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Learn about Seattle’s Neighborhood Matching Fund at upcoming workshops

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NMF Small Sparks recipient: Equinox Rising (Photo: Naomi Ishisaka)

Do you have a community project idea, but need some support to help make it happen?

The Neighborhood Matching Fund, a program of Seattle Department of Neighborhoods, invites you to any of our three workshops where you’ll learn how to get funding for your project. Each workshop will provide an overview of the Neighborhood Matching Fund, the qualities of a strong application, and the review process. Community and neighborhood groups interested in the fund are invited to attend.

WORKSHOPS

All workshops will occur on Saturdays from 10 – 11:30 a.m. The dates and locations are as follows:

  • Saturday, April 27: Loyal Heights Community Center, 2101 NW 77th St
  • Saturday, May 4: Filipino Community Center, 5740 Martin Luther King Jr. Way S
  • Saturday, May 11: Youngstown Community Center, 4408 Delridge Way SW

To attend one of these workshops, RSVP to surveymonkey.com/r/nmf-summer2019 or contact us at 206-733-9916 or NMFund@seattle.gov.

FUNDS

The Neighborhood Matching Fund program has two funds:

  • The Community Partnership Fund provides funding up to $25,000 with three opportunities to apply a year. The deadline for the next round is June 3.
  • The Small Sparks Fund provides funding up to $5,000 per project, and applications are accepted on a rolling basis through October 31.

More than 5,000 projects have occurred across the city since this program began in 1988. To learn more about the Neighborhood Matching Fund and its support to community-initiated projects, visit our website.

Join us online or in-person to rank ideas for small park and street improvements

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You are invited to review the park and street improvement ideas submitted by the public for Your Voice, Your Choice: Parks & Streets. Get involved by sharing your feedback online or at one or more of the upcoming project development meetings throughout the city.

All who live, work, go to school, receive services, volunteer, or have a connection to the City of Seattle are welcome to participate. Participants will be responsible for evaluating project ideas based on need and equity.

If you are interested in ranking the project ideas online, go to https://yvyc.consider.it/.

If you are interested in participating in the public meetings, view the full schedule below:

District 1

May 13, 5:30 – 7:30pm
Delridge Community Center

May 28, 5:30 – 7:30pm
South Park Community Center

District 2

May 8, 5:30 – 7:30pm
Smart Buildings Center

May 16, 5:30 – 7:30pm
Rainier Beach Branch Library

District 3

May 30, 5:30 – 7:30pm
Douglas-Truth Branch Library

District 4

May 9, 5:30 – 7:30pm
Ravenna-Eckstein Community Center

District 5

May 6, 5:30 – 7:30pm
Lake City Branch Library

May 30, 5:30 – 7:30pm
Broadview Branch Library

District 6

May 20, 5:30 – 7:30pm
Ballard Branch Library

District 7

May 22, 6:00 – 8:00pm
Queen Anne Community Center

Learn more about the Your Voice, Your Choice Project Development phase on our website.

If you have questions, please contact Shaquan Smith at Shaquan.Smith@seattle.gov.

Neighbor Day on May 4 by indulging in random acts of kindness.

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We invite all Seattle residents to celebrate Neighbor Day on May 4 by indulging in random acts of kindness.

Neighbor Day is a special day set aside to reach out to neighbors, make new friends, and express thanks to those who help make your neighborhood a great place to live.

Residents, businesses, or community groups are all encouraged to participate however they like. The main goal is simply to reach out and connect with your neighbors through generosity.

Learn more & get ideas at http://www.seattle.gov/neighborday

UW Charging Employees for Transit Passes is an Affront to the Ideals of Earth Day

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A coalition of labor, community, and environmental organizations held an Earth Day press conference outside the UW Light Rail station to blast a proposal by the University to increase the out-of-pocket costs for some employees to purchase a transit pass. The group called on the UW regents to vote down the proposal, and instead provide a fully-subsidized transit pass to all employees like other large Seattle employers.

Over the past year, this coalition has successfully pressured the UW to provide fully-subsidized transit passes for around half the UW’s workforce starting July 1, 2019. UW is proposing to raise out-of-pocket transit costs for thousands of employees (professional staff and faculty) who are not covered by this agreement.

“It’s time for UW to get in line with Seattle’s other big employers and provide all employees with a fully-subsidized transit pass,” said Elizabeth Bauerle, a research scientist at UW Medical Center and a member of the University Transportation Committee. “Incentivizing public transit will reduce carbon emissions, make streets safer, ease gridlock, and free up parking for U-District neighbors — all matters of increasing urgency as the UW begins a massive expansion that will add thousands of commute trips every day. It’s unfortunate that UW is choosing to divide employees over the issue of transit passes.”

The Seattle UW campus expected to grow by 13,000 people in ten years. With an estimated 36% of employees driving to campus alone, this could mean thousands of additional cars on the Seattle roads. Providing transit passes has been proven to change commute behavior.

“As a physician, I’m worried about the effects of vehicle emissions on the health of those in the U-District,” said Dr. Adam Greenbaum, MD/PhD and Board Member of the UW Housestaff Association. “Studies estimate that 60,000 people die every year in the US due to the toxic effects of vehicle emissions. To put this in perspective, this is nearly twice the number of people killed in motor vehicle accidents each year.”

“Faculty wages at the University of Washington lag behind peer institutions,” added Rush Daniel, UW Lecturer. “In one of the most expensive cities in the county, a free U-Pass for faculty is necessary to maintain a decent standard of living.”

After the press conference, the coalition delivered a letter signed by 35 organizations to the UW Board of Regents, President Ana Mari Cauce, and UW Medicine CEO Paul Ramsey.

“We need our community institutions to be community leaders. Unless UW steps up and provides effective transit incentives, future growth will mean more congestion, more air pollution, and more climate emissions,” said Jesse Piedfort, Director of the Washington State Chapter of the Sierra Club. “Providing transit benefits to all employees is a proven strategy that will be a win-win for UW, its employees, and our community.”

Several city council candidates from District 4 joined in calling on UW to make transit passes free to employees, including UW researcher Emily Myers, Shaun Scott, and Cathy Tuttle.

“Affordable and reliable transit is essential for a green, clean, and economically vibrant Seattle,” said Cathy Tuttle, founding director of Seattle Neighborhood Greenways, and a District 4 candidate. “The University of Washington leads the nation in so many fields. Let’s make sure the UW continues to be a leader in providing free transit to its employees.”

District 4 Candidate Emily Myers added: “Our public institutions must be leaders in addressing climate change, especially institutions like the UW who receives millions of dollars in public funding for climate research. With both carbon emissions and cost of living on the rise in Seattle, we are organizing and taking action for climate and worker justice. It’s time for the UW to act according to their stated values to “stand with the world to fight climate change and protect our future,” and the fight starts at home with access to public transportation and fully subsidized transit passes for all workers.”

District 4 Candidate Shaun Scott added: “The University of Washington should live up to its status as a major research institution by taking climate change seriously. A school as resourced as my alma mater should not be balancing society’s climate budget on the backs of working people by making campus employees pay for transit passes. By building a coalition between working people, organized labor and environments activists, we can have a Seattle Green New Deal that turns its back in the climate injustices of the past, builds a city of the future—for future generations, and our own.”

UW regents meet next on May 8 where they’ll have the opportunity to decide on the proposal to increase transit passes for some employees.

Crowdrise campaign has raised over $10,000 of our $15,000 goal for Tiny Houses by April 12! Please share with friends and colleagues to get us over the top! Tiny House CrowdRise Campaign!

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LIHI is raising funds for our Tiny House Village program through the USA Today’s “A Community Thrives” CrowdRise campaign.  Want to join us in making a difference?  LIHI needs your help to support new and existing Tiny House Villages and provide case management for our residents to help them find permanent housing and connect to needed social services.  Your donation will help us be eligible for a grant of up to $100,000 and other incentive prizes.  Please visit our campaign site and donate todayand help LIHI combat homelessness!

2018 Spanaway Lake High School graduate wins prestigious fellowship to study abroad

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SPANAWAY LAKE HIGH SCHOOL GRADUATE FREDERICK UY WINS PRESTIGIOUS FREDERICK DOUGLASS GLOBAL FELLOWSHIP TO STUDY ABROAD IN LONDON THIS SUMMER

Frederick Uy, a 2018 Spanaway Lake High School graduate, today was awarded a prestigious Frederick Douglass Global Fellowship (FDGF), which provides a full scholarship for the Claflin University freshman to attend a comprehensive study abroad program in London, England this summer.

 

The FDGF is operated jointly by the Council on International Educational Exchange (CIEE), the nation’s largest non-profit facilitator of studying abroad, and the Penn Center for Minority Serving Institutions (CMSI). Each year, the Fellowship is awarded to 10 outstanding students that attend a Minority Serving Institution (MSI).

Uy, who was born in the Philippines and later moved to Tacoma, Washington, is pursuing a double major in Finance and Computer Science. After his undergraduate studies, Uy hopes to enroll in a joint MBA and Law program then become a financial lawyer who helps smaller companies thrive.  “It has always been a dream of mine to study abroad and be in a learning environment outside of the standard classroom,” he said, noting that he looks forward to being forced to adapt outside his normal comfort zone.

“Studying abroad will push me to become a better person from networking and being engaged with different people and different cultures,” Uy said. “This opportunity is very important for my career because it will allow me to establish strong and solid connections and relationships with successful people in the business world.”

Uy said that he is honored to be a Frederick Douglass Global Fellow and immerse himself into different cultures.  He is very excited to meet new people, form networks, and expand his horizons even more. Outside of school, Uy enjoys playing guitar and other instruments, exploring new places, doing photography, and watching the financial trends of different stocks.

The Fellows were nominated by their college presidents and selected during a national competition. The winners have demonstrated high academic achievement, possess exemplary communication skills, display the hallmarks of self-determination, exhibit characteristics of bold leadership, and have a history of service to others.

The winners will use their experiences to motivate other under-represented students to pursue opportunities to study abroad.  Of the 332,727 US college students who studied abroad in 2017, less than 30% were students of color — 0.4% American Indian/Alaskan Native, 4.3% multiracial, 6.1% African American, 8.2%Asian/Pacific Islander and 10% Hispanic Americans, according to data from the Institute of International Education.  The data shows that students of color largely miss out on international education experiences that can play a critical role in their personal growth, as well as academic and career success.

The Frederick Douglass Fellowship, which launched in 2017, is representative of efforts by CIEE and CMSI to increase diversity in study abroad by breaking down the barriers of cost, curriculum, and culture that prevent students from participating in international education experiences. Named for the African American social reformer, abolitionist, orator, writer, and international statesman Frederick Douglass, the Fellowship encourages students to use his life as a model to becoming bold, globally conscious and service-oriented leaders.

 

“The students selected for the Frederick Douglass Global Fellowship are ten exemplary student leaders who demonstrate the iconic leadership, keen intellect, and natural change-agent attributes of Frederick Douglass,” said James P. Pellow, President and CEO of CIEE. “These students will be the next generation of leaders and I know that the intercultural competence and global perspective they will gain during the London program will benefit them throughout their lives.”

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About The Penn Center for Minority Serving Institutions
The Penn Center for Minority Serving Institutions brings together researchers and practitioners from Historically Black Colleges and Universities, Tribal Colleges and Universities, Hispanic Serving Institutions, and Asian American and Native American Pacific Islander Serving Institutions. The Center’s goals include: elevating the educational contributions of MSIs; ensuring that they are a part of national conversations; bringing awareness to the vital role MSIs play in the nation’s economic development; increasing the rigorous scholarship of MSIs; connecting MSIs’ academic and administrative leadership to promote reform initiatives; and strengthening efforts to close educational achievement gaps among disadvantaged communities. For further information about the Center, please visit www.gse.upenn.edu/cmsi

About CIEE

CIEE, the country’s oldest and largest nonprofit study abroad and intercultural exchange organization, transforms lives and builds bridges by promoting the exchange of ideas and experiences. To help people develop skills for living in a globally interdependent and culturally diverse world, CIEE sponsors a wide variety of opportunities for cultural exchange, including work exchange programs, teach abroad programs, and a worldwide portfolio of study abroad and internship programs for college and high school students. Visit www.ciee.org.

 

Community invited to participate in South Park Community Center Site Redevelopment Project 

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Seattle Parks and Recreation (SPR) invites the community to provide input on spray park features, playground equipment, cultural themes and field usability for the new site wide design at the South Park Community Center.  Please join us on Friday, March 29, 2019 from 5 to 8 p.m. at  the South Park Community Center’s multipurpose room at 8319 8th Ave. S., 98108. Children’s activities and refreshments will be provided.

This meeting is an opportunity for the community to learn about the South Park Community Center Site Redevelopment Project and provide input on specific features. In spring 2018, SPR finalized a concept design to install and relocate a play area, install a spray park, create a full-size multi-sport synthetic turf field with a circular walking trail, and add features including an outdoor fitness zone, LED lighting, ADA accessibility, sport court, off-leash area and a renovated parking lot.

This community driven project is funded by Seattle Park District and includes the Major Projects Challenge Fund, state grants and a partnership with Seattle Academy of Arts and Sciences through the Seattle Parks Foundation. SPR hired Broadview Planning in 2017 and MIG/SvR in 2018 to lead the planning and design with an emphasis on providing strategies for mitigating negative health impacts resulting from the site’s proximity to a major transportation corridor. The project incorporates the principles of crime prevention through environmental design and a race and social justice lens with a strong focus on engaging underrepresented communities.

For more information about this project please visit http://www.seattle.gov/parks/about-us/current-projects/south-park-community-center-play-area-renovation or contact Karimah Edwards at Karimah.edwards@seattle.gov or 206-233-0063.

Celebrate Earth Month with Seattle Parks and Recreation

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Seattle Parks and Recreation is all about connecting community members with nature any time of year, but each April the theme is even more important. April is Earth Month, an annual celebration and appreciation of our beautiful planet, and a chance to have fun and give back while getting some fresh spring air.

This Earth Month, join Seattle Parks and Recreation and our partners at one of the many volunteer Earth Month events happening across Seattle. You can get your hands dirty and help revitalize a much-loved park or look for wildlife along trails bursting with new growth. Volunteer activities include nature walks, gardening, trail repair, mulching, cleanup, planting, weeding, invasive species removal, nature exploration, and much more. Whatever you do, Earth Month is a great time to practice active gratitude for the bounty around us.

More volunteer opportunities can be found on the Green Seattle Partnership’s event calendar here.

Earth Month volunteer events:

 

April 6: English Ivy Crush at Frink Park

10 a.m. – 2 p.m. Help Green Seattle Partnership and Friends of Frink Park protect open spaces from the threat of English ivy, an invasive plant that covers trees and results in a loss of native habitat. Register Here

April 7: Bird Walk on the Burke-Gilman Trail with Woody Wheeler

8 – 11 a.m.  Join Friends of the Burke-Gilman Trail for our monthly Bird Walk and Citizen Science project. All ages and experience levels welcome. Woody, Wheeler, Master Birder and author will lead our walk.

Contact mailto:jim.corson@comcast.netfor more information.

April 7: Warren G. Magnuson Park Reforestation

9:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. Help create and improve thriving forest habitat on what was once a denuded and sterile navy airfield. Enjoy nature and learn a bit about native plants while doing satisfying work! Contactmailto:tpaulkelly@hotmail.comfor more info and to join.

April 12: Help the forest grow at Me-kwa-mooks

1:30 – 3:30 p.m. Help the birds, butterflies, bees, rabbits and other creatures thrive by removing invasive species such as ivy and blackberry at Me-Kwa-Mooks park in West Seattle. Contactmailto:psocoupeville@gmail.comfor more information.

April 12 and 19: Wetlands Restoration and Community Lunch

10 a.m. – noon at Rainier Beach Urban Farm & Wetland. Join Tilth Alliance staff, neighbors and a longtime community crew of East African seniors. We’ll enjoy a healthy and delicious community lunch at noon, so please bring a small donation or a dish to share. Children, youth and families welcome! Contactmailto:chrishoffer@tilthalliance.orgfor more info.

April 13: Golden Gardens Park Work Party

9 a.m. – noon. Remove invasive weeds and plant native species that return the forest to a more natural ecosystem. We provide tools and training, so we only need your enthusiasm to help restore this beautiful park! Contact mailto:doug@greshamenvironmental.comfor more info.

April 13, 20, and 27: Wildlife Walks/Bird Tours

8 – 10 a.m. at Discovery Park.  Join experienced leaders as we explore for migrants and year-round residents within Discovery Park’s varied habitats. Please dress for the weather and bring binoculars if you have them. $5 for ages 8 and older. Visit this page for more info on registration.

April 14: Lewis Park Restoration Event

10 a.m. – 1 p.m. Spring’s warmer weather brings out the flowers, but also the weeds! We need your held to thin out the invaders to make room for mulching, among other tasks. Contactmailto:rickpaulsen@earthlink.netfor more info.

April 14: Martha Washington Park Restoration

10 a.m. – 2 p.m. We’ll work to restore this Native American site and its historic white oaks by removing invasive plants, tending new plantings, watering and/or doing whatever is needed. Contactmailto:perasso@cruzio.comfor more info.

April 20: Carkeek S.T.A.R.S. Work Party

9 a.m. – 12 p.m. A fun morning of forest restoration and trails maintenance in one of Seattle’s most beautiful parks! Contact mailto:carkeekstars@gmail.comfor more info.

April 20: Duwamish Alive! Orca Earth Day

10 a.m. – 2 p.m. at Herrings House Park (Tulaltx). Orca populations are struggling because of the lack of their main food source – salmon, especially Chinook. Herrings House Park provides critical salmon habitat for juvenile salmon before they enter Puget Sound. Please join us in maintaining this habitat! Conacts.leishman@comcast.net for more info.

April 20: Student Conservation Association at Washington Park Arboretum

9 a.m. – 1 p.m. The SCA and Washington Park Arboretum on work to restore Washington Park Arboretum, gathering members, alumni, friends and partners to weed, remove invasives, and add mulch. Meet at Crabapple Meadow, just South of the Visitor Center. More info here.

The 2019 free Athletic Field Drop-In Program season will begin April 1

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Seattle Parks and Recreation (SPR) is continuing a pilot program first launched in summer 2018 that provides community members with the opportunity to drop-in for free at designated athletic fields to play unscheduled athletic events with their friends and family.

 

Normally, field use requires a paid reservation, but SPR has dedicated seven athletic fields this year (Bitter Lake Playfield, University Playground, Ravenna Park, Magnolia Playfield #5, Rainier Beach Playfield, South Park Playground, and Roxhill Park) for open community drop-in use every Saturday and Wednesday, depending on location (see map below).

 

The 2019 season runs from April 1 to September 28 for most of these fields. However, Roxhill Playfield’s season ends on August 28. The free drop-in times are Saturdays from 12:00 p.m. to 2:00 p.m. and Wednesdays from 5:45 p.m. to 7:45 p.m.

 

For more information on the Athletic Field Drop-In Program, including program rules, visit:https://www.seattle.gov/parks/reserve/sports-field-reservations/athletic-field-drop-in-program. Questions? Please contact Courtney Brown, Manager of Athletic Scheduling, 206-684-7094.

 

Athletic fields are a beloved component of Seattle’s park system, and SPR is excited to continue to support ways to make fields accessible to all those in our community who would like to use them.

 

Free job fair for LGBTQ youth and allies on March 30 at Miller Community Center

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Seattle Parks and Recreation will host a free job fair for LGBTQ youth and allies on Saturday, March 30, 2019 from 1 to 3 p.m. at Miller Community Center (330 19th Ave. E). Youth of all ages are welcome to attend and there will be many employment opportunities for high school-age youth (14-19) and young adults (19-24). Attendees should come prepared to spend some time visiting the various booths, which will have representatives from private employers as well as City of Seattle youth-employment and stipend programs.

Several City departments offer summer employment appropriate for teens and young adults, including positions in Seattle Parks and Recreation Aquatics (life guards, boat ramp monitors), Seattle Parks and Recreation Youth Engaged in Service (job shadowing an adult mentor, usually in an office setting), Seattle Parks and Recreation Student Teen Employment Program and Summer of Service (building trails in local parks as well as working on restoration and other projects), Youth Participatory Action Research (exploring social justice issues), and the Seattle Public Libraries Student Assistance program. Many local businesses will also be in attendance.

The Youth Job Fair for LGBTQ and Allies is a collaborative effort led by the Youth Employment and Service Learning Unit of Seattle Parks and Recreation. To participate in the fair or for more information contact Gwen Wessels, Seattle Parks and Recreation, at Gwen.Wessels@seattle.gov.