Spring in the Garden at Good Cheer

Apr 262011
 
 April 26, 2011  Posted by Mark Clawson No Responses »

Late February Snow, Kasprisin Ridge, near Langley.

The rain and cool weather has been repeating itself like Groundhog Day for most of these last couple of months here on Whidbey. I guess we just have to wait and hope that La Nina winds down and more normal weather prevails. On the positive side the snow pack in the Olympic Mountains was deemed 190 percent of normal late last week by the the Federal Natural Resources Conservation Service.

June 2010 – Good Cheer Garden

I was reading Cary Peterson’s Growing Groceries blog and found some information that I would like to pass along.

On May 14th, from 9 am – 12 noon, at the Good Cheer Garden, you can learn about:

What makes the warm weather crops happy –  tomatoes, beans, squash, basil and cucumbers
Making compost in your garden –  adding organic matter is key to healthy soil
Best veggies to plant in May
Irrigation – what are good strategies, and how to install a simple system.

Presenters: Janet Hall, WSU Waste Wise Coordinator

Cary Peterson, Growing Groceries Coordinator

Class fee is $15, scholarships available.

You can call the Whidbey Institute for information and registration (360) 341-1884.

The following is an excerpt from the Good Cheer Garden blog:

The only way we’re going to grow anything this cold spring is with the help of floating row covers, and lots of them! The starts we planted are growing, with kale, lettuce, bok choi, spinach and chard doing their best under the conditions.

For the complete story you can just click here.

Good Cheer and pray for some warmth for our crops!

Artists Helping Good Cheer

Apr 042011
 
 April 4, 2011  Posted by Mark Clawson No Responses »

The Prima Bistro is a great place to eat and enjoy. There is a certain sense of place; the feeling that you get by just being there. Sieb and Jenn Jurriaans, the owners of the bistro, have added to the ambiance by bringing in the work of our local artists. This month you can find the watercolor art of Ron Kasprisin.

Ron is a good friend who is aware of my connection to the Good Cheer Food Bank. I was telling him about the amazing use of coupons by the food bank. I explained how Shawn Nowlin, our Community Outreach Coordinator, had won an Albertson’s gift card of $100 and had donated it to the food bank. The food bank was able to take that $100 and convert it to $700 worth of food by their use of coupons.

Ron Kasprisin

Ron was impressed with what I had told him and he indicated his willingness to donate a percentage of the proceeds from the sale of his art to the Good Cheer Food Bank!

So, just remember if you do buy one of Ron’s paintings the portion going to the food bank will be well spent.

Ribbit!

Ron Kasprisin is a professor of urban design, an author, part-time actor, winery owner and watercolor artist.  He teaches at the University of Washington and his young winery is called Kasprisin Ridge. He has actually only been in one movie and you won’t be able to see it until sometime this summer (at the Clyde). The movie “Gospel Truth” was written by Levi Berkle and produced by Fine Wines Film – Whidbey Island.

Blue Boy

Salmagundi Club

A few years back his “Blue Boy” watercolor was shown at the Salmagundi Club. The club is a center for fine artists from New York and around the country providing exhibitions of paintings, sculpture and photography, conducting art classes and painting demonstrations and art auctions throughout the year.

Remember that monetary donations grow big at Good Cheer!

Good Cheer and many thanks to Ron Kasprisin!

Award Winning Good Cheer!

Mar 272011
 
 March 27, 2011  Posted by Mark Clawson No Responses »

Your Good Cheer Food Bank and Thrift Stores were presented with the Excellence in Community Resource Development award and $5,000 to continue expanding its mission, and to increase and better its capabilities to serve the hungry people in the Island County community.

The award recognizes strategies that raise awareness of hunger and develop resources from the community to fight it, such as effective fundraising, volunteer development, in-kind contributions, hunger education materials, and outreach activities.

The award presented by Food Lifeline is one of four 2011 Agency Excellence Awards. There are 300 agency members in Western Washington so being selected for this award is very special.

The grant application was started by our own board member, Robin Hertlein.  Robin had already written two other grant applications when she sent Kathy McLaughlin the following message.

“Here’s the volunteer one.   I’m running out of steam, so the last few answers are pretty short.   Feel free to add things that could help the case.”

Kathy added to what Robin had written and submitted and the rest is history. This story is all about our volunteers and the spirit of giving that is so prevalent in this organization and community.

Volunteers are the backbone of Good Cheer. They increased the num­ber of hours of donated services, and in point of fact, nearly rivaled the amount of volunteer hours donated at a regional food bank distributor.

Here is a brief look back at 2010.

The Award for excellence is just a reminder, to those connected to Good Cheer, that it is working and we are creating a hunger-free community!

Good Cheer!

Trust in Yourself and Don’t Give Up

Mar 072011
 
 March 7, 2011  Posted by Mark Clawson No Responses »

“When things go wrong as they sometimes will” is the start of a poem that I will share with you once again.

So, how do we move forward in our lives when things are really tough. Last year I suggested that we might want to look at The Four Agreements and now I find that there is now a fifth agreement that has been put forth. These first four agreements are really especially significant since they are so simple and easy to put into action.

First off, let’s revisit the ways that we can respond to our world.

The Four Agreements from Don Miguel Ruiz:

1.  Be Impeccable With Your Word

Speak with integrity. Say only what you mean. Avoid using the word to speak against yourself or to gossip about others. Use the power of your word in the direction of truth and love.

2.  Don’t Take Anything Personally

Nothing others do is because of you. What others say and do is a projection of their own reality, their own dream. When you are immune to the opinions and actions of others, you won’t be the victim of needless suffering.

3.  Don’t Make Assumptions

Find the courage to ask questions and to express what you really want. Communicate with others as clearly as you can to avoid misunderstandings, sadness and drama. With just this one agreement, you can completely transform your life.

4.  Always Do Your Best

Your best is going to change from moment to moment; it will be different when you are healthy as opposed to sick. Under any circumstance, simply do your best, and you will avoid self-judgment, self-abuse and regret.

There is a challenge here. Give these four agreements a try for a day or a week in the office or at your kid’s Little League game. If you listen to yourself life can get better!

5. Be Skeptical, But Learn to Listen.

Don Miguel Ruiz, the author, says that “the result of practicing the fifth agreement is the complete acceptance of yourself just the way you are, and the complete acceptance of everybody else just the way they are. The reward is your eternal happiness.”

Nancy Colasurdo, a Life Coach, had a good take on this agreement. “Wherever you go around the world, you will hear all kinds of opinions and stories from other people. You will find great storytellers wanting to tell you what you should do with your life: “You should do this, you should do that, you should do whatever.” Don’t believe them. Be skeptical but learn to listen and then make your choices. Be responsible for every choice you make in your life. This is your life; it’s nobody else’s life, and you will find that it’s nobody else’s business what you do with your life.”

Don Miguel Ruiz and his Toltec Teaching can be viewed by clicking here for his website.

Trust in yourself and don’t give up.

Good Cheer!

 

Kids Helping Kids

May 192010
 
 May 19, 2010  Posted by Kathy McLaughlin 1 Response »

I thought that this might be an interesting topic since we have just finished with our Talent Show event. JaNoah Spratt was a moving force behind the fund raiser and a symbol of what the young can and are doing throughout the world.

The actions of a few can change the world. It all begins with small steps; random acts of kindness and focused attempts to help one another.

This story was written by Mark Clawson. It is a wonderful story about  young people taking time out of their lives to help others.

Here is his story:

If you haven’t noticed; young people are getting involved. This seems to be a generational change and one that bodes well for the future of our planet.

My daughter’s husband, Joe Osborne, spent time in Kenya a couple of years ago working at an AIDS hospice. While he did have a bout with malaria; his real memories come from the time spent helping the people. My daughter, Meredith, spent time working as a children’s counselor for Americorp helping those with less.

Last year the two of them made a trek to South Africa, setting aside time in their lives, to help others. They were a part of an organization called Generation Joy.

Here is a photo from South Africa; Joe is on the bottom far left and Meredith is in the yellow jacket.

My African connection:

Their trek reminded me that it was an anniversary event for me! Forty years ago, in July of 1969, I began a very memorable year in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. I was stationed at the Ethiopian Mapping Mission, thankfully not in Vietnam. This was a foreign aid project that was involved in mapping certain regions in Ethiopia.

I remember being surprised to find high-rise buildings and telephone poles. Most of what I knew about Africa came from National Geographic or from watching “Abbott and Costello in Africa”. The biggest surprise came as I was walking into town and came across a television store; right in front of me was Neil Armstrong stepping down on the Moon!

July 20, 1969 - ”That’s one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind.”

There is much that can be learned by experiencing another person’s culture. This type of education is not in books; it flows to your heart and soul. People are wonderful everywhere you go, that is why it is such a great experience to give.

Meredith and Joe were part of the Generation Joy Foundation; their trek involved bringing donated goods to the children of a small town in Africa.

The Generation Joy Logo is a symbol of unity in diversity; oneness of humanity in spite of cultural differences.

Curtis Betzler the founder of the Generation Joy Foundation is a science teacher at Beaver Lake Middle School in the State of Washington. He says that the idea of “kids helping kids” began nine years ago on a personal trip to Ghana.

Betzler found that there was an incredible need for educational resources and the basic needs that we all take for granted.

“Knowing that I teach in a place where, in many cases, we have an excess of resources and most all of our basic needs are met, I began working on a way to connect the two regions.” Betzler believes that in the right environment; all people want to learn and also that all people like to share.”

“This idea really took off due to the efforts of the children in the community where I work. They readily gave not only resources, but time, energy, planning and commitment to see this project through. The effort was rewarded when I witnessed the joy of children in Africa when receiving these resources and the impact it has had on their lives and community.”

Last year, Generation Joy filled two 40-foot freight containers with supplies. Among the thousands of goods packed in those vessels were 11,000 books, 170 computers, 60 bicycles, and hundreds of soccer balls.

You can view the Generation Joy South African slide show by clicking here :)

“The potential is endless,” he said. “I think kids enjoy giving. They just need an outlet and a resource.”

Another group of teenagers growing up in Cincinnati started a program called H.O.P.E. with the idea of making a difference in the world. H.O.P.E is an acronym for Help Other People Endure. You will be very impressed with what these young ladies have accomplished. When you view the video make sure you view it in full screen mode.

Just click here.

We have a wonderful network of giving on South Whidbey; what a blessing to live in this community!

Good Cheer!

Sustainability and Living Green Links

Jan 222010
 
 January 22, 2010  Posted by Kathy McLaughlin Comments Off

Thrift stores help the environment; they provide an outlet for the recycling of previously owned goods.  They can also help your pocketbook!  The world is turning it’s attention to sustainability, green living and this is an interest that we should all embrace.

Every week I will bring you links to writers and blogs that address the issues of sustainability and green. The first link this week is from planet green and an  article written by Cree McCree. Cree has written a book entitled “Flea Market America.” She gives us some ideas on where and how to look for cool recycled fashion. Remember, the Good Cheer Thrift Stores are right in your backyard here for you to explore.

Treehugger has a nice piece “Beautiful Butterflies: Up Close With Nature’s Canvas.” Butterflies have been called the harbingers of climate change, in that their migration patterns have noticeably changed due to warming temperatures. You’ll find a great slideshow presentation; a good learning experience for you and your children.

Blythe Copeland has an article in treehugger entitled “New York Fashion Week: 5 Green Changes That We’d Like to See.” Number 5 is where the Good Cheer Thrift Store comes into play:)

This last link is from the blogger at Whidbey Island Life. Mark Clawson wrote a piece about Sustainable Fisheries while he was in Nevada. You may ask what drove the topic; perhaps it’s because he grew up in the Pacific Northwest?