Hello, neighbors and friends!
How are you faring in your "quarantine space"? Remoting? Relaxing and resting? Trying to keep those kiddos learning and entertained? Holding virtual happy hours with friends? Frontline working or volunteering? (Thank you!) Whatever you are up to, we hope you are staying healthy, safe, well, and connected. We thought we'd write to share a few updates and some opportunities to get involved in new projects with the PNA and the community.
What's new and happening...
The PNA and the the Greenwood Branch of The Seattle Public Library are teaming up on a project to build community around our shared experiences during the COVID-19 pandemic. We want to hear your stories, see drawings or photos, or anything else you’d like to share with your Greenwood/Phinney neighbors. We are interested in what you’ve been doing, what is bringing you joy or sadness, what new things you’ve discovered, how you and your community are helping each other, and other ways the pandemic is affecting your day-to-day lives. For more info, click here, or write to greenwood@spl.org! [en Español] (Photo: Dana--with her husband John--arranged $2k worth of socially-distanced flower orders for Phinney neighbors from a struggling business.)
Calling all older adults and parents of kiddos! Want to receive some fun letters in the mail and help kids learn the craft of communicating via snail mail? Join our pen pal project! Kids practice their penmanship, communication skills, and how to address an envelope. Kids and seniors both get to make a new friend. And who doesn’t love a handwritten note in the mail? Here's how it works: Kids and seniors will sign up and get matched with their own pen pals. Letters will be exchanged via the Phinney Center address (for privacy and safety); we'll forward them on. (You can choose later to communicate directly if you wish.) We'll even provide writing prompts. Get started by signing up here. Know an elder neighbor or relative who would want to participate? Please share! (P.S. We may even have a "meet party" when this is all over!)
During the month of May, the PNA invites anyone and everyone in our community to share your poetry with us. This is a time of hardship and uncertainty for many. Even though we can’t see each other in person, your words can lift up your neighbors. The theme is "Words of Resilience and Compassion". Send us a short poem you’ve written and we’ll post it on the showcase page. If you like, include a video of yourself reading it. This is not a competition; just an opportunity for connection during this
disconnected time. We'll post poems as we receive them all month long, so check back often to see the latest the community has to offer.
Learn more and submit your poem here.
Are you in need of free childcare?
We may be able to help. Whittier Kids, our licensed child care located at Whittier Elementary, has prioritized providing free child care to students experiencing homelessness, children whose families qualify for Free & Reduced Lunch supports, and children of first responders, which includes medical personnel, hospital/clinic personnel, EMTs, firefighters, essential SPS staff providing meals, child care workers, grocery store workers, and pharmacy workers. Care is available Monday-Friday, 8:30-5:30, for 12 Kindergarten-5th grade students per day. If your family meets the prioritized list above and you need child care, contact us at whittierkids@phinneycenter.org or 206.782.2508.
Do you know an elder who needs connection or support?If you know a senior who needs support or a check-in call -- or you are just concerned -- please call the Greenwood Senior Center at 206.297.0875. We are checking messages daily.
Thank you for providing for our vulnerable neighbors!Thanks to your amazing generosity, our Amazon wish list for the Hot Meal Program is almost fulfilled! We are so grateful for the support of our community. (Photo: making hygiene kits from Amazon deliveries.)
Are you a sewist? We need reusable (washable) cloth masks for our teachers, meal and delivery volunteers, seniors, members, staff, and community. Don't sew? Help by cutting material and assembling kits. Extra masks will be distributed through our friends at the Seattle Mask Brigade. Get the details and sign up.
Deliver meals and/or groceries, pick up prescriptions, help with yard work, walk the dog, and check-in. Aside from the opportunity to help keep seniors safe, the beauty of this volunteer gig is the flexibility – you get to select which opportunities work for you. Learn more & sign up.
Since our gallery is closed, we've put together the show "Up and Coming Artists" for you to see online. You can even purchase your favorite piece! Image art:
Ilah Walker | Please Wash Hands | Ink, Watercolor on Paper | 8" x 11" | $40
Elsie Nelson Brown | Dachshund | Linoleum Block Print | 8"x 10" (framed) | Sold
Valentine Wulf | Runs in the Family | Digital, printed on paper | 8.25" x 6.25" | $50
You are invited to submit your art to the Phinney Center Gallery’s 2020 NW Fine Arts Competition. Jurors will select art by PNW artists to be displayed from June 10-July 10, with the opening reception on Friday, June 12. The artist selected as Jurors’ Choice will have all of their submitted works in the show, their work featured on promotional materials, and
an article in The Review community newspaper. The deadline to apply is May 3. Artists will be notified by May 11. (Show and jurying dates are subject to COVID-19 distancing mandates, of course.) Learn more & submit your work.
We need your support now more than ever. On April 25, we were looking forward to welcoming you to our Don’t Stop Believin’ auction – our biggest fundraiser of the year, celebrating our 40th birthday. But that, as well as all other fundraising events, rentals, and most programming, have been canceled for now. We don’t know when we’ll be
able to resume regular activities, and these closures and cancellations have resulted in a tremendous loss - 80 percent of revenue - for the PNA. However, our staff is still working hard to care for our community by providing childcare to first responders and frontline workers, serving to-go meals to people in need, supporting seniors living alone, and more. We've seen what this community can do for each other in difficult times, and right now we need your help to keep us going another 40 years. If you are able to support the PNA with a financial contribution right now, please do so. Thank you!
About UsThe mission of the Phinney Neighborhood Association (PNA) is to build, engage and support our diverse community through programs, services, and activities that connect neighbors and foster civic engagement. Learn more.
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