Unity Care NW has been awarded $285,000 by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to expand mental health and substance abuse services at our community health center. The focus of our efforts will be treatment, prevention and increasing awareness about opioid abuse and co-occurring disorders.
Unity Care NW plans to use these funds to create a chemical dependency and Medication Assisted Therapy program and to better integrate mental health, substance use and primary care services for our patients. Unity Care NW will be hiring a full-time licensed chemical dependency counselor (CDP) and a contracted CDP clinical supervisor to carry out this work.
According to the Department of Health and Human Services, “Primary care settings, like the community health centers supported by HRSA’s Health Center Program, have increasingly become a gateway to integrated care for individuals with substance use disorder (SUD) and primary care needs.” The grant funding provided will enable community health centers to improve access to primary care-based substance use disorder services, including Medication Assisted Therapy for opioid addiction, as well as pain management and other preventive health services.
Unity Care NW looks forward to expanding access to these behavioral health services and helping to combat our community’s ongoing opioid crisis.
The Hotel Bellwether and Lighthouse Grill is bringing The Walls Vineyards and Structure Cellars for the October Wine Social on Thursday, October 112018 from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. in the Compass Wine Room.
Enjoy a refined evening at Hotel Bellwether’s wine social. Photo courtesy: Hotel Bellwether.
With Brian and Brandee Grasso at the helm, Structure Cellars has two tasting rooms located in Seattle, The Blueprint Room and The Cellar, each with different vibes from casual and cute wine dogs in one to a 20-foot sophisticated steel wine wall in the other and both serving different wines. Brian creates wine with a passion and a dedication to making high quality, good value wines. With over two decades in the fine dining restaurant industry, he was inspired by winemaking after a visit to Walter Decon Cellars in Shelton, Washington. And, after several years of hard work, he and Brandee have made their dreams of owning a winery a reality.
The Walls Vineyards creates wines that tell the story of their roots. They love to connect with people who see wine as a new and memorable way to create experiences with others. “The Walls” was originally meant as a play on the Washington State Penitentiary, one of the most notorious Walla Walla landmarks. It’s contradiction in the name is a personal one for The Walls Vineyards. The team sees wine as an opportunity to bring people together, build community and topple those walls. Mike Martin, owner, turned his passion for wine and curiosity for life into a second career. He now focuses solely on bringing distinctive wines and great people together.
Each of these casual wine tasting events in our Compass Wine Room will feature at least two wineries offering their best vintages for tasting and purchase. Guests are treated to a unique opportunity to taste Northwest produced, limited production wines that are also offered at special prices for purchase that evening. As you sip and savor, you will enjoy the finest bites from our own Lighthouse Grill.
Don’t miss the upcoming wine social. Photo courtesy: Hotel Bellwether.
Ticket prices are $30 plus tax for each event and include several wine tastings from each winery, light appetizers and small bites.
About Hotel Bellwether
Located at 1 Bellwether Way in Bellingham, Hotel Bellwether is a luxury Bellingham hotel on the waterfront, located on Bellingham Bay in the vibrant Pacific Northwest. To the east are the spectacular Cascade Mountains featuring majestic Mount Baker, a 10,750-foot snow-capped peak known for its brilliant sunrises and world-record snowfall. To the west are Bellingham Bay marina and the world-famous San Juan Islands. Enjoy the stylish shops, boutiques, salons, coffee shops, restaurants and parks that make up the unique Bellwether community of Bellingham.
Tomatoes grow inside a greenhouse on the Growing Veterans farm. Photo credit: Matt Benoit.
Joel Swenson never thought about being a farmer. But that was before the 34-year-old former combat medic joined “Growing Veterans,” a local, nonprofit agriculture program empowering military veterans to grow food, communities and each other. After four years with the program, Swenson – now the farm’s manager – can’t imagine doing anything else.
On a 2.5-acre farm just north of Laurel, off the Guide Meridian, the program’s veteran volunteers and interns grow numerous types of produce: broccoli, cauliflower, Brussels sprouts, lettuce, garlic, seasonal squash, cucumbers, tomatoes, peppers, zucchinis and hops. They also harvest honey from their own bees. In winter, the focus shifts to greenhouse projects. Produce is then sold at local markets and to local businesses like Semiahmoo Resort, which has a close working relationship with the farm.
Farm manager Joel Swenson inside his farm site office. A former airborne combat medic in Afghanistan, Swenson credits the farm with helping him stop drinking in order to realize his passion for agriculture. Photo credit: Matt Benoit.
It started in 2013, when veteran and Western Washington University student Christopher Brown began gardening at the advice of his father. Brown found gardening gave him a renewed sense of purpose and helped his post-service anxiety. Soon after, he and co-founder Christina Wolf took over the former Bellingham Food Bank farm site, and Growing Veterans was born. In 2015, the program received official 501(c)(3) nonprofit status, and also gained organic certification.
“He was always trying to get me out here,” Swenson says of Brown, whom he met at the WWU veterans’ support office. When Swenson finally visited the farm, he says it was shoveling poop with a fellow veteran that made him realize how therapeutic agriculture could be.
“For whatever reason, it really was a nice release: of stress, of nervous energy,” he says. “It was a great workout. And it went by so quick, just being able to relate to other vets, as well as community members.”
Swenson believes the therapeutic effect also stems from having to take care of something other than one’s self, whether it’s a person, animal or plant.
The American and Growing Veterans flags fly high and proud on the nonprofit’s 2.5-acre farm. Photo credit: Matt Benoit.
“There’s just something about it that focuses your energy on keeping that alive and thriving,” he says.
Swenson grew up in Sedro-Woolley and joined the Army in 2007. In January 2009, he deployed to Afghanistan as a platoon medic. Swenson took part in numerous missions during his year in-country, to include the search for Bowe Bergdahl. Many of those deployed risked their lives on a daily basis, including Swenson. When he finally came home to Whatcom County in 2011, he had difficulty readjusting to a civilian life.
“That was the most intense job I’ve ever had,” he says. “It goes from 100 mph to zero.”
Swenson began leading an unhealthy lifestyle, which only exacerbated his PTSD symptoms. Upon returning home, he had trouble with routine and everyday tasks.
Due to Swenson’s unhealthy coping strategies post-combat, Swenson’s health began to deteriorate.
Anyone can volunteer to work the fertile soils of the Growing Veterans farm, whether they’re a veteran or not. They’re always looking for more help. Photo credit: Matt Benoit.
Sadly, downhill spirals are common for veterans struggling to readjust to life outside the military. Swenson says statistics show in the U.S. alone, 22 veterans a day commit suicide, in one form or another, by abusing alcohol and prescription medications. Growing Veterans, he says, is like an alternative, holistic approach to helping vets handle post-service transitions. One reason the farm works so well is that agriculture’s disciplined structure and teamwork can be similar to what veterans found in the military.
“The military is a well-oiled machine,” Swenson says. “So, when you apply that to farming, it’s very easily translatable.”
Swenson says beekeeping, in particular, helped him and other veterans due to the parallels between hive-mind and military service. When Swenson began counseling for PTSD, working with bees helped him practice grounding techniques for anxiety. Controlling one’s breathing while working on the hives prevents bees from becoming more aggressive, a perfect chance to practice being calm in stressful situations. Swenson has since used those techniques more easily in off-farm situations.
Land of Opportunities
Tomatoes grow inside a greenhouse on the Growing Veterans farm. Photo credit: Matt Benoit.
Growing Veterans does more than just provide therapeutic diversions. It allows veterans to form a multi-generational network of peer support, fostering a sense of belonging and the inspiration to make positive changes in their lives.
Swenson credits Growing Veterans with his decision to stop drinking two years ago, and sharing his story has helped others along the way. During his first year of volunteering, KING-5 News interviewed him for a live segment about Growing Veterans. A week later, while attending a produce event at a VA Hospital, a Vietnam veteran approached him. The man told Swenson he’d struggled with issues since Vietnam, but never sought help. Seeing Swenson on TV, he said, made him finally take action.
“I was so moved by it,” Swenson says. “It was like, ‘Oh my god; how many other vets saw me on the news, and never interacted with me, and yet I inspired them?’”
Growing Veterans also helps give veterans the knowledge to take advantage of resources they may not otherwise have been aware of. For example, Swenson bought his first home last year, in part because of being around veterans who’d already been through the VA’s home loan process.
Paid internships are also available for veterans at the farm through a Veteran Conservation Corps internship. It lasts from three to six months and will be open in spring 2019. In addition to veterans, the farm is also open to non-veterans. Anyone interested in sustainable agriculture, or those needing internship or volunteer hours, can take part.
“I feel it’s vital for vets to work with non-vets, to break down those barriers that both sides have with each other,” Swenson says.
Looking for Help
Bulbs of garlic hang from the ceiling of the Growing Veterans farm building. The farm grows a variety of produce for sale to both individuals and local businesses. Photo credit: Matt Benoit.
A handful of veterans who’ve taken part in Growing Veterans often go on to work in other sustainable and organic agricultural sectors. Some even start their own farms, helped by Growing Veterans’ partnership with the Farmer Veteran Coalition. The FVC helps vets acquire land, equipment and grants for them to get started.
Growing Veterans also partners with the Lynden VFW 9301, which recently built them a roadside stand to sell produce on Hannegan Road. Growing Veterans Interns and VFW members help run the stand Thursday and Friday from 2:00 p.m. – 6:00 p.m.
Swenson says, “It just takes one time to come out here,” he says. “That’s what it took for me, and I’m still here.” Swenson looks forward to waking up with the sun, and ensuring both the farm’s plants and veterans are getting the help they need.
Don't miss all the fun and flavor of Hoptoberfest! Photo courtesy: Hoptoberfest.
It’s that time of year again; the leaves start to fall, the weather shifts, the days get shorter and the beer gets darker. We tend to replace our saisons and lagers with porters and stouts, and instead of adding seasonal fruits to our brews, we opt for anything pumpkin. But it’s the Pacific Northwest, so we’re bound to still have some IPAs lying around, right?
Check out Illuminati at Hoptoberfest. Photo courtesy: Hoptoberfest.
Sample all kinds of craft beer at Bellingham Sportsplex’s 3rd Annual Hoptoberfest, from seasonal variations to flagship stalwarts. On Saturday, October 20, over 25 breweries will provide more than 50 types of beer and cider for you to enjoy. Pouring starts at 5:00 p.m. and the event lasts until 10:00 p.m. A VIP option is available for purchase, which gets you into the event at 4:30 p.m. Tickets for general admission are $20 in advance and $25 at the door, while VIP tickets are priced at $35.
ReBound Families helps Whatcom County families trying to recover after experiencing traumatic or stressful events. More specifically, they reach out to high-risk youth to ensure patterns of abuse do not continue throughout their life.
Don’t miss Whatcom County’s own Aslan Brewing. Photo courtesy: Hoptoberfest.
Whatcom Sports & Recreation provides safe and healthy athletic programs to Whatcom County youth. Their mission is to provide the community with unique recreational opportunities.
Hoptoberfest is a full-blown party, featuring live music from Sunset Superman throughout the night. They’ll provide the perfect soundtrack to your tasting experience.
Many people understand “Hoptoberfest” to be a play on the German festival of “Oktoberfest,” but what exactly is Oktoberfest? How did it start and why has it become such a popular motif in the American brewing community?
Sample brews from a wide variety of vendors. Photo courtesy: Hoptoberfest.
To understand Oktoberfest, we first need to learn a little history. Oktoberfest is a type of Volksfest, which in German refers to a large beer or wine festival typically including other activities.
Okay, so Oktoberfest is a fair, a party, a festival, but what’s significant about it? Why is it important? The answer is fascinating.
On October 12, 1810, King Ludwig I, whose reign in Germany lasted from 1825–1848, married Princess Therese of Saxe-Hildburghausen. Ludwig and Therese invited all citizens of Munich, Bavaria and Germany to attend planned festivities held on the vast fields outside the royal grounds. This key historical event marked the beginning of the Oktoberfest tradition, which over time turned into the 16- to 18-day festival it is today.
Throughout the 1800s, many additions were made to the festival and Oktoberfest became more of a public event. In 1819, it was officially declared an annual event. The turn of the 20th century saw an increased emphasis on beer, which would only continue as the years went on. In 2017, 7.5 million liters of beer were consumed at the 18-day festival.
Don’t miss all the fun and flavor of Hoptoberfest! Photo courtesy: Hoptoberfest.
Breweries throughout America saw Oktoberfest as a great opportunity to celebrate German beer, the fall season and social camaraderie. At Munich’s Oktoberfest, there are strict laws on what beer can be poured; you wouldn’t see any Northwest IPAs there, that’s for sure. That’s how Hoptoberfest is different – that, and the fact that we’ll likely fall a smidge short of pouring 7.5 million liters of beer.
Oktoberfest is a great model for any beer festival to follow, with emphasis on community strongly rooted in its tradition. The Bellingham Sportsplex’s Hoptoberfest embraces that same element, making it fun for all. The 3rd annual Hoptoberfest is sure to be a blast.
The Bellingham Sportsplex is located at 1225 Civic Field Way in Bellingham. Tickets for the third annual Hoptoberfest can be purchased at bellinghamsportsplex.com/hoptoberfest.
SpringHill Suites Bellingham will bring the local art scene to hotel guests and the surrounding community during its 5th annual ArtNight event Thursday, October 25, from 5:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. The Hotel will also be celebrating its 5th birthday with a cake for all to enjoy.
Anissa Caprina’s work is intricate. Photo courtesy: SpringHill Suites.
“SpringHill is a brand that’s all about the arts, and it shows right when you come in the lobby,” says General Manager Keith Coleman. The space itself is artfully designed, encouraging guests and visitors to get creative. ArtNight further elevates the space by transforming part of the hotel into a gallery for an evening.
“ArtNight is a relaxed chance to dress up a little and go look at great art and enjoy some amazing local music,” says Coleman. The evening is completely free and includes appetizers, delicious drink specials from the Chuckanut Lobby Bar and live music performed by Ava Sakowski.
ArtNight gives hotel guests the unique opportunity to connect with the local community and appreciate wonderful art together.
“It’s my fourth time around,” says local artist and WhatcomTalkCommunity Relations & Business Development ManagerKevin Forrester Coleman. Kevin is pleased with the opportunity to share his art and make connections to the community. “It’s always a good turnout with a variety of works for all types of people. I think it’s a great way for artists to come together and share what they do in an upscale environment.”
Suzannah Gusukuma will be showcasing her work at the show. Photo courtesy: SpringHill Suites.
This year, in addition to Kevin Coleman, ArtNight will feature other local artists, including Jessie Chandler, Suzannah Gusukuma, Terry Brooks, Anissa Caprina, Kyle Smith and Kedra Barrett.
In addition to being an inspiring evening out, ArtNight is a great opportunity to give back to the community via SpringHill Suites’ Save Art! program, which gets much needed funding for arts education into schools.
Research has shown that art education has tremendous impact on the developmental growth and academic success of children. The introduction of the arts in early education teaches valuable life skills, such as creative problem solving, decision making and articulating a vision, and helps to build self-esteem and self-confidence. In spite of this, many schools face severe budget cuts that minimize or eliminate their art programs. October is National Arts & Humanities Month, so it’s the perfect time for local hotel guests and community members to make a donation that will go toward purchasing art kits for Cordata Elementary School. Donations in excess of $20 also receive a special gift. SpringHill Suites Bellingham has proudly donated $2,000 annually for the last four years to local schools.
If you can’t make it to ArtNight on Thursday, October 25, from 5:30 – 8:30 p.m., you can drop by SpringHill Suites any time through the end of the year to make your contribution to support the arts at Cordata Elementary School.
Photo courtesy: Nick Hartrich of Puget Sound Energy.
You’ve probably looked past the green transformer boxes and fenced off substations. With an industrial hum and dull color scheme, energy infrastructure doesn’t exactly elicit images of sublime beauty. But now, some of Puget Sound Energy’s boxes and buildings are getting another chance at love thanks to local artists in a new pilot program.
Gretchen’s new project is particularly ambitious, but she’s up to the challenge. Photo courtesy: Gretchen Leggitt.
The ARTility project is a collaboration between Puget Sound Energy (PSE) and teams of Washington artists designed to give industrial spaces a colorful facelift. The spaces often invite graffiti and tagging, which unfortunately can be more destructive than artistic. By having teams of artists intentionally beautify the spaces, PSE hopes to encourage community engagement and discourage tagging.
Nicholas Hartrich, PSE’s Project Manager for the ARTility renovation, believes the project is twofold: it beautifies public space and discourages vandalism. Hartrich explains there are often two types of graffiti: street art and tagging. “Those who consider their graffiti as an artistic expression are less apt to disturb another artist’s installation out of respect for their work,” Hartrich explains. “Meanwhile, a tagger is looking to have their message put in a visible location. If an industrial box is now covered with a color and pattern, it’s less appetizing a location for their tag.”
The project is experimenting with a myriad of different materials and styles to see what will last over time. Some boxes will be covered in vinyl sticker sheets printed with the artist’s design. This new surface will make any subsequent spray paint easier to clean up.
Gretchen is crafting the mural one bit at a time. Photo courtesy: Gretchen Leggitt.
Another group of artists are working to address how vandals cause damage to substation chain-link fences. In collaboration with The Bellingham Makerspace, they’ve developed colorful mosaic tiles of 3D printed resin that fit into the holes in fencing. The effect will be both a mural and a hindrance to fence climbing because the holes will be filled in.
“We’re rolling out this project as an experiment in what materials work, but we know from research and from other municipalities that bringing art in helps to discourage vandalism,” says Hartrich.
Local muralist, Gretchen Leggitt, submitted her proposal for a mural on the side of PSE’s long warehouse building at the end of Cornwall Avenue. Leggitt is collaborating with her friend and fellow artist, Max McNett, who has 15 years of experience.
When Leggitt first saw the wall – which is about two football fields in length – she worried about the massive scale of the project. “I asked Max if he thought it was possible,” she recalls. “Once he convinced me it was manageable, I was all in.” Her mantra through the project has been, “How do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time.”
Beautifully formed lines add the perfect accent to the piece. Photo courtesy: Gretchen Leggitt.
Their image is of a mountainous landscape in undulating blue waves. The artists are overlaying the swaths of blues and purples with dark line work. The braiding lines invoke the movement of the ocean and wind. At the far end is a cluster of painted wind turbines, to give homage to the new sources of energy worth pursuing. “We’re working with an immensely long wall; it’s so solid and stagnant,” she says. “I wanted my work to be the exact opposite— always in motion.”
This isn’t Leggitt’s first public mural in Bellingham. Her work adorns the Herald Building, Ciao Thyme and Vital Climbing Gym. And she will have upcoming mural installations in Seattle and Bellingham.“I’ve gotten a lot of these projects by being an active member in the art community,” she says. “My whole objective is to make a positive impact on a space – engaging the public and sharing about what it’s like to be a working artist.”
While working on the wall, Leggitt sees ARTility’s effect on the community first-hand. In her experience, the most engaged group of onlookers so far have been homeless youth. “I had a group of teens come up and ask me how I get to tag a building all day,” she recalls. “I had the honor of explaining to them that this isn’t tagging, it’s an art installation. There’s so little public art in general, especially the kind that people can identify with.”
For Leggitt, the wonderful thing about street or public art is how accessible it is to all people, not just the limited number who have access to galleries.
The PSE ARTility project is still in its pilot stage. The hope is that once they have a good understanding of which mediums hold up best, there will be more installations to come – instilling beauty throughout our community.
The mural will beautify the local area. Photo courtesy: Gretchen Leggitt.
Gretchen is particularly concerned that the mural conveys motion and energy to break up the hard lines of the long wall and corrugation of the building. Photo courtesy: Nick Hartrich.
The artists are working long days while they have breaks in the weather to get the project done. Once complete, it will be the largest mural in Washington State. Photo courtesy: Nick Hartrich.
Gretchen adds her bold lines with a spray can. Photo courtesy: Nick Hartrich.
Photo courtesy: Nick Hartrich of Puget Sound Energy.
The weekend is here – time to get out and have some fun! There’s an abundance of interesting things happening around town. Check out these fun things to do in and around Bellingham October 5—7. And don’t forget to check out our full events calendar for all the fun happening in Whatcom County.
WhatcomTalk aims to be your source for positive information and events happening in Bellingham, Ferndale, Lynden and throughout Whatcom County. If you have a suggestion for a post, send us a note at submit@whatcomtalk.com. For more events and to learn what’s happening in Bellingham and the surrounding area, visit our events calendar. To submit an event of your own, visit our events calendar and click on the green “Post Your Event” button.
Sound Women's Health offers many health and aesthetic procedures that are available to both women and men. Find their full list of services on their website. Photo courtesy: Hannah Zoe.
There’s nothing better than soaking up every moment of summer sunshine. Who doesn’t love a good basking? But as enjoyable as it is, summer sun damage can reflect in your skin year-round. If you have brown spots or wrinkles caused by the sun or aging, there is something you can do: treat yourself to a photo-facial at Sound Women’s Health and Aesthetics.
Master Aesthetician, Shannon Joneli, administers most of the aesthetic treatments at Sound Women’s Health, including their SmoothCool procedure. Photo courtesy: Sound Women’s Health and Aesthetics.
SmoothCool is their targeted laser treatment that penetrates deep into the skin to break up pigmentation and even out texture. It uses Intense Pulsed Light technology; a powerfully concentrated beam of infrared LED light. Like many Sound Women’s Health procedures, the facial treatment is gentle and non-invasive.
Master Esthetician, Shannon Joneli, has been with Sound Women Health’s for about two years. She administers the medical spa’s aesthetic treatments. Joneli is especially impressed with the results she sees from IPL photo-facials. “This is our go-to treatment to help all sorts of skin problems,” she says. “It’s really amazing, the difference this treatment can make in just a couple sessions for things like brown spots, fine lines and large pores.”
In addition to reversing sun damage, SmoothCool can treat a long list of aesthetic skin concerns. From rosacea and acne to large pores and wrinkles, the photo therapy can help smooth skin’s tone and texture. And it’s not only used for faces. SmoothCool is approved for use on most other body areas. A consultation with the kind professionals at Sound Women’s Health will help you decide if the procedure is appropriate for your particular skin condition.
The calm, discrete client rooms at Sound Women’s Health in Bellwether. The medical spa will be moving shortly, so check in with their new location soon. Photo courtesy: Hannah Zoe.
According to Joneli, when the laser hits your skin, it can feel like you’re being twanged with a rubber band. That’s the feeling of light penetrating deep into the skin to break up hyperpigmentation and bring it to the surface. The procedure is incredibly effective at drawing deep damage and pigmentation out, which can make your dark spots more noticeable the week following the treatment. Like the results of a chemical facial, the skin may initially look inflamed or patchy, but this usually only lasts a few hours and is easily covered with makeup. As the skin sheds away, however, what’s left is fresh and renewed. “We like to send clients home with a serum to help the healing process, which takes about a week,” says Joneli. “But once it does regenerate, your skin is so smooth and fresh underneath, it’s like porcelain.”
The knowledgeable team at Sound Women Health’s suggest having the procedure done in the cooler months. It’s important to limit your skin’s exposure to the sun following treatment, as it can often make it more sensitive to light. Most clients see beneficial results from a minimum of three treatment sessions, spread out every three to six weeks.
The SmoothCool system can also be used for permanent hair reduction. This takes more visits, with an average of five or six treatments, to reach the desired result. But from there, only a yearly touchup is needed to maintain your permanently smooth skin. It can be used for unwanted facial hair and on larger areas of the body like the back, arms and legs.
Sound Women’s Health offers many health and aesthetic procedures that are available to both women and men. Find their full list of services on their website. Photo courtesy: Hannah Zoe.
With a caring staff who want to help you look and feel your best, Sound Women’s Health has made real improvements in their clients’ confidence. Joneli described an experience she had working with a client who came in on a whim. At the time, the client was unhappy with her face’s appearance, to the point of considering surgery. “We took her in and stayed open late to give her a makeover,” Joneli recalls. With some carefully administered injections and a fresh face of makeup, the client left feeling like a completely new person. “She left here crying, she was so happy. It was a big transformation.”
When looking at Sound Women’s Health’s list of treatment options, it’s clear they’ve curated their procedures to help people age gracefully. From makeup to vitamin B injections and natural hormone balancing, all of their treatments are non-invasive or minimally so, with an emphasis on rejuvenating the energy and beauty you already have.
Visit their website for more information on their SmoothCool treatment and other aesthetic procedures. Scheduling a personalized consultation is the first step toward full skin recovery.
Kathe Koruga (second from left), encourages community members to assist the Bellingham Public School Foundation buy donating cash, supplies or gift card donations throughout the year. Photo courtesy: Shawn Nichols.
Soap, deodorant, toothbrush, comb and shampoo; these were the items I packed into a small drawstring bag – a hygiene care package for a child in need. According to the United Way ALICE Report, 18 percent of Whatcom County households are below the poverty line, while 24 percent are below the ALICE line.
An INSP employee helps guests at the pop-up party create a hygiene gift bag for local Whatcom County students in need. Photo courtesy: Shawn Nichols.
“ALICE” stands for Asset Limited, Income Constrained, Employed. This metric constitutes a high amount of the Whatcom County population who are above the Federal Poverty Level, but don’t make enough to afford basic household necessities. If you add the percentage of those under the FPL and those under the ALICE line, you arrive at 42 percent – the percentage of individuals in our county who can’t afford to live comfortably.
No one is affected worse than children; dependents who aren’t old enough and lack the skills to earn an income themselves. They are directly dependent on their parent’s or parents’ source of income.
So, if deodorant isn’t in the budget this month, you don’t get deodorant before you head to school. If it isn’t feasible to buy a toothbrush until the end of the week, that’s one week without brushing your teeth, and who knows if the family can even afford to buy toothpaste?
These are all real scenarios faced by many Whatcom County families. Fortunately, businesses like Comcast and INSP are working with the Bellingham Public Schools Foundation to facilitate change.
Hygiene gift bags consisted of deodorant, soap, shampoo, combs, winter hats and gloves. Photo courtesy: Shawn Nichols.
On Saturday, September 22 from 12:00 to 4:00 p.m., INSP and Comcast partnered to host “XFINITY + INSP + You = Building a Stronger Community Together.” The free pop-up party took place at the XFINITY Store by Comcast located at 1145 E. Sunset Drive #105 in Bellingham. Attendees were encouraged to participate in the creation of hygiene gift baskets, which will be distributed to local school children.
Bellingham and Burlington Xfinity Store Manager Erikka Taylor said the original plan was to create school supply packages for students in need, but the team later discovered that the Bellingham Public Schools Foundation already provides school supplies. So INSP and Comcast partnered with the Bellingham Schools Foundation and asked where they saw a need in the community.
“Community is very important,” Taylor says. “We already offer initiatives such as the Internet Essentials program through Comcast to help underprivileged families, but we’re always looking for more ways to help our local community.” The Internet Essentials program helps families without internet gain access for just $9.95, for students to complete their homework and gain access to learning resources they wouldn’t otherwise have. Today, it’s almost impossible for students to complete their homework without basic internet access. But many families lack the funds to make this possible. Comcast identified this need and is working to fix the problem in our community. And they’re addressing other issues as well.
Comcast and INSP partnered with the Bellingham Public Schools Foundation to host the event. Photo courtesy: Shawn Nichols.
Last year, INSP and Comcast collaborated on their first Pop-Up Party. This year, they wanted the event to focus on giving back to the community. The highlight of the event was creating the “personal supply packs.” Any customer who walked into the store could make one, and Comcast and INSP provided all the supplies. There were 200 drawstring backpacks that needed to be filled with toiletries and winter clothing. After filling your backpack with all the essentials, you got to participate in a puzzle activity for a chance at some prizes. Every guest got a free ice cream voucher for the Sugar Shack food truck, which was parked right outside the store.
This event was just one of many opportunities to help those less fortunate in Whatcom County. ELL Family Advocate and Family Liaison for Bellingham Public Schools Kathe Koruga said assistance and community involvement is needed all year long. “Contributing cash donations to the Bellingham Public School Foundation – specify it goes to basic needs – helps us buy beds and so many other basic needs,” Koruga said. “Donating gift cards to stores like Fred Meyer also helps the foundation buy clothing or other needs when we can’t find a community partner to assist us when an immediate need arises.”
Kathe Koruga (second from left), encourages community members to assist the Bellingham Public School Foundation by donating cash, supplies or gift card donations throughout the year. Photo courtesy: Shawn Nichols.
Koruga said the Bellingham Public Schools Foundation is always looking for new community partners to support Whatcom County students and families. The foundation was thrilled with Comcast and INSP’s event, which helped families and raised awareness of issues in our community.
Koruga said the foundation started collecting and distributing personal care items last year because families were asking for laundry soap, diapers, shampoo, deodorant and other necessities. These items cannot be obtained at the food banks found throughout the county, making it hard for some families to collect them at all.
“We could not do this work without our community partners,” Koruga said. “We have had realtors, churches and business owners all partner with us.”
Doing good also feels good; you’re not only helping someone else when you donate to a person in need, you’re also helping yourself by spreading a bit of good fortune where it’s most needed.
Gary’s Plumbing & Heating has raving fans. Here’s what one has to say:
“When was the last time you talked on the phone with office staff in a service provider’s office who actually knows who you are and really cares about your situation instead of trying to get off the phone as quickly as possible? At Gary’s, EVERYONE you encounter, whether it is in person in your home for the service call or on the telephone call to their office, listens to what you are saying and responds with interest and concern. You get a complete response, rather than a partial answer to get off the phone as quickly as possible. If I owned a company, I would want it to be like Gary’s Plumbing & Heating. They don’t just take care of maintenance/repair of plumbing, heating and A/C, they CARE about my home and my well-being. What a GREAT TEAM, which is not surprising if you know the ‘team leader,’ Gary!”
And they’re also great to work for. We recently overheard this comment in their office:
Submitted by Barron Heating, AC, Electrical & Plumbing
Saying goodbye to summer doesn’t have to mean saying goodbye to comfort. As cooler evenings creep in...
