White Center Now: The blog about White Center

If you remember “Seinfeld” – or maybe even if you don’t – you know about the spoofy holiday “Festivus, for the rest of us.” This Saturday in White Center, you can join in a Festivus celebration for real – an auction, dinner, and dance, 5 pm at White Center Eagles, 10452 15th SW. See the official flyer on Facebook, where you can RSVP through the page for White Center Jubilee Days, which benefits from this Saturday’s celebration.

From Audrey at White Center Food Bank:

Because of the weather, we could use a few volunteers for the 9:30-12:30 and 12:30-3:30 shifts handing out food to clients. I don’t know how many clients will brave the weather but I want to make sure we can give them their holiday food if they do.

From Audrey at White Center Food Bank (we’re still checking on what food they need):

The White Center Food Bank needs volunteers to help hand out holiday food the following shifts

Mon., November 22 – 12:30 to 3:30 and possibly 3:30 to 6:30
Tue., November 23 – 9:00 to 12:30, 12:30 to 3:30, and possibly 3:30 to 6:30
Wed., November 24 – 12:30 to 3:30, 4:30 to 8:30

Mon., December 20 – 12:30 to 3:30 and 3:30 to 6:30
Tue., December 21 – 9:00 to 12:30, 12:30 to 3:30, 3:30 to 6:30
Wed., December 22 – 12:30 to 3:30

Families, individuals or groups are welcome to contact me at audrey@whitecenterfoodbank.org or 206-762-2848.

Before the holiday gets too far in the rear-view mirror – that video is courtesy of IAM 751, whose members donated a half-ton candy that was delivered last Friday to the Salvation Army center for White Center/eastern West Seattle fun.

We were asked to share this because Greenbridge YWCA is among the locations in need of volunteers:

Get involved with United Way of King County’s Free Tax Preparation Campaign and join the nation’s largest anti-poverty effort! Help low-and moderate-income individuals and families in King County keep more of what they earn!

The United Way Free Tax Campaign Needs Volunteers!
By volunteering once per week during the 2011 tax season, you can help us meet our goal of putting more than $20 million back into the pockets of low-and moderate-income working individuals and families. Speakers of Chinese, Vietnamese, Spanish, Somali, Korean, Amharic, Cambodian and Russian languages are especially needed. Evening, daytime and weekend shifts are available at 18 sites throughout King County.

No Experience Necessary! All volunteers receive free tax preparation training and are certified by the IRS. All sites now recruiting, and have several slots still available! But slots at some sites tend to fill up very fast, so don’t wait! Sign up now!

uwkc.org/taxhelp

Prudential Northwest Realty agents are collecting food at supermarkets in White Center and West Seattle, 10 am-2 pm Saturday – just take your nonperishable food donation to the White Center Albertson’s at 10616 16th SW. More locations here.

Once again this year, students from Seattle Pacific University are on their way to help clean up around White Center’s Hicks Lake. (Our photo is from 2008.) It’s part of a regional effort on September 25th in which the college sends nearly 800 freshmen and transfer students to various sites for a “community-service orientation” known as CityQuest. Between 10:30 am and 2:30 pm on Saturday, you’ll find students working to pick up litter and take out invasive plants. (That’s not the only White Center site where SPU students will be working that day – SPU also tells us that Neighborhood House in Greenbridge will have visiting students to “help with administrative organization, fall cleaning, and brainstorm ideas for future classes.”) You are also welcome to come join in the cleanup, by the way.

As Shana from WestSide Baby explained, while sharing that photo, it’s a problem they’re very grateful to have – overloaded with clothing donations, so they’re having a “Sorting Frenzy” 7-9 pm Thursday night, and need volunteers at their White Center HQ. If you can help, RSVP to Sarah Grubbs at sarah@westsidebaby.org.

… which is actually in West Seattle, as you likely know. 6 pm, it’s a gala fundraising dinner and live auction, at Brockey Center on the SSCC campus (6000 16th SW). The theme: “Celebrating Our Global Village.” Online registration is closed, but the WCCDA website has full details on who to call to see if there are still tickets available!

You may have heard the story of Jayme Miller, a White Center woman who’s learning to walk again after being struck suddenly by a rare neurological problem, transverse myelitis, leaving her paralyzed. Her friend Sydni Smith says Jayme is battling day by day and has even walked with a cane – “Every time she was told she might not be able to regain a function, she willed herself right through that obstacle.” She’s been home from the hospital and rehab for a month now, and is planning to be on hand tomorrow night at Rocksport in West Seattle as friends throw her a party with a silent auction to raise money to help with her medical bills – which quickly climbed into hundreds of thousands of dollars. You can drop by “Walk on, Jayme!” at Rocksport between 7:30 and 9:30 to bid on a wide range of items donated by local artists and businesses (and you’re welcome to stay for karaoke and dancing, with host DJ Tony B). If you can’t make it to the party, you can donate right now – via PayPal (which works if you have a credit card – you don’t have to be a PayPal accountholder), click “Send Money” and send it to WalkOnJayme@gmail.com. There’s a sharable Facebook event page for this too – find it here.

Sara found this and shared it with us, to pass along to you: Local scientists are recruiting folks in White Center (and a few other areas) to volunteer to host a seismograph that would use the Internet to transmit earthquake data. Read more about it here.

Just received this – it’s coming up Saturday in Greenbridge:

The family of an Evergreen High School student lost everything in an apartment fire last month. A classmate decided to get involved and her Girl Scout Troop 1775 is sponsoring a Pancake Breakfast at the Southwest Boys & Girls Club in White Center from 8-11 am on Saturday, August 7th.

9800 8th Ave SW Suite 105
Adults: $5.00
Kids under 10: $2.50
8-11 am, Saturday August 7, 2010

All proceeds will go to help the family. The girls are also collecting sheets, blankets, dishes, pots and pans, utensils and other household items on behalf of the family. Cash donations are also being accepted.

You can contact Liz at 206.240.6994 if you have questions. Please spread the word and invite your friends!

Last year, West Seattle, this year, SODO! The annual Eat Local Now! dinner is coming up September 30th and organizers are casting a wide net for help. They’ll be meeting August 5th at Big Al Brewing in White Center, and inviting you to join in – here’s the invitation just posted on partner site West Seattle Blog.

A big volunteer effort this afternoon unloaded hundreds of packages of diapers into storage for WestSide Baby in White Center, after the first successful installment of the “Stuff the Bus” donation drive. Executive director Nancy Woodland said they’d brought in more than 27,000 diapers – and there’s another installment coming up, August 7 at Burien Town Square.

White Center-based WestSide Baby needs you – tomorrow, while the first leg of its two-prong Stuff the Bus diaper drive is under way at the West Seattle Farmers’ Market 10 am-2 pm, you can have breakfast at the White Center Eagles and help by bringing a diaper donation! Get $2 off by bringing a package of diapers, 9 am-noon Sunday, 10452 15th SW, you don’t have to be a member.

Get down to the White Center Eagles‘ HQ before 7 pm and you can be part of this – help save lives, and raise some money too. Here’s our earlier preview.

From the good folks at the West Seattle-based Beer Church:

BEERS for B00BIES. A benefit for breast_cancer research.

Hello Seattle! Are you ready to Rock and Roll!

Beer Church wants to remind you that this Saturday we are hosting a fundraiser for Team Tracy and the Susan G. Komen Foundation. Please come out and help us support this wonderful cause. The weather will be great and the beer will be even better.

The event takes place at Big Al Brewing from 5:00 – 9:00 p.m. (address and map below).

Live music from Four on the Floor – classic rock from the 70s and beyond.

Big Al Brewing will generously donate a portion of the beer sales to the cause – $1 per pint and $2 per pitcher.
In addition to their considerable talents, Four on the Floor will donate T-shirts and tank tops. Make a donation, get a shirt.

We’ll be grilling up hot dogs/sausages. Make a donation, eat a dog.

This is an all ages venue. It’s an outdoor venue. Bring a lawn chair if you like and don’t forget the sunscreen. Consider earplugs if you’re noise sensitive. More event details on Facebook.

From Nancy @ White Center-headquartered WestSide Baby – they’re putting out the call for help:

WestSide Baby Sorting Frenzy Volunteer Opportunity Today!

We will open today, Monday July 5th (12-3pm) for a special volunteer opportunity for adults or children over age 8 (with adult along). Have the day off and want to do something worthwhile? WestSide Baby has been fortunate to receive many of your donations of clothing items. Now we need a little help sorting through the donations to prepare them for distribution. If you can read the size tags, look for dirt and holes and inspect clothes for holes, we’d love your help to attack the pile of clothes in this picture taken this morning. We have empty shelves of many sizes but we know those gems are actually hidden in this pile.

If you can call or e-mail to let us know you are coming that would be great! If not, just show up at we’ll welcome you and give you instructions on how to make a difference TODAY.

WestSide Baby
10032 15th Ave. SW

Cool deal. 2-7 pm on Tuesday, July 13th, at the White Center Eagles‘ HQ, donate blood and get rewarded with a pint of beer or a spaghetti dinner – with the spaghetti being served on site 5-7 pm the same day. (Or just show up for dinner; it’s only $5.) They’re also signing up organ donors, AND collecting other donations including diapers for WestSide Baby. The big 8th/Roxbury crash on Friday afternoon reminded us all how important donated blood is – so do your part if you can, and be there.

From one of the many fab nonprofits in WC – a great way to spend the night before Father’s Day!

Guys’ Night Out
Benefitting WestSide Baby

When was the last time you had an excuse to either have a night out with just your
friends OR to set something fun up for the guy in your life and his cronies? When
was the last time you said to your partner, “I’m sending out you for the night to
play poker, pool and horseshoes with good food and great drinks.” without being the
hero of the house? What a great Father’s Day prelude! ACT TODAY!!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Date:
Saturday June 19
5:30 PM – 10 PM

Goal:
To raise funds to support WestSide Baby Programs.

Location:
10452 15th Ave. SW

Questions:
E-mail Kemp at kemp_garcia@hotmail.com
Call us at (206) 767-1662