Dear Friends & Supporters,
During this month of gratitude, Groundswell NW is especially grateful to share such a special community with each of you. We deeply believe that your individual and collective stewardship efforts are helping ensure that the beautiful green space in our city will be enjoyed for generations to come.
In honor of Native American Heritage Month, we would like to spotlight the voice of Washington state’s first Native American poet laureate, Rena Priest. Priest is an ardent environmental advocate who uses her platform to bring attention to issues like climate change: “Washington is such a beautiful place. I've grown up here and spent most of my life here. My reservation where I grew up, my homeland, is beautiful beyond compare. I've seen how the state, the landscapes [surrounding the reservation] have changed. Right now, that's an important discussion to be having, without feelings of guilt or blame around how these beautiful places have been altered, but how we can fix it [and] get back to a healthier ecosystem and environment.”
Please consider celebrating this month by joining one of the many opportunities around the city!
Finally, we are so thankful to King County Councilmember Jeanne Kohl-Welles, pictured below with our board at Salmon Bay Park, who generously awarded Groundswell NW with a gift of $1,500 to further our activation and care efforts for public spaces.
Happy Thanksgiving,
The Groundswell NW Board
Photo: Councilmember Jeanne Kohl-Welles
SUSTAINABLE BALLARD'S 2021 HOLIDAY BARTER FAIR
Mark Your Calendar for Sustainable Ballard's Holiday Barter Fair – December 3 – in person!! A Sustainable Ballard tradition returns! The annual Holiday Party and Barter Fair will be held on December 3, 7pm to 9pm, at Our Redeemer's Lutheran Church (2400 NW 85th Street). For all of you who love to barter –a relaxing and enjoyable alternative to the more commercial holiday gift buying experience — save the date and think about what you’ll bring. This event is intended to be COVID safe. Please wear a mask, maintain social distance as much as possible and bring your vaccination card – we will check cards at the door. What do you have to offer? For ease of trading, items should have a $5-10 or $15-20 value. Bigger items or services can be traded for multiples of the lower value items. Don’t have something to trade? Cash is also an acceptable option, or just come by to socialize and enjoy some free refreshments! In past years, barter items have included: hand-crafted scarves, hats and aprons home-grown or foraged produce home-made jams, truffles, dried fruit, granola, beer and other delectable goodies holiday swags, candle holders, table toppers services such as yoga classes, sailboat cruises, refrigerator deep clean, massage and more
Contact Jenny for more information.
Photo: Sustainable Ballard
BALLARD CORNERS PARK WORK PARTY
Please join the work party at Ballard Corners Park, located at 17th Ave NW & NW 63rd St on Saturday, December 4 from 10am - 3pm, rain or shine We'll be weeding, grooming plants, cleaning up debris, and spreading wood chip mulch. Some tools will be provided, but if you have them, please bring: gloves, a weeding tool, a pair of pruners, and a bucket (or another container) for collecting clean green material. Because of COVID we will NOT have snacks or water to share. Please come prepared with whatever sustenance you need. As an added precaution we'll emphasize physical distancing. If you have any questions, please contact Gabriella at gabriella@seanet.com. We look forward to seeing you there!
EDUCATORS: APPLY FOR A MICROGRANT TODAY!
Dear Northwest Seattle School Teachers,
With the holiday season around the corner, Groundswell NW invites you to consider our 2021 microgrant program as you plan your lessons for next semester. Thanks to generous donations, Groundswell NW will be awarding up to $500 each to support educational groups and classes that are starting projects that support Groundswell NW’s mission – creating community, parks, and habitat. Proposals for a new project in NW Seattle are preferred.
The simple application is found at www.GroundswellNW.org/microgrants. We accept proposals year-round and review upon receipt. We anticipate awarding monies immediately. Funded projects would need to be started before the end of this academic year, but completion dates are flexible.
Please feel free to forward this invitation to teachers who might be doing something related to our mission.
For questions contact us at info@groundswell.org.
We hope to hear from you soon!
PLEASE CONTINUE SUPPORTING GROUNDSWELL NW!
It’s hard to believe that the end of 2021 is just over one month away! From all of us here at Groundswell NW, thank you for all your incredible kindness and support of our work. Every year, we are endlessly grateful for all of your donations. As you may know, many employers allow you to double the impact of your investment through employee match programs. Two we’d like to highlight are:
Microsoft Alumni GIVE November 30 - December 3
King County Employee Giving lasts through November 19 for King County Employees
Please also keep us in mind on Giving Tuesday, which falls on November 30 this year.
THE GROUNDSWELL NW BOARD IS GROWING!
Groundswell NW is actively looking for more board members. Are you passionate about parks, open space and habitat? Do you want to help Groundswell further their mission? We want you! Contact us here for more info!