December 14th, 2010 by Doree
When the state legislature convenes in January, lawmakers will need plenty of help. Rep. Reuven Carlyle is encouraging local teens to apply to become a House page for one week, which will give them an inside look at government.
Pages do a variety of tasks, including passing out copies of amendments, presenting ceremonial flags, and delivering notes to lawmakers on the House floor.
Carlyle himself got his start in state government by serving in the state House’s page program. He also served as a page in Congress for former Washington Senators Warren Magnuson and Henry Jackson.
“It’s a great honor to have outstanding youth from around the state come to Olympia and get involved,” said Carlyle, D-Seattle. “Walking on the floor as the House debates important issues, like education funding and graduation requirements, is an experience pages won’t forget. These youth will become our next generation of leaders and lawmakers.”
Students must be between 14 and 16, and have permission from a parent or guardian, as well as permission from their school. Pages are paid $35 per day. Housing and transportation are the page’s responsibility, but the House will provide a list of private housing options in Olympia.
Interested students should contact Rep. Reuven Carlyle’s office for more information: (206) 216-3184 or reuven.carlyle@leg.wa.gov. The 2011 legislative session runs Jan. 10 through April 24.
Tags: legislative pages, Rep. Reuven Carlyle, volunteering
December 1st, 2010 by Cory Bergman
The city is looking for new members to join the Seattle Pedestrian Advisory Board, a group founded in 1993 to get people out of their cars and walking.
The volunteer group is instrumental in implementing the city’s Pedestrian Master Plan, which was adopted in 2009. The group also advises the Mayor and City Council, participates in planning and project development, and evaluates policies and makes recommendations to all city departments including the Seattle Department of Transportation (SDOT).
Board members serve a minimum of one two-year term, with the opportunity to serve a second term. Board members are “frequent walkers of a variety of ages, levels of mobility, and walks of life, and from areas throughout the city,” the release states. Meetings are the second Wednesday of the month from 6 to 8 p.m.
Interested Seattle residents can submit a resume and cover letter explaining their interest in the board by emailing Brian Dougherty at brian.dougherty@seattle.gov. Resumes will be accepted until December 17th.
Tags: Pedestrian Master Plan, Seattle Pedestrian Advisory Board, volunteering, Walk Bike Ride
November 19th, 2010 by Thea
Lower Queen Anne’s First Church is inviting community members to join them in cooking a big Thanksgiving turkey dinner for the residents of its Blaine Center emergency men’s shelter on Wednesday, November 24 and Thursday, November 25.
Kathleen Dow, seated at the new three manual Rodgers Triullium Masterpiece organ at First United Methodist Church, sets plans for a 7 p.m. Community Thanksgiving Eve Service, with the Rev. Dr. Robert D. Nicholson.
The family-style dinner will prepared from scratch by congregation and community members, and served to the shelter residents. First Church says there are still volunteer shifts available for both Wednesday and Thursday for those interested in helping make Thanksgiving brighter. To sign up, contact food service coordinator Duuna Evans at office@firstchurchseattle.org, or at (206) 622-7278.
For more information on the Thanksgiving dinner and service, click here.
Tags: Blaine Center emergency men's shelter, First Church, Thanksgiving, volunteering
November 17th, 2010 by Thea
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is looking for volunteers to help plant hundreds of plants along the Fremont Cut of Lake Washington Ship Canal this week. Volunteers are needed on both Friday, November 19 and Saturday, November 20 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m..
The two volunteers days are part of phase two of the Corps’ four-part plan to restore the historically significant aging poplar colonnade along the Fremont Cut. The Corps removed 29 poplar trees back in the spring, and planted 40 in August.
Those interested in volunteering may sign up by contacting Anna Welland, from U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, at anna.e.welland@usace.army.mil or 206-789-2622, extension 216.
All tools will be provided. Volunteers working on Friday, November 19 should meet in front of the dinosaur statue on the Burke-Gilman Trail in Fremont. Volunteers working on Saturday, November 20 should meet along the South Ship Canal Trail on the Queen Anne side, in front of the Seattle Pacific University track.
For more information, see the event flier (.pdf).
Tags: Fremont Cut, planting, poplar trees, Ship Canal Trail, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, volunteering
October 27th, 2010 by Doree
The City of Seattle is looking for two people to join the Northwest Design Review Board, which shepherds new buildings and development through the city’s design process. The volunteer positions begin April 4, 2011, when retiring board members’ terms expire. Applications are due December 10.
The Northwest Design Review Board is looking for a design professional representative and a local business representative.
Board members are appointed by the Mayor and City Council and serve two-year terms. Members serve on one of seven boards that review projects in the city’s major geographic districts. Each board is composed of five members who represent:
- design professions
- development interests
- general community interests
- local business interests
- local residential interests
Applicants should have:
- knowledge of, or interest in, architecture, urban design and the development process;
- the ability to evaluate projects based on the city’s design guidelines;
- the ability to listen and communicate effectively at public meetings;
- a passion for design and community development; and
- the ability to work well with others under pressure. Prior experience with community or neighborhood groups is a plus.
Board members must live in the city. Following appointment, the local residential interests representative must act as an ambassador to at least one community group or association (e.g. community council) that operates within the board district. Similarly, following appointment the local business interests representative must act as an ambassador to at least one business group or association (e.g. chamber of commerce) that operates within the board district. Acting as an ambassador is often facilitated if the board member lives or works within the district he or she is serving, but residency in a district is not a requirement to serve as a local representative.
Board members should expect to work 12-14 hours a month attending and preparing for board meetings, which are held twice a month, in the evenings. Board members are expected to attend at least 90 percent of the meetings.
Tags: City of Seattle, Design Review Board, developments, local business, volunteering
October 11th, 2010 by Doree
Seattle Parks and Recreation is looking for nominations for the Denny Awards, which honor volunteer service to the city’s parks system.
The deadline for nominations is Nov. 1. The award is named for the Denny family, Seattle pioneers who donated the land that became the first Seattle park, Denny Park, in 1864.
The Denny Awards acknowledge and honor the crucial role volunteers play in neighborhood parks, community centers, and recreation programs throughout the city. Volunteers help Parks and Recreation staff and management in the work of the department and give valuable advice on important decisions about our Parks and Recreation facilities and operations. Volunteers pull ivy and plant native trees in our parks, coach kids’ sports, work as docents at selected parks, and serve on various advisory councils and boards.
Denny Awards nominees should meet the following minimum qualifications. The nominee must have:
- Demonstrated exceptional stewardship to parks and/or recreation;
- Provided stellar leadership related to enhancing and preserving parks and/or recreation programs;
- Demonstrated a significant personal commitment of time and effort to assist the Seattle Parks and Recreation department, and
- Gained respect of community peers for efforts to help Seattle Parks and Recreation.
Tags: Denny Awards, parks and recreation, volunteer awards, volunteering
September 13th, 2010 by Cory Bergman
Temporary parks will be popping up all around Seattle this coming Friday for a global event called “PARK(ing)” day.
A 2009 “PARK(ing) spot in Greenwood.
The event, sponsored by Feet First, allows people “grow” parks out of parking spots. “The average city dedicates about 20 percent of its public land to the movement and storage of automobiles, including roads and parking,” the press release from Feet First states. “PARK(ing) Day shows city residents what urban space can look and feel like when more public land is allocated for parks, art, recreation, social interactions, and other people-centric pursuits—rather than vehicles.
It doesn’t look like there will be any Park(ing) parks in Queen Anne this year, but other “PARKs” around the city can be found here (.pdf.)
Tags: Feet First, PARK(ing) Day, parks, volunteering
September 10th, 2010 by Gladys
Successful Schools in Action (SSIA) is seeking debate coaches to work with fourth and fifth grade students at Queen Anne and Magnolia public elementary schools. Debate is an after school program that runs once per week for two twelve week sessions. The first session begins in mid-October. Each session culminates in a debate tournament among the four schools. The program is limited to twelve students per school and SSIA provides training and administrative support.
Qualifications for the position include classroom management skills and an interest in debate. Debate training is provided and no prior debate experience is required. The positions pay a stipend. More information about the program here. If interested, please contact Mary Steele at (206) 285-0463 or via email at marysteele@schoolsinaction.org.
Tags: debate, schools, SSIA, volunteering
August 26th, 2010 by Thea
This weekend Queen Anne-ers will have an opportunity to enjoy some of the neighborhood’s best eats, while supporting our own local nonprofit, FOLKpark. The volunteer organization dedicated to revitalizing Lower Kinnear Park has put together Happy Hour on the Hill event/fundraiser this Saturday, August 28 from 4:30 to 7 p.m.
A $15 ticket will get you access to a bunch of ‘happy hour’ discounts at local restaurants and sweet shops. All of the proceeds will go toward helping FOLKpark reach it’s Department of Neighborhoods Matching Fund requirement. The organization won the $100,000 city grant earlier this month, and needs to raise at least $50,000 to be awarded the funds, which will be used in the upcoming design development phase of the Lower Kinnear Park Enhancement Plan. (The community actively helped develop this plan last spring. See the finalized plan here).
The following Queen Anne locations are participating in Happy Hour on the Hill:
- Betty – $8 drink and appetizer combo
- Paragon – $5 Martinis and $7 Appetizers
- Eat Local – Free farro salad with any purchase and get 2 bottles of Viognier for the price of one at $16.98
- Chocolopolis – $1 Chocolopolis truffles (limit 2) & 50% of a chocolate drink
- Wink – 15% off all cupcakes
Tickets are available at any of the participating locations, or can be purchased at the Uptown Stroll and art walk this Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. in Counterbalance Park (at Queen Anne Ave N and W Roy St).
The fundraiser in being put on in conjunction with the Greater Queen Anne Chamber of Commerce. If you can’t make it to Happy Hour on the Hill, but would like to donate to FOLKpark, you can make a donation via PayPal on the organization’s website.
Those interested in volunteering with FOLKpark should contact Phil Prahst at philprahst@gmail.com.
Tags: Betty, Chocolopolis, Eat Local, events, FOLKpark, fundraiser, Happy Hour on the Hill, Lower Kinnear Park, Paragon, Uptown Stroll, volunteering, Wink
August 9th, 2010 by Doug Alder
Queen Anne residents are needed to help paint the new mural on the Dexter Way underpass (below Aurora on the east side of Queen Anne). The community paint event is set for Saturday 8/21 and Sunday 8/22 from 11am to 5pm. The new mural will replace the 15-year-old painting that has long been covered with graffiti.
Old mural (top), new mural (bottom)
Directions: Heading south on Aurora after the bridge, take the second exit on the right (Dexter Way N). This exit is adjacent to the Hillside Motel. Call 206-285-4883 for information.
Tags: Dexter Way Underpass, events, mural, Queen Anne, street art, volunteering
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