with people and is pretty game for most activities. Friends have started a GoFundMe page in hopes of helping with some of the extra expenses they now face; donations of any amount are hugely appreciated.
Read the full update here. And go see Frances’s show at Click! on Thursday night, 4540 California SW, 5-8 pm.
(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.
We’ve received this flyer from multiple people. No additional details, except that the missing man is a teacher at Madison Middle School. Call 911 with any info.
Memories, stories, and songs filled The Hall at Fauntleroy this afternoon, as family and friends gathered to celebrate the life of Jackie Dupras. Her longtime activism and advocacy included singing with the Seattle Labor Chorus; some of those who had sung with her led songs in her honor:
Jackie’s husband of almost four decades, Ed Dupras, offered a toast to his wife’s “spirit”:
The gathering was informal:
Microphones were available for anyone moved to get up and talk about Jackie; tributes included memories of her dedication to people as well as to causes. She was long active with the 34th District Democrats, who honored her with a Lifetime Achievement Award seven years ago. That group’s highest-profile members were there today too:
Along with County Executive Dow Constantine and County Councilmember Joe McDermott, other local leaders there to remember Jackie included School Board President Leslie Harris and City Councilmember Lisa Herbold. Jackie was 74.
ADDED MONDAY NIGHT: Steve Butts has written a detailed tribute to Jackie for the just-posted monthly 34th District Democrats’ newsletter. The agenda for the group’s monthly meeting Wednesday (7 pm October 11th, Hall at Fauntleroy) includes a time to share memories.
Next month, for the first time, Hiawatha Community Center is organizing a celebration for National Coming Out Day. It’s happening October 11th – still more than two weeks away – but they’re circulating word early not only for calendar-marking, but also because community/LGBTQ-focused organizations are invited to have a presence at the event, according to Hiawatha’s Andrea Sisco. She shared the event announcement:
Join the Hiawatha Community as we celebrate National Coming Out Day. Whether it’s coming out as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer (LGBTQ) or as an ally, we come together in celebration and advocacy of equality and living openly. Come on over to Hiawatha Community Center on October 11th from 5-7 pm in the Hiawatha gymnasium for activities, live music, performances, food and access to resources to learn more about and demonstrate support for our LGBTQ community.
Those already planning to participate are the Give Back Brass Band and Boom Dance Studios, plus other providers of “activities and resources for all ages,” Andrea says. If your organization wants to be part of it too, you can e-mail Andrea at andrea.sisco@seattle.gov.
Photos by Leda Costa for West Seattle Blog
A landmark West Seattle building dating back to the ’20s was the site last night of a celebration with that era as its theme – the West Seattle Food Bank‘s annual cocktail-party-and-more benefit A Grand Affair. At The Sanctuary at Admiral, beverages, games, and even tarot-card readings kept guests engaged:
Those in attendance at the party at the former church included at least one minister:
Talking with Husky Deli‘s Jack Miller, that’s Rev. Ron Marshall of the First Lutheran Church of West Seattle, about to celebrate history of its own, with centennial festivities a week from tomorrow.. Below, our photographer also caught up with Lora Radford of the West Seattle Junction Association, WSFB development director Judi Yazzolino, and Rita Dixson, proprietor of The Bridge:
Everyone got $10,000 in mock money for the tables, with prizes up for grabs:
Proceeds help the WS Food Bank fight hunger by serving thousands of people in our community year-round. If you couldn’t be there – you can help any time in all these ways! P.S. WSB was among the co-sponsors of last night’s event.
If a student in your family is looking for scholarship money – the West Seattle VFW wants you to know the VFW’s essay contests have launched. The contests include the Voice of Democracy for 9th-12th graders, and there are two competitions for younger students too. It’s all detailed here:
If the embedded document doesn’t work for you, here it is in PDF.
Last Wednesday, we brought you the story of a hit-run crash right outside Fire Station 32 in The Triangle, with an arrest made because a firefighter saw the driver leaving the scene and gave information to police. Today, we got to talk with that firefighter, Felton Tate. He explained that even as he and his colleagues rushed to help the woman injured by the driver, he spotted the suspect’s vehicle:
We don’t know how the 34-year-old victim is doing – her dog was not hurt in the Tuesday night incident, Tate said – but online records show that the 26-year-old driver arrested for suspected DUI and hit-run spent a day and a half in jail before posting bond and being released on Thursday. Meantime – when SFD answered our original inquiry last week, they described Tate as a “new firefighter” just out of probation; that means, we learned today, he’s been a firefighter for a year. Currently he’s assigned to Engine 32, which is based at Station 32 along with three other vehicles and their crews – Ladder 11, Medic 32, and Battalion 7. He explains he wanted to be a firefighter ever since he was a kid, impressed by firefighters who responded to a kitchen fire at his grandma’s house, saying he never forgot how “helpful” they were.
That’s West Seattle artist Mindi Katzman with the AC/heating tech who came to her home last week. She explains why his visit was a full circle of sorts:
I am in the midst of a renovation at my house in the Morgan Junction.
When the contracting crew, BYD Construction, tore down the stairs, they found the most charming letter tucked away by a previous owner who was doing a little renovating in 1995. I have included the note [and pictures that accompanied it] below.
Flash forward to this past Thursday, when the AC/Heating guy [from Greenwood Heating & AC] showed up to fire up the new system.
It turns out he is the little boy in the picture all grown up, Kalin Helmbrecht, and he used to spend many weekends at the house as a child.
What were the chances of his being the one sent out to test the new system at his grandparents’ former house? They are still around and live in Beverly Park.
Thanks to Mindi for sharing the story! From breaking news to “found this in the attic,” that’s what has made WSB a community-collaborative news publication for 11 years now – here’s how to reach us any time.
Thanks to Lee for the photo and tip – that’s West Seattleite Kersti Muul, honored at the Seattle Audubon Volunteer Appreciation Dinner and Awards Ceremony, receiving the 2018 Education Award for “Extraordinary Commitment To The Education Program.” Kersti’s educational efforts have included helping people protect, understand, and appreciate local fauna and flora in many ways, including photos and information she’s shared with readers here on WSB. Congratulations!
We just stopped by West Seattle Stadium (4432 35th SW), where those local youth are leading a rally this afternoon aimed at stopping sexual assault by raising awareness about it. It’s a project from their six-week summer program at Seattle Parks’ Southwest Teen Life Center in Westwood, titled Youth Participatory Action Research. Their message: “Sexual assault can happen to anyone.” How can adults support youth? we also asked. Parents/guardians “should be more involved in (their kids’) lives,” not just talking with them about sex in general, but also about sexual assault – what it can look like, and what consent means. Whatever your age – “educate yourself.” (You can do that through organizations like RAINN.) And they also have a message of empowerment for their peers: “Youth possess the power to make change, not just adults.” If you see this before 1:30 pm, stop by the stadium and show your support.
Almost exactly a year after “standing for peace” on the Delridge/Oregon overpass, Hate-Free Delridge members and friends returned there this evening. This time, the goal was to show support for immigrants and refugees.
It’s now been two years since the group formed in response to a racist, threatening note left at the home of a local family.
Here are some fast facts about Seattle’s immigrant/refugee population.
As mentioned in our daily preview, today was another Litter League cleanup in Morgan Junction – and organizer Jill Boone sent that photo of the turnout, neighbors who spent an hour and a half out cleaning up. Want to get on the e-mail list for future cleanups? litterleague@gmail.com
The report and photo are from proud mom Joelle Hammerstad:
West Seattle’s own Boden Hammerstad finished the 202-mile Seattle-to-Portland (STP) bike ride with his dad, David Hammerstad, last month. At just 10 years old, Boden is one of the youngest riders to finish the race. It was a long ride with temperatures in the 90s on both days of the race. Boden and his dad started out at the University of Washington on Saturday, July 14, and camped in Chehalis that night.
On Sunday, July 15, the final day of the ride, with less than 20 miles to go before the finish line, Boden took a spill, and had to get bandaged in the medic tent. (See the bandage on his arm.) He wasn’t deterred, though. He got right back up on his bike, and finished the final stretch — even passing adults along the way as he sped toward the finish line.
Boden is a rising fifth grader at Genesee Hill Elementary. He got the idea to ride the race last summer, and asked his dad to help him train to become a rider this year. He and his dad trained all spring and into the summer — going on rides sponsored by the Cascade Bicycle Club, as well as on their own. They participated in the Flying Wheels ride in June to practice for the big day. Boden’s hard work culminated in finishing the largest multi-day bike ride in the Pacific Northwest.
(WSB photos)
That cake was part of the party tonight at Salty’s on Alki (WSB sponsor), where the Seattle-Gdynia Sister City Association celebrated its first quarter-century with a dinner celebration tonight. (Thanks to member Gail Ann Wodzin for the tip!) Gdynia, a port city in northern Poland, is one of Seattle’s 21 sister cities (here’s a bit of backstory). And of course the dinner featured VIPs:
From left, guest speaker Ken Workman of the Duwamish Tribe, Gdynia city councilmember Maja Wagner, Gdynia deputy mayor Bartosz Bartoszewicz, Seattle deputy mayor David Moseley, and the association’s president Zbig Konofalski. The Sister City Association has another event coming up in West Seattle – its summer picnic is this Sunday in Lincoln Park.
2:13 PM: After 22 years, it’s time for a refresh for the “Welcome to West Seattle” sign along the west end of the West Seattle Bridge. Philanthropist Adah Cruzen is donating money for a new one – and to help maintain the area around it – and the West Seattle Chamber of Commerce has just announced it has two options for you to vote on. They were just unveiled at a media briefing at Chamber headquarters; we’ll add video when back at HQ (3:47 pm – here it is):
Here’s the news release:
For more than two decades, the “Welcome to West Seattle” sign along the Fauntleroy Expressway has served as a beacon for newcomers and long-timers alike. Today, the sign continues to greet thousands of motorists and transit riders every day, but its original wooden structure is threatened, and the surrounding hillside provides a continual landscaping challenge.
The West Seattle Chamber of Commerce is deeply grateful to longtime Alki resident Adah Rhodes Cruzen for a gift of $100,000 designated for the installation of a new “Welcome to West Seattle” sign and a sustainable maintenance plan. Adah made the donation on behalf of the estate of her late husband, Earl Cruzen, who died Jan. 23, 2017, at the age of 96.
(Earl Cruzen, 2009 WSB photo)
Earl is recognized for bringing three groups together, the West Seattle Chamber of Commerce, the Junction Merchants Association and the West Seattle Trusteed Properties, as the Junction Development Committee. The “Welcome to West Seattle” sign, installed in September 1996, is one of the many legacy projects Earl and this group completed.
The first step for the new project was to create the Welcome to West Seattle Sign Committee (WWS Sign Committee). It is composed of these chamber members:
Tim Andes of Waypoint Sign Company
Paul Prentice, of Prentice Designs Inc.
Hamilton Gardiner of Holmquist and Gardiner PLLC
Gary Potter of Potter Construction
Pete Spalding of Verity Credit Union
Shannon Felix of Avalon Glassworks
Lynn Dennis, CEO of the West Seattle Chamber of CommerceThe Board of Directors of the West Seattle Chamber of Commerce feels strongly that the committee should gather input from the West Seattle community on the design selection.
The WWS Sign Committee has identified two options, and the chamber is reaching out to the community for its feedback. On the chamber website and via other promotion, the chamber will gather votes in this fashion:
After a 10-day period for gathering community input that ends on Friday, Aug. 3, 2018, the WWS Sign Committee will make the final selection and a Request for Proposals for fabrication and installation will go out to the business community.
If you are interested in applying to fabricate and install the sign, please contact Lynn Dennis, lynn@wschamber.com, (206) 932-5685.
Dennis says, “After you take a moment to read the obituary and eulogy for Earl Cruzen on the website of the Southwest Seattle Historical Society, I know you will agree that the new “Welcome to West Seattle” is another sign that Earl is still here. Be sure to tip your hat to Earl as you drive by.”
Voting is already open on the Chamber website.
3:48 PM: A few more notes from the brief Chamber announcement, which you can watch above in its entirety: Adah Cruzen added that she wants everyone to know the new sign will be made from steel, so the water in the slope along the road doesn’t rot it like the current one. The Chamber says the new sign should be in place by year’s end. The firms involved with the committee in designing the two options are Prentice Design and Waypoint Sign Company, both with A, the latter with B.
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