Category Archives: The Commons

Where the community posts stories for the blog. Posts on The Commons may be promoted to the front page. To post on the blog, visit Write For The BHB.

The Commons

Pear-a-dise date change to Sunday Aug 16

Pear-a-dise, the yearly harvest and celebration of all things pear at the Garden House historic orchard has moved to Sunday, August 16, still from 2-6 p.m. Come harvest pears, sample pear goodness and learn about the Beacon Mural Project. 2336 15th Ave. S., across from the Shell Station.

You should have/will receive a postcard in your mailboxes so take note of the date change and join us in the harvest!!!

The Commons

Internet accessibility open house at El Centro de la Raza Tuesday, 8/11

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CenturyLink and El Centro are hosting an open house this Tuesday from 4 to 7 p.m. to introduce Internet Basics, an affordable Internet offering for income qualified customers. Beacon Hill is also becoming a CenturyLink Fiber Lit neighborhood, meaning that residents of our community will have access to next generation internet speeds of up to 1 Gig. You can find out about both of these offerings at Tuesday’s open house.

Estella Ortega of El Centro will give a short introduction at 5 p.m., and free tacos from Maya’s Restaurant will be served. Please come to the event and share this info with any of your neighbors who might be interested.

I am a member of UPTUN (Upping Technology for Underserved Neighborhoods), which has been working to improve access to technology for the past 5 years. We are volunteers making sure WAVE, CenturyLink, Comcast, the City of Seattle, etc. improve internet and cable services. We want improved speed, better reliability, and more competition in every neighborhood in Seattle. Please visit http://www.uptun.org/ for more information of what we do.

The Commons

Film project about the Fir State Golf Club and the Jefferson Park Golf Course seeks Kickstarter backers

Fir State Golf Club, a primarily Black golf club, chose to call themselves Fir State after Washington’s state tree. To them, the evergreen fir tree was a symbol of strength and the ability to weather many storms. The club was established in 1947 to provide nonwhites an opportunity to learn and participate fully in the sport of golf. Up until that time, and in most places around the United States, including Seattle, clubs and tournaments were not open to golfers of color.

Regardless of their abilities, they were left out of opportunities to compete, gain recognition and acquire the economic rewards afforded to other quality golfers. This was true and condoned legally throughout the 40’s, 50’s and 60’s. At a time when Rosa Parks had not yet been arrested for refusing to give up her seat on a public bus and the 14th amendment to the US constitution, the Civil Rights Act of 1964, was still 17 years away, these determined golfers became some of the earliest heroes in the fight for equality and racial justice in Seattle.

As the pursuit for equity in sports continues, Out of the Rough celebrates the Fir State Golf Club for the historic role they played in opening up opportunities for all people to be able to participate fully in the sport of golf. There are only 3 days left to donate to help finish the film. Please consider making a donation at the Out of the Rough Kickstarter page: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1200799877/out-of-the-rough-stories-from-fir-state-golf-club.

The Fir State Golf Club’s home course is the Jefferson Park Golf Course on Beacon Hill. For more information on the history of the Fir State Golf Club and the Jefferson Park Golf Course:

http://www.historylink.org/index.cfm?DisplayPage=output.cfm&file_id=9531
http://cascadegolfer.com/jefferson-park-golf-course/
http://beaconhill.seattle.wa.us/2012/08/18/the-vanishing-history-of-jefferson-park-golf-part-i-the-seattle-landmarks-preservation-board/
http://beaconhill.seattle.wa.us/2012/08/25/the-vanishing-history-of-jefferson-park-golf-part-ii-dreamers-and-builders/
http://beaconhill.seattle.wa.us/2012/09/04/the-vanishing-history-of-jefferson-park-golf-part-iii-golfing-clubs-and-champions-united-by-the-right-to-compete/

The Commons

Local non-profit needs volunteers

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Have an interest in or experience with volunteer engagement, the nonprofit community, and/or project management? You’re invited to get involved and help a local non-profit to plan, implement and manage the projects needed to take the organization’s volunteer program to the next level.

VIP Manager Corps is a United Way of King County program managed in partnership with 501 Commons. VMC provides community volunteers with the tools needed to help local non-profit organizations develop effective volunteer management practices. Several participating organizations are located around Beacon Hill.

This volunteer role has been a rewarding opportunity for community members looking for a meaningful way to apply their skills and experience in the nonprofit community. Volunteers gain the opportunity to apply their own skills and experience in a new context, work closely with a local organization and earn an $800 service award.

To apply or learn more about the VMC Member role, please visit 501Commons.org/volunteer/VMC and feel free to contact Gwyn Howard, gwyn@501commons.org, with any questions.

The Commons

E Team is the next free Meaningful Movie

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Image from the movie E Team.
Image from the movie E Team.
Local, volunteer-powered Beacon Hill Meaningful Movies screens the documentary E Team on Friday, July 17 at the Garden House (2336 15th Ave. S) at 7 p.m. Doors open at 6:15. Free movie, free popcorn!

This film follows four members of the Emergencies Team (E Team) of the respected, international human rights group, Human Rights Watch. Trained to deal with unfolding crises, the team flies to hotspots all over the world as soon as allegations of human rights abuse surface. They gather crucial evidence to determine if further investigation is warranted and if so, to interview, document and capture the world’s attention. Human rights abuses thrive on secrecy and silence and the work of the E Team, backed by HRW has shone light in dark places and given voice to thousands who stories would never otherwise have been told.

The camera follows the E-Team investigators into the field as they smuggle themselves across the Syrian border to conduct undercover investigations as the civil war rages around them.

Each team member is visited at home away from conflict zones showing how they try to balance family and personal relationships with the challenges of their E Team work around the world. Though they are very different people, they share a fearless spirit and a deep commitment to exposing and halting human rights abuses everywhere.

(Thanks, Christina, for posting to The Commons! — Ed.)