The West Seattle Democratic Women hosted an evening of food, drink and artwork by the late Paul Horiuchi while "RUBBING ELBOWS" with politicians and supporters at the Woodside/Braseth Gallery Thursday night, May 20, at the Woodside Braseth Gallery, 2101 Ninth Avenue.

Attending were King County Executive Dow Constantine, Seattle City Council's Sally Bagshaw, Sally Clark, Jean Godden, Tim Burgess, Tom Rasmussen, King County Councilmember Jan Drago, State Senator Joe McDermott & State Representatives Sharon Nelson and Eileen Cody, and 34th District Legislature candidates Joe Fitzgibbon and Marcee Stone.

Members of the West Seattle and White Center Food Bank's were honored, as well as Steve Daschle, executive director of the Southwest Youth and Family Services. John Braseth, gallery owner, was raised in West Seattle. Karen Chilcutt, Chair of the West Seattle Democratic Women and Carol Frillman hosted.

This was a fundraiser for the scholarship program, Washington Bus, which engages tomorrow's leaders on their own terms. The fundraiser also supported Southwest Youth and Family Services Writers Workshop Awards, and We the People and Project Citizen, a nationwide tool for teachers to teach kids and adults. WSDW is currently working to get this into the Seattle Public Schools. WSDW also supports 10 students from South Seattle Community College's Political Empowerment and Strategy Class, and both the West Seattle and White Center Food Banks.

"West Seattle Democratic Women has been a great supporter not just of me but of Democratic and progressive candidates around our whole neighborhood throughout the years, and is a great community organization," said King County Executive Dow Constantine. "I applaud them for all the work they've done all these years. These are the foot soldiers of democracy right here. Some people are satisfied with simply voting. Some people are satisfied with not ever voting. But here you have people actively engaged every week of the year in making government by the people work."