Monthly news from Skyway Solutions, from and for the Skyway / West Hill community

SkySol News   Issue 1, April 2015

Community, 
   As you can see, we're trying something new. In conversations with all of you, we've heard that you want additional, clear information about why we choose to invest in certain activities, and how Community Development can build our Skyway / West Hill Community. Skyway Solutions is becoming a Community Development Corporation (CDC), which is focusing on convening, coordinating and mobilizing resources to Skyway / West Hill. 
    A CDC is a 501(c)(3), community-based organization working to revitalize the area in which it is located. A 501(c)(3) is defined by the IRS as: "To be tax-exempt under section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code, an organization must be organized and operated exclusively for exempt purposes set forth in section 501(c)(3), and none of its earnings may inure to any private shareholder or individual." While CDCs are best known for developing affordable housing, they are usually involved in a range of initiatives critical to community health such as economic development, sanitation, street-scaping, and neighborhood planning projects, and they often-times even provide education and social services to neighborhood residents. 
    Skyway Solutions plays a critical role in building community wealth and ownership for several key reasons:
  • We aim to anchor capital in Skyway / West Hill by developing residential and commercial property, with projects ranging from affordable housing to shopping centers and businesses.
  • Three quarters of Skyway Solutions' board is typically composed of community residents, allowing for the possibility of direct, grass-roots participation in decision-making.
  • Skyway Solutions' work to enhance community conditions frequently involves neighborhood organizing, a process critical for empowering residents and gaining political power.
    With our new printed newsletter, 'A Voice' (coming in June), and this e-newsletter, we will provide regular updates which will allow you to explore in more detail how projects fit into the big picture of what we do here in Skyway / West Hill.
    You will still hear directly from our staff regularly. SkySol News is just another method for sharing information. Each edition will feature a specific theme, plus news, events and job opportunities. As always, we welcome your feedback and would love to hear from you about this newsletter, ideas for projects you want to see, and / or any other ways that we can work together.
    Thank you for your continued partnership.     
     In Equity, Service and Solidarity,
     Michael Majeed , Interim Executive Director
High level support for Skyway / West Hill
A group of "Political Champions" pledges support to Skyway / West Hill at King County: (left to right) Larry Evans, Legislative Aide to Council Member Larry Gossett, City of Renton Councilmember Ed Prince, and King County Council Member Rod Dembowski.


Please meet our board!
Re'Shaughn Garden
I'm starting my second year with Skyway Solutions. Skyway is very dear to my heart and I am excited to work with my Skyway friends and family.



Won Choi   
I moved to Skyway in 2012. Honestly, I thought I was moving to Renton. Someone else told me I lived in Bryn-Mawr. But I had a Seattle address! As confusing as Skyway was when I first moved here, I now consider this weird place home. By working as a paraeducator in Dimmitt Middle School, being part of a church in the area, and being on the board of Skyway Solutions, it is an honor to call this place my community.

Patty Horne-Brine 
As a retired Kindergarten teacher, I thought that I'd finally have time to volunteer in my Skyway Community. I found Skyway Solutions folks were very warm and open to volunteers, as well as very diverse, like the community I live in. I have learned a lot since joining in 2012, and am proud to be helping Skyway grow into the community we want it to be. I am serving now as a board member with a terrific group of people!

Bill LeDrew
I love this place. I would want to serve even if we had no challenges, just so I could hang out with the amazing people who live in Skyway / West Hill. I currently serve as board vice president. I represent Skyway Solutions on the West Hill Community Association board, providing two-way communication. I'm also on the Fundraising Committee that will be hosting its first event in late May. I sit on the Steering Committee for the Skyway / West Hill Action Plan effort. I like to be a visible representative in support of our local community organizations.



Rachel Ramirez
Rachel and her family have lived in Skyway for 9 years. She works for the Renton School District at the district office and has a passion for kids and families. She and her husband have two sons that keep her very busy. She helped start the Skyway Cub Scout Pack four years ago; it is still active in Skyway. She would love to use her gifts to help bring unity and community to Skyway and to help dispel the negative views that are associated with this place.


Ryan Quigtar
A Skyway resident for 20 years, Ryan started serving on the Skyway Solutions Board in January 2015. He first got into contact with our organization by applying for a position, and has been connected ever since. He participated in meetings with the Renton School District, around the Neighborhood Schools concept. Ryan says, "I would like to see the community of Skyway / West Hill thrive and disassociate itself from the negative images it has been connected to!"

 

Kyla Crawford

I am passionate about the work that Skyway Solutions is doing in this community. I am the mother of three amazing children and have worked in education for over ten years. As I watch my children grow, I envision a future for them where opportunity and access are within their reach. This is the future that Skyway Solutions is creating for our children and community. As a board member, I am proud to aid in the growth of this work.

 

 

Recent grants
 
   The SkySol team has been busy! We were awarded $150,000 in grants between January and March 2015. When we receive the funds, these grants will support a number of new partnerships and projects / programs identified in the Skyway West Hill Action Plan (SWAP- see story below), including staffing / administration, SWAP Steering Committee, and SWAP projects. They will also strengthen existing partnerships.
  Here are a few of our funded projects:
  • $5,000 grant went to the Urban Family Center at Creston Point to address the powerful link between youth and community planning.
  • Up to $100,000 from Partners in Community Health, a program from the Center of Disease Control and King County Public Health to work on Active Living and Healthy Eating. Projects being explored will create a major pathway from the Park to the Business District.
  • $50K from The Seattle Foundation for convening and coordinating the Skyway / West Hill Action Plan Steering Group and Equity and Policy work.
    Additional funding will go to organizations and working groups dedicated to completing projects and / or launching programs the community says it needs. These will be identified through the Skyway / West Hill Action Plan planning activities. For more information about grants, contact Sigrid Batara: Sigrid.Batara@skywaysolutions.org

SKYWAY / WEST HILL ACTION PLAN

   The Skyway West Hill Action Plan (SWAP) efforts are underway. Skyway Solutions is facilitating the planning efforts. We are honoring and affirming past planning efforts to (1) identify a short list of prioritized projects that we can implement; and (2) update the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. County Comprehensive Plan, which will be adopted in 2016. 
    To date, we have convened nine SWAP Steering Committee meetings. The Steering Committee is the governing and visioning body for the SWAP. All members are residents and / or business owners in the community. The SWAP Steering Committee hosted two open houses focusing on Healthy Connected Neighborhoods and Smart Sustainable Growth. Urban Family Center (based at Creston Point) hosted a youth-led open house in March on Thriving Educated Youth and Community. We have also reconvened our Technical Advisory Group (TAG), which is made up of regional partners and King County staff. The TAG will support the SWAP efforts by identifying resources and opportunities to ensure the SWAP is implemented. 
   
We cannot do this without YOU! There many ways to get involved in creating a community where ALL residents can THRIVE:
  1. Visit our website at www.buildskywaywesthill.org and complete the 'Virtual Open Houses' surveys. We need your input!
  2. Attend the Economic Prosperity and Affordability Open House on April 22, 2015 from 7-9pm at Campbell Hill Elementary School.
  3. Contact Jared Burwell at jared.burwell@skywaysolutions.org to find out how to:
  • Host a 'SWAP MEET', a living room conversation.
  • Help flyer and survey so all residents in 98178 can have their voices heard.
  • Join the SWAP Steering Committee.
Skyway Mural Design Contest is open now! (April 1-30)
Open to anyone in the 98178 zip code
(You don't have to be an artist to submit an idea!)

   The "I See Skyway" mural at the intersection of S 129 th St and Martin Luther King Jr. Way S. will be re-done this year. It was designed in 2010 by youth from Creston Point and completed with the help of many others in the Skyway / West Hill community. It represented all the things the young folks liked about Skyway! Sadly, it is now badly tagged, and can't be fixed, so it will be done over, preserving the large mosaic eye. Michele Savelle has stepped in as an independent volunteer to coordinate this project with the help of Skyway Solutions and many other community organizations, including: Skyway Boys' and Girls' Club, Urban Family Center, West Hill Community Association, West Hill  Business Association, Skyway VFW, RAYS, King County Fire District 20, Skyway Library, Somali Youth and Family Club, Romans Casino, Greater Skyway Community Church, Grocery Outlet, Renton School District, Windwood Construction, and Alajawan's Hands Foundation. This project seeks to bring together the entire Skyway / West Hill community - everyone in the 98178 zip code. 
   We will start with a community-wide design contest on the theme of DIVERSITY, starting April 1st and continuing for the whole month of April. Look for the posters in the community! There will be a vote in June, and the winning design / concept will go on the wall. The painting itself will happen in August. To get an entry form, click here, pick one up at the Skyway Library, Skyway Grocery Outlet store, or download it at www.buildskywaywesthill.org/mural. For more information, and to get involved, please contact Michele at 206-817-1328 or michelesavelle@earthlink.net.
More success!
Urban Family and Partners launched the 'Teen Talk for the Thriving Educated Youth & Community' component of the Skyway West Hill Action Plan (SWAP). Highlights included close to 100 attendees, approximately 280 surveys completed (and counting), and the start-up of the 'Skyway Youth Neighborhood Council' (SYNC). It was great to see what can happen when we work together for our community! It was a huge success and just the spark we needed to ignite the rest of the work ahead. Stay Tuned! For more information, contact Jared: jared.burwell@skywaysolutions.org
Let us introduce our staff:

Michael Majeed Interim Executive Director. Duties include: point person for executive leadership, stewardship of the business plan and the organization's resources, managing external visibility, fund raising, board engagement, and staff recruitment, development and oversight. Michael, along with six other founding members, shaped Skyway Solutions into a 501(c)(3) Community Development Organization, and he continues to drive its mission of advancing economic and social equity in Skyway / West Hill. He lives in Skyway and enjoys community organizing and seeing neighbors empowered. Michael and his son participate in all kinds of cultural activities, especially in performing arts. He is interested in theater, music, photography, and learning about historic landmarks. Michael hikes, runs, and anything to stay active and fit. Michael loves to eat, cook, play chess and is learning the guitar.  

Kahdijah Jackson In October of 2014, I joined Skyway Solutions to be the Administrative Assistant, handling administrative duties for the organization such as HR/Payroll, technology support, and assisting with programs as needed. I previously worked in this field for over two years, as an Activities Coordinator and Program Coordinator for other non-profits. I joined the Skyway Solutions team because I've lived in Skyway for over 15 years and would love to see empowerment and improvements in the community where I grew up. Along with my job, I enjoy raising my three year old boy, swimming and being a student at Renton Technical College.


Andra Kranzler  Community Economic Development Manager. As you know, we are growing into a Community Development Corporation operating in the unincorporated Skyway / West Hill neighborhood.  
    Andra is managing our extensive, community-led planning work, with the goal of implementing projects and programs. She aims for the Skyway / West Hill Action Plan to be adopted into King County's Comprehensive Plan. She has a strong Race, Equity and Social Justice lens. She has an accredited Urban planning degree from Eastern Washington University and a Juris Doctor from Seattle University School of Law.

Jared Burwell Our new Community Leadership Coordinator. A key member to the SWAP project team. Jared's extensive experience in community engagement, especially in the faith community, will be vital in project implementation. Jared and his wife, Corrie, are raising their family in Skyway and have a deep love for the community. With a background in construction, Jared knows the value of collaboration, listening, and working hard. His love for people led him into vocational ministry, volunteer work with refugees, and ultimately to the job of community leadership coordinator for Skyway Solutions. Jared loves reading, exploring Seattle with his kids, and hanging out with neighbors.


Sigrid Batara   As the Development Director, Sigrid is part of our leadership team and the point person for resource development. This incorporates all aspects of fundraising, including establishing goals and strategies, policies and procedures, and direct solicitation. She also works with the Board to cultivate donors and plan events. With a passion for organizing, Sigrid has extensive experience in event planning and youth development. You will find her enthusiastically speaking about upcoming events, or as she says, "Project Time!"

 


Michele Savelle  Communications Manager. A graphic designer with decades of experience and her own freelance business, Michele has joined the Skyway Solutions team to help create and manage a number of communications materials. These include a new printed newsletter (A Voice), this e-newsletter (SkySol News), posters, fliers, project reports, promotional materials and an annual report. As one of the founders of Skyway Solutions, Michele has a special place in her heart for the community and is excited to be able to help strengthen communication between the organization and the people it serves.
Job Opportunities
  • Chinese Information and Service Center is hiring a Parent-Child Home Program Coordinator
     
  • Community Center for Education Results (CCER) is looking for a Communications Coordinator! This would be a great job for someone who has passion for connecting with people and communities, and can excel in a fast-moving environment. Click here to view a PDF of the job description. Applications will be accepted through April 30.
     
What's happening?
Economic Prosperity and Affordability Open House
April 22, 2015, from 7-9pm at Campbell Hill Elementary School
 
Mural design contest
April 1 - 30, 2015 
Get an entry form here or at either Skyway Library or Grocery Outlet in Skyway. Open to all residents of zip code 98178 - you don't have to be an artist to submit an idea. Contact Michele for more information or to get involved: michelesavelle@earthlink.net
Want to help?
Volunteer! Contact Jared Burwell jared.burwell@skywaysolutions.org

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