The Good Cheer Garden Quilt Raffle gives you another opportunity to help the community and the Good Cheer Food Bank Garden. The Quilt Raffle and Garden Shed/Greenhouse Raffle drawings will will take place at the Harvest Festival in September.
Nothing better than a cozy quilt for our chilly winter evenings!
The Good Cheer Garden Quilt Raffle will benefit the Garden at Good Cheer.
Tickets Are $1 Apiece
The Trinity Lutheran Church Quilters have done it again; creating a lovely quilt to be raffled off at this year’s Harvest Party.
This year’s queen-size quilt is a cheery strawberry motif.
The quilt is on display at the Langley Thrift Store.
Raffle tickets are available at all Good Cheer sites: The Thrift Stores in Langley and Clinton and the Food Bank and distribution Center in Bayview.
The quilting group from Trinity Lutheran Church have been very active in the community. They recently donated a beautiful rose-print quilt to help support the efforts of a local community group with the desire to establish a youth shelter on Whidbey Island. Ryan’s House is a proposed youth shelter that will be designed to house middle and high school aged students in need of a safe place to stay on an emergency or temporary basis.
Lori Cavender of Langley with a photo of her late god-brother, Ryan Busche, namesake of Ryan’s House: “Ryan would have wrapped his arms around this project.” Photo Courtesy of Roy Jacobson – The Record.
The focus of the shelter is to provide support for the families. It is hoped that this support along with, encouragement, education and mediation will help the students and their parents regain their home environment.
“Homelessness effects not only families and single adults, but also young students on their own who are trying to stay in school and sometimes hold down a job at the same time,” said Lori Cavender, who’s spearheading the group to create Ryan’s House.
We at Good Cheer applaud the help that the Trinity Lutheran Quilters provide and we wanted to highlight some of the other organizations that they are involved in.
Good Cheer!
Painting for the Good Cheer Food Bank was an idea that Tina Beard initiated. This is The Paint Escapes’s 4th Annual Good Cheer Fundraiser. The fundraiser will run through the summer until Memorial Day.
Paint an Animal Mug for $10 or a selected plain mug at full price and the Paint Express will donate $5 to the food bank. Since this is a fundraiser; coupons can’t be redeemed on coffee cups.
Tina Beard’s, The Paint Escape, has raised $1360 over the last three years.
Tina Beard purchased the store from Stephanie Zea who is the bookkeeper at the Good Cheer Food Bank. She purchased the store 4 years ago and moved into the current location in Freeland two and a half years ago.
Paint for Good Cheer began in 2007 with piggy banks, 2008 was soup bowls and last year night lights.
Tina’s goal has been 100 pieces each year and she has been very close to meeting that goal every year.
This is a great experience for all ages. You can enjoy a fun and relaxing pottery or glass fusing experience at The Paint Escape studio in Freeland on lovely Whidbey Island. A great bonding experience for you and your children; maybe there is an artist hidden within one of you?
You will find a large selection of unfinished bisque (unglazed porcelain white ceramic ware) and over 70 beautiful paint colors to choose from. You may choose from over 40 colors of glass and idea books are available. Their friendly staff is always available to guide you through the process.
Tina tells me that she has had wedding parties where the couple picks out the dishes and the family members come in and paint them. That’s a personal touch that will create many memories.
There are a thousand ways to design a piece of pottery. They offer stamps, stencils, and examples for inspiration. A wonderful way to make hand made gifts and have a great time. No experience required. Everyone can do this!
Great fun for a birthday party!
Just an opportunity to explore your inner artist?
Tina was showing me how they do fused glass. The flower piece above; shows how you use a base glass and then stack glass pieces on top. The flower on the right has been fused in a kiln. The bowl at the top is an example of a fused glass piece. Slumping the glass allows the artist to change the shape of the piece.
Kiln used for fusing the glass.
The Paint Escape is open Monday through Saturday from 10:00 a.m. until 5:00 pm.
Friday Family Night 6:00 – 8:30 p.m.
Wednesday Ladies Night 6:00 – 9:00 p.m.
Special Events By Appointment
1664 E. Main St
Freeland, Wa
360-331-3166
Good Cheer!
The Langley CMA church will be supporting the Good Cheer Food Bank at their community outreach event. This coming week from Tuesday July 20th through Thursday July 23rd (9:30am to noon) they will be holding their annual Vacation Bible Study for students K- 6th grade.
Events: bible stories, skits, prizes, games, snacks
Cost: Free
Where: CMA Church in downtown Langley
503 Cascade Ave and Langley Road
360-221-6980
At this event they will be collecting monetary donations as well as non-perishable items (focusing on Peanut Butter and Tuna).
You may find some young visitors at you door this week:)
Thursday from approximately 10:30 until 11:30am the 5th/6th grade students will be going door to door in Langley to collect non-perishable food donations.
Thank you for your support!
Good Cheer!
Wondering what the word “Choochokam” means? Choochokam is a Hopi word which roughly translates as “a Gathering of Stars.” Our “stars,” a diverse group of several hundred local artists, inspired by the early organizers to create what we now know as The Choochokam Festival of the Arts.
The Festival, which began as a dream, has been a reality for the past 35 years! This years event was a wonderful mix of art and music; the weather was just perfect. The Choochokam Arts Festival has become a stage for our community artists and one can see that it is a true reflection of the richness and depth of talent found on the island.
On a warm sunny day what better than a root beer float!
Kay Stanley (pictured on the left) is a member of the board for the Good Cheer Food Bank. She headed the committee that put together this effort to raise money for our organization.
Kay organized 20 volunteers with shifts that included 3 volunteers per shift.
Good Cheer was spread through-out the weekend Food Bank fundraiser.
Total income from the event was $1090.55.
Another step in creating a hunger-free community.
Good Cheer!
JaNoah Spratt and The Good Cheer Food Bank; sound familiar? Wow, what an example for all of us to follow!
Here is the story of the fundraiser through the eyes of his father Todd Spratt:
“Good Cheer volunteer JaNoah Spratt has coordinated another Fundraiser with his fellow Black Belt Club students from Tiger Martial Arts. They just completed another very successful fundraiser to benefit Good Cheer Food Bank.
The fundraiser was held Saturday July 3rd from 9:00 am and 4:00 pm and was stationed in front of Ivar’s Restaurant. Ivar’s graciously agreed to let JaNoah setup their table with brochures, Pamphlets and a collection box. The bulk of the collections where donated by the fine folks that were parked waiting for the ferry.
It was a long day and we were beat but we managed to bring in around $1000.00 for the Good Cheer Food Bank. Ivar’s staff was awesome. They said we were their guests and boy did they make us feel special. They treated us all to lunch, whatever we wanted and an ice cream of our choice. That was a life saver. Thanks so much for all you did Ivar’s.
The Washington State Mukilteo Ferry staff was wonderful too. They set us up with reflective vests, explained a few rules and let us do our thing. Our thanks goes out to the Mukilteo Ferry staff as well.
The kids hit the pavement asking for donations. Only two kids 10 years or older could be in the parking lot at one time and had to be accompanied by an adult at all times. We also had to leave the parking lot area when cars were being loaded, so you had about 10 minutes between rounds. The initial response was encouraging and we knew it would be a productive day.
Sensei Wendi Barker of Tiger Martial Arts took turns escorting kids through the parking lot and her son Good Cheer volunteer R. J. helped man the table doing a fine job collecting donations. The next wave of helpers were not far behind Liz, Leah and Rebecca Merrow showed up and gave some much needed relief to Todd and JaNoah Spratt and Jesse Barker. It was a lot of walking and talking but we were all having fun and consistent success.
We had planned the event so that the volunteers would come at predetermined intervals during the day so that there would always be fresh help. Gabe Sherlock and Jonathan Deritis had the 1:00 to 2:30 slot and did a great job. Paula and Dustin Scharwat were the last crew scheduled for the day. They both worked the parking lot with JaNoah and helped carry everything back when it was over.
JaNoah got his second wind sometime after lunch and started working the area in front of Ivar’s hard in between parking lot rounds. He’s really good face to face and it’s hard to turn him down when he’s standing in front of you.
JaNoah’s next project is to add the Mukilteo Fundraising chapter to his book ” How I Helped My Community and You Can Too” get it published and use part of the proceeds to generate more money for Good Cheer Food Bank. Leslie Kelly has offered her expertise and is assisting with the process.”
Quite a story; don’t you think:)
Are you looking for a back yard recycler? You have to check out the BugaBay Worm Box by, you guessed it, JaNoah Spratt. There is a a video and other good information about composting that could be very useful to you.
JaNoah, his family and friends understand that volunteering is a form of giving. It is sharing what we value with others without counting on the reciprocal expectation of recognition or gratitude.
“The value of man resides in what he gives and not in what he is capable of receiving.”
–Albert Einstein
Good Cheer!
Summer is finally here and it got me to thinking about the hydroplane races on Lake Washington. Having just celebrated the 4th of July I thought it might be appropriate to bring you a story on Mira Slovak; the famous pilot of the Miss Wahoo. It is a story that talks about the desire to be free and it brings back memories of my childhood, hydroplanes and the Pink Lady.
There were many memories of working with my father in his workshop building a wooden hydroplane; the Hawaii Kai. We would tie the boats to the backs of our bicycles and run them around the baseball diamond; nails in back of the boat provided the rooster tail effect.
I wanted to share an article written by Bob Karolevitz on Mira Slovak and his flight to freedom. They have just recently restored the Miss Wahoo; you’ll find the photos interspersed throughout the article. I spoke with David Williams at the Hydroplane and Raceboat Museum in Seattle and he directed me to some photos by Jim Clark Photography. If your a hydroplane buff; they are both great sites!
Dr Randy Pillow (on the left) longtime hydroplane racing enthusiast and Seafair supporter sharing a moment with Myra Slovak in 2009. Dr. Pillow is a friend of mine who served as a driver, owner, medic, and general chairman for numerous hydroplane races throughout the Pacific Northwest from 1950 to 1975.
The men who pilot unlimited hydroplanes are a brave, speed-loving lot with many interesting stories to tell. One such story begins when the late Major General Claire L. Chennault unfolded a letter which reached him in Taipei, Taiwan. The writer was a crop-dusting pilot in Yakima, Washington, a young man whose message moved the fighting old general who knew first-hand the ravages of Communism.
The letter read:
“I escaped from Communist-controlled Czechoslovakia last year by flying an airliner from Prague to Frankfurt, West Germany. I was granted political asylum in the United States in December, 1953. I feel an obligation to fight against the Communists because I saw what happened in my country. I will fly with you, against the Communists, anywhere, and for no salary. I have only one wish in my life and that is to fight these terrible aggressors.”
The letter was sent by Myra Slovak who later became a favorite of many hydroplane fans here in the Pacific Northwest.
The escape would be made on a scheduled flight from Prague to Brno. Mira would be the pilot of a C-47 Dakota which would carry 26 passengers and three crew members. Among the passengers were Hana and Helmut Cermak and Bozidar Medic, a television engineer who was a last-minute addition to the conspiracy. At 7:20 p.m. the plane lumbered down the runway and took off in the direction of Brno, 115 miles to the southeast.
Once in flight, Slovak turned the controls over to his Communist co-pilot and walked back among the passengers. Helmut Cermak and Medic then accompanied him up front on the pretext of seeing the pilots’ compartment. With weapons brought aboard by the pilot, the escapees overpowered the other crew members and locked them in a baggage compartment. Almost casually Slovak made his final radio contact over Benesov, then tipped the ship downward in a steep dive.
Leveling out well under 1,000 feet, which was below the effective radar screen, the pilot banked the plane sharply toward the west and the 45-minute hedge-hopping flight to freedom. At any moment they expected MIG fighters to pounce upon them. As an additional menace, an attempt was made by Communist passengers to break down the door of the pilots’ compartment. Mira pulled back hard on the wheel and then shoved it forward quickly. The effect was like hitting a huge air pocket and the lurching plane dissuaded any further passenger counter-revolt.
By this time colored lights began to appear in the towns and cities below them. “We knew we were over West Germany then,” explained Mira. “In Czechoslovakia we had no such lights, just dim white ones because of the power shortage.”
Circling high above the American Air Force Base at Rhein-Main, Slovak contacted a passing jet and was led down. The time was then 9:50, and a more suspenseful two-and-a-half-hour drama could not he created on stage or film.
This chapter of Mira Slovak’s life came to a close when he and five of his passengers were granted political asylum, and the next morning headlines throughout the Free World proclaimed the escape.
For over a year Mira worked closely with the U. S. Air Force, in Germany and in Washington, D. C., where he arrived in December of 1953. For his cooperation during those long months of interrogation, he won permanent residency in the United States.
The rest of Mira’s story — from crop-duster to hydroplane pilot — is familiar to all devotees of the sport.
Jim Clark sent me a photo of Mira Slovak riding in the Wahoo with David Williams, Director of the Hydroplane Museum, at Seafair last year, The one on the right is Miss Wahoo.
This post was from Mark Clawson who helps Kathy with the blog site for Good Cheer.
Kathy will be back on Friday for more Good Cheer!
Good Cheer is raffling off a custom built garden shed/greenhouse. The garden shed is on display in front of the Good Cheer Food Bank in Bayview. The proceeds from the raffle will be used to support the Good Cheer Garden. Last year the garden produced more than 5,800 pounds of produce for the Food Bank; a lot of good eats!
The shed was built and donated by Bob Bowling Rustics right here on Whidbey Island. Hanson’s Building Supply stepped in and helped to move the structure to Good Cheer just last week.
Bob Bowling Rustics creates a wide variety of unique structures that will enhance your yard and garden. Made from reclaimed and recycled materials, these functional art pieces are designed to invoke whimsy and a sense of playfulness to your outdoor living spaces.
Bob builds one of a kind playhouses, chicken coops, greenhouses, tool sheds, outhouses and garden chapels that are made to order. He will even incorporate your own treasured pieces into the design!
Tickets for the for the 5 by 8 foot structure, valued at $6,500, are $5 apiece or five for $20 and are being sold at all Good Cheer Thrift Stores, the Food Bank office, and at Bob Bowling’s booth at the Bayview Farmer’s market. Tickets should be available at all the sites mentioned by the 4th of July weekend. The drawing will be held at Good Cheer’s Harvest Party & Music Fest on Saturday, September 11 at 3 p.m. Winners need not be present to win.
If you don’t have a place for the garden shed; it would fit in nicely at the Good Cheer Garden:-) We can mark the piece with a copper nameplate for all to see!
The partnership of small businesses and non-profits or charities is not a new to Good Cheer; we have been blessed with strong business support from our community.
There are a number of reasons why businesses support charities and non-profit endeavors in our community.
There is the opportunity to give back. It allows the business to share and pass on some of its good fortune and success.
Being part of a community is vital for small business. In the days of the mega stores and the internet, it can be difficult to sustain a small business. One way to ensure that a business thrives in the community is to help build a thriving community.
When a business donates money, time, products or services; that enterprise gets instant recognition from the community. People are more apt to support businesses they feel are part of their world. There is also the opportunity to support causes that the business believes in.
The opportunity to be involved in the local community is a great business strategy for many reasons. As you get to know others and work with others for a cause that you believe in, you will have fun and, you’ll become a part of the group. You will be involved and that can help you with marketing your business in many ways. You will know the needs of the community and be able to find ways to meet them.
All in all, supporting a charity or non-profit group can help a business grow, but most of all, it can be a great way to give back to your community and help support causes that need your help.
Our thanks goes out to Bob Bowling and the other businesses in our community that continue to support The Good Cheer Food Bank.
Good Cheer!
I wanted to show you some photos of the Good Cheer Garden. This is the time of year when we are able to bring fresh and healthy vegetables into the food bank.
Cary Peterson, Good Cheer Garden Coordinator, picking fresh broccoli in the garden.
Americorp volunteer Molly Zeigler; this is fresh!
Straight from our garden to You:)
Summer Squash
Chard and Bright Lights Chard
Kale
Lettuce
Leeks, Lettuce and Summer Squash
Broccoli and Chard
Peas
Beets
Two varieties of Kale
Peas on the Vine
Chard
Strawberries
What else is growing in the garden?
Basil, Beans, Blueberries, Bok Choi, Carrots, Cauliflower, Chives, Collards, Cilantro, Cucumbers, Herbs, Onions, Parsley, Parsnips, Pears, Plums, Pumpkins, Radishes, Respberries, Spinach, Tomatoes, Tulips and Zucchini!
Good Cheer or perhaps I should say Good Eats!
Just last week we had volunteers from Windermere at Good Cheer. This sets a tremendous example for the people in the community. It also affirms the efforts that are made daily by our volunteers at the Good Cheer Food Bank and its Thrift Stores.
Volunteering is a form of giving. It is sharing what we value with others without counting on the reciprocal expectation of recognition or gratitude.
“The value of man resides in what he gives and not in what he is capable of receiving.”
–Albert Einstein
True giving is done without expecting something in return. Most of the time we are giving someone something they need, and they usually don’t have the means to give anything back. Usually, the act of giving is to help and the only thing that could diminish that act, I believe, is to do it expecting something out of it.
Good Cheer is blessed to have many volunteers that know the true value of giving. This past Father’s Day we had two Dads who couldn’t be with their children; so why not help out at the thrift store.
This is a photo of Mike and Sydney with Cary Peterson (Good Cheer Garden Coordinator) at the Summer Volunteer Party.
Mike Hoffman was recently assigned the new role of managing the Langley Thrift Store Hardware department. Mike and his wife Sydney (a food bank volunteer) got together with Don and Anne Zontine and decided to spend some time organizing the hardware department. By day’s end they had spent 5 hours at the thrift store on Father’s Day giving back and doing what only comes naturally to them.
This is a photo of Don and Anne working at the Good Cheer garden this past week. Anne is a regular garden volunteer and Don is a truck driver volunteer for Good Cheer.
It was far from an easy task to organize the hardware area at the Langley Store; I know that Mike has been working on it for a while.
There has also been great progress at the Clinton Thrift Store where you will find a large selection of tools to help you around the home.
The Good Cheer Food Bank is a life line for families who get cut off from the work force. Many who had traditionally supported organizations such as ours (prior to the collapse of the economy a few years ago) now find themselves as recipients of this service.
Corrine Bayley Food Bank Volunteer works the check in counter every Tuesday afternoon and is our professional volunteer photographer.
When many public assistance programs were eliminated during the 1980s local communities found themselves swamped to provide basic nourishment for the elderly, families subsisting on one worker income at minimum wage, the unemployed and their children.
Colby Snow volunteers at special events and is the driver of our soap box derby car and provided technical support at our talent show.
Volunteer efforts through churches, local clubs and private organizations came together in many communities to provide this vital assistance.
Lou Donaty is Damien Cotez’s back-up man in the Food Bank.
But for the self-sacrifice of individuals who themselves are not wealthy and the generous donations of many others, many children in this country would suffer developmental issues related to nutrition and diet; and elder citizens on a fixed income would have to choose between their food and their medications.
Jim Engstrom is a longtime volunteer worker at Good Cheer Two, in the Food Bank and also the Distribution Center.
The volunteers that we have highlighted are just a few of the people that are so essential to the Good Cheer Food Bank and Thrift Stores.
If you have any interest in giving through volunteer work here is a link to helping in the fashion that suits you best.
Good Cheer!
We were very grateful to have the Freeland and Langley offices of Windermere Real Estate out at the Good Cheer facility on Friday. This was Windermere’s Community Service Day and the third year that Good Cheer was selected. The realtors mentioned how much the Good Cheer Food Bank has done to help those in need within our community and they wanted to help.
The decision as to where to help out is a decision that is made by everyone at the Windermere offices. This year Windermere was involved in painting the community room at the Freeland Library and giving a big helping hand with just about anything that you can think of at Good Cheer.
First Island Financial made sure that the day started with a nourishing breakfast to get everyone’s motor going.
Ron Eaton, from First Island Financial, thought a tractor of sorts would help with the process. He headed down to Double R Rentals and they were kind enough to donate the use of one of theirs. The added muscle was appreciated by everyone helping out!
Sure makes it easier to spread the gravel; though I’m sure there will be some sore muscles to follow.
Lining the parking lot was a very time consuming job and very much appreciated.
Fresh coats of paint were applied.
Helping out in the kitchen.
Donations were sorted.
Shelves were cleaned.
Plants were planted and earth was moved in the garden.
What is Community Service Day?
The photos tell a story of giving and it comes from the heart. This is the true essence of giving. When you give from your heart, you put yourself in line to experience a deeply rewarding truth. There really is more happiness in giving than there is in receiving.
Creating vibrant communities is one of the things that inspire the Windermere network to be involved in service projects that make things a little brighter for all our neighbors. Supporting the communities Windermere serves is at the core of the company’s formation and growth.
Every year since 1984, Windermere associates dedicate a day of work to complete neighborhood improvement projects as part of Windermere’s Community Service Day.
Community Service Day gives Windermere Real Estate an opportunity to give back to the communities where we live and work. They clean, landscape and repair parks, playgrounds, schools, shelters and community buildings.
We all want to thank Windermere Real Estate and it’s wonderful employees for brightening our day!
Click Here to view a slideshow of Windermere’s Community Service Day at Good Cheer.
Good Cheer!
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