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Grocery stores donate to local food banks
Cost Cutter, Food Pavilion and Everson Red Apple grocery stores in Whatcom County donated $3,993.40 to five local anti-hunger programs.
The Cost Cutter stores in Bellingham (Meridian, Sunset, Lakeway), Lynden and Ferndale donated $2,062.25 to the Lighthouse Mission. This was the proceeds from the holiday campaign Food for All. The grocery industry’s nationwide crusade against hunger asked customers and team members to donate $1, $3 or $5 to alleviate hunger in the United States and overseas. The same group of stores donated $765 in store gift certificates to the mission. The gift certificates, redeemable for food and other supplies, were the result of contributions employees and team members made from their greenpoints.
Blaine Cost Cutter donated $766.15 to the Blaine Food Bank from its “Food for All” campaign, accompanied by a gift certificate for $400 from greenpoints giving.
In Lynden, the Food Pavilion store presented Blue Skies for Children with a check for $262.90 and a gift certificate for $105. Southside Food Pavilion dedicated its Food for All receipts, $207.35, to the Southdside Food Bank, along with a $70 gift certificate from greenpoints.
In Everson, the Red Apple directed its contribution of $83.05 to the Nooksack Valley Food Bank, along with a gift certificate for $95.

Regence BlueShield donates to Boys & Girls Clubs
Regence BlueShield donated $10,000 to Boys & Girls Clubs of Whatcom County, a local nonprofit organization. The funds were presented on March 25 at the KidsFest Auction and were designated to fund the endowment held by the Boys & Girls Club of Whatcom County Foundation.
The local contribution is part of a commitment by Regence BlueShield to contribute $100,000 to local Boys & Girls Clubs around Washington.

Rotary club donates to Boys & Girls Clubs
Bellingham Bay Rotary donated $4,000 to Boys & Girls Clubs of Whatcom County, a local nonprofit organization. The funds were presented in April at a Northwood Hall luncheon. The funds are designated for general operating expenses for the Whatcom County Clubs located in Bellingham, Ferndale, Blaine and Lummi Island.
“Rotarians embody service above self,” said Lynn Templeton, executive director and CEO of Boys & Girls Clubs of Whatcom County. “You’ll often see the Rotary symbol attached to buildings and in parks, but this gift will go far to build the lives of the young people we serve, helping them to become productive citizens in our communities.”
The local Rotary club will contribute more than $31,000 this year to organizations in Whatcom County. Funds are raised through the Grape & Gourmet event held each year in November at the Lakeway Inn.

Cherry Point refinery supports local Red Cross
BP Cherry Point Refinery presented the local Mt. Baker chapter of the American Red Cross with a donation of $25,000.
The donation is the largest corporate donation received by the Mt. Baker chapter. The funds will be directed to support the local School Safety Initiative (SSI), which is a community collaboration between the Mt. Baker chapter, local school districts and area partners, all committed to improving school and community safety.
SSI provides a comprehensive program of services that increases access to Red-Cross-approved prevention, preparedness and response information, training and activities for school-based audiences in the county. The remaining funds will support the Real Heroes Celebration in December.
This event celebrates the extraordinary contributions of people who step into crisis situations to help others.

Small dog park to be created at Lake Padden
Tails-A-Wagging Doggie Day Care, Grateful Dogs Off-Leash Association and the city of Bellingham have teamed up to make it possible for Bellingham to have the area’s first small dog park, located inside the two-acre dog park at Lake Padden.
The fully fenced small dog area will be open for all dogs weighing 25 pounds or less. This should end the problem of small dogs being overwhelmed at the dog park by larger dogs, as well as larger dogs acting inappropriately to the small dogs.
A six-foot chain fence will be erected around the small dogs area, complete with special entry gates, a bench and bulletin board.
To fund the project, fence panels will be sold for $175 each. Each panel will have a dedication plaque for local businesses or pet memorials.

Bellingham learning store supports charities
Launching Success Learning Store, 133 Prince Ave. in Bellingham, reported $4,000 in contributions to 40 charities and nonprofit educational institutions over the past year. Many of the contributions were for fund-raising auctions at private and public schools.
Other Launching Success Learning Store gift recipients were organizations that assist children including Boys & Girls Clubs, Northwest Youth Services, Children’s Museum, Autism Society, Newspapers in Education and dance and theatre programs.
Once again this year Launching Success donated storybooks by Dr. Seuss and others for gifts to be given to elementary schools by Western Washington University education students during the March Read Across America campaign.
Another large gift was in the form of supplies provided to an orphanage in Romania sponsored by a special missions program at Birchwood Presbyterian Church.

Tennis club owner’s Locks of Love exceeds goal
Bellingham Tennis Club owner Robin Robertson cut off 10 inches of her hair to donate to Locks for Love, an organization that makes wigs for those undergoing cancer treatments who have lost their own hair.
She began the fundraiser hoping to raise $100 per inch or at least $1,000 to donate to the American Cancer Society. She doubled her goal, raising $2009.67 through the generosity of club members and the Fairhaven community.
Robertson has lost numerous family members and friends to the disease, including her mother-in-law last year, and knows Tennis Club members and friends who are undergoing cancer treatment. Donating her luxurious locks wasn’t easy, but the results were worth it.
“I was so happy at the results of this fundraiser,” Robertson said. “People really responded to it. I think everyone has been touched by cancer in their families.”

Bellingham Allstate agent awarded for volunteerism
Allstate agent Scott Richardson received the “Agency Hands in the Community” award for his commitment to volunteering in the community. With this award comes a $500 grant from the Allstate Foundation for the Lydia Place where Richardson volunteers.
Through the “Agency Hands in the Community” grant program, Allstate agents and personal financial representatives are recognized for outstanding commitment to community service with a $500 donation to the charitable organization where they volunteer. To qualify for the grant, agents must show evidence of volunteer work that has had a positive impact on the local community.

WECU donates $9,255 to local nonprofits
Whatcom Educational Credit Union (WECU) donated the following: $500 to Blue Skies for Children for their “Outlet,” school supplies, and scholarship programs for children in need; $500 to Camp Team (WWU) for WWU’s overnight camp for teens and adults with developmental disabilities; $500 to Domestic Violence & Sexual Assault Services for the Healthy Relationships groups for teen girls at risk for and/or the victims of abuse; $500 to Everson Elementary School for their program to put books in the hands and homes of their students; $500 to the Latino Student Union (WWU) to support the Latino Heritage Celebration; $500 to Lydia Place as an auction sponsor to support local women and their children in transition from homelessness to independence; $500 to the Opportunity Council (Maple Alley Inn) in support of “Dine out for Maple Alley Inn,” which provides free, hot meals twice a week for disadvantaged people; $750 to the St. Francis Foundation for their intergenerational playhouse; $500 to Small Potatoes Gleaning for a workshop that will raise awareness about the root causes of hunger and to work toward local solutions; $500 to Stafholt Good Samaritan for a dining/sitting room restoration project; $750 to Sumas Youth and Community Services to provide a food program for at-risk youth in the greater Sumas area; $500 to Whatcom County Council on Aging/BH Senior Center to support their annual fundraising event, which provides funds for programs and activities at the Bellingham Senior Center; $500 to Whatcom Peace & Justice Center to support their annual International Day of Peace Celebration. $500 to Early Childhood Opportunities Northwest to provide further involvement workshops to improve children’s success in school; $755 to Whatcom Literacy Council in support of their annual Trivia Bee; $1,000 to the Boys & Girls Club in sponsorship of the annual Kidsfest auction which raises operating funds for Boys & Girls Clubs of Whatcom County.
The Social Responsibility Committee oversees WECU’s monetary donations and participation in sweat equity projects. WECU’s Social Responsibility Committee supports education, health and community-related projects, actively seeking those that address acute community concerns such as violence, homelessness and drug abuse.

Child development center receives donation to start endowment
Whatcom Community College’s Child Development Center (CDC) received an anonymous $10,000 contribution with which to initiate an endowment fund. Endowments are funds donated to an institution, individual or group as a source of income.
The donation was designated to assist the center with maintaining accreditation standards and requirements, which ultimately provides an exceptional standard of care and an outstanding environment for childhood education.
The CDC partnered with the Whatcom Community College Foundation to host a children’s concert in hopes of building upon the initial contribution.
Tom Hunter, a well-known children’s entertainer, was featured at the concert. Also performing as the opening act was Jean McMahon. McMahon has served as an early childhood specialist for the CDC since 1995.
All proceeds from ticket sales for the June concert, in addition to other contributions, directly added to this new endowment.

Rotary club donates to Big Brothers Big Sisters
The Bellingham Bay Rotary Club has donated $2,200 to Big Brothers Big Sister of Northwest Washington (BBBS) to support the local School Buddies mentoring program, currently serving 58 children in Bellingham schools.
The donation will provide funds for BBBS to properly screen and train volunteers and monitor the ongoing relationship with mentors, teachers and children.
“Big Buddies” are matched with elementary school children, spending one hour each week for the entire academic year providing one-to-one help with homework, class projects or recreational activities.

Lummi Island Business Council donates to Big Brothers Big Sisters
The Lummi Island Business Council made a donation of $8,000 to Big Brothers Big Sisters of Northwest Washington. This contribution will help support the local community-based mentoring program, currently serving close to 100 children in Whatcom County. The funds will have a significant effect on supporting current matches, as well as additional matches for some of the 150 youth on the waiting list. The costs involved provide professionally trained staff to recruit, screen and train volunteer mentors and then closely monitor follow-up support to ensure the highest quality and safety in the relationships between “Bigs” and “Littles.”

Grocery stores donate to local food banks Cost Cutter, Food Pavilion and Everson Red Apple grocery stores in Whatcom County donated $3,993.40 to five local anti-hunger programs. The Cost Cutter stores in Bellingham (Meridian, Sunset, Lakeway), Lynden and Ferndale donated $2,062.25 to the Lighthouse Mission. This was the proceeds from the holiday campaign Food for All. The grocery industry’s nationwide crusade against hunger asked customers and team members to donate $1, $3 or $5 to alleviate hunger in the United States and overseas. The same group of stores donated $765 in store gift certificates to the mission. The gift certificates, redeemable for food and other supplies, were the result of contributions employees and team members made from their greenpoints. Blaine Cost Cutter donated $766.15 to the Blaine Food Bank from its “Food for All” campaign, accompanied by a gift certificate for $400 from greenpoints giving. In Lynden, the Food Pavilion store presented Blue Skies for Children with a check for $262.90 and a gift certificate for $105. Southside Food Pavilion dedicated its Food for All receipts, $207.35, to the Southdside Food Bank, along with a $70 gift certificate from greenpoints. In Everson, the Red Apple directed its contribution of $83.05 to the Nooksack Valley Food Bank, along with a gift certificate for $95. Regence BlueShield donates to Boys & Girls Clubs Regence BlueShield donated $10,000 to Boys & Girls Clubs of Whatcom County, a local nonprofit organization. The funds were presented on March 25 at the KidsFest Auction and were designated to fund the endowment held by the Boys & Girls Club of Whatcom County Foundation. The local contribution is part of a commitment by Regence BlueShield to contribute $100,000 to local Boys & Girls Clubs around Washington. Rotary club donates to Boys & Girls Clubs Bellingham Bay Rotary donated $4,000 to Boys & Girls Clubs of Whatcom County, a local nonprofit organization. The funds were presented in April at a Northwood Hall luncheon. The funds are designated for general operating expenses for the Whatcom County Clubs located in Bellingham, Ferndale, Blaine and Lummi Island. “Rotarians embody service above self,” said Lynn Templeton, executive director and CEO of Boys & Girls Clubs of Whatcom County. “You’ll often see the Rotary symbol attached to buildings and in parks, but this gift will go far to build the lives of the young people we serve, helping them to become productive citizens in our communities.” The local Rotary club will contribute more than $31,000 this year to organizations in Whatcom County. Funds are raised through the Grape & Gourmet event held each year in November at the Lakeway Inn. Cherry Point refinery supports local Red Cross BP Cherry Point Refinery presented the local Mt. Baker chapter of the American Red Cross with a donation of $25,000. The donation is the largest corporate donation received by the Mt. Baker chapter. The funds will be directed to support the local School Safety Initiative (SSI), which is a community collaboration between the Mt. Baker chapter, local school districts and area partners, all committed to improving school and community safety. SSI provides a comprehensive program of services that increases access to Red-Cross-approved prevention, preparedness and response information, training and activities for school-based audiences in the county. The remaining funds will support the Real Heroes Celebration in December. This event celebrates the extraordinary contributions of people who step into crisis situations to help others. Small dog park to be created at Lake Padden Tails-A-Wagging Doggie Day Care, Grateful Dogs Off-Leash Association and the city of Bellingham have teamed up to make it possible for Bellingham to have the area’s first small dog park, located inside the two-acre dog park at Lake Padden. The fully fenced small dog area will be open for all dogs weighing 25 pounds or less. This should end the problem of small dogs being overwhelmed at the dog park by larger dogs, as well as larger dogs acting inappropriately to the small dogs. A six-foot chain fence will be erected around the small dogs area, complete with special entry gates, a bench and bulletin board. To fund the project, fence panels will be sold for $175 each. Each panel will have a dedication plaque for local businesses or pet memorials. Bellingham learning store supports charities Launching Success Learning Store, 133 Prince Ave. in Bellingham, reported $4,000 in contributions to 40 charities and nonprofit educational institutions over the past year. Many of the contributions were for fund-raising auctions at private and public schools. Other Launching Success Learning Store gift recipients were organizations that assist children including Boys & Girls Clubs, Northwest Youth Services, Children’s Museum, Autism Society, Newspapers in Education and dance and theatre programs. Once again this year Launching Success donated storybooks by Dr. Seuss and others for gifts to be given to elementary schools by Western Washington University education students during the March Read Across America campaign. Another large gift was in the form of supplies provided to an orphanage in Romania sponsored by a special missions program at Birchwood Presbyterian Church. Tennis club owner’s Locks of Love exceeds goal Bellingham Tennis Club owner Robin Robertson cut off 10 inches of her hair to donate to Locks for Love, an organization that makes wigs for those undergoing cancer treatments who have lost their own hair. She began the fundraiser hoping to raise $100 per inch or at least $1,000 to donate to the American Cancer Society. She doubled her goal, raising $2009.67 through the generosity of club members and the Fairhaven community. Robertson has lost numerous family members and friends to the disease, including her mother-in-law last year, and knows Tennis Club members and friends who are undergoing cancer treatment. Donating her luxurious locks wasn’t easy, but the results were worth it. “I was so happy at the results of this fundraiser,” Robertson said. “People really responded to it. I think everyone has been touched by cancer in their families.” Bellingham Allstate agent awarded for volunteerism Allstate agent Scott Richardson received the “Agency Hands in the Community” award for his commitment to volunteering in the community. With this award comes a $500 grant from the Allstate Foundation for the Lydia Place where Richardson volunteers. Through the “Agency Hands in the Community” grant program, Allstate agents and personal financial representatives are recognized for outstanding commitment to community service with a $500 donation to the charitable organization where they volunteer. To qualify for the grant, agents must show evidence of volunteer work that has had a positive impact on the local community. WECU donates $9,255 to local nonprofits Whatcom Educational Credit Union (WECU) donated the following: $500 to Blue Skies for Children for their “Outlet,” school supplies, and scholarship programs for children in need; $500 to Camp Team (WWU) for WWU’s overnight camp for teens and adults with developmental disabilities; $500 to Domestic Violence & Sexual Assault Services for the Healthy Relationships groups for teen girls at risk for and/or the victims of abuse; $500 to Everson Elementary School for their program to put books in the hands and homes of their students; $500 to the Latino Student Union (WWU) to support the Latino Heritage Celebration; $500 to Lydia Place as an auction sponsor to support local women and their children in transition from homelessness to independence; $500 to the Opportunity Council (Maple Alley Inn) in support of “Dine out for Maple Alley Inn,” which provides free, hot meals twice a week for disadvantaged people; $750 to the St. Francis Foundation for their intergenerational playhouse; $500 to Small Potatoes Gleaning for a workshop that will raise awareness about the root causes of hunger and to work toward local solutions; $500 to Stafholt Good Samaritan for a dining/sitting room restoration project; $750 to Sumas Youth and Community Services to provide a food program for at-risk youth in the greater Sumas area; $500 to Whatcom County Council on Aging/BH Senior Center to support their annual fundraising event, which provides funds for programs and activities at the Bellingham Senior Center; $500 to Whatcom Peace & Justice Center to support their annual International Day of Peace Celebration. $500 to Early Childhood Opportunities Northwest to provide further involvement workshops to improve children’s success in school; $755 to Whatcom Literacy Council in support of their annual Trivia Bee; $1,000 to the Boys & Girls Club in sponsorship of the annual Kidsfest auction which raises operating funds for Boys & Girls Clubs of Whatcom County. The Social Responsibility Committee oversees WECU’s monetary donations and participation in sweat equity projects. WECU’s Social Responsibility Committee supports education, health and community-related projects, actively seeking those that address acute community concerns such as violence, homelessness and drug abuse. Child development center receives donation to start endowment Whatcom Community College’s Child Development Center (CDC) received an anonymous $10,000 contribution with which to initiate an endowment fund. Endowments are funds donated to an institution, individual or group as a source of income. The donation was designated to assist the center with maintaining accreditation standards and requirements, which ultimately provides an exceptional standard of care and an outstanding environment for childhood education. The CDC partnered with the Whatcom Community College Foundation to host a children’s concert in hopes of building upon the initial contribution. Tom Hunter, a well-known children’s entertainer, was featured at the concert. Also performing as the opening act was Jean McMahon. McMahon has served as an early childhood specialist for the CDC since 1995. All proceeds from ticket sales for the June concert, in addition to other contributions, directly added to this new endowment. Rotary club donates to Big Brothers Big Sisters The Bellingham Bay Rotary Club has donated $2,200 to Big Brothers Big Sister of Northwest Washington (BBBS) to support the local School Buddies mentoring program, currently serving 58 children in Bellingham schools. The donation will provide funds for BBBS to properly screen and train volunteers and monitor the ongoing relationship with mentors, teachers and children. “Big Buddies” are matched with elementary school children, spending one hour each week for the entire academic year providing one-to-one help with homework, class projects or recreational activities. Lummi Island Business Council donates to Big Brothers Big Sisters The Lummi Island Business Council made a donation of $8,000 to Big Brothers Big Sisters of Northwest Washington. This contribution will help support the local community-based mentoring program, currently serving close to 100 children in Whatcom County. The funds will have a significant effect on supporting current matches, as well as additional matches for some of the 150 youth on the waiting list. The costs involved provide professionally trained staff to recruit, screen and train volunteer mentors and then closely monitor follow-up support to ensure the highest quality and safety in the relationships between “Bigs” and “Littles.”
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