Bellingham’s very own Funky’s Hot Sauce Factory has been named the 2022 Grand World Champion at the 9th annual New York City Hot Sauce Expo 2022. It was also awarded the 1st place Screaming Mi Mi for its Carolina Reaper sauce at the September 24-25 event. Funky’s was crowned champion out of 400 entrants and the hot sauce maker is the first Pacific Northwest company to be awarded the honor.
Funky’s
currently offers eight unique hot sauces — loaded with flavor and just the
right amount of heat — all of which are 100% vegan, gluten free, Non-GMO, and
mostly organic. A small, family-run business, Funky’s prides itself on using
locally sourced and organic ingredients whenever available. Its products
contain no fillers, only natural preservatives, and only naturally sourced
salt.
Photo courtesy Funky’s Hot Sauce Factory
Funky’s
owner Matthew Mini has been passionate about homegrown gardens since the early
2000s. Fifteen years ago, after planting more than 50 pepper plants, Mini became
obsessed with making hot sauce. At the time, he worked at Russian River Brewing
Company in Northern California, where he learned about fermentation. It was
natural that his love of fermentation and peppers collided to culminate in
amazing hot sauce.
The
journey of life eventually led Mini and his family to Bellingham, Washington,
where he grabbed the opportunity to start his own company. In 2019, Funky’s Hot
Sauce Factory was born. Today, Mini still tends his own home pepper garden and
uses the homegrown harvests to create test batches for new sauces.
Mini
loves connecting with local business owners and has enjoyed great success
growing a network of Pacific Northwest contributors to his sauces. Among his
list of suppliers are Jimmy Kintzele of Southern Exposure Family Farm in
Burlington, Washington, who grew the tasty Carolina Reapers used in this year’s
award-winning Seeing Stars sauce; Shrub Farms of Bellingham, Washington, who
makes the apple cider vinegar used in Funky’s Liquid Sunshine sauce; and
Bellingham-based graphic designer Tony Walters of Fat Lizard Designs, who creates
all of Funky’s label art. Farm Cooperative and Puget Sound Food Hub help
distribute Funky’s Hot Sauce Factory sauces throughout Washington.
Whether
you’re a hot sauce fanatic or someone who’s just begun to explore the hot sauce
universe, Funky’s Hot Sauce Factory has a sauce for you!
The Whatcom Dispute Resolution Center (WDRC) invites
the community to join us in honoring five remarkable individuals,
organizations, programs, and projects at the 19th annual Peace
Builder Awards on October 21.
“In facing the challenges of the past year, each of the
award winners represent unique, collaborative, and important efforts to elevate
equity, promote healing for the community, foster positive connections between
individuals and cultures, and contribute to a more peaceful world,” said
Moonwater, WDRC Executive Director. “We are looking forward to this treasured
community celebration.”
The Peace Builder Awards virtual gala, presented by Peoples Bank and PSE, will celebrate the 30th year anniversary of the WDRC and recognize the award-winners and youth poets, and include a silent auction presented by SaviBank. The event will livestream from the Hotel Leo from 6 to 8 p.m.
Visit www.whatcomdrc.org for information, to register for the silent auction, and to watch the Peace Builder Awards.
Recipients of the 2022 Peace Builder Awards
Social Justice Award: Connect Ferndale, Remy Styrk, Juneteenth Video
Project
For deepening the
understanding of the significance of Juneteenth, elevating the voices of local
Black students and community leaders, and for encouraging thoughtful dialogue
around racial equity.
Collaboration Award: Mary Loquvam, York Community Farm
For bringing the community
together to create an urban farm that provides jobs, educational opportunities,
and addresses food insecurity in the neighborhood.
Education Award: Daniel
Anderson, Assumption School
For his dedication in
balancing the needs of students, families, and the school impacted by COVID.
Community Health & Recovery Award: Ashley Butenschoen, Lacey De Lange, Whatcom Long
Term Recovery Group
For facilitating access to
resources and helping Whatcom County communities, individuals, and families
recover after the devastating floods of 2021.
Reconciliation Award: Kamalla Kaur, Tarnjot Singh Brar, Chardi Kala
Project
For their commitment to
promote learning about the Sikh culture and fostering peace, connection, and
inclusion.
Thank you to our additional sponsors:
Brett McCandlis Brown & Conner – Julian &
Company – Highline Construction – Chmelik Sitkin & Davis – Ethos West Construction – Saratoga Real
Estate – GLP Personal Injury Attorneys – Village Books
Big Blue House was the first building owned by WCEL and is located on the corner of H Street and Girard in Bellingham. Photo courtesy WCEL
The Whatcom Center for Early Learning (WCEL) marks its 50th anniversary in 2023. Let’s look back at how this beloved local organization came to be — and the differences it’s made and continues to make in our community.
Bellingham
resident Anne Brown was a public nurse at the Whatcom County Health Department more
than 50 years ago, when many children born with disabilities and birth defects were
often placed in institutions. Meanwhile, states were trying to figure out how
to provide services and support for children in need living at home, with a
goal to keep them from being institutionalized by providing parents and families
the support they needed. This was before Washington state had signed on to the
Education for All Handicapped Children Act in 1975. Since 1990, the legislation
has been referred to as the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), which
governs how states and public agencies provide early intervention, special
education, and related services to more than 6.5 million eligible infants,
toddlers, children, and youth with disabilities.
Anne
was tasked with the responsibility to work with these families to support the
child’s development and teach family members skills to help with the physical challenges
and delays of these very young children who didn’t yet qualify for programs
offered by public schools. Anne’s goals included providing support in the
family home to help the child’s success and address the issue of family
isolation.
The 0-3 age range presents a unique window of opportunity for growth, as 85% of brain development occurs in this period. Photo courtesy WCEL
Anne
worked with a group of people throughout Whatcom County to provide direct
support services, including WWU professor Dr. C. Max Higbee who would launch
the Max Higbee Center in 1984. “Anne always likes to
reiterate that it wasn’t just her,” says current WCEL Executive Director Sierra
James. In 1973, under Anne’s leadership, the group formed what is now known as
WCEL.
For
many years, WCEL depended upon the generosity of organizations like Western
Washington University and the Opportunity Council for physical space. WCEL
currently has three locations: the Big Blue House, Little Brick House, and the Cordata
Location.
The
Big Blue House, on H Street became their Bellingham home base in the late ’90s,
with administrative office space and room for in-person services for children
and families, as well as an outdoor space for additional activities. Little
Brick House, acquired in 2019, is in Ferndale, and the newest WCEL location, in
Cordata, was added to the facility roster in 2021.
Development
and Communications Director Erin Malone came to WCEL 10 years ago. “I was drawn
to the organization because I was interested in children — and education,
particularly — and was drawn to the organization because it had such a great
model,” Erin says. “The services that were provided, the staff who were
providing those services, and the history of the program just really spoke to
me.”
A third of the children and families that WCEL works with don’t need additional support after completion of the program. Photo courtesy WCEL
In
the past decade, the staff has grown from 10 people to nearly 50 employees. The
number of children and families served doubled from 2015 to 2021. According to
Sierra, this happened for a few reasons. The state provided more funding, the
community became more aware of their work (with help from this video), families
actively asked for referrals, and some learned that they could self-refer.
Still,
various barriers to
accessing services remain. “One of WCEL’s goals is to do better for kids of
color in our community, to help to address those health disparities that have
been noticed throughout the pandemic,” says Sierra. “For some Latinx families,
the fear of ICE is a barrier, and WCEL being a government-funded institution is
fearful for them.” (To be clear, WCEL does not turn over records, and is
actively working on finding trusted messengers that can help with sharing information
to those communities.)
Sierra
says leadership has been focusing on DEI work in the agency, and the last
couple of years have done really deep work, including quarterly staff
trainings. One recent concept discussed was the school-to-prison pipeline that
is talked about in racial terms. Through disability terms, approximately 40% to
60% of the prison population would be eligible for special ed support in a
school system. In the case of a Black family with a young Black male who has
social, emotional, or behavior issues, systemic oppression is going to be
working against these children.
Another
barrier recently identified is that the term “early intervention” is off-putting. Those services are now referred to as “early support.”
In
general, over the past 6 months, the number of families served has increased by
15%. Sierra attributes this to the fact that vaccines are now available for
this age group, and they feel safer gathering in person; families are able to
see their kids next to their peers. When WCEL held its 2022 summer picnic, it
was the first time some parents of toddlers had experienced their child around others
in their age group.
There
are still families in our community that either aren’t aware of WCEL or don’t
know how to access services. WCEL wants families with any concerns about their
children to have them checked out as soon as possible.
“The
ability for a child’s brain to change in the early period of their life is
huge,” Erin says. “Eighty-seven percent of brain development happens from birth
to age 3. We only have this little period at the beginning of their lives, and
we want to set it up so it’s the best it can be.”
To
get your child into services, or if you have concerns that your child may have
a slight delay or a disability, you can ask for a free evaluation. Families can
call 360-715-7485 with questions about their child’s development. There will be
a quick screening over the phone, at which point the child may be directed to
other resources. In any event, partnership with your pediatrician or family
doctor is also important, as they can make referrals.
WCEL,
along with the Opportunity Council, are
the two early support providers in Whatcom County. Callers can request either
agency, and where the family lives may dictate access to one over the other.
Contacting WCEL is a great way to find resources and connect with service
providers and other families in a community that understands what you’re going
through.
Information
for WCEL’s upcoming 50th anniversary events will be released through social
media. Please follow WCEL on Facebook and Instagram for the latest.
The winning photo for the October calendar feature is among several to prominently feature wildlife. Photo credit: Chloie Jensen
First Fed has announced the winners of this year’s Proudly PNW Photo Contest. The contest received over 2,400 entries, and winning photos will be featured in First Fed’s Proudly PNW 2023 calendar. This calendar will be available for free at First Fed branches starting October 31.
Gracing the calendar’s cover is the grand prize-winning photo by Elisa Laverty, an image of herself sitting on rocks overlooking the Cascade Mountains.
Elisa Laverty submitted the grand prize photo, climbing rocks for the pose while her friend Chris took the picture. Photo credit: Elisa Laverty
“I enlisted my friend Chris to help me find a spot in the Cascades that
showcased the beauty of the high county,” says Laverty. “We were awe-inspired
by the view and captured the photo before continuing on our adventure.”
Mathew Nichols’ photo of a buck under the moon at Hurricane Ridge won the Fan Favorite prize. It received over 800 votes from contest viewers.
Mathew Nichols won the Fan Favorite prize for this photo of a buck at Hurricane Ridge. Photo credit: Mathew Nichols
Other winning photos celebrate Pacific Northwest’s spectacular scenery
of mountains, wildlife, and waterways. Whatcom resident Mark
Joseph’s winning entry for August was among many that took hours of patience and
careful focus on the environment.
“The photo that won was from one of my road trips down to Crater Lake, Oregon,” Joseph says. “I spent a lot of time there, early morning and late night, trying to catch the sunrise and the sunset.”
Joseph, who sells stock photos, says that he recently felt humbled to see one of his images featured in Kaiser Permanente materials. Like other contest entrants, he enjoys capturing the region’s uncommon and everyday beauty in hobby photography.
Mark Joseph took his winning Crater Lake photo for August on one of many road trips he has taken around the region and country. Photo credit: Mark Joseph
“I would say the Pacific Northwest is one of the most beautiful scenic
areas in the country. Between the mountains and the lakes and the valleys it’s one of nature’s
beauties,” says Joseph. “And I spend as much time as I can doing a lot of road
trips in the Pacific Northwest. I’m always looking for that Kodak moment.”
Still other winning photos combine natural and manmade beauty. Patricia Schulze’s July photo and Kurt Volkle’s November photo capture scenes of Washington ferries under evening skies.
Patricia Schulze took the winning photo for July on the Kingston-Edmonds ferry crossing. Photo credit: Patricia Schulze
“This ferry sunset image will be featured in July to celebrate our state’s unique flavor of ‘Americana,’” says First Fed Senior Director of Marketing Jennifer Bolton. “So many of us have a special place in our hearts for this public service provided by Washington State Ferries.”
First Fed has additionally awarded 16 Runner-Up prizes to other winning
photos, which will appear in extra materials.
“We wanted to recognize more talented photographers with the additional runners-up prizes,” Bolton says. “Their winning photos will be featured in other places like our branch screens.”
Songwriting Contest
To continue preparing for their 2023 centennial celebration with
creativity and regional pride, First Fed has announced a Songwriting Contest. Songwriters
have a chance to win a $5,000 grand prize through January 31, 2023.
“We are so excited to listen to the songs from our talented community,”
says Jen Swanson, First
Fed Community Engagement Manager. “The winning song will be an important
part of our plans to celebrate our 100 years in the PNW next year.”
Song lyrics must include words or phrases related to the Pacific
Northwest or community,
as listed in their rules. Entrants must exclusively own the rights to their
music and lyrics, but bands may enter collectively.
First Fed looks forward to selecting a winning song that will feature
prominently in its 2023 centennial celebration. “With so much local talent,”
Bolton says, “we are excited to see what the songwriting contest will bring!”
First Fed is a member FDIC and equal housing lender.
Featured photo by Chloie Jensen, winner selected for the October calendar page
Members of Bellingham United Debate Club gather from around town to learn their craft at Bellingham High School, just outside of downtown. Photo credit: Steven Arbuckle
Twice a week, a couple hours after classes end for the day, a group of students from around the city make their way into Bellingham High School. They’ve come to learn theory, conduct research, and practice public speaking as members of the Bellingham United Debate Club. And although they don’t receive the same attention as sports teams, they’re certainly also learning to use a specific set of skills — in a highly disciplined way and in a competitive environment.
The team is coached by Nick Phillips, who brings his
life-long love of debating to the club. “I was a high school debater in Boise,
and I loved it,” he says. “When I came up here for college, I took a step back,
because life has a way of getting in the way. Then last January I found out
there was an opportunity to work with the team here, and they hired me as the
coach.”
For Phillips, the benefits of debate are obvious, and can
help enrich a student’s life. “I love the way it challenges kids to think about
things in a new way,” Phillips says. “One of the most valuable skills you get
from the activity of debate is learning how to think beyond the surface level,
on any sort of issue.”
The Bellingham School District doesn’t offer debate as a
class or club, as other school districts do, so the Bellingham United Debate
Club gathers students from the entire area. “Anyone in secondary school in
Bellingham — whether it’s middle school or high school, homeschooling, or
private schools — can compete,” Phillips says. “If you are of secondary-school
age and live within the Bellingham School District’s operating boundaries, you
can participate as Bellingham United.”
Debate Coach Nick Phillips is glad to make his return to debate, and excited to be able to watch his students return to in-person debates. Photo credit: Steven Arbuckle
Anyone interested in joining the team can find information,
and contact the coaches, through their website.
Bellingham’s geography means the team is at the outskirts
of the debate landscape, but that doesn’t stop them from taking part in our
region’s debate activities.
“For us, basically everything is an away game,” says
Phillips. “Oftentimes it involves a hotel stay, so it can be a little bit
resource-intensive, and long bus rides can make for long weekends. But there
are a ton of schools in the Seattle area that we compete at, and most of the
big universities in the state, like UPS, Gonzaga, Seattle U, have tournaments,
as well.”
Laura Livingston debated through high school and college
and has also coached debate at the high school and college levels. Now she
volunteers with Bellingham United to pass on the benefits she received. “The
first kid I ever coached from 9th grade to 12th grade was not a particularly
good speaker when she joined, but she was ferociously curious,” Livingston
says. “She spent the year alternating between debate and soccer, and at the end
of the year I thought I would lose her to soccer. When she showed up the next
year, she said, ‘All I want to do is debate.’”
Choosing debate over soccer did not mean an end to the
drama of competition, or to the thrill of victory.
Pepper Berry (center) speaks of finding the power to overcome obstacles through debate. Photo credit: Steven Arbuckle
“We were at a tournament in Spokane against a really good
team from Idaho, and at the end of the round she was so excited. She said, ‘I
don’t even care if I won or lost, it was the best round I’ve debated in my
entire life,’” says Livingston. The debaters received three pages of written
critique from the judge and were excited to learn all they could from it. “When
you say, ‘I don’t even care if I win or lose, I just learned everything in this
round’ — that’s what you live for. And they ended up winning the round.”
Student debater Pepper Berry has also seen benefits from
participating, saying that debate taught them to overcome obstacles. “I was a
super anxious speaker before debate, and I thought that was going to be a big
block, Pepper says. “You know, I can’t talk so what would it all really be for?
But debate just told me ‘Do it anyway.’ And that’s that.”
Another student, Juan, tells a story that highlights just
how agile a debater must become to be successful. “I was a freshman, filling in
for a senior, and our opponents were using a strategy they called ‘Holding the
Round Hostage,’” he recalls. “They came over and physically interacted with us,
taking our paper and our pencils, hiding them. If I remember correctly, they
were running a topicality argument on us, saying we were cheating by not
adhering to the topic. We ended up winning the round on the basis that, if that
were to be our framework, that would be unfair for certain people,” he says.
“When you have several hundred kids who are all there for
the same reason — and coaches — and you’re all hyped up, there’s a buzz and an
energy in that atmosphere,” Phillips says of debate tournament. “Given that
everything had to be online last year, I can only imagine how much fun it will
be [this year] from the coaches’ side.”
In 1903, the settlement known as Fairhaven became part of
the city of Bellingham. Since then, residents have strived to maintain its
historic importance and aesthetic charm, from its working docks to its Carnegie
library. But this Halloween, costumes and candies and decorations will help
transform it into a family-friendly haunt, as Fairhaven Association rolls
out “Welcome
To ‘FEAR’Haven.”
New Fairhaven Association Executive Director Heather Carter
has been on the job for a few months now and looks forward to promoting
Fairhaven through events like this, and the upcoming Winterfest.
Children of all ages are invited to dress up and participate in the trick or treating. Photo courtesy Fairhaven Association
“I live in Stanwood and was the executive director of the
La Conner Chamber of Commerce for the last 9 years, so I’m new to Bellingham
and to Fairhaven, but I’m not new to the world of tourism development,” Carter
says. “Chambers of Commerce are a bit different than destination organizations
and I wanted to be more creative and more involved in events. And when I came
up here to interview, I fell in love with Fairhaven. It’s just an awesome
little community to be able to represent.”
The people of Fairhaven invite friends and neighbors to don
costumes and join the spooky spectacle that will take over the neighborhood.
“On Halloween day, we’ll have trick-or-treating from 3 to 6 p.m. Businesses are
encouraged to decorate, and people are invited to dress up and participate,”
says Carter. “The Village Green is going to be a popular place, as well as all
the businesses on Harris Avenue. The whole village is excited to participate.”
Downtown Fairhaven has no shortage of nooks and crannies to investigate while visiting. Photo courtesy Fairhaven Association
Fairhaven Association members are on hand all month to help
visitors bone up on their knowledge of the area, as Halloween approaches.
“The Good Time Girls do their Gore and Lore tours
every Friday through October, and that certainly goes with the spooky theme,”
Carter says. Curious parties can find more information about these Bellinghistory tours
and book tours online.
“And then we’ll have a photo booth here in Finnegan’s
Alley, sponsored by Peoples Bank. It has a hand painted, spooky
speakeasy backdrop, and people can get a free picture there.”
Trick-or-treaters will gather on Harris Avenue on Monday, October 31st, from 3 to 6 p.m.
Businesses will go all-out to decorate their spaces for Halloween visitors. Photo courtesy Fairhaven Association
Bayview Cemetery is one of the additional stops in the Good Time Girls’ lineup of tours. Photo courtesy BellingHistory/Good Time Girls
With many front lawns already ghoulishly decorated, it
won’t be long until trick-or-treaters are knocking at your front door. October
is a month to welcome autumn, but also to examine the scariest parts of the
human psyche and our fascination with evil.
Several in-person and at-home activities with local,
true-crime connections can be experienced or consumed this month. Here are just
a few.
Take a
‘Gore and Lore’ Bellinghistory Tour
A long-time favorite activity for locals and tourists
alike, the incredibly fun “Gore and Lore”
historic walking tours of Bellingham and Fairhaven are conducted by the city’s Good
Time Girls — a local group of history-loving women.
Each Friday and Saturday in October, these PG-13 Bellinghistory tours recount the area’s
creepiest tales of violent, paranormal, and unseemly activity. The roughly
one-mile tours are led by a well-informed and costumed (usually corseted) guide,
begin at 6 p.m. and last just over an hour.
Bayview Cemetery. Photo courtesy Good Time Girls
Tours begin at a location determined after booking, but
book fast, as the $20 tours usually sell out. The Fairhaven tour is great for ghost
fans, as the south-side shopping district is known as a haunted hotspot.
A third spooky option exists for those who wish to get
close to the dead: guided
weekday tours of Bellingham’s historic Bayview Cemetery. Founded
in 1887, the 10-acre cemetery is home to many intriguing monuments and
interesting historic residents.
Spots remain for a Tuesday, October 18 tour, which begins
at 5:30 p.m. The month’s ‘Gore and Lore’ tours conclude Sunday, October 30th
with a special Sunday tour of Fairhaven.
Regardless of when you go, remember to wear comfortable
walking shoes. Afterwards, consider grabbing an adult “potion” at a nearby
watering hole: you may need one to calm your unsettled nerves.
Attend
the Upfront Theatre’s ‘Hellingham’ Show
Okay, so this one isn’t really true-crime. In fact, it’s
totally made-up. But the Upfront Theatre’s
long-running October improv show is definitely the funniest serial killer
production you’ll ever see!
The Upfront Theatre’s fan-favorite murder-mystery improv show, “Hellingham,” takes place every twice-nightly every Friday and Saturday in October. Photo courtesy Upfront Theatre
In the sleepy town of “Hellingham,” the cast of improvisers
take audience-inspired characters into a murder-mystery format, and eventually
find out whether they’re a witness, the violently deceased, or the killer.
Expect lots of absurdly-comic death sequences, red stage lighting, and of
course, lots of laughs!
The show
takes place every Friday and Saturday night in October, with back-to-back
performances at 7:30 p.m. and 9:30 p.m. On Sunday, October 30th, a
special 2 p.m. matinee concludes Hellingham’s 2022 run. The all-ages show is
$15 at regular price and $10 for students.
Read
About “Murder in the Fourth Corner”
A trio of books
by Whatcom Museum’s Todd Warger, the “Murder in the Fourth Corner”
series recounts many of the most brutal and mysterious homicides in local
history, from the late 1850s to the early 1940s.
Longtime Whatcom Museum staffer Todd Warger’s trio of books detail some of the most brutal and mysterious deaths in Whatcom, Skagit and San Juan counties between the late 1850s and early 1940s. Photo courtesy Todd Warger
From the unsolved ax murder of a State Street butcher (behind
modern Bellingham’s Red Light bar) to the so-called “Maple Falls Monster”
serial killer, Warger
tells of slayings in Whatcom, Skagit, and San Juan counties with great
narrative flair and a historian’s keen research.
For any fan of true-crime or local history, these books are
a must-read
ride through the region’s grisliest early crimes.
Binge the
New ‘Hillside Strangler’ Miniseries
In January 1979, the strangling death of two Western
Washington University students shocked Bellingham. The man who murdered the two
women — 22-year-old Karen Mandic and 27-year-old Diane Wilder — was Kenneth
Bianchi, a local security guard who’d moved to Bellingham the previous year.
A new Peacock miniseries about Kenneth Bianchi, who murdered two Western Washington University students in 1979, takes a deep dive into the serial killer’s crimes and psyche. Photo courtesy Peacock
The heinous crime was the last of 12 murders committed by
Bianchi, better known as one of the serial killers behind the infamous Hillside
Strangler murders that occurred in Los Angeles between late 1977 and early
1978.
This August, NBC’s Peacock
streaming service released “The Hillside Strangler:
Devil in Disguise.” Directed by Alexa Danner, the four-part documentary
takes a deep-dive into Bianchi’s crimes and psyche, with the second episode
detailing Bianchi’s Bellingham murders.
Bianchi, now 71, is currently serving a life sentence at
the Washington State Penitentiary in Walla Walla. He is eligible for parole in
2025, but unlikely to receive it. Nearly 45 years after his crimes, this
documentary is an honest retelling of a monster who passed through Whatcom
County.
Sustainable Connections is excited to announce the opening of the Freedge, a community fridge packed with nutritious food that aims to break down the barriers to food access. Located behind The RE Store at 2316 Kulshan St. Bellingham, WA 98225, the Freedge is open Tuesday – Saturday 11am- 6pm.
Photo courtesy Sustainable Connections
The Freedge is an extension of the Food Recovery Program, which aims to address hunger insecurity and climate change. The Freedge will be stocked weekly with surplus perishable food from local restaurants, schools and medical centers such as Storia Cucina, Bar Cicotti, Peacehealth St. Joseph Hospital, Bellingham Public Schools, New Mexico Tamale Co, and more. It will also host a pantry made from a repurposed filing cabinet filled with shelf stable items, baked goods, and toiletries.
Home donors are encouraged to participate by donating unopened non-perishables, individually wrapped baked goods, and hygiene items. Community members can also help by volunteering. Volunteers can transport food from participating donors to the Freedge using their personal vehicle or perform general maintenance such as cleaning out old food and wiping up spills.
The Freedge was made possible by the generous help of our community partners at The RE Store and Robert Willaims School of Art and Sciences, as well as funding from the Washington State Department of Ecology and Whatcom County Solid Waste.
To find out more or see how you can get involved, contact Sustainable Connections at (360) 647-7093 Ext 119 or at foodrecoveryprogram.org.
What: Bellingham’s first Community Freedge When: open Tuesday – Saturday 11am- 6pm Where: Behind The RE Store at 2316 Kulshan St, Bellingham, WA 98225 More info: (360) 647-7093 Ext 119 or at foodrecoveryprogram.org.
The Downtown Bellingham Partnership (DBP) awarded three city-center businesses funding to make building facade and signage improvements via the organization’s Storefront Improvement Grant and now unveils the visual impact. The awardees were selected for the competitive matching grant program and received up to $2,000 in reimbursable expenses to execute their design proposals.
The DBP typically awards one business per grant cycle. However, with further financial support from BECU in 2022, the Partnership tripled business impact by funding improvements for Stockton’s Paint on Railroad Avenue, HOSA Hot Sauce on North State Street, and Ragfinery on North Forest Street. Collectively, the projects featured paint upgrades, creative window decals, planter additions, lighting improvements, and more.
HOSA Hot Sauce storefront before and after. Photo courtesy Downtown Bellingham Partnership
“We were thrilled and honored to include two more businesses this year,” says Downtown Bellingham Partnership Program Director Lindsey Payne Johnstone. “We are incredibly grateful to BECU for helping us deliver these vital opportunities to our independent businesses.”
“Both doorways look so much better, and I’ve had positive responses from all over the neighborhood,” expressed Michelle Schutte, co-owner & managing director of HOSA Hot Sauce.
Details for the 2023 grant cycle will be announced early 2023.
Updated front windows at Ragfinery. Photo courtesy Downtown Bellingham Partnership
Residents adore spending time with the Generations kids in any way they can, even drawing to each other through the windows. The two groups love each other very much. Photo courtesy Summit Place
Assisted living homes nurture and care for an incredibly
precious measure of our population. With the residents of Summit Place, you can
find a wealth of heart, wisdom, and knowledge. These folks also share their
space with Generations Early Learning and Family Center, located on the lower
floor of the building. Each and every day, the time these two groups spend
together is a priceless gift only found here, highlighting the value of connection
between varying generations. Summit Place Executive Director Jozef Bosman, Life
Enrichment Coordinator Fred Kamperman, and Generations Program Manager Roseve
Winchell sat down with WhatcomTalk to reflect on the affiliation of their
organizations and the significance of intergenerational relationships at Summit
Place.
“These relationships are really important for us and we’re
very lucky to have Generations downstairs,” says Kamperman. “They have four
different classes and come up and visit with our residents.”
Generations Early Learning and Family Center kids put on parades for the elderly residents of Summit Place. Photo courtesy Summit Place
Maintaining a close bond between the two groups with pandemic restrictions in place has been somewhat difficult and disheartening — but not impossible. “Pre-COVID, it was on a closer basis, and they could sit down and read a book to the kids, but now it’s a little more difficult, so we had to get creative,” Kamperman says.“Some of these children don’t have grandparents and we have grandparents that don’t get to see their grandchildren. There’s a lot to be learned from either side of these demographics that they can share with each other. Our residents love the children, and the children love coming up.”
Despite pandemic setbacks, Summit Place residents and the
Generations kids find beautiful ways to continue their communications, such as
putting on costume parades and creating chalk drawings where residents can see
them.
“In the dining rooms,
we’ve made it possible for the residents and the children to draw with erasable
markers on the windows,” says Bosman. “They draw flowers, or they play
tic-tac-toe, and they play counting games. It’s still interactive and the
residents love it. They’ll draw a flower, and the kids might draw a petal in a
certain color, then the residents will draw the next one. They make murals and
we leave them up for a few days before wiping them off for the next drawings.”
Generations kids hope to be able to spend time with residents of Summit Place in-person again soon. Photo courtesy Summit Place
The residents of Summit
Place are a special part of the Generations kids’ daily routines. “It really is
a beautiful relationship between the young and the old,” says Winchell. “As the
director says, it ‘feeds two birds with one seed’. We’re meeting the needs of
community and it gives the residents a purpose throughout their day. Even if
we’re just walking through the hallways, sometimes we’ll see residents sitting
there and you can tell how much the kids brighten their day by just being
present.”
The relationship between
Summit Place and Generations Learning Center is just as meaningful and
important as the understanding between residents and their younger-generation caregivers
at the assisted living facility. “We really take the time to focus on our
residents’ mentality,” Kamperman says. “We talk about who we can help
personally or if someone is feeling a little down and they need a little extra
love. We do what we call ‘alerts’ just to make sure they don’t fall into a
funk.”
Summit Place residents often help Generations kids prepare for special day celebrations. Photo courtesy Summit Place
Employees are in constant
communication about their residents’ needs and preferences throughout their
stay. “Our employees do online training that focuses on items such as how to
relate to individuals and your elders with respect and compassion,” says
Bosman. “We have daily meetings with our crew where we discuss those items and talk
about if someone isn’t having the best day, or if someone is having a difficult
time, how we can make it better. We help them focus on what they can do rather
than what they can’t do.”
Most of the caregivers are
a part of a younger generation and they make it a priority to be sensitive to
the unique particulars an older generation resident might prefer. “Finding out
how someone wants something to be done, like how they want someone to make
their bed or fold their laundry, is essential,” Bosman says. “Even with a
shower, it’s respectful to ask everyone how they would like the process to go
beforehand. The important thing is to ask, listen, see how it is they would
like it, and then follow up.”
Technological proficiency
is a particularly common generational divide, and the younger-generation
caregivers often lend their assistance to the residents. “Our residents are
constantly asking for help with their technology and a lot of our caregivers
are in their mid-twenties, so they can figure it out for the residents pronto
with the upmost respect,” says Bosman. “I think a lot of it has to do with
speed. We have to take a step back and explain a few things.”
From Generations kids to their caregivers, Summit Place residents have a unique and cherished relationship with the people they see every day. Photo courtesy Summit Place
There are many variables
when caring for another human being, no matter their age, and in the end, it’s
about respect and compassion. “Even though a lot of our residents are older, we
don’t dumb things down,” Bosman says. “It’s disrespectful and they’re still
really young at heart. They get along so well with our caregivers and some of
them are really great jokesters — they’re very quick-witted. We tell our
caregivers to treat them with respect, because we are here to serve them and
make sure they’re having the best life possible.”
Intergenerational connection is a golden opportunity to grow in kindness and empathy on both sides of the coin. The close intergenerational relationships between caregivers and residents at Summit Place and the playful, warmhearted relationship the residents have with their downstairs neighbors, the Generations Early Learning and Family Center, illustrates the core values of Summit Place and the joyful environment fostered there every day.
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...
