March 2010

Dear Editor,
I am writing to you to let you know what I wrote to the Mayor.

“Dear Mayor McGinn, I’m writing again hoping you read this and not staff. I think you are doing a great job. Though some think you are over stepping, they are not use to hearing someone with a view. I was wondering if you would please put back the curfew on Kids under 18 yrs to be home at nite by 10 p.m. and show tough love and put them in jail (not the Youth Center) because they think they are older treat them so, then charge parents board and room. You will finely get their attention by hitting their pockets.

And watch channel #21 City Inside and Out, the council sure have a lot to say about you. You will know what they really think and where you stand with them. Push for the #520 to get fixed first, so we don’t loose the money back to the state. Later refit the viaduct which will be some time to come. Don’t worry about the sea wall, it has been refitted already.
Don’t let them take you down the wrong road.”

I told the Mayor I also wrote the same to you.

Kathleen Vogel
Delridge Way

Spring Rummage Sale
Tibbetts United Methodist Church
3940 41st Ave S.W.
206-932-7777
March 12, 9 a.m. - 4 p.m. and March 13, 9 a.m. - 3 p.m.
Household items, knick knacks, furniture, books, clothing for all ages and many collectables. Snack bar with coffee and doughnuts. Proceeds to to the United Methodist Women for their outreach program.

Pet Food Drive for White Center Food Bank
Now through March 13, 2010
White Center Kiwanis is collecting dog and cat food. Pet food can be dropped off in Burien at A Place For Pets (431 S.W. 152nd St.) or the Law Offices of Gerald Robison (648 S. 152nd St. #7), or in West Seattle at Hotwire Coffee House (4410 California Ave S.W.) by March 13. On March 13, pet food can be dropped off at the White Center Food Bank (10829 8th Ave S.W.) from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. On-line donations can be made at www.whitecenterfoodbank.org.

St. Patrick's Day 3.1 Mile Walk
West Seattle Stadium
4432 35th Ave. S.W.
206-876-0455 or 206-684-4664
Saturday, March 13, 10 a.m. registration,

Leah Leinbach always felt shy singing in front of people.

With a push from her mom and choir director Courtney Rowley, the Ballard High School senior shelved her jitters and joined the concert choir last year.

“I’m kind of a newbie,” she said. “[But] I’ve always really loved singing. It took a lot of prodding to finally get me to join, but I’m so glad I did.”

In May, Leinbach and the rest of the choir will get a chance to belt do re mi in a classier setting: New York City's Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts, accompanied by the Distinguished Concerts International New York professional orchestra.

“Singing at Lincoln Center, that’s making it big,” Leinbach said. “That’s where singers go when they become famous. I know we’re just a high school choir, but it’s so exciting to sing in front of so many people.”

Rowley, who is in her third year teaching at Ballard, is a bit of a newbie herself. But, when University of Washington associate director of choral studies Giselle Wyers invited the choir to croon Randall Thompson's "Frostiana" under her direction at Lincoln Center, Rowley gladly accepted.

Salamander Search
Ages 1 and older

Search in the pond and under logs in the woods for both our Long-toed and Northwestern Salamanders. Also Red-backed and Ensatina salamanders. Beetles, slugs and other critters will be found too! Please register by March 19
Instructor: Stewart Wechsler
Course #49145 March 20 Sat 3:30 - 5 p.m.
Adult Fee $8.00, Child Fee $6.00

Camp Long Owl Hoot
Ages 4 and older
Join us for a dusk-to-dark owl prowl through Camp Long's woodland. Early winter is courtship time! Dress for the weather and bring a flashlight. Please pre-register by March 19/10
#49137 March 20 Sat 7 - 8:30 p.m.
Adult Fee $8.00, Child Fee $6.00

Third Saturday Free Walks in SouthEast Seattle
Ages 1 and older
Why would anyone call a park a dead horse? When you learn the history of this incredible place you will understand. Wear shoes that can get muddy and bring your binoculars! Find out how you can help keep this place and advocate for our finned friends, the Coho.
Location: Lakeridge Park
Course #50816 March 20 Sat 2 - 4 p.m.
Activity Fee $0.00

Spring has arrived and Seattleites are gearing up to take part in the city’s longest-running neighborhood cleanup program – Spring Clean.

Spring Clean, now in its 24th year, runs from April through May. City officials estimate more than 12,000 volunteers have participated in recent years.

Spring Clean activities include painting out graffiti, picking up litter and illegally dumped materials, stenciling storm drains, cleaning school yards, removing invasive plants in planting strips and traffic circles, and planting trees. All projects are conducted on public property.
The City of Seattle supports volunteers with FREE bags, gloves, safety vests, and waste disposal. Spring Clean information, including neighborhood cleanup activities and sign-up packets, is available by calling (206) 233-7187 or by visiting www.seattle.gov/util/springclean.

Spring Clean is a partnership between Seattle residents and Seattle Public Utilities, Parks and Recreation, the Department of Neighborhoods, and the Seattle Department of Transportation.

Metropolitan King County Councilmember Jan Drago can now be reached on her Facebook page or through a tweet! The Councilmember has announced the creation of a Facebook page and Twitter account to offer citizens, business owners and community organizations in District 8 a direct connection with King County government and the ability to stay informed in the fast-paced digital world.

“More and more people of all ages are turning to social media sites for their news and information about their family, friends, and community,” said Drago. “My plan is to use these communication tools to help our citizens track what the County Council is doing on their behalf, and get them information about meetings, events and issues that are happening in their neighborhoods.”

Along with Twitter and Facebook, Drago also plans to put out a regular newsletter via email, and her County Council website was recently updated with links to sign up for the e-newsletter as well as links to the new social media sites.

AFS is looking for a four month host family for Juan of Colombia. Juan (17) is attending West Seattle High School for the second semester. His first host family did not work and he is currently with an interim family. Juan has a passion for soccer. Juan would prefer a host family with kids and a dog but a family without kids is fine, too.

Host families are responsible for room and board including school lunches. A student has personal spending money and full health
benefits. Students and host families are supported with a liaison who touches base with the student and the host family monthly. AFS host
families are not paid with money but with everlasting memories.

If either you or someone you know would like to host Juan for the remainder of the school year, please contact Heidi Cook at heidicook@aol.com and the Hosting Coordinator for AFS Greater Puget Sound. Also, get in touch with Pat Griffith, Juan's liaison at (206)
285-2452 or e-mail her at pgseattle@msn.com.

AFS volunteers, would like to move Juan in the next two weeks to a permanent host family.

Together with the White Center Community Development Association, the White Center Food Bank is announcing that applications for raised beds at White Center Heights Park are now available.

The garden is located at 102nd SW and SW 7th across the street from White Center Heights Elementary School. Community members will have an opportunity to use a raised bed to grow own garden. Raised beds are free to garden for the season. Gardeners can also contribute a part of their harvest to feed the clients of the White Center Food Bank.

Now In its 3rd year, the garden will be a place where residents can come together as a community to grow food with neighbors, family and friends. White Center Food Bank is excited to be able to provide an opportunity to the community to increase self-sufficiency and celebrate the diverse cultures that make White Center a wonderful place.

Greg Whittaker has an idea to get more West Seattle kids involved in winter sports. He calls it the West Seattle Snow Sports Council. Whittaker is the owner of Mountain to Sound Outfitters at 3602 SW Alaska Street and he is modeling his idea after one he grew up with in Kirkland. It will be a 5013c non profit organization, "We're looking for the community to come out and help. We'll help facilitate it but we want the community to run it," Whittaker said, "the idea is to get kids, or youth, middle school to high school of West Seattle up to the mountains to experience the Northwest Cascades and go skiing and snowboarding or nordic skiing if they'd like to."

His company has relationships with insurance companies, and other businesses that might provide some assistance but he is looking for enthusiastic participants to help in all aspects. The group will need chaperone's, people to serve on the steering committee, and others to be part of leadership staff.

Hey everyone,

I want to emphasize how important I think it is that Environmental Learning voices are heard as part of the community process for framing the mayor’s agenda around youth and families. Here is a quick summary of the initiative from the mayor’s website:

“The Youth and Families Initiative is a major initiative announced by Mayor Mike McGinn during his inaugural address. The Initiative will help shape the Mayor’s agenda on issues affecting youth and families from a child’s birth to their successful career track. We are committed to eliminating racial disparities in education, child care, children’s health and the criminal justice system. This is not a problem solely within communities of color; it is our problem, and the responsibility for ending this systemic inequity rests with all of us.”

See:
http://youthandfamilies.seattle.gov/process/ to find out about the meetings.

http://youthandfamilies.seattle.gov/getinvolved/ to find online forms for individual input and more.