On Tuesday, January 19, 2016, Comcast opened an XFINITY Store in a new location in Bellingham. The new store is designed around the needs of customers, giving them an opportunity to explore, learn, and talk with XFINITY Experts while interacting directly with the latest XFINITY products and services.
“We’re excited to bring a user-friendly full-service XFINITY Store into this vibrant area of Bellingham. Our new location offers a comfortable interactive experience of all our XFINITY products and services. People in Bellingham and surrounding communities are passionate about cutting-edge technology, and we’re looking forward to helping meet their needs,” said Vicky Oxley, Vice President of Marketing and Sales for Comcast in Washington.
The store is located at 1145 E Sunset Dr, #105, Bellingham, WA 98226. The store is located near Safeway, between the Tuesday Morning store and Harbor Freight Tools. The store is almost 3,000 square feet, more than four times the size of the previous store. The store employs 10 people, including 4 new employees added in preparation for the opening.
The new, interactive center features five flat screen HD TVs, a comfortable seating area and informational demo centers where customers can learn more about Comcast’s products and services, such as the signature X1 Entertainment Operating System, which provides a one-of-a-kind interactive TV experience with advanced Voice search, personalized recommendations and instant access to the latest shows and movies anytime on any screen.
At this one-stop-shop for entertainment, communications and smarthome needs, customers will have the opportunity to watch XFINITY TV, test drive our XFINITY Internet speeds, experience the XFINITY Voice service and interact with our XFINITY Home. Additionally, customers will receive personalized service from trained and knowledgeable Xfinity Experts and more time-saving offerings, including self-service kiosks for quick bill payment and a new queuing system that allows customers to explore and be entertained while waiting for service.
The new store will be open seven days a week, with 20 added hours per week to serve customers. The new store will be open from 9:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. Monday through Saturday and from noon to 4:00 p.m. on Sundays.
Whether you're there to beard-watch or to show off your facial hair, be sure to enjoy one of Aslan's delicious drinks. Photo courtesy: Aslan Brewing Co.
Submitted by Aslan Brewing Company
Aslan Brewing Company, a locally owned and operated 100% organic brewery, is proud to announce in January 2016 that it is the first company in Bellingham to achieve B Corp certification, and is one of four in Whatcom County. The certification acknowledges the company’s commitment to social and environmental ethics, transparency and accountability. Aslan Brewing joins over 1,500 Certified B Corporations from more than 120 industries in nearly 50 countries with one unifying goal — to redefine success in business.
Certified B Corporations have met rigorous standards that measure a company’s impact on its employees, suppliers, community, and the environment. The designation places it among an elite, vetted group of companies committed to being a force for good and creating value for society beyond profit alone.
“Every decision made at Aslan Brew, no matter how small it may seem, must be made with a conscious mind. We understand that we are often gifted the power to influence our friends and neighbors, and there is nothing more sustainable than insuring that everything we do will benefit us all in the long run.” — Jack Lamb, Owner & CEO
In a nutshell, a B Corp inspires businesses to compete not only to be the best in the world, but to be the best for the world. Through a rigorous review and inspection process conducted by the B Lab, B Corps are required to meet higher standards of social and environmental performance and ensure that these standards are comprehensive and transparent. It’s like a USDA Organic certification but for the whole business, not just the beer. Unlike traditional corporations, B Corps are legally required to consider the impact of their decisions not only on their shareholders, but also on their stakeholders (e.g., workers, suppliers, community, consumers, and the environment).
Creating a truly green business goes far beyond sustainable raw inputs and outputs. Rather, commitment toward preserving local management, helping the community, and respecting the needs of our own workforce are a few of the many elements that make a Aslan Brewing Company special.
“As we grow and our impact on the world becomes inevitably larger, we will continue to search for more ways to subsidize, or completely eliminate, the footprints we leave behind; there is no greater mission than that (and to brew really good beer, of course).” — Jack Lamb CEO
About B Corporations
Certified B Corporations meet the highest standards of overall social and environmental performance, legally expand their corporate responsibilities to include consideration of stakeholder interests, and build collective voice through the power of the unifying B Corporation brand. There are more than 1,500 Certified B Corporations from over 120 industries and nearly 50 countries with 1 unifying goal – to redefine success in business. B Corporations are leaders of the global movement of People Using Business as a Force for Good.
About B Lab
B Lab is a nonprofit organization that serves a global movement of People Using Business as a Force for Good. Its vision is that one day all companies will compete to be Best for the World and, as a result, society enjoys a shared and durable prosperity. B Lab drives this systemic change through a number of interrelated initiatives: 1) building a community of Certified B Corporations to make it easier for all of us to tell the difference between “good companies” and good marketing; 2) promoting usage of Mission Aligned corporate structures to increase efficacy of social entrepreneurship and impact investing (more than 2,000 benefit corporations have been registered in the 27 states and District of Columbia that have passed benefit corporation laws); 3) promoting Measure What Matters campaigns to increase use of free, powerful tools for businesses to measure, compare and improve their social and environmental performance (more than 20,000 businesses use B Lab’s free B Impact Assessment). 4) developing B Analytics, a customizable platform to help investors and institutions measure, benchmark, and report on the impact of the businesses with whom they work and in whom they invest. For more information, visit: www.bcorporation.net, www.bimpactassessment.net, www.b-analytics.net and www.benefitcorp.net.
The prestigious designation is awarded to companies which use the power of business to solve social and environmental problems and meet higher standards of social and environmental performance, transparency and accountability.
Some of Northwest Washington’s most talented and creative wedding professionals will be gathered Sunday, January 24 at the annual Bridal Inspirations Wedding Expo in Bellingham.
Bridal Inspirations will be presented from noon to 5:00 p.m. at the Four Points by Sheraton, 714 Lakeway Drive.
The largest bridal fashion show in Western Washington, featuring more than 100 dresses, will start at 4:00 p.m. in the hotel’s ballroom. The show will include bridal gowns and dresses for bridesmaids and mothers, plus suits and tuxedos for men, all in a variety of sizes.
Also, a Justin Alexander Trunk Show will be presented from noon to 3:30 p.m. in the hotel’s Mt. Baker room. Brides will get $5 off their ticket price if they book an appointment for the trunk show (reimbursed at appointment), plus a free gift and 10 percent off a gown if purchased that day. Joshua Cody will be here from the New York designer to work with appointments. He will also be at the fashion show at 4:00 p.m.
More than 50 businesses that offer services for weddings and other special events are expected to participate in the Bridal Inspiration Wedding Expo, including photographers, venues, florists, caterers, hair stylists, spas, event coordinators, officiants, rental companies and more.
“Bridal Inspirations is a fun day for brides, families and friends to start planning a wedding,” said Pam Reed, show organizer and owner of Alicia’s Bridal and The Formal House Tuxedos in Bellingham. “They’ll sample appetizers and wedding cake, sip champagne, see a fashion show, and enjoy themselves without having to run around to a dozen different businesses.”
Advance tickets are available before the day of the show for $15 at www.bridalinspirationsexpo.com. Tickets cost $18 at the door. For more information, call 360-733-2563.
A portion of the proceeds from Bridal Inspirations will go to the ALS Association in memory of Les Kooistra.
During the month of December, the Amalgamated Transit Union (ATU) and Whatcom Transportation Authority (WTA) collected warm clothing and blankets, donated by employees and members of the public. In all, the “Warm Hearts Warm Hands” clothing drive collected one hundred 40-pound bags full of warm clothes and blankets. The donations were divided evenly and distributed to three local organizations, recommended by Whatcom County’s Opportunity Council: Fountain Church, Hope House and the South Samish Resource Center.
WhatcomTalk is expanding its writing team. Join our team of paid, professional writers that live, work and play in Whatcom County.
WhatcomTalk publishes positive stories about people, businesses and organizations doing good things in communities across Whatcom County. Our stories are published online and distributed via social media. Our platform reaches people that want to know about great things happening around us.
Joining the freelance writing team of WhatcomTalk gives you an opportunity to release your creative spirit, meet new people around the community, explore things that you are interested in, and contribute to a locally owned, growing business. Some of our writers craft more than 10 articles per month, others write just one — and everything in between. The position is very flexible, based on a writer’s time availability and interests.
Job Requirements:
Proven experience creating error-free articles on deadline
Ability to interview and interface with local business owners
Interest in writing advertising and marketing materials as well as business articles
Skills to snap quick photographs during interviews to submit with stories
Initiative to pitch story ideas on a monthly basis
Sincere passion for sharing the positive stories happening in our community
Dr. Stephen Robinson took part in four space shuttle missions, from 1997 to 2009. Photo courtesy: Dr. Stephen Robinson.
Celebrated astronaut Dr. Stephen Robinson is coming to the Mount Baker Theatreon Saturday, February 6 where he promises to take audience members to the cosmos with his spectacular multimedia presentation “This Side of Impossible: Achieving the Dream of Spaceflight.”
Now a professor in the Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering at UC Davis, Dr. Robinson spent nearly 37 years at NASA— 17 of those as an astronaut — and took part in four shuttle missions, from 1997 to 2009.
“This event will give folks in the community a window into the NASA Human Space Flight Program,” says Dr. Robinson. “People tend to be curious and passionate about space exploration, and this is a behind-the-scenes look at things you can’t find on the Internet or in the newspaper.”
Robinson’s presentation at Mount Baker Theatre will give folks a fascinating window into the NASA Human Space Flight Program. Photo courtesy: Dr. Stephen Robinson.
“From the Wright brothers to space exploration, all of us at San Juan Airlines share that fascination across the entire gamut of flight,” says San Juan Airlines Co-Owner Katie Jansen. “Sponsoring Dr. Robinson’s visit was a chance for us to share that curiosity and excitement with the whole community.
Part of the presentation’s theme is the value of persistence.
“Any adult could tell a version of that story, and this is my version,” says Robinson. “Both personal, but also in the bigger sense. Nobody would have gone to space, and continued going to space, if they gave up easily.”
Robinson says you need visuals to truly get a sense of what it’s like to fly in space, and through his presentation, he’ll help put powerful images in context.
Robinson takes an outer space selfie. Photo credit: Dr. Stephen Robinson.
Robinson was born in Sacramento but his family is from Vancouver, so he’s very familiar with Bellingham.
His parents owned a place in Blaine for many years, and Robinson — who is also a pilot — has landed at the Bellingham airport several times.
He shares a fond boyhood memory related to our airport.
“There used to be a DC-3 out there at the end of the runway and I remember spending a pleasant Saturday afternoon, sitting in the grass under the wing of that DC-3, waiting for somebody to arrive,” Robinson says, and then laughs: “That was quite a long time ago.”
Robinson is looking forward to his upcoming Bellingham visit and promises that whether attendees are 7 years old or 95, and every age in between, the experience will speak to them.
Preparing for spaceflight. Photo courtesy: Dr. Stephen Robinson.
“And it’s good news,” he continues. “There are all kinds of bad stories out there. This is a good one.”
Mount Baker Theatre’s Executive Director, Brad Burdick, describes Dr. Robinson’s story as one of adventure, courage, perseverance and hard work. “We’re honored to invite him to Mount Baker Theatre and hope — with tickets starting at just $10 — that families can enjoy this presentation together.”
Tickets are available at Mount Baker Theatre. Proceeds benefit Dr. Robinson’s Astronaut Alumni Scholarship at UC Davis.
Astronaut Steve Robinson repairs a heat shield. Photo courtesy: Dr. Stephen Robinson.
Dr. Stephen Robinson
This Side of Impossible: Achieving the Dream of Spaceflight
Saturday, February 6 at 7:30 p.m.
Mount Baker Theatre
104 North Commercial Street in downtown Bellingham
360-734-6080
When Jeff Evans made the leap from Seattle Mariners Assistant Director of Baseball Information to Western Washington University Sports Information Director in October 2015, some friends worried it could be a step backward.
Not Evans.
In fact, he happily left what had been a dream job, all in the service of his young family.
“I look at it as a step forward,” he says. “Because I’m able to do my own thing here and also raise my family in this amazing community.”
After nearly a decade with the Mariners, Evans came to a crossroads: Did he want to continue down a path of living the single man/sports fan’s dream or be around his family a whole lot more?
The decision was easy.
Evans grew up in Gig Harbor, watching Mariners baseball. As a freshman at Washington State University, he heard a man speak about his career as a publicist for players like John Olerud and Drew Bledsoe. The mix of journalism, public relations and sports hooked Evans instantly.
Jeff, Kim, Charlie and Caroline pose at Safeco Field, Jeff’s home away from home for nearly 10 years. Photo courtesy: Jeff Evans.
“I volunteered my freshman year with the baseball team, running the scoreboard,” he says. It didn’t pay, but it certainly paid off. “My sophomore year, the director asked if I wanted to oversee baseball.”
While at Wazzu, Evans also got involved with football and basketball, working the events and really getting to know his intended profession.
With a couple summer internships under his belt, Evans was offered a job after graduation from Arizona State University’s baseball coach.
His goal was to learn as much as he could, have fun, and ultimately get back to Washington State.
“I wanted to work for the Mariners,” he says. “That was my dream.”
After a five-year stint in Arizona, Evans went to the Texas Rangers for one year, before his dream position opened up in Seattle.
Evans traveled with the team extensively, writing game recaps, researching statistics, and working alongside superstars like Felix Hernandez and Ken Griffey Jr. — heroes to millions.
Eventually, Evans met his wife and started a family. With two young children in the picture, priorities began to realign.
Evans was rarely home during his tenure with the team. With 162 baseball games each season, plus spring training, Evans was at 120 — and writing about all of them.
Jeff, wife Kim, son Charlie and daughter Caroline have quickly learned to call Bellingham home. Photo courtesy: Jeff Evans.
“During the baseball season, it was hard for me to be around,” he says. “It came down to: How can I be at my son’s baseball games?”
The rising cost of living and traffic headaches also had Evans reevaluating what he wanted to do professionally and how to balance that with family.
“I did some soul-searching, and then this job at Western came open,” he says.
“I interviewed them as much as they interviewed me.”
Evans took over the role of Western’s Sports Information Director from Paul Madison, who left after 47 years.
“I have a lot to learn to get up to speed and look forward to learning all the sports programs and the great history,” he says. “I’m taking over for someone who cared immensely about the history of WWU Athletics and I look forward to keeping that tradition alive.”
Many would find Evans’ current Western workload hectic — following 15 different sports requires a lot of juggling. But it’s a far cry from the travel and intense schedule of working for the Mariners.
“I came in during the confluence in the fall and winter sports, where basketball was starting up and soccer and volleyball were going on,” says Evans. “I was thrown definitely into the deep end, with my day-to-day making sure all my ducks are in order for all the sports.”
Part of his job includes overseeing the Western Athletics website and interacting on social media.
Evans hopes to step up Western Athletics’ social media game, keeping things updated and making sure every sport is covered, while also staffing events for statistics and coming up with new ideas.
Jeff Evans became Western’s new Sports Information Director in October 2015. Photo courtesy: Jeff Evans.
“I’m very much in the evaluation stage, just trying to produce as much content as I can for our athletic teams, for the website and social media,” he says.
Evans is already a familiar sight at Western.
“I’m monitoring every event and I’m at a lot of them — that’s the nature of the beast,” he says. “But you can plan a lot more in advance and it’s not every single day. I look at this as a nice reprieve.”
He’s quick to add that it’s also a lot of fun. “Being around the collegiate atmosphere again is really nice,” he says. “Getting to know all the coaches and student athletes has been a great experience.”
Evans plans for this new position to be long-term. “I’ve already done this job at the highest of levels for 10 years in Major League Baseball,” he says. “Now I want to take everything I’ve learned and implement it and hopefully grow the department.”
And his goal to spend more time with family? That’s been a home run.
“This job has provided all that and more,” he says. “Everything being within 5 to 10 minutes away means so much when you’re raising a family.”
Evans and his wife have enjoyed discovering favorite running trails — bringing their son and daughter along in a double stroller — as well as Bellingham’s much-loved breweries and coffee shops.
Boulevard Park is already a favorite destination for the Evans family. Photo courtesy: Jeff Evans.
“We love craft beer, and the fact that we can bring our family to Elizabeth Station or to Kulshan Brewing or Boundary Bay and enjoy those Sunday afternoons where we just sit and talk,” he says. “Or The Woods! There seems to be one on every corner and we love supporting a local business.”
Evans and his wife have also fallen for the Bellingham Farmers Market and walking to Fairhaven from Boulevard Park.
“There’s just so much to do here,” he says. “And we haven’t even gotten out to Baker yet! It’s really refreshing to have so many outdoor recreation options right on your doorstep.”
For all the positive changes the move to Bellingham has brought, there are a couple things Evans knows he’ll miss about being with the Seattle Mariners.
“I’ll miss working alongside the players and also the thrill of having my work on a national stage. “When I’d put something out on Felix Hernandez, it would often end up on Sportscenter,” he says. “But I’m fine with it.”
Evans hasn’t looked over his shoulder since leaving the organization, but he is already looking forward to returning next summer in a different capacity.
“It’s going to be great to go down to Safeco Field with my son and sit in the outfield and just watch a game,” he says, smiling. “I haven’t watched a baseball game simply as a fan in the last 15 years.”
And though he admits there will likely be moments in the coming Mariners season where he’ll be tempted to pull out his laptop and email the PR staff with a stat or two — old habits die hard, after all — he’ll stop himself, because that’s not what he does anymore.
Jeff will cherish a lifetime of memories made with the Seattle Mariners, but is equally excited to now be working with the Vikings. Photo courtesy: Jeff Evans.
“I have a lifetime’s collection of memories in my mind and on my shelf — from Arizona State and Team USA Baseball to the Texas Rangers and Seattle Mariners,” he says. “And now I get to do that all over again in a town like Bellingham and at a school like Western.”
Read Jeff’s thoughts about his final game with the Mariners at his personal blog.
Since 1996, the K-20 Education Network has served as a high-speed, high-connectivity network linking local colleges, universities, K-12 school districts and libraries across Washington State — including institutions in Whatcom County — to innovative technology systems designed to enhance learning.
From its inception, K-20’s purpose has been to provide reliable, consistent access to students across the state, including those living in more rural areas. K-20, a public and privately funded technology network, does this by connecting students, teachers and parents to local, national and global resources in an effective and efficient manner.
For example, when a third grader opens a web page to virtually tour a museum, he’s accessing the K-20 Education Network. When a medical practitioner attends a remote training course, she’s accessing the network. And when a teacher emails a parent or an office professional completes payroll, they’re accessing the network, too. Essentially, if computer-driven education is a body, then K-20 is its circulatory system.
Comcast Business in Washington Vice President, Matt Fassnacht, says Comcast Business is proud to provide the infrastructure the K-20 Education Network — and the students, teachers and parents its support — with the tools it needs to be successful.
However, in the 20 years since the K-20 Education Network was founded, connectivity has skyrocketed. Today, people don’t simply connect to the World Wide Web via dial-up on their desktop computer; they’re connecting on the go with their phones, tablets, laptops and other wireless devices, sometimes all at once. So in order for a large-scale, statewide system like K-20 to be successful and fulfill its purpose, it requires a reliable infrastructure designed specifically with K-20’s needs in mind. Enter Comcast Business.
This past December, Comcast Business was selected by the K-20 Education Network to provide a comprehensive communications network system designed to better support the more than 100 higher education institutions, K-12 school districts and libraries that K-20 serves statewide.
In Whatcom County and other parts of western Washington, those educational institutions include:
“Technology can make life more efficient and stretch the boundaries of learning for students,” says Matt Fassnacht, Comcast Business in Washington Vice President. “You have to have the foundation and network behind it to support the applications. We have an opportunity with what we do at Comcast Business to provide the foundation for those ideas to take flight.”
Comcast Business is providing 101 fiber-rich remote K-20 spoke locations connected back to K-20’s main data center hub in Seattle. There, two 100Gb fiber circuits supply the network with over 200 Gbps of data throughput, which Comcast says gives K-20 significant ability to grow quickly and seamlessly as future network demands increase. For the K-20 Education Network, the dedicated connectivity ranges from 100Mbps to 10Gbps per circuit.
Technology in the classroom provides students access to learning tools they wouldn’t have otherwise. Being able to connect quickly is key to enhancing education in the digital age.
As technology needs increase at an exponential rate, it’s important that infrastructure exists to support modern learning in the classroom. “There are economies of scale and efficiencies when the network is supporting what the teachers and students are doing,” says Fassnacht. “That should be transparent. From a strategic standpoint also, we’re going to see bandwidth needs dramatically increasing. Fifty percent of web traffic is mobile now. You’re only going to see those needs increase as more students are taking devices home. We’re not only providing them what they need today, but we’re providing them what they need well into the future.”
By providing the K-20 Education Network with a “fiber-diverse, ‘hub and spoke’ Ethernet Virtual Private Line (EVPL) network configuration,” Comcast Business is able to supercharge the K-20 Education Network with the infrastructure and bandwidth it needs to be successful and grow as network demands increase into the future.
Mike Scroggins, deputy executive director of information technology for the State Board for Community and Technical Colleges and chair of the K-20 Network Consortium says he remembers what K-20 looked like when it formed 20 years ago. In the mid-1990s, infrastructure costs were prohibitive and access was anemic at best. But thoughtful legislators had a vision to create reliable and consistent access to information and make it available to all students across the state. To achieve this goal, they built an unorthodox coalition of educational venues. Included were K-12 districts, tribal schools, community and technical colleges, library systems, and universities — both public and private. As they correctly hypothesized, bringing all the players to the table maximized efficiency.
“One of our anchor tenets was to bring Internet access to rural communities,” explains Scroggins. “When we brought the network to places like Ilwaco or Forks, it paved the way for businesses, hospitals, and the general community to build on that infrastructure.” By benefitting local communities as a whole, the K-20 Education Network far surpassed its initial goal of enhancing learning in the classroom — it inspired connectivity throughout entire communities.
More than just supporting the K-20 Education Network as it operates today, Comcast Business is able to provide the infrastructure it needs to grow into the future.
With the help of Comcast Businesses, the K-20 Education Network will be able to continue growing and expanding with today’s ever-changing technology, enhancing learning in the classroom and better connecting students, teachers and parents to the world that surrounds them.
Fassnacht is pleased to share Comcast’s innovation, capability, and commitment with the educational community. “We serve large business, small business, government and the education sector,” he says. “What we do is affect lives, whether that’s promoting the interaction between a teacher and student or helping a large-scale enterprise business provide solutions to their customers.”
With K-20’s new and improved bandwidth, better educational experiences are expected for staff and students at every learning level, and that’s a win for everyone. “This isn’t just a partnership between Comcast and K-20,” says Fassnacht. “It’s a partnership between Comcast Business and that teacher, that student, that school, and that family.”
For more information about Comcast Business and how it works together to improve the communities it serves by better connecting them to the technology of today, visit Comcast Business online. For addition information about the K-20 Education Network, visit: www.wa-k20.net.
Gov. Jay Inslee has appointed Bellingham resident and retired business executive John Pedlow to Whatcom Community College’s Board of Trustees. Pedlow began his five-year term Dec. 15, 2015. He replaces local business owner Chuck Robinson on the five-member board. Robinson’s term expired in December, and he is stepping down after a decade of service to the College.
The trustees are appointed by the governor and serve five-year terms and/or until their successors are appointed, and must reside within the College’s district boundaries. The board’s duties include setting the College’s strategic direction, establishing policy for the College, awarding tenure, approving the operating budget and hiring the College president.
John Pedlow joins Whatcom Community College as its newest Board of Trustees member. Photo courtesy: Whatcom Community College.
“We are extremely fortunate that John has been named to WCC’s Board of Trustees,” says current board chair Steve Adelstein. “His experience as a business leader and commitment to education and community will help us to further strengthen Whatcom’s reputation for excellence and innovation.”
Pedlow retired in 2008 as chief executive officer of Broadcast Electronics Inc., which is the largest radio-only broadcast equipment manufacturer in the United States. During his career, he was also vice president of Alpha Technologies North American Operations, president and CEO of Power West Inc., and vice president of Square D Corporation’s power protection system division.He has a bachelor’s degree in business from Widener University in Chester, Pa., and completed post-graduate work in law and business administration at Thomas Jefferson School of Law in San Diego. He and his wife, Joyce, moved from San Diego to Bellingham in 1996.
Pedlow is a member of the Rotary Club of Bellingham and serves on the board of directors of the Mount Baker Theatre and the Bellingham Angel Investors group. Prior to his appointment as a trustee, he served as a member of the WCC Foundation Board of Directors. He was a founding member of the America’s Cup 95 organization and the Bellingham Innovation Group (BIG) Idea Lab, an incubator for local entrepreneurs. He is a former board member of The Arc of Whatcom County and WQUB FM, a National Public Radio affiliate station.
Whatcom Community College is a regionally and nationally accredited two-year college with an accomplished faculty and staff who serve 11,000 students annually.
Other members of WCC’s Board of Trustees are Steve Adelstein, attorney at law, Adelstein, Sharpe & Serka; Barbara Rofkar, counselor and mediator in private practice and with Whatcom Dispute Resolution Center as well as part-time faculty at Western Washington University; Sue Cole, brand marketing and communications consultant; and Tim Douglas, retired, former mayor of Bellingham.
Every year the Whatcom County Library System Youth Services department recognizes local community educators who have made a real and significant difference in the lives of the young people of Whatcom County with the Golden Apple Award. For 2015, WCLS recognizes two colleagues from Western Washington University (WWU), Nancy Johnson and Sylvia Tag, whose dedication to books and reading, and whose collaboration with their public library partners, has resulted in the sorts of experiences that open kids to stories and reading in unforeseen and indelible ways.
As committed members of the WWU Academic community, Nancy and Sylvia work hard to produce opportunities for their students to engage with the best contemporary literature for children and teens, and the writers and illustrators who produce it. They put on an annual Children’s Literature Conference, now in its thirteenth year, to bring luminaries from the world of children’s and young adult publishing to campus for a day of education and inspiration. They curate Poetry CHaT, a collection of resources, ideas and curricula designed to help educators share their love of poetry with children and teens, a landmark collection unlike any other in the United States. And in this impressive work they go out of their way to include children and teens from across Whatcom County, significantly increasing the impact of these initiatives.
(L-R front row) Nancy Johnson, WCLS Public Services Librarian Aubri Keleman, WCLS Teen Services Coordinator Tamar Clarke, Sylvia Tag, (back row) WCLS Youth Services Manager Thom Barthelmess. Photo courtesy: Whatcom County Library System.
From arranging for authors to speak to kids in libraries, in classrooms, or at the Whatcom County Juvenile Detention, to inviting members of the Whatcom County Library staff to serve on the boards and planning committees for their projects, Nancy and Sylvia have spread the wealth of their efforts to reach all young people. And in those efforts they not only celebrate the literature itself, but inspire young people to be not only consumers, but creators, too, of great literary art.
Awarded at the December meeting of the Whatcom County Library System Board of Trustees meeting.
Kevin Wiebe is a Ferndale native. Although he graduated from Ferndale High School, he admits he wasn't a model student. His teachers and administrators...
