Mary's Place

It's amazing how many impressive non-profit organizations there are in the Seattle area that are making a positive impact on our community every single day.  Sometimes, we may not even know about these great organizations until we have a personal experience with them.  Today, we would like to personally introduce you to Mary's Place. 

Mary’s Place Day Center is a weekday program that provides a welcoming and accepting environment where homeless women and their children can build community, enrich their days and find resources to restore their lives.

Their programs include:
Two hot meals per day
AA/NA Meetings
Bastyr Naturopathic Clinic
Bon Mary’s Incentive Program
Clothing Distribution
Community Service Site
Field Trips
Housing and Employment Resources
Hygiene, Shower and Laundry Service
Lingerie Program
Mail and Phone Services
Medical Care
Move-In Assistance
Resource Referrals
Shelter Referrals
Support Groups: Domestic Violence, Seeking Safety, Treatment Options and Referral
Volunteer Services
YWCA Health Access Program

Mary's Place most certainly aligns with our mission of helping women and children move from a place of need to one of self-sufficiency.  We are so excited to partner with Mary's Place for our next volunteering opportunity.  Stay tuned for a report about this in early June!

WPIG introduces the one and only: Becka Hardy!

Over a year ago, WPIG was fortunate enough to gain a valuable member, Becka Hardy.  Becka was drawn to WPIG for the opportunity to work together with similar women her age to create a non-profit organization with common goals and visions.  Working with women who wanted to help other women and children, while giving back to our community, really felt like the perfect fit for what she was looking for in her life.   Becka currently serves on the Event and Philanthropy committees.

Aside from WPIG, Becka manages to keep herself pretty busy… to say the least!  In addition to working full time at a tech firm, helping out with the Seattle Storm team, Becka is working towards her Master in Sports Administration and Leadership degree at Seattle University.   Upon graduation in June 2012, she hopes to either work in collegiate or professional athletics or find other opportunities in health and fitness.

Although Becka does not have a lot of free time these days, she still manages to find time for the important things in life… running/training for marathons, hanging out with her friends and family, going on road trips, and playing with her dog! In fact, during her year off of employment, she was able to accomplish a few goals she had set for herself, which included beating her marathon time, traveling Southeast Asia, and getting into graduate school.  She is currently looking forward to starting her UW internship this fall and figuring out what area of her Masters program she will enjoy the most. 

Something you may not guess about Becka: 

She likes to use chopsticks as often as possible!

Becka is an amazing young woman and WPIG is lucky to have her!

Spring is in Bloom at Ryther




Flower wreaths


 It may not be apparent by the Seattle weather, but spring is here and the proof is at Ryther Child Center!  WPIG recently volunteered at Ryther by hosting a spring art evening for the kiddos.  We brought four art projects for the kids to work on and it's safe to say that a fun time was had by all!  To get involved or to learn more about Ryther please visit http://www.ryther.org/




Who would have known that the flower wreaths could double as crowns!? 

 









The making of a watercolor butterfly (see last pic for finished product)

 The highlight of the evening for many of us was when an extremely experienced counselor told us with tears in his eyes that he had been to many events for the kids in his time at Ryther, but that this was THE best!  He noted how all of his kids were not only showing great behavior, but most importantly, they were having fun!    


The mud pie pudding cups... Mmmmmmm!

 







Creepy crawly garden spiders



This was such a treat for us, not only because it was a great volunteer opportunity, but because we know how important it is for the children at Ryther to experience creative outlets in addition to the top-notch therapy and education that Ryther provides. 



Aww shux, you are welcome Ryther!

We partner quarterly with various non-profit organizations in the Seattle-area for volunteering opportunities.  If you know of an organization that WPIG could volunteer for, please let us know! 

A Champagne Toast for some BIG NEWS!

A toast was in order at the monthly meeting March 28th, for some big news...

WPIG is delighted to announce that we have been granted 501c3 tax-exempt status as a non-profit organization!  Special thanks goes to Andy Aley of Garvey Schubert Barer Law Firm for donating his legal expertise and helping us immensely in this lengthy process.  Getting this status is a critical piece for furthering our mission and we look forward to starting this new chapter as a group.  Congratulations WPIG! 

WPIG Members Participate in One Night Count!

On January 28th, WPIG members Meghan Malone Farragher, Kym Haley, and Katie Patchin volunteered their time for One Night Count.  But they didn't just volunteer "any" time, they volunteered from 2am to 5am! That is commitment, ladies! 

What is the One Night Count?

King County has one of the nation's best-established point-in-time counts of homeless people. The One Night Count remains the largest community-organized count in the United States.  2010 will mark the 30th year that our community has sent teams out into the night to see how many of our neighbors are homeless and without shelter.  Over 900 volunteers go out with 125 trained team leaders to pre-arranged areas in King County. 

 

Why do we do the Count?

We carry out the One Night Count for two reasons: to document the nature and extent of homelessness in King County, and to build public engagement and action around the issue. It is a solemn and eye-opening opportunity to witness the survival struggles of our neighbors who are homeless. Hundreds of community members come together for this annual count, which acts as a powerful launching off point for participants to speak up and act and write and advocate to end this crisis.