Hey, remember how Ed Phippen said BikeWorks was collecting bikes for their program that teaches primarily disadvantaged kids through bike repair. Sounds like they did alright:

Hey!  We collected over 50 bikes and bike frames. Plus 6 boxes of parts and accessories. Thanks SO MUCH for your help!

Ed (and my dog Loki)

Carly writes:

Hi Neighbors. My name is Carly. I’m nearly 11 years old and have been taking playing piano for about 5 years. I have a great teacher at UW and have progressed to level Medium Difficulty 3 (MD 3). I love playing piano because it feels good and learning the language of music will last a lifetime.

I’m comfortable teaching kids 6-9 years old who wants to learn from someone who gets that you are a kid, too. I’m new at this so my rate is only $10 for 30 minutes. I teach the very popular Faber Piano Adventures Method but we can mix in some other interesting pieces as well. Lessons are at my home, near the Wallingford Center, using our a beautiful sounding Grand Piano. These are one-on-one private lessons that can be once or twice a week, as desired. Given my other responsibilities I can only take on 2 students. Parents are welcome to stay and observe.

You can hear me play a piece here:

This is a great idea to see if your child likes music. If interested please contact my dad at chris.nabinger@gmail.com.

Thanks for supporting me and Wallyhood.

Carly.

Megan Lehman wrote to let us know there’s a collection drive for “diverse dolls and books”. It wraps up this week, along with Black History Month:

On a given day there are between 1,300 – 1,500 youth in foster care throughout King County and 9,000 statewide. Many of the kids in foster care are disproportionately youth of color who face unique challenges. Treehouse addresses the essential education and enrichment needs of kids in foster care by helping them succeed in school, fulfilling key material needs, and providing the important childhood experiences every child deserves.

Treehouse serves 7,000 foster youth annually. Of those 7,000 kids, 40% are African-American, 21% are white, 15% are multi-racial, almost 10% are Hispanic or Latino, and 8% are Native American. One of the key services Treehouse provides to foster families is the Wearhouse, a free store where youth and their caregivers can shop for high quality new and like-new clothing, shoes, school supplies, toys, books and other essentials.

The Wearhouse is entirely supported by generous donations from the community. When I visited the Wearhouse recently I was struck by how it felt just like a real store, with thoughtful and attractive displays, except everything in it was free. Thinking of my daughter, I admired the full wall display of new-in-the-box Barbies. But as I walked closer, I noticed that 95% of the Barbies were white-skinned.

Inside the Wearhouse, there is a cozy book nook, with enticing displays organized by age group and category. I saw many of my childhood favorites there, but did you know that only 10% of American children’s books include diverse characters? African American children’s book author and college professor, Rudine Sims Bishop address the importance of diverse books:

“When children cannot find themselves reflected in the books they read, or when the images they see are distorted, negative, or laughable, they learn a powerful lesson about how they are devalued in the society of which they are a part.”

How can you help?

• During February, plan a trip with your family to pick up an African American doll or diverse book to donate to youth in foster care (get one for yourself too!). Books can be new or gently used. Dolls should be new in the box.
• Bring the younger siblings to a special storytime, hosted by Treehouse at Mockingbird Books, Feb 27^th at 11am (free & all ages)

Where can I find African American dolls and diverse books?

• DOLLS: Some toy stores don’t carry many African American dolls; it’s a good idea to call the store to see what’s in stock before you go. For Barbies, try Target and Toys R Us. For other kinds of dolls, try Top Ten Toys or Snapdoodles (in Redmond & Kenmore).
• BOOKS: Find the perfect title through the “We Need Diverse Books” campaign: weneeddiversebooks.org. Mockingbird Books (7220 Woodlawn Ave NE) is partnering with this drive and will have kid-directed book displays.

Learn more at weneeddiversebooks.org and www.treehouseforkids.org

Allyson tells us the Wallingford Cooperative Preschool (5019 Keystone Place N, in the Keystone Congregational Church) is holding an open house tomorrow, February 24th, 7:00 – 8:30 pm:

Come meet our teachers, Kris Dickenson (new Pre3s and current 4-5s) and Christine Negron (3-4s), and see our wonderful classroom. Teachers Kris and Christine, plus current parents, will be on hand to talk and answer questions about our play-based, three-year, developmentally-focused program.

They’re currently enrolling for Fall 2015 for all classes, including Pre3s (M, W  9:30-11:30am, age 2 by Aug 31; 3-4s T, Th, F     9:15-11:45am, age 3 by Aug 31; and 4-5s M-Th 12:45-3:45pm, age 4 by Aug 31. More info at coops.northseattle.edu.

Wallingford Community Senior Center is excited to feature members of the Seattle/Bellevue PFLAG Speaker’s Bureau on Weds. Feb. 25^th at 2 PM, to give a presentation designed to help grandparents understand issues facing their Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender grandkids.

“What to Do When the Grandkids Come Out” will feature stories from members of the LGBT community as well as their families and friends. Questions are encouraged at this educational event.

Would you like to better understand LGBT issues? Learn to support someone who is lesbian, gay, bisexual, or transgender? Hear the personal stories of LGBT individuals and family members? A panel from PFLAG, an organization of parents, families, and allies united with members of the LGBT community to move equality forward, will share their lived experiences

If you’ve ever wondered how to talk with your LGBT grandchildren or if you are LGBT and need support around coming out to your grandparents, you’re encouraged to come to this presentation and discussion.

Wallingford Community Senior Center (4649 Sunnyside Ave. N.), Wednesday, February 25^th, 2-3:30 PM

Free. To register, call 206-461-7825 or email [email protected]

For more information about this and other great programming at Wallingford Community Senior Center, visit us at: www.wallingfordseniors.org

Remodeling your home and need a place to stay while its under construction? Have out of town guests coming to stay? Are you a visiting researcher at the UW?

Rent our beautiful, 3 bedroom home in Wallingford. Walk to the UW, Fremont, easy access to I-5, downtown and South Lake Union.

Includes hot tub and outdoor shower! Great for kids: play structure in the back yard and right across the street from a school playground. Optional chickens for fresh eggs (we’ll move them while we’re gone if you don’t want them). Fresh honey!

We’ll be traveling March 9 – mid-June and are looking for short-term renters while we’re gone. Full details in our Craiglist ad.

The house is also available for shorter term rental through AirBnB (assuming we don’t get someone interested in renting for the full three months), and, separately, we have a studio apartment (sleeps up to 4) that’s a mother-in-law attached to the same house. See the three bedroom Wallingford house on AirBnB and the Wallingford studio apartment on AirBnB.

Get your art on, and improve the (neighboring) neighborhood! The Roosevelt Neighborhood Association has issued a call for artists to create a public art work to serve as a “gateway to the Seattle’s Roosevelt neighborhood”. Budget: $100,00. That’s enough for a serious gateway, I’d think:

The Weedin Place Steering Committee of the Roosevelt Business Group (within the Roosevelt Neighborhood Association) seeks an artist or artist team to create public artwork that will serve as a gateway to Seattle’s Roosevelt neighborhood. The artwork will be integrated into a new urban pocket park at Weedin Place between 65th Avenue NE and NE 8th Street. The call is open to artists and designers working in the United States, with a preference given to Pacific Northwest artists. The total budget for artwork is estimated at $100,000. The application deadline is 12 p.m., Monday, March 23, 2015 (Pacific Standard Time).

Visit the Weedin Place Call for Artists page for more information.