Monthly news & updates
June | 2019
UPCOMING EVENTS
Volunteer Appreciation Party
Wednesday, July 10th
5:30 PM at Joe Martin Field
Please join us for our Annual Lydia Place Volunteer Appreciation Party on July 10 at the Joe Martin Field, where we'll watch the Bellingham Bells take on the Walla Wall Sweets. We'll buy the hot dogs and drinks, all you need to do is let us know if you and approximately how many guests are coming!

This event is FREE. Please RSVP to Rita Thames by July 3rd.
ritat@lydiaplace.org | 360.671.7663 x 2005
Beer Prom
Friday, July 26
5:30PM-10PM at The Majestic Ballroom
Kulshan Brewing and Lydia Place invite you to Beer Prom!

Six Bellingham breweries have asked other breweries to be their "dates" to our 80s themed Beer Prom. Together, they're brewing 80s inspired collaboration beers and we're serving them all at Beer Prom! All proceeds will be supporting Lydia Place, a non-profit helping disrupt the cycle of homelessness in Bellingham and promoting sustained independence for current and future generations.

This year's theme is Back to the Future's Enchantment Under The Sea. Wear your favorite 80s...er 50s fashion and drink one of a kind collaboration beers! Your future prom night includes a costume contest, a Royal Beer Court, unforgettable dance moves, a photo booth, raffle prizes, StrEAT Food, and live music by Blindfate. This is a 21+ event.

Round It Up for Lydia Place at Village Books
June, July, and August
This summer you can choose to round up your purchase to the nearest dollar at both of Village Books locations in Fairhaven and Lynden to support Lydia Place programs and services!

ROUND IT UP BONUS!
If you pre-purchase your copy of The Testaments by Margaret Atwood before the release date of September 10th, Village Books will donate a portion of the sales to Lydia Place in honor of the work we're doing to improve the lives of families in our community.

This sequel to The Handmaids Tale has been years in the making and is one of the most anticipated books of the year.

Barkley Village Concert on the Green
Friday, August 17th
4PM - 8PM
Join Barkley Village and Haggen Food & Pharmacy on August 17th for the 2nd Annual Barkley Village Concert on the Green. Bring your blanket or chairs and enjoy the great outdoors while enjoying live music, cold beer on tap, and tasty food available all night long with proceeds benefiting Lydia Place. This all ages family friendly event features a play area and is FREE for kids under 5!
Community Cares features individuals and businesses who coordinated a drive and/or donated 100% of proceeds in order to fulfill an immediate Lydia Place need.
Community Cares: Handbags for Housing breaks events previous fundraising records!

70+ business and individual supporters, 100+ volunteers, and over 500 attendees came together, under one big tent for our Seventh Annual Handbags for Housing, and helped raise over $100,000 for families experiencing homelessness in our community! Thank you to all our sponsors, vendors, volunteers, supporters, and attendees for your continued support of Lydia Place.

Congratulations to the Handbags for Housing 2019 Runway Winners!

  • Social Fabric for Best Cohesive Collection
  • Value Village for Most Avant Garde
  • Sojourn for Best Incorporation of Handbag
  • 12th Street Shoes for Best Incorporation of Circus Theme
  • Kayleigh of 12th Street Shoes for People's Choice Model Winner
Community Cares: Macy's Give Back Program raises $2,347 for Lydia Place

Bellingham's local Macy's chose Lydia Place as the recipient of their Macy's Round Up the Change event from May 1st through May 15th. In two short weeks, the program raised over $2k for local families in need. Further proof that a little bit can go a long way! We would like to thank Macy's and fellow shoppers for rounding up their purchases to support Lydia Place programs and services.
Community Cares: CTK hosts book drive for Lydia Place Parent Support Program

Christ the King Church (CTK) hosted a book drive competition this month to see which of their Bible Study groups could collect the most books for families in our Parent Support Program (PSP). PSP focuses on early childhood development and parent education for families in our housing programs. We want to thank CTK for helping us fulfill this very important on-going need for PSP and helping our Parent Educators leave one age appropriate book in the hands of a little one, every home visit.
If you or your businesses is interested in raising funds or hosting a drive in support of Lydia Place we'd love to hear about it! Please contact our Community Engagement Coordinator, Rita Thames at ritat@lydiaplace.org to learn which needs make the biggest impact for our families.
IMMEDIATE NEEDS
Immediate Need: Kids and Maternity Items
We are currently seeking gently used t new children's and maternity donations at our two donation partners Flip and Little Bugs.

When you drop off your donation off at one of partnering locations and mention Lydia Place, we receive store credit. We then provide vouchers to our families to shop for essential items. The more credit we can accrue, the more we can provide families with vouchers for essential items on a on-going basis.

Mention Lydia Place during your donation process at one of these drop-off locations:

Flip Kids & Maternity Consignment Shop 1512 Ellis St, Bellingham, WA 98225
Little Bugs Children's Consignment Shop 3940, 2400 Yew St, Bellingham, WA 98229
Immediate Need: Picnic Table
We are currently seeking a new or gently used picnic table for one of our housing communities. Delivery would be greatly appreciated as we do not have the means to lift or transport. Thank you!

Please contact Lydia Place Property Manager, Becca Seim at (360)-671-7663 ext 1006.
TRENDING STORIES
2019 Point-In-Time (PIT) Count Report

The Opportunity Council and the Whatcom County Health Department recently published results of the 2019 Point-In-Time (PIT) Count, an annual snapshot of homelessness in our community.

Read more
www.whatcomcounty.us
VOLUNTEER SPOTLIGHT
Volunteer Spotlight: Shuksan Middle School

Eighth graders from Shuksan Middle School volunteered for two hours, every Friday, for five weeks for their Annual Service Learning Project. The students learned alongside Suzanne and Joel Rautiola, our gardening volunteer experts, about plants from the ground up; different types of plants and produce, creating the right soil and growth environment, pest and animals who like the garden too, organic gardening skills, and even some fun art projects (image below) to illuminate the garden.

“Shuksan’s annual service learning project is for our 8 th graders. Service learning gives our students the opportunity to learn how to be a valuable community member that contributes and serves outside of the classroom. The goal of service learning is just that – to serve and to learn." - Hazel Clapp, Shuksan Middle School Social Studies Teacher
Contributor Circle
Thank you to the following businesses and individuals who generously gave in June.
Anonymous, Robert Ball, David Beaumier, C. D. Boysen, BP Foundation, Michael & Mary Brunt, Tony Casale, Cheryl Buck Inc. Karen & Richard Clark, Carol Corlett, Jennifer Dodge, Pamela E. Englett, Graham Essex, GH Homes LLC., Audrey E. Gravley, Lisa Heezen, Amy Johnson, Thomas Brian Kirchner, Tom Laughlin, Sonja Lee, Kathleen McQuaide, Heather Michel, Patti Morgan, Moss Adams LLP, Marilyn Moullen, Shenandoah Myrick, Nina Nancarrow, Network for Good, Genevieve Padalecki, Susan Palmer, Debbie Parker, Melanie Pysden, Cleo Schacker, Kari Severns, Karla Slusher, Jillene Snell, Cindy Spee, Delores Starcher, Sterling Rentals 1 LLC., Scott L. Thomson, Ryan Thramer, Shawna Unger, United Church Of Ferndale, United Way of King County