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April 2020 News & Views

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News from the Director

I saw God walking across our deserted campus yesterday. “What are you doing here?” I asked. “Just working from home like everyone else,” he responded. Can you tell I have been working alone too much? HA HA. I think of this place as heaven so…who knows.

What a difference a month makes. Seabeck, like all of us, is feeling the effects of the Pandemic. We stayed open the first weekend in March, but I just didn’t feel like we could do enough to keep everyone safe, so I closed the campus. We have been empty since then. We are following the Governor’s recommendations by having the Office staff working from home and the Maintenance staff working alone or six feet apart. The work has stopped on Pines and the campus is eerily quiet. We can’t wait to reopen and serve guests.

We are working with Kitsap County to quarantine people who voluntarily wish to isolate from the community. It was a tough decision to agree to do it, but I believe it is the right thing to do. If we do host people, we will prepare meals and deliver them to the porches in individual containers. Staff will have no contact with the guests. I know the easy thing to do would be to duck our heads and hunker down throughout this crisis, but I believe we will be helping to save lives. It is the right thing to do.

I hope this crisis will end as quickly as it started. I am confident we will be open by summer. I am not sure when Pines will open. We will get it completed as soon as possible. We are planning to host open weekends as soon as it is safe to do so. My hope is to do one over Memorial Day Weekend. We will also celebrate Pines at some point.

The economic hardship from this will be great. I have already heard of two conference centers in the East closing for good. We have some reserves and have cut our budget so our monthly loses will be minimized.

When we have a better sense of when this will end, and what the impact on Seabeck has been, we will let you know how you can help us. In the meantime, please consider supporting us during either the Kitsap Great Give on April 21st or the GiveBig Washington on May 5 & 6. Seabeck will survive this awful time and will prosper in the future.

Thanks for all your support! It won’t be long and we will be open again. I believe people will need Seabeck more than ever. I have always worried that technology like Zoom and Skype could make us obsolete. After a couple of weeks of forced isolation, I am positive the need for human interaction and face to face meeting will never cease.

Thanks,

Chuck

Kitsap Great Give & GiveBig Washington

Supporting Seabeck and other Washington Non-Profits

https://kitsapgreatgive.org/

About Kitsap Great Give

The Great Give is 24 hours of online giving hosted by Kitsap Community Foundation.

Every dollar you donate is boosted by the Bonus Pool

How you can give:

1. Give online on April 21, 2020.

2. Give through our mailer that goes out to over 80,000 people in Kitsap.

3. Early giving begins April 1, 2020 and ends April 20, at midnight.

https://www.501commons.org/donate

About GiveBig Washington

GiveBIG Washington is a 24-hour online giving campaign that promotes philanthropy across Washington. Organized by 501 Commons. This event is open to IRS tax-exempt organizations serving and headquartered in Washington State. This year’s GiveBIG opens for early giving on April 22 and runs through GiveBIG day on May 6, 2020.

Through GiveBIG Washington nonprofits raise funds online and connect with new donors. In 2019, 20% of donors reported that they were making a first-time gift. 501 Commons, provides training, tools, and support so nonprofits of all sizes and missions are successful.

Furnishing Pines Will be Easy with Your Help...

How can you help?

Choose From the List

& Donate Today!

LOUNGE FURNITURE

$1400 Couch (4)

$1200 Love seat (2)

$ 825 Chair (27)

$ 200 End Table (12)

$ 300 Coffee Table (4)

$ 100 Lobby Lamp (4)

BEDROOM FURNITURE

$350 Bed (36)

$275 Dresser (28)

$175 Nightstand (56)

$150 Desk (20)

$ 85 .. Chair (20)

$ 35 .. Closet Unit (20)

$ 30 .. Luggage Rack (20)

MISCELLANEOUS ITEMS

$125 Art for Walls (40)

$ 75 . Bedspread (36)

$ 40 . Blanket (100)

$ 18 . Pillow (64)

$ 75 . Lamp (56)

$ 15 . Clock (28)

Call the Seabeck office at 360-830-5010 or donate online at www.seabeck.org

We are Now Recruiting for our Summer Staff

Whether you are looking for work this summer or know someone who is, we are always looking for people who are friendly, hard-working, reliable and excited about what we do and can represent Seabeck in a positive way.

Seabeck Conference Center offers a wide array of challenging positions for persons seeking to dedicate their skills and abilities to the mission of our organization. No matter what department you work for, your energy and efforts will be invested in seeing that our guests have the best experience possible while they are at Seabeck.

We are always looking for people with flexible schedules. Depending on what department you apply for will depend on what type of schedule you would have. Each summer we hire from 20-30 extra staff to take care of the many guests we have daily. If you are in high school, or just coming home from college for the summer and want temporary employment, then apply for a fun summer job at Seabeck.

There are positions in the kitchen, dining room, housekeeping, maintenance and guest services. Work schedule, duties and pay grade will vary with each department.

When you join our team, we value you and the experiences that make you unique. Because our services impact people from a multitude of backgrounds, we want a workforce that reflects a diverse range of backgrounds and experiences.

We are an equal opportunity employer and we will select only qualified applicants for every position. We will make selections based on what strengths you bring to our team and how you fit into our operating style. Attention to detail, teamwork and overall responsibility are important parts of all Seabeck positions.

Requirements:

Demonstrate a positive attitude at all times and willing to help out where needed
Greet guests with friendliness and enthusiasm
Smile and interact with all guests
Provide guests with exceptional customer service
Maintain a professional relationship with all co-workers
Follow all employee guidelines and operating procedures
Follow direction from managers
Complete requirements of the job without constant supervision
Must be flexible in schedule requirements as hours may fluctuate
Must be able to stand, walk, lift and bend for long periods of time
Excellent people skills and an outgoing personality
Be organized and able to maintain a calm demeanor under stressful situations
Be reliable, respectful, adaptable, positive and customer driven
Be on time. It is absolutely necessary to be punctual for every shift
Be a team player and be willing to assist other staff with their duties if needed

Seabeck Conference Center gladly accepts applications for the following positions year round: Kitchen Staff, Dining Room Staff, Housekeepers, Maintenance Staff and Guest Services

We have fun at Seabeck, but we also work very hard. If you are interested in a position with us, please download our employment application from our website www.seabeck.org. Fill it out, sign it and email it to employment@seabeck.org.

100 Things To Do While Stuck Inside

1. Complete a puzzle: The more pieces the better! Feeling extra saucy? Take on a Rubik's Cube. More of a word person? Crossword puzzle!

2. Start a journal or blog. Sure, it can be about the coronavirus, but it could also be about a specific interest from chess to cheese.

3. If it won't bother your neighbors: Dust off that old instrument and practice.

4. Text all your exes just in case you have one more thing you wanted to get off your chest.

5. Write poetry. Perhaps you can craft a haiku for Mother's Day , or something without a specific structure. Just try it!

6. Watch all the really long movies you’ve avoided until now.

7. Download Duolingo , or a similar app, and teach yourself a foreign language.

8. Finally read “Infinite Jest,” “Les Miserables” or even “The Stand.” Go all in and read “Ulysses.” You got this.

9. Meditate. Try lying down with your eyes closed, palms up and while focusing on your breath. Or spend 20 minutes sitting cross-legged and repeat a soothing word to yourself in your head. (The latter is more like transcendental meditation.)

10. Face masks, moisturizer, oh my! Treat yourself to a 10-step skin care routine you don’t have time for during a normal work week.

11. Look at pictures of puppies .

12. Put together the most attractive charcuterie board possible, but you can only use foods you already have in your fridge and cupboard.

13. Take note from "Tangled" star Rapunzel, who has an entire song about how she's spent her days alone in a castle. Activities included in her ditty : Ventriloquy, candle-making, papier-mâché and adding a new painting to her gallery.

14. Write actual letters to family and friends. After that? Write thank-you notes to service people who you remember went out of their way for you.

15. Learn calligraphy. YouTube can help.

16. Finally read the rules to those long and intense board games you've never played with the family. Encourage the family to play.

17. Put on a soap opera. Mute the sound. Create your own dialogue.

18. Have a space in your home where all of the Tupperware goes? Organize it and actually match lids to containers.

19. Try on all your clothes and determine whether they “spark joy”.

20. Better yet, go through this process with your junk drawer and supply shelves.

21. Have a roommate meeting about how to be more considerate of one other, especially while you will likely be spending more time together. Bring baked goods.

22. Bake those goods.

23. Watch the films that won Oscars for best picture .

24. Watch films that won Independent Spirit Awards for best picture.

25. Watch films that critics say should have won those aforementioned awards.

26. Read all the New Yorker issues piled on your desk.

27. Will Tom Hanks into recovery from coronavirus by watching every Tom Hanks movie chronologically.

28. Knit or crochet.

29. Use Skype, FaceTime, Google Hangouts or Marco Polo to video chat with your long-distance friends.

30. Try out at-home aerobics or yoga videos. Consider downloading a fitness app with curated workout playlists.

100 songs to help lift your spirits during a pandemic

31. Look at yourself in the mirror. Attempt a self portrait with pencil and paper.

32. Take a bubble bath (bonus: Add a glass of wine).

33. Make a classic cocktail, from negronis to Manhattans and aperol spritzes. Don't forget the garnish.

34. Coloring books: They’re not just for kids.

35. Take time to reflect: What have you accomplished in the last year? What goals are you setting for yourself in the next year?

36. Write a short story or get started on that novel.

37. Actually try to reproduce something you see on Pinterest. Probably fail. Try again.

38. Clear out the family room and camp indoors with all blankets, popcorn and scary movies.

Here are 100 movies to watch for every cinematic yearning

39. Finally get around to fixing that broken door knob and loose tile or cleaning scuffed up walls.

40. Acquire a foam roller and treat yourself to some physical therapy.

41. Pretend you're 13 years old and fold a square piece of pape r into a fortune teller you put your thumbs and pointer fingers into. Proceed to tell fortunes.

42. Learn how to braid (fishtail, French, etc.) via YouTube tutorial..

43. Throw out all your too-old makeup and products. (Tip: most liquid products have a small symbol on them noting expirations, usually six months to a year. This includes sunscreen!)

44. Interview your grandparents (over the phone, of course) and save the audio. Can you create an audio story or book with that file?

45. Go through your camera roll, pick your favorite pics from the past year and make a photo book or order framed versions online.

46. Go on a health kick and learn how to cook new recipes with ingredients you may not be using already, from miso to tahini.

47. Create a Google document of shows or movies you’re watching and share it among family and friends.

48. Make a list of things for which you are grateful.

49. Have your own wine tasting of whatever bottles you have at home. Make up stories about the journey of the grapes to your mouth.

50. Work on your financial planning, such as exploring whether to refinance your loan or ways to save more money.

51. Perfect grandma’s bolognese recipe.

52. Make coffee, but this time study how many beans you use, which types, how hot the water is, how long it brews and whether any of that makes a difference.

53. Buy gift cards from your favorite local businesses to help keep them in business while we quarantine.

54. Watch “Frozen 2,’ which went up early on Disney Plus . Another new movie on the streaming service: " Stargirl ."

55. Write a book with your family. Pick a character and each member writes a chapter about their adventures. Read aloud to each other.

56. No March Madness? Have a Scrabble tournament. Or Bananagrams. Pictionary, anyone?

57. Get into baking with " The Great British Baking Show ," but your technical challenge is baking something with the ingredients you have on hand (that you didn't already use in the charcuterie board).

58. Indoor scavenger hunt.

59. Alternate reading the Harry Potter series with your kids and cap each one off with the movie.

60. Dye your hair a new color. No one else needs to see it if you don't like it.

61. Read Robert Jordan’s 14-book “ Wheel of Time ” series before it streams on Amazon starring Rosamund Pike.

62. Write a play starring your loved ones. Perform it via a video call app.

63. Go viral in the good way by making a quarantine-themed TikTok.

64. Rearrange your sock drawer. Really.

65. Stop procrastinating and do your income taxes.

66. Make lists of all the museums, sporting events and concerts you want to visit when they finally reopen.

67. Get into comics with digital subscriptions on your tablet, like Marvel Unlimited.

68. Rearrange your furniture to make it seem like your home is a totally different space.

69. Practice shuffling playing cards like a Poker dealer. Be ready for employment opportunities once all casinos open back up.

70. Organize your spice rack alphabetically or get crazy and do it by cuisine.

71. Teach your dog to shake. Hand sanitizer optional.

72. Memorize the periodic table. You never know when that will come in handy.

73. Order and put together some IKEA furniture. Time yourself.

74. Get a free trial of a streaming service and binge-watch as much as you can before it expires.

75. Apply for a new job. You have remote work experience now.

76. Learn a new style of dance via YouTube, from bellydancing to breaking.

77. Update or write your will and organize your affairs. Yes, it sounds melodramatic and morbid but let’s face it: This is a task many of us avoid because we never have the time. Now we do.

78.The parades have been canceled but you can still make corned beef and cabbage for St. Patrick’s Day.

79. Bring out the Legos. Build your house inside of your house.

80. Watch the "Star Wars" movies in this and only this order: Rogue One-IV-V-II-III-Solo-VI-VII-VIII-IX.

81. Two words: Coronavirus beard! Grow it, moisturize it, comb it, love it.

82. Learn the words to "Tung Twista." Get them so ingrained in your brain that you can rap them as fast as Twista can. Impress everyone.

83. Been meaning to get some new glasses? Try on new frames virtually on sites like GlassesUSA.com.

84. Attempt things with your non-dominant hand, from writing to brushing your teeth. Prepare to be frustrated.

85. How many words per minute can you type? See if you can get speedier by taking a typing course.

86. Prepare to verbally duel a bully who wants to discuss the evolution of the market economy in the Southern colonies, by memorizing Matt Damon's "Good Will Hunting" speech .

87. Learn origami. Make cranes for your loved ones.

88. Stretch. Work on your flexibility. It's possible to get the splits back, right?

89. Try to speak in pig Latin. Or, "ig-pay, atin-Lay."

90. Talk to your plants. How are they doing? Make sure they are getting the amount of sunlight they should be. Check their soil. Water if necessary.

91. Deep condition your hair and put paraffin wax on your hands . Enjoy your soft hair and nails.

92. Consider donating money to food banks to help families struggling to get meals.

93. Write a song. If you want to make it about your time inside and put it to the tune of "My Sharona" and replace "Sharona" with "Corona," do what you have to do.

94. Study the art of beat boxing.

95. Try moving in super-slow motion. It's OK to laugh at regular speed.

96. You know how there are dozens of ways to wear a scarf, but you only wear it the one way? Learn the other ways.

97. Learn Old English words. Pepper them into your conversation. Wherefore not?

98. Try on a new shade of lipstick. See how long it takes your partner to notice it.

99. Take deep breaths, in through your nose and out through your mouth.

100. Sleep. Get lots of it.

The Pines Capital Campaign

Total donations as of 4/1/2020

$2,172,724.40

We have a desire to continue to offer our services for many years to come. Seabeck Conference Center is happy to serve people like you, and we invite you to be a part of our legacy. Your donation will help us build a new Pines (ready by Spring 2020) that will be a place for future generations to gather.

WAYS YOU CAN SUPPORT

SEABECK CONFERENCE CENTER

Want to help us lay the foundation for the next decade of Seabeck Conference Center?

There are many ways, not all of them involving huge disbursements of cash.

Here are some creative ideas you might not have thought about:

Cash Donation Today

Tax deductible gifts via check or credit card, in person or online. Please consider

upping your regular gift by another 10 percent.

Automatic Monthly Payments

Gifts can be deducted periodically from your bank account, making larger donations

easier by spreading them over time.

Low-Cost Appreciated Stock

Avoid paying the capital gains by giving full-market value to Seabeck Conference Center.

Qualified Charitable Distribution (QCD)

A QCD is a direct transfer of funds from your IRA custodian, payable to a qualified charity. QCDs can be counted toward satisfying your required minimum distributions (RMDs) for the year, as long as certain rules are met. You must be 70 1/2 or older to be eligible to make a QCD.

In-Kind Donation

We are always in need of furniture, lighting, rugs, and much more - the

market value which is tax deductible.

Multi-Year Pledges

A great way to ensure support will be there when we need it year after year.

Designated Gifts

Donate to a targeted project or capital campaign.

Commemorative Gifts

Donate a bench or rocking chair in honor of someone or something important to you.

A Bequest in Your Will

Your gift can be a specific sum or a percentage of an estate after other bequests.

Just add an addendum to your existing will.

IRA's and Retirement Plans

Your estate receives a charitable deduction for the full gift amount on estate and income

taxes, while we receive full donation value. Non-charitable heirs receive only a part of

the value (since inherited assets are subject to estate and income taxes).

Life Insurance and Savings Accounts

Same as retirement plans, except that payments made to Seabeck Conference Center

are exempt only from estate taxes.

All gifts are welcome. Seabeck Conference Center is a 501c3 nonprofit organization and your contribution may be tax deductible. If you have any questions, please contact our Executive Director, Chuck Kraining at (360) 830-5010 or email him at chuck@seabeck.org .

Seabeck Conference Center

13395 Lagoon Dr NW

Seabeck, Washington 98380

360.830.5010 Email | Website