Eastside Baby Corner hosts its first-ever fundraiser
November 9, 2010
Karen Rubin, an Eastside Baby Corner volunteer, stacks a donated shipment of new child car seats. In 2009, an average of 25 car seats were distributed each week. Contributed
For the first time in its 20-year history, Eastside Baby Corner is having a fundraiser for itself.
Karen Ridlon, a pediatric nurse, founded the nonprofit organization in 1990, using her house as a donation bank. The baby clothes, toys, shoes and bikes soon overtook her kitchen and dining room. Rowley Properties helped her acquire a facility, and the community has kept her awash in donations for children up to age 12 in the 20 years since.
But some donations were harder to come by, like car seats, cribs, beds, diapers, baby formula and baby food. When the Eastside Baby Corner board approved its three-year plan in 2008, it determined that the organization needed to find adequate and sustainable funding sources to buy the supplies that were in constant demand.
Through much planning, the board decided to start an annual luncheon to raise money and awareness for Eastside Baby Corner.
The free luncheon and fundraiser will feature Bill Grace, a social justice activist and traveling teacher who founded the Center for Ethical Leadership in Seattle. Grace directs Common Good Works and speaks at seminars across the world.
The nonprofit has set a goal of raising $50,000, director of development and community relations Helen Banks Routon said.
She thanked the luncheon’s four sponsors: Swedish Medical Center, Seattle Children’s Bellevue Clinic and Surgery Center and Clark Nuber, a Bellevue accounting and consulting business.
Last year, Eastside Baby Corner distributed more than 40,000 items amounting to almost $3 million worth of goods.
Every week, “about 500 kids are positively impacted,” Routon said.
The nonprofit does not work directly with families, but with 120 provider partners. Each week, the provider can request up to 20 items, which it can then give to local families. Eastside Baby Corner also works with food banks, including the Issaquah Food and Clothing Bank.
Donations from the luncheon will pay for supplies.
“It’s a great way to mark our 20 years,” Routon said. “It’s a great way to build our resources so we can meet the needs of the children in our community.”
If you go
Eastside Baby Corner luncheon
- 11:30 a.m. Nov. 15
- Hilton Bellevue
- 300 112th Ave. S.E., Bellevue
- To register, e-mail events@babycorner.org or go to www.babycorner.org by Nov. 10. The website also accepts tax-deductible donations.
- To donate new or gently used items, go to Eastside Baby Corner, 1510 N.W. Maple St., from 5:30-8:30 p.m. Mondays, 9-11 a.m. Thursdays or 9 – noon Saturdays.
Laura Geggel: 392-6434, ext. 241, or lgeggel@isspress.com. Comment at www.issaquahpress.com.
Who’s News
November 9, 2010
Trivia champions crowned
Trivia Champions of Issaquah
Issaquah Rotary Trivia Night on Oct. 26 at Malarkey’s raised $1,600 for the Issaquah Friends of Youth At Risk program.
The top three teams donated their prize money to the charity. The winning team crowned “Trivia Champions of Issaquah” included members Christine and Charles Chi and Shannon and Richard McVay. Read more
Sammamish grants dollars to Issaquah nonprofits
November 2, 2010
Sammamish City Council members cited the impact of the economic downturn and increased the amount the city grants to local nonprofits Oct. 26.
The money allotted by the council — $192,000 — includes grants to some Issaquah-based organizations. The allocation is a sharp increase from 2010. The city doled out $147,000 for 2010.
“I’d like to see some increase in funding for one time only because of these especially hard times,” Deputy Mayor Nancy Whitten said. “A lot of people who would normally give have given less because they can’t afford it or not given at all.”
The recipients include Athletes For Kids, AtWork!, Eastside Baby Corner, the Eastside Domestic Violence Program, Faith In Action, Friends of the Issaquah Salmon Hatchery, Issaquah Church and Community Services, the Issaquah Schools Foundation, Life Enrichment Options and the Providence Marianwood Foundation.
Women’s Club tea combines good times, charity work
November 2, 2010
Steamy tea, little sandwiches and sugary treats await those snacking at the third annual Harmony and High Tea hosted by the Issaquah Women’s Club.
After a group of friends founded the club in 1983, “just a couple of women who wanted to get together and have fun and do some good for the community,” the club has intertwined itself with Issaquah, forming friendships and donating funds to local groups, community outreach chair Mary Mallet said.
Tea aficionados chatter during the annual Harmony and High Tea auction organized by the Issaquah Women’s Club. By Debby Bader
At the tea, women of all ages can catch up with their family and neighbors. Joann McHolland plans to bring her 12-year-old granddaughter, who has already saved $100 to spend at the auction.
McHolland joined the club in 2002, after a vehicle accident made it difficult for her to pursue her other extracurricular activity: golf.
Eastside Baby Corner hosts pants party
August 17, 2010
Donate new or gently-used pants to help Eastside Baby Corner increase its supply of pants for children in the upcoming school year.
Eastside Baby Corner is a charitable and green nonprofit organization that collects hand-me-down children’s clothing and other goods from the community; recycles and repairs items that would otherwise go to the landfill, purchases other basics; and distributes almost everything essential to children through more than 75 agencies serving families in greater east King County.
Since one of its recurring needs is clothing, especially pants for school-aged children, Eastside Baby Corner is inviting kids to join them for a Pants Party on Aug. 21. The sizes of pants most needed are 5-14, for both boys and girls. The main focus will be children’s pants, but volunteers will also accept other donations of children’s clothing and material goods. Read more
Who’s News
August 10, 2010
Liberty grads get scholarships
The Maple Hills Marlins Swim Team Board awarded four scholarships in August to four college-bound graduates from Liberty High School who have been longtime summer swim team members.
The 2010 scholarship award winners are Hannah Blue ($500), Austin Briggs ($500), Dooley Brown ($250) and David Lowry ($250).
Blue and Brown are headed to Washington State University in the fall. Briggs will attend the University of Washington. Lowry is going to Western Washington University.
To be considered for the scholarship award, graduated seniors who swam this season completed an application, which was scored blind according to an established matrix. Years on the team, contributions to the team, responses to essay questions, and grade point average were all factors in the selection. Funding for the scholarships comes from team fundraising efforts.
Providence Point residents support local charities
The Kiwanis Club of Providence Point recently concluded its annual fund drive for 2010. More than 50 percent of Providence Point residents contributed, generating $25,000 for local charities, including Eastside Baby Corner, Issaquah Food and Clothing Bank, Providence Marianwood Foundation and the YWCA Family Village in Redmond.
Providence Point White Elephant sale returns
August 3, 2010
Need dishware, children’s games or maybe just new art to hang on your walls? If so, the residents of Providence Point have got a sale for you.
The community’s annual White Elephant Sale happens Aug. 6-8 at its community center, 4135 Providence Point Drive S.E.
“We have some wonderful things,” resident Pat Gile said.
Items at the sale range from curious collectibles and kitchenware to linens, children’s games and fine art, she added.
“I don’t think there’s any limit to it,” coordinator Janet Elmore said. “I just brought home a lot of fairies — little, gorgeous, beautiful things this woman collected. But we also have magnificent kitchenware, including these very expensive coffee makers people get for presents, but after awhile, don’t have room for.” Read more
Just Between Friends hosts consignment shopping event
July 27, 2010
What started as a local event by two mothers in Tulsa, Okla., designed to help other mothers in need, has gone national with Issaquah hosting its own event.
Nina Hawley, Issaquah organizer for the past two years, said Just Between Friends is a large children’s consignment event where families sign up as consignors, tag all of their items, setting their own prices and earning up to 70 percent. In return, other families can save a bundle on everything they need for their families.
Hawley said the event has gotten bigger each time they’ve held it in Issaquah.
Kiwanis event funds grants for local organizations
April 13, 2010
Ready, set, bid — for a good cause as the Kiwanis Club of Issaquah hosts its 32nd annual auction and dinner fundraiser April 24.
The event is one of the largest Kiwanis fundraisers all year, President Connie Fletcher said.
Last year, the event made about $66,000, member Keith Watts said. Members are hoping to reach that again this year at the Hilton Garden Inn with help from emcee Leon Kos, Issaquah’s city administrator, and City Councilman Fred Butler.
Items for the auction include travel packages, an oceanfront condo in Mexico, iPod Touch, jewelry, local experiences like a fire truck ride, and two Trophy Club passes to the U.S. Senior Open at Sahalee Golf Course.
Proceeds from the event go to fund grant requests from local organizations, like Eastside Baby Corner, Issaquah Church and Community Services and the Issaquah Food and Clothing Bank. Read more
Press Editorial
March 30, 2010
City should not own a human services campus
The idea of bringing human service nonprofit agencies together in one location to best serve the clients is not a new idea. It has been tried and proven successful at the Family Resource Center in Redmond. Read more
