New Sculpture in Heart of Phinney Park

There is a new sculpture in the Heart of Phinney Park. The work, titled outside-in, was created by Matthew Freeman from raw blackened cold drawn steel. For purchase or more information, please contact Pamela Jaynes at arts@phinneycenter.org

PNA Capital Campaign Cut From State Budget

Yesterday, the State Legislature passed the 2011-2013 Capital Budget. Unfortunately, it did not include PNA's grant request of $995,000 for the Blue Building Renovation project. Last July, the Washington State Historical Society Advisory Board recommended our request for full funding through the Heritage Capital Projects Fund. Funding for these projects has been appropriated without fail since 1997. Not this year, however.

Despite strong advocacy efforts, we were caught up in issues beyond our control. The Capital Budget only includes $1.2 million for Heritage Projects, enough to fund the first nine of 29 proposed projects.

Thank you to everyone who contacted their legislators in support of PNA's project -- we had a lot of positive responses and support from our elected officials! While this news creates a challenge for the Capital Campaign, we are determined to continue moving forward and confident that our community will rise to this challenge.

If you'd like to contribute to the Capital Campaign, click here or contact Ann Bowden at ann@phinneycenter.org.

Parking Alert

Do you drive to the Phinney Neighborhood Center Blue Building on Fridays? Beginning next week (June 3) the Phinney Farmers Market will take place in the upper parking lot from 3-7 pm. Morning drop-off and short-term parking will be no problem, although some spaces will be blocked off to accommodate early-arriving trucks. Set-up for market vendors begins at 1 pm so ALL CARS must be out of the lot by this time. We really don't want to tow anyone's car, so please park in the lower lot or be sure to move your vehicle out of the upper lot well before 1 pm. Thanks for your cooperation!

Drawing Lessons

A dedicated volunteer for the PNA strongly recommends drawing classes taught by local artist Michael Shelby Edwards. Edwards is currently accepting new students for both private and group lessons and will be starting the next four-week cycle of group drawing lessons at Artists & Craftsman's in the U-District on Thursday, June 2nd, which is coming up very soon.

A detailed description of the group lessons (and everything else) can be found here: http://www.michaeledwardsart.com/page12810.htm

Help PNA Win A Sunny Toilet

Attend the Green Festival this weekend for free! The PNA was selected as a finalist for the Community Green Grant, for our “Solar-Powered Composting Toilet” proposal. We want to build a stand-alone composting toilet on the hillside at the Phinney Center, which will have solar PV to run the fan and lights. We need your votes to win, so come to the Seattle Green Festival for FREE to vote for our submission. To obtain a free ticket to the Green Festival, please go to the will call booth and mention the Ford Community Green Grant and the PNA. Voting is only onsite, via tokens. Event participants will receive a token by visiting the Ford Drive Green Pavilion.

It’s raining, it’s pouring… hooray!

If there’s one thing we have in Seattle, it’s rain. And lots of it. According to the National Weather Service (http://www.weather.gov/climate/index.php?wfo=sew) we have had 21.4 inches of rain so far in 2011 (higher than the annual average from January-May, which is 17.43 inches). While we might appreciate that rain keeps our city’s plants and trees green and beautiful, most of us simply let the rain run down our gutters and into the street without giving it a second thought. Did you know that there is a way to capture that rain and use it to flush toilets, even do laundry? Could doing so result in lower water bills? An improved environment? Well, the PNA is offering an exciting, informative class to answer these questions, and many more.

On June 8th from 7-9pm join Michael Broili at the PNA as he leads the Rainwater Harvesting, Catchment & Management course. This course will offer in-depth discussion about rainwater harvesting systems, design and management strategies. Mike will discuss rainwater harvesting systems for flushing toilets and doing your laundry. The class includes a tour of the Phinney Neighborhood Center’s rainwater catchment system, used for flushing toilets. This course costs only $20 for PNA members, and $25 for the public. So call the PNA at 206.783.2244 to register, and don’t let the full benefits of another rainy day slip through your fingers!

Movie Screening and Discussion: "In Sickness and in Wealth"

Movie Screening and Discussion:
“In Sickness and in Wealth” of Unnatural Causes, documentary film exploring racial and socioeconomic inequalities in health

Sunday, June 5, 2011

3:00 – 5:00pm: film screening 3 – 4pm + facilitated discussion 4 – 5pm

At the Phinney Neighborhood Center
6532 Phinney Ave N, Seattle 98103
(In the Brick Building’s Community Hall)

Latest screening of the Cultural Engagement Film Series
Hosted by the Phinney Neighborhood Association


The Phinney Neighborhood Association (PNA) will host a screening of the first episode “In Sickness and in Wealth” of the documentary film Unnatural Causes on Sunday, June 5, from 3 pm – 5:00 pm, in Community Hall in the Brick Building at the PNA, 6532 Phinney Ave North, Seattle, 98103. 206-783-2244. Approximately one hour long, the film will be followed by a facilitated discussion. For more information about the Cultural Engagement Film Series, please visit the PNA’s Cultural Engagement webpage by clicking HERE. RSVP to Katie Parker at katiep@phinneycenter.org.

Film Summary
Click HERE for more information.
The PBS documentary series Unnatural Causes investigates the root causes of our alarming socio-economic and racial inequities in health. The series uncovers startling new findings that suggest there is much more to our health than bad habits, health care, or unlucky genes. The social circumstances in which we are born, live, and work can actually get under our skin and disrupt our physiology as much as germs and viruses.

“In Sickness and in Wealth,” the hour-long opening episode, paints the big picture. Set in Louisville, Kentucky, it is a story about health, but it's not about doctors or drugs. It's about why some of us get sicker more often and die sooner in the first place. What are the connections between healthy bodies and healthy bank accounts and skin color? How do social policies and the way we organize work and society affect health? Solutions, the show suggests, lie not in more pills but in more equality. "In Sickness and In Wealth" sets out the series' main themes: that health and longevity are correlated with socio-economic status, that people of color face an additional health burden, and that our health and well-being are tied to policies that promote economic and social justice.

Cultural Engagement Film Series
The Cultural Engagement Film Series presents screenings and discussions with a focus on racial and social justice issues. The film series explores society’s social institutions and how systems and behavior perpetuate and reinforce discriminatory practices and inequities. Through screenings and facilitated discussions, the PNA intends to build a comfortable community space for education and thought – provoking conversations about important social topics.

Farmers Market Season Approaches

In less than a month we can reinstate the Friday ritual walk to the Phinney Neighborhood Center for fresh food and friendly exchanges with neighbors. June 3 is opening day (3-7 pm) and we've got some fun entertainment and special visitors planned. However interesting they may be, let's remember that the local farmers and producers are really the *STARS* of the show! The beginning of the season is very weather-dependent and we know it hasn't been great this spring. Let's all make a special effort to get out and support our faithful market vendors early in the summer, knowing we'll be rewarded as the weeks go by.... just think of those fragrant berries, shining tomatoes, and sweet corn!

In case you haven't already heard, the market is moving up the hill to our upper parking lot, much closer to Phinney Avenue. We're also welcoming dogs (and their well-behaved owners) back to the market for the 2011 season. Thanks, as always, to the Neighborhood Farmers Market Alliance, our partners in bringing you this great community event all summer long. Check out this link for an interesting article about the affordability of farmers market produce and plan to have a pocket of cash on opening day!

PNA Kids! Summer Safari Open Registration

Calling all 5-12 year olds! Come and experience a summer full of fun, excitement, adventure and (of course) hands-on education. PNA Kids! Summer Safari offers children a bountiful array of daily activities that they can choose from including: field trips, swimming, arts & crafts, sceience, drama, dance, cooking, and outdoor recreation. Summer Safari is easily tailored to your family's schedule with options for early morning care, daily core activities, and late afternoon care. Register your child for one week, or for the entire action-packed summer.

Registration is now open for new enrollments at our Phinney Ridge Kids! location, based at the Phinney Neighborhood Center. Spaces are filling up quickly! For more information, please visit our website or call us at 206-783-0851.

Summer Fun For 5-12 Year Olds!

Calling all 5-12 year olds! Come and experience a summer full of fun, hands-on education, excitement, and adventure. PNA Kids! Summer Safari offers children a bountiful array of daily activities that they can choose from including: field trips, swimming, arts & crafts, science, drama, dance, cooking, and outdoor recreation. Summer Safari is easily tailored to your family’s schedule with early morning, core, and late afternoon options available to fit your needs. Register your child for one week, or the entire summer.

Registration is now open for new enrollment and spaces are filling up quickly. For more information, please visit our website www.phinneycenter.org/pnakids or call us at 206-783-0851.

PNA Kids! Summer Safari 2011 Weekly Themes:

June 22 & 23: Games Galore
June 27 - July 1: Kids in the Kitchen
July 5– 8: The Briny Deep
July 11 -15: Cabinet of Curiosities
July 18 - 22: Goin’ Green
July 25 - 29: Animalia
August 1 - 5: Take Flight!
August 8 - 12: Artistic Adventures
August 15 - 19: Go! Go! Go! In the H20
August 22 - 26: The Great Outdoors
August 29 - September 2: Variety Show

PNA Kids Scholastic Book Fair

Saturday, May 14, 10 am-1 pm
PNC Blue Building lobby

Purchase Scholastic books for the children in your life to enjoy, while supporting Phinney Ridge Kids at the same time! All funds raised will be matched up to 40% by Scholastic Books, allowing us to buy additional books for classrooms. For more information call 206.781.0851.

Greenwood Garage Sale Day, Flea Market & Tool Sale

Registrations for your garage sale or flea market spot are available here and due on May 13. PNA provides all of the advertising, an online map with addresses, descriptions and photos (if you want) a paper map and guide. If you are not having a garage sale - get ready to shop your socks off at over 100 sales in the neighborhood. Guides and maps will be available May 19. For more information, call 206.783.2244 or email chardell@phinneycenter.org.

Secondhand and Tool Sale Volunteers Needed!

You and your muscles are invited to join the PNA in participating in the Greenwood Garage Sale Day festivities! The Greenwood Senior Center (GSC) will host its annual secondhand sale – “The Grandmother of Them All!” - and the Well Home Program will run its annual Tool Sale. We need you to help us lift and carry all these treasures! We had a last-minute cancellation from two groups, so we are looking for lots of help! These are both very important fundraisers to support two great PNA programs.

GSC Secondhand Sale
Thursday, May 19th (set up)
3:00 – 7:00 PM (10 people needed)

GSC Secondhand Sale
Friday, May 20th (clean up)
2:00 – 6:00 PM PM (10 people needed)

Well Home Program Tool Sale
Saturday, May 21st at the Phinney Neighborhood Center
Set Up 8:15 – 9:15 AM (2 – 3 people needed)
Tool Security Watch 9 am to 2 pm (2 people needed, partial shift okay)
Clean Up 1:45 – 2:45 PM (2 – 3 people needed)

As a bonus, volunteers helping to clean up at the GSC for at least one hour are welcome to take home any treasures you find! And all these volunteer hours can count towards your community service requirement!

To learn more or to sign up, contact LeAnne (about the secondhand sale) at gscvolunteer@phinneycenter.org or 206.297.0875 or Ali (about the tool sale) at alis@phinneycenter.org.

Kick Off Bike Month Tonight!

When I walked in to the office this morning, I saw a site that warmed my heart: the bike rack was full. The recently installed rack outside the "front" door of the blue buidling had three bikes locked to it, two of them outfitted with extra seats for some kiddos. Don't worry, I just parked on the streetside rack, and we have plenty of room along the railings in front of both the Blue and Brick Buildings.

Yes, May is Bike Month, and I hope to be seeing more and more bikes on our racks as May progesses. To celebrate Bike Month, we're starting with a Kick-Off Potluck tonight (Wednesday, May 4) at 6pm in Community Hall in the Brick Building. All are welcome, whether you bike everyday, or you don't have a bike at all!

This month, we're also challenging neighbors to compete with us in the Group Health Commute Challenge, and we're inviting all of you to try bike commuting on Bike to Work Day on May 20, when you can stop by our commute station in Heart Of Phinney Park.

The PNA staff is also learning to walk the walk (and bike the bike, and ride the, er, bus). We're holding our very own Staff Commute Challenge that encourages walking, biking, riding transit and carpooling to work and meetings in the month of May. Join us!

Jill E.

Sustainability Coordinator