A Personal Message from the Director |
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February was quite a month around here. It may be the shortest month of the year, but it was busy for us. It sure seemed to go by fast compared to the way months drug in 2020.
Our County was officially moved into Phase 2 about two weeks after the greater Puget Sound area. That means we can host groups up to 25% of our meeting area capacities. So, our limit right now is about 60 in the Meeting House. We can house multiple groups in meeting areas as long as the capacity for that room is below 25%. Now we just have to get groups to come back. March will see a return of a few quilter groups and we continue to host Friends of Seabeck Weekends.
This week will also be the first time that Jodie, Gloria, and I will all work from the office. After 50 weeks apart, it will be quite a change. Just another sign that things are returning to the new normal.
After almost a year of being on standby, we were pressed into service as a COVID-19 Shelter for the first time in February. There was an outbreak at a homeless shelter and a senior care building at the same time. We were called at 8 AM and by 4 PM we were hosting guests. We hosted for a week and none of our guests turned out to be positive for the virus. I am very proud of the entire Seabeck organization that did not flinch when asked to help. I can’t imagine a worse scenario than an infected homeless person wandering throughout Kitsap. I think what we did potentially saved lives and certainly helped those unfortunate souls for a few days.
Because we hosted the COVID-19 shelter, the entire staff became eligible for the virus shot. I got mine! Many staff members will get theirs this week. I encourage all Seabeck guests to do the same so we can gather safely again in the future.
One of the things I keep forgetting to mention is the outcome of the November election. No, not the big political ones, the local ones here in Kitsap. The voters of Central Kitsap passed a bond levy that will build and remodel many fire stations in the area. It is particularly beneficial for the Seabeck area. This bond will build two new stations about 5 miles away in each direction and a brand new, staffed station next door on the school property. It will take some time to get them built and staffed, but it will reduce the response time significantly.
We received a Governor's grant of around $12,500 and the second PPP should arrive this month. We are still working to get Pines restarted. I am thinking about a June ribbon cutting at this point. Keep an eye on our Facebook page. Construction could restart any day!
Thanks for everything.
See you soon!
Chuck
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Come Spend the Weekend at Seabeck |
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This is a great chance to come and spend a weekend at Seabeck and enjoy the quiet that comes with this time of year. We are still dealing with the pandemic restrictions but are able to have singles, couples or families come out, social distance, and enjoy Seabeck.
A Weekend at Seabeck
$200 per adult/$50 per youth/child
2 Nights plus 6 Meals (meals are delivered)
Private Bath Accommodations
We will continue to host special Seabeck weekends through spring when space is available. Weekends will be scattered throughout 2021 from at least January through June. Fall 2021 dates are to be determined if possible.
Seabeck Gift Certificates
There are also gift certificates that you can purchase. It makes a great birthday, anniversary, or a just because gift for anyone that loves to spend time at Seabeck.
Certificates cost $200 each and are good for a one-person, two-night/six meal stay at Seabeck during special weekends scheduled by Seabeck.
This certificate can also be used as credit toward the Annual Friends of Seabeck Weekend that will resume in December 2021. Your purchase of this certificate is not a tax-deductible gift, but your recipient can turn the certificate into a donation and claim the tax deduction. This certificate cannot be used for credit during any other stay with any other group or event, or for Seabeck merchandise.
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Call the office at 360-830-5010 or email us at seabeck@seabeck.org if you are interested in booking a weekend.
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March Random Acts of Kindness |
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Here is your March Random Acts of Kindness Calendar. Make someone smile today!
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March 'Unofficial' Holidays! Have Fun with It! |
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March 1
National Pig Day, celebrated annually on March 1, is the perfect time to celebrate how much pigs have become part of American culture. We see pigs in art, costumes, stuffed animals, collectables, piggy banks, movies, books and, of course, on the dinner table.
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March 2
Mmm…do you smell that? That’s the smell of breakfast sizzling on March 2, Egg McMuffin Day. Eating a filling breakfast of an egg with melted cheese and a slice of ham nesting in the middle of a warm, buttered muffin is great way to combat a case of the Mondays.
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March 3
It’s National I Want You to be Happy Day, on March 3, giving each of us the opportunity to brighten someone’s day through simple acts of kindness and selflessness. Don’t you love being around people who spread cheer everywhere they go? Today, YOU could be that person!
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March 4
On March 4, we let our inner nerd out for National Grammar Day! The day was established in 2008 by Martha Brockenbrough, the founder of the Society for the Promotion of Good Grammar. The day’s motto is: “It’s not only a date, it’s an imperative: March forth on March 4 to speak well, write well, and help others do the same!”
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March 5
National Cheese Doodle Day, on March 5, celebrates cheese doodles and all the forms they come in. From cheese doodles, cheese puffs, cheese curls, and cheese balls, these tasty snacks are sure to leave fingers bright orange. The process of making these delicious morsels are just as exciting as the snack itself.
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March 6
We celebrate America’s number one cookie each year on its very special day on March 6 with National Oreo Cookie Day. At National Today, we love a good cookie. And good cookies stem from the classics. In fact, one of our absolute favorites is a timeless classic: the Oreo.
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March 7
There isn’t a person alive who doesn’t know a bowl of cereal, a spoon and some milk (Lactaid, Almond or soy milk all count!) equals a party in your mouth! Fiber, sugar, raisins, or even lucky charms – the flavors and prizes each box holds are limitless and can add to any humdrum morning.
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March 8
National Proofreading Day, celebrated each year on March 8, is a day to promote error-free writing. We all make typos, grammar mistakes, and spelling errors when we write, especially if we are moving too fast! National Proofreading Day is an opportunity to slow down, proofread our work, and then proof it again.
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March 9
Meatballs are probably a gift from the heavens—there are early recipes for meatballs are found in ancient Chinese, Arabic and Roman texts—and every culture seems to have their own version! Beef, pork, and veal are most popular, but they can be made with chicken, fish or even vegan.
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March 10
Remember the good ol’ days when your mom used to pack you lunch in elementary school? You’d trade kids for the best snacks at lunchtime and eat three bites of your healthy food before throwing the rest away (we’re not judging). Recapture the magic on March 10 with National Pack Your Lunch Day!
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March 11
Get out your hot glue gun, because it’s National Promposal Day on March 11! The promposal, the act of asking your boo to prom in a super elaborate way, was first invented in 2001 (as far as we can tell. Promposal history can get a little fuzzy). And, while the promposal has been around forever,
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March 12
Steel your resolve. Dieters, beware! There are Girl Scouts everywhere, and they’re all trying to sell you kryptonite … aka, their most delicious cookies. Whether your favorite flavor is minty Thin Mints or gooey Tagalongs, we can all agree that Girl Scout cookies make the world go round. They’re so good, they deserve a holiday.
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March 13
Are you excited for National K9 Veterans Day this March 13, or are we barking up the wrong tree? Our little furry friends are already awesome as it is. But dogs who have been trained to serve our country are even more heroic. Plus, they look so cute and serious in their little uniforms.
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March 14
America’s #1 snack food, potato chips, is recognized on March 14 annually. Potato chips are thin slices of potato either deep fried or baked until crunchy. Potato chips are a predominant part of the snack food market in English-speaking countries, especially in America.
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March 15
Ever feel jet-lagged after daylight savings? March 15 is National Napping Day and it’s the perfect day to help you recuperate from the “spring forward.” Don’t doze off as I tell you this, I promise this won’t be a snooze fest! Napping is actually scientifically proven to be better for you than coffee or energy drinks.
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March 16
Every year on March 16, we celebrate the fluffiest, bamboo-munching bears that are a source of national pride for China. There are two subspecies of panda: The Giant, black and white panda, and the ‘Qinling panda’ – A much smaller, brown subspecies of panda, discovered in 1985 in the mountain ranges of the southern Shaanxi Province in China.
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March 17
Unless you’ve been living under the Blarney Stone you already know that March 17 is St. Patrick’s Day. It’s the one day each year that everyone and anyone calls themselves Irish – if not by birthright, then in spirit. If you have been living under the Blarney Stone, lucky you!
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March 18
Some things are just better out in the open and Awkward Moments Day on March 18 is your chance to embrace those embarrassing or awkward moments from your past and laugh about them. Remember that time you enthusiastically waved at your friend but soon realized that they were a complete stranger?
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March 19
Get your red nose at the ready, March 19 is Red Nose Day! This special holiday got its start in England in 1988, and today it’s one of the largest fundraisers in the UK. The day is sponsored by Comic Relief, a British charity that raises money for people in need in the United Kingdom and Africa.
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March 20
Triple cheese. Wild mushroom. Butternut squash. Ravioli can handle just about anything. It’s also one of America’s favorite foods. That’s why we’re proud to have Three Bridges along for our annual National Ravioli Day celebration on March 20.
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March 21
With ever-busy lives, we often forget that simple things can make a difference. National Common Courtesy Day is a great way to remind ourselves that the world is better off when we show gratitude and graciousness in both big and small ways. Hey, it only takes a small gesture to be a big hero.
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March 22
Bueller… Bueller? What do everyone’s favorite All-American movie hero and your little sister have in common? They both like to goof off, of course! Ferris Bueller likes to goof off so much he skipped an entire day of school. We don’t even want to know how goofy your sister is.
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March 23
Prepare yourselves for an overdose of cuteness, because March 23 is National Puppy Day! Established in 2006, National Puppy Day is a paw-some day for all dog enthusiasts to celebrate unconditional love and fawn over the undeniably cute furballs that bring so much happiness into this world.
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March 24
Every March 24 America pays tribute to one of the all-time classic sandwiches — the cheesesteak. Much like national liberty itself, the cheesesteak is elegant, necessary, pure, and was born in Philadelphia. The cheesesteak rose from humble beginnings in South Philly to the cultural icon it is today: safely secure in the sandwich hall of fame.
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March 25
International Waffle Day on March 25 and celebrates waffles, their history, and a surprising religious holiday. A holiday that is best celebrated by eating waffles is our kind of holiday. Unsurprisingly the day has become a bit of a hit.
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March 26
We celebrate Wear A Hat Day on March 26 as a fun and fabulous way to raise awareness for brain-tumor research, and raise funds while we’re at it! The holiday was created as a way to get our heads (and hats) together to advance research in finding a cure for brain tumors.
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March 27
Considered by many to be the national dish of Spain, paella originated, as many traditional dishes do, as “peasant” food — a lunchtime rice dish prepared by workers in the field over an open fire. National Spanish Paella Day, on March 27, celebrates a food filled with tradition.
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March 28
The origins of National Something On a Stick Day, celebrated every March 28, remain unclear despite our research and digging. There seems to be no specific historical event attached to the beginning of the day’s observance nationally.
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March 29
Though the origin of National Smoke and Mirrors Day, March 29, is unknown, it most likely is intended both to promote appreciation of the art and skill of magicians who specialize in illusions and to remind us all to be wary of deceptive practices in daily life.
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March 30
March 30 is Doctors’ Day, an annual observance aimed at appreciating physicians who help save our lives everywhere. The holiday first started in 1933 in Winder, Georgia, and since then it’s been honored every year on March 30 which was the first anniversary of a doctor using ether anesthesia by Dr. Crawford W. Long.
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March
National Crayon Day on March 31 sparks fond memories of childhood creations in full color as we celebrate one of America’s most beloved toys, the crayon! Crayons delight our senses not just with their brilliant colors but also with their distinct smell, the feel of them in our hands, and for some kids, the waxy taste.
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Ways to Donate to Seabeck |
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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, 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.
In-Kind Donation
We are always in need of furniture, lighting, rugs, and much more - the market value 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.
Life Insurance and Savings Accounts
Same as retirement plans, except those payments made to Seabeck Conference Center
are exempt only from estate taxes.
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).
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.
All gifts are welcome. Seabeck Conference Center is a 501(c)(3) 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.
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Seabeck Conference Center
13395 Lagoon Dr NW
Seabeck, Washington 98380
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