Lakewood United Thurs morning 7 to 8 am, Feb 14, 2013

Tomorrow at Burs Restaurant on Steilacoom Boulevard at Lakewood United, Rob Donaldson from the American Legion (Commander of Post 264, Rainier, WA) will be there to talk about Homeless Veterans.  We all want to help, but don't always know what's best to do.  Check out Lakewood United's Facebook page for schedule updates. Free to attend, but if you order coffee or breakfast you pay for yourself.

This Saturday, Feb 16th, there will be a Spaghetti feed at our American Legion Post 2 to raise money for a young lady traveling to Australia as a junior ambassador. The kids in this program have to raise their own money so have some fun, come on down and skip cooking. She will also be presenting some of her handmade quilts, from the Quilts of Valor program. We are off of 112th, West of Pacific (near 512), not far from PLU.  You can't miss our name on the building. (11204 S. Park Ave, Tacoma 98448) It starts at 6 pm and costs $8 at the door.  Our post has a Facebook page and a website, so check us out.

Quilts of Valor will be having their 10th anniversary this year so there is a national drive to complete 100 quilts before November 2013.  (www.qovf.org)

Pat our Service Officer will be here another week (next Wednesday, Feb 20th), then I will be on my own as the new Service Officer of Post 2. I am a volunteer, accredited, trained service officer which means I don't get paid to do all that work, but I love to help others so it is very fulfilling work.

The following Saturday, Feb 23rd, is another Spaghetti feed at Post 2 to raise money for a veteran and his family.  They lost their home to a fire and their young child was badly burned.  At 6 pm, $8 at the door, so come on down and fill up your belly while feeling good about doing it.  They not only lost their home, but clothes, books, photos, games, furniture, toys, etc.  Come give them a hand and avoid cooking and dirty dishes for one night.

Genealogy & Family History - Fastest Growing Hobby

That's a photo of my Granny and Grandpa that lived on a ranch in Texas. I spent every summer there working in the heat and loving it.  I got to ride a horse, explore 1,000 acres (Granny & Aunt Grace's ranches), and learn a lot about animals and nature. Granny cooked on a big wood stove, Grandpa broke wild horses to saddle when he was young, and they had a 1 acre garden and a 3 acre orchard.  I learned so much from them about gardening, horses, wild animals, foraging (edible plants, honey from bee hives in trees), cattle and chickens.

Thursday, I invited Karen Ward and her husband to speak at the Tillicum/Woodbrook Neighborhood Association.  They are the former directors of the local Family History Center in Tacoma.  Karen Ward got interested in genealogy when she was a teenager and they both spent time in Salt Lake City volunteering and learning at the Family History Center there.

If you have a local Family History Center near you, check it out!  They have local histories donated to them, computers that you can access various on line genealogy sites for free, and you can pick up any microfilm or microfiche that you ordered online from Salt Lake City. They have blank forms, and many, many reference books. You do have to pay for copies (15 cents each), but that helps the center pay their expenses like the electric bill.   They have about 45 volunteers to help you. Volunteers have 4 hr shifts, so this is a learning and volunteer opportunity.  We all need to know where we came from and what we can learn from our ancestors. By researching their lives, you can learn some of the things they had to endure and maybe learn from them even if they passed a long time ago. 

Please write things down for following generations. Wouldn't you love to have a letter or a diary from your great-great-great grandmother or grandfather?  Your descendants will love you for it.  Tell them what we are going through now, lessons you have learned during your lifetime, and what you value.

I taught a class a few years ago called "Writing Your Life Story" and everyone in the class was interested in Genealogy and Family History.  When I have some time, I may teach another class but I will spend more time on genealogy and less on just writing. 

 

Volunteers Needed to Raise the Flags!

These flags are put up in Tillicum, all along both sides of Union Ave. SW in Lakewood (Tillicum area). We have a trailer to store them in, but sometimes need a driver and we can always use more people to help put them up.  They are on wood poles that are inserted in sleeves along the roadway. Near certain holidays you would need to get up early and get out there, then a few days later repeat but take down.  Sometimes JBLM soldiers volunteer and we've had Jr ROTC groups help out also. Most of the time it is just a few people from the TWNA (Tillicum/Woodbrook Neighborhood Association).  The flags are kept at Bill's Boathouse, so contact Dave Anderson there to find out when they will be put up. There is nothing like driving down Union when all the flags are up to put tears in your eyes (at least that is what happens to me). I am a veteran and I love my flag and my country. We are so lucky to live in America where people run the country, not dictators or the military. Hope to see you out there soon, if not helping then at least drive by and enjoy.

July 4, 2011 Dupont and Steilacoom Parades

CERT members from Lakewood, Dupont and Steilacoom all marched behind the very first fire truck of Dupont. They are raising funds to restore the antique vehicle.

More Disaster Preparedness Day photos, 2011



Red Cross tent and vehicle




CSRT tent and the sheltering trailer



Disaster Preparedness Day in Lakewood, WA 2011

Setting up at Lowe's in March 2011

CERT tent and 2 tables

This year was warmer and much less windy than last year. Once again we set up in front of Lowe's and had some vendors there also. I bought a new CERT backpack (more zippers and pockets than the free one you get from the class) and a CERT enamel pin for my hat. Lakewood Hardware store was there with free Tshirts. The CSRT was there and keeping an eye on Lakewood's emergency sheltering trailer. They now have 2:  one is complete, the other is at 70%. I am posting some photos from the event.  Almost the entire Lakewood CERT group was there (a few had to work). I was at the Citizen Corps table again this year.  We distributed lots of good info on being prepared. Who depends on you? Do you have pets, kids, elderly parents or disabled family members? Then you have someone depending on you to be prepared during emergencies. You owe it to them and yourself to prepare before the storm, flood or earthquake hits. They used to say 3 days 3 ways, now they advise you to have enough for 7 days, 14 days, or more. There is an app available for CERT members, so if you have an iphone or ipad, look for it.

Busy, Busy, Busy

From Sept through now, I have been at a lot of emergency preparedness fairs, student volunteer fairs, etc. handing out brochures and information, and trying to get people to be prepared.  We have already been activated by the EOC (Emergency Operations Center) 3 times due to flooding.  I have not published photos or articles recently due to computer problems. I switched from DSL to Broadband wireless. Took me a long time to figure out how to network all the computers in the house and I still haven't figured out file sharing from one computer to another. I also have a new (used) laptop that I am using daily.  Unfortunately, my old PC has all my photos on it. I couldn't get the wireless connection to work on the PC until I splurged on a new powerful router. I am still having problems with dropped connections but this is probably due to the fact that this is a plaster & lathe house inside (metal on the walls for the plaster). There is also a huge oil burning furnace between my computers in the living room and my sons room where the router is located.

The neighborhood association has not received a city grant for over a year, as they were discontinued due to budget problems here in town.  We had several fund raisers that were small but provided enough money to cover printing costs for the past year and expenses for the Centennial.  We have decided to start collecting dues from voting members. People can still attend meetings whenever they want, but to vote they need a paid membership. The charge is only $12 a year, less than most of my other groups.

Citizen Corp will soon be a 501(c)3!!  The pro-bono attorneys have probably already sent the IRS package off in the mail.  Then we purchase our liability and D&O (Directors and Officers) insurance, then we are all set to start fundraising. Not sure we are going to do the Rainier's Baseball game ticket sales fundraiser this year, if we do we will need better coordination with the groups that make up Citizen Corps.

My biggest challenge so far this year has been my vehicle. My car is still parked out front ever since AutoLube worked on it and ripped all the air breather hoses and diverter valves off of it And then Threw them out.  I have been told that they are vital as they provide air flow which keeps the catalytic converter from overheating and melting down. AutoLube seemed to think they were old pollution control stuff that wasn't necessary. They may be good at oil changes and mounting new tires, but they are not diagnosticians or mechanics.  Two excellent mechanics have told me that the diverter valves were irreplaceable.  After driving the van since last summer, it is also having problems.  The other day the muffler blew up and started a fire underneath (the heat from the exhaust caught the bushings above it on fire). That was fixed at a high cost which included towing.  Two days later, the engine seized up. The engine had oil in it, so not sure why it did but we are getting a new (used) engine put in it. The labor costs for it are more than double the cost of the engine and I will be paying for it for about 3 or 4 months.

I have been "ride sharing" for many CERT events.  We had a "Meet and Greet" for previous members and people interested in learning more about it.  Then we had a class on Emergency Food and Water Storage. We had a major earthquake exercise planned, but had problems with the servers going down. I think too many people signed on at the same time for the exercise, many more than they expected.  On line exercises can be as helpful as "live" exercises and much cheaper. 

The Fall of 2010 Disaster Preparedness Updates

Citizen Corps Council of Pierce County was at PLU and at TCC for their Student Volunteer Fairs. We were also at the Disaster Preparedness Summit in Fircrest this year and at one in Gig Harbor. We need reliable volunteers that can work during flooding events.  We need people at the EOC, Emergency Operations Center, as well as watching the streams, setting up temporary shelters, evacuating animals and many other situations. The stream watchers use radios to keep us updated on how fast the rivers are rising. PCART, Pierce County Animal Response Team, is reorganizing. We had one Director leave, then the one that stepped in left about 6 months later. Paperwork is missing, so we are getting our act together and we will be better than before.  We have a core of about 8 people that are determined to make this a great success. We are recruiting volunteers, and would love to sign up animal lovers that can help in an emergency. We need kennels, boarding facilities, and animal hospitals that can take in some animals in a flood/evacuation event.  We need a bunch of people that have large horse trailers and can load nervous animals.  We need to find out which shelters (usually churches and community centers) have their own "animal teams" and which ones would like for us to come out and help get animals registered and settled in. With the La Nina weather pattern this winter, we will be in for some excitement for sure.

Tillicum Centennial was a blast!!

TWNA (Tillicum/Woodbrook Neighborhood Association) may be a small organization, but we can sure throw a party. We planned the Centennial, and raised funds, for over a year.  We can really get things done. I took about a hundred photos. Some vendors were new and didn't realize (and we didn't either) that they need a permit any time they appear in public to sell food. I escorted the health dept. lady around to the booths and checked to be sure they had a hand-washing station and food was checked with a thermometer. Everyone got their tables or booths set up, the fire truck arrived. We had many people from the City Council and some other politicians show up along with Mrs. Washington. Our MC/announcer for the day was a former Tillicum resident and former KING 5 TV News personality. Jane McCarthy is now the evening co-anchor in Spokane for KREM 2 News.  She graduated from our local Clover Park High School and received her BA from Uof W (majoring in Broadcast Journalism).
We had some gorgeous classic cars. The awards were based on popular votes. This was a learning experience. We had so many votes, it took quite a while to count them. There were 4 of us working on it before we finished. On our stage, we had live music provided by The Rockin' Relics and The Rebel Rousers, and a magician. We sold most of the remaining Centennial Tshirts, mugs and shot glasses. The ones remaining will be available for sale at our monthly meetings, first Thursday each month at 6:30 pm.  We still had a few bills to pay after the Centennial. I posted photos (the first half) on the Centennial website on Multiply, and the second half were posted on flickr.  http://www.flickr.com/photos/karenfedway/sets/  

Lakewold Gardens Extended Summer Hours!

 

Lakewold has extended their summer hours and are now open until 8 pm on Wednesday nights. This is me busy folding newsletters to go out in the mail. We work on the newsletters in the cooler morning hours, then we can take a walk through the peaceful gardens. This is an outstanding place to go when you need to relax or think something through. On a hot summer day, the garden feels so cool. Tall trees act like air conditioners for the outdoors. I first noticed this in Arizona. I took a few photos the last time I walkedhrough the garden. Enjoy.

You may see some eagles while taking a walk. There is a Japanese style garden you can walk through near the lake's edge. There are garden benches placed around the garden if you want to relax, watch some birds, or just enjoy the peace and quiet.

SummerFest at Ft. Steilacoom Park

This year the sun was shining all day and the crowd was much bigger than last year.  There were a lot of dogs, but they were either on leashes or very well behaved.  Owners were very responsible and cleaned up after them. Lots of vendors and booths, including Lakewood CERT, Dept of Emergency Management (Pierce County), PCART (Pierce County Animal Response Team), and TWNA's Tillicum Centennial.

The reason I was not at one of the other booths in the morning is because I was at the Lakewood Emergency Sheltering Trailer. When we started our Emergency Sheltering program back in 2007, the trailer was only a dream. Now we have a second trailer waiting to be outfitted. The trailer has 100 folding cots and 120 blankets along with a generator, first aid supplies, and more. Lydia and I got there at 12 noon. There weren't any handouts, so I got some from the CERT booth and the Dept of Emergency Management's Command Center.

This is Lydia.

At 2 pm, Bob and Art Henry arrived.  I stayed until 4:30. A couple came at 4 pm to watch the trailer until 6 pm. After visiting CERT, DEM, and PCART, I was at the Tillicum Centennial booth until 7 pm with Jim Taylor and his daughter, Sharon Plummer. They were there all day, set up and took down the tent.  The Centennial will be on August 14, 2010 at Harry Todd Park in Tillicum. We had Tshirts, blue mugs and shot glasses to sell.  We didn't sell very many, but we handed out a lot of flyers. We also explained to many people where Tillicum was and how to get there.  Tillicum is between I-5 (on west side) and American Lake, between the Thorne Lane/Logistics exit and the Berkley/Madigan Hospital exit. The Thorne Lane/Murray Road/Logistics exit is the first one after the Gravelly Lake exit.  Gravelly Lake goes into Lakewood after passing Lakewold Gardens and the road to American Lake Veteran's Hospital.

The Centennial logo was designed by a student at Tillicum Elementary School. The full color logo was on the Tshirts, the mugs had a simplified version in dark blue and the shot glasses had the simplified version in red.

Another PTA Bites the Dust

I have been involved with the PTSA of a nearby middle school since 2006. Sarah had been doing it alone for a year, but this school year (2006-2007) a bunch of moms showed up. We elected 4 officers. By the end of the year, one lady had moved her son to another school and dropped out. The next year another lady moved out of town. We were down to 2 officers, me and Sarah. The only other members were mostly teachers and staff. Our sons moved on to high school, but we were still there (2008-2009). This year, only a few teachers showed up at a meeting and parents complained that 3:30 was too early. So, we publicized a late meeting. The day of the meeting, the principal and librarian stayed late. No one else showed up. A lot of the teachers live out of town and didn't want to drive back. So, this year, 2009-2010 is our last.
The photo shows me presenting two envelopes to Beth, the head of the ASB for the school. All those bookfairs, box tops and labels paid off and we spent the money on the school. One check was for $500 for either a scoreboard or other items needed by the sports department. The other check was for $425 for the student body (dance, party, tshirts, food, etc. - whatever they needed or wanted). I also presented a check for $100 to the school nurse who runs the garden club. There was no garden club this year due to lack of funds. Next year, we will have a garden! When they get ready to weed the courtyard next September, I am on call for that.
The last check was for books. One teacher instills a real love of reading in his students. He encourages them to bring in box tops and labels, attended the book fairs, and filled out his wish lists (many parents bought books for his class, the PTA bought those on his wish list he still needed). Many of the teachers never filled out wish lists for the book fairs. The other students brought labels and box tops when we gave out free popcorn at lunch to those that filled up a box top page (with 10 box tops). This past year, the only box tops and labels I collected were from this teacher's class.
Many parents get very involved with PTA while their students are in elementary school. I guess a lot of mom's look forward to a break when their kids get into middle school. Many go out and get a job or get involved in some other volunteer work. I really wish more parents would get involved in PTA while their kids are in middle or high school. This is when kids lose interest in school, especially when their parents act like it doesn't matter. In our neighborhood, many single parents work at more than one job if they can. At this time, many parents are out of work and have to spend time looking for work. This affects kids at home as well as at school.
I was talking to my son about my generation and our expectations.  We watched a show called The Jetsons, and expected the future to resemble their world.  I said that we all expected to have flying cars by now. My son said the schools had to improve and if they did, in 10 or 20 years we could have a base on the moon and a colony on Mars (and flying or automated cars here). He is 16 now and I wonder what his future will look like.
Baby boomers are getting much older and worried that they won't be taken care of. For a while now, we have been spending more money on our generation than on the younger generation, including schools.  Seems like many laws are passed which impact the future in negative ways. What are we leaving our grandkids? How come no one thinks about the future and how our actions are affecting it? In America, we have lots and lots of lawyers and whenever something happens we try to find someone else responsible. We need to start accepting responsibility for all our actions and for our lack of actions also.
Are your middle schools or junior highs having similar problems with lack of parent involvement? Does your school have a PTA? Have you found something that worked to change it? I look forward to your comments.