The 2012 Empty Bowls fundraiser was a huge success, with 1,150 attendees contributing $18,400 – a record!

Of course, major shout-outs go out to all the volunteers, as well as all the local restaurants that donated soup.

Gina Kallman, Cultural Arts Supervisor for the City of Burien, reports that a winner of the “Best Soup” award was announced recently:

We are happy to announce the winners of the “best soups” from the 7th annual Burien Empty Bowls event. Over 100 gallons of wonderful soup were served at the fundraiser for the Highline and White Center Food Banks, and we so appreciate the generosity of our local businesses! Dana and John Lasswell, our amazing volunteer kitchen managers, tasted all the soups and used a ratings system borrowed from a New York food critic. They gave us this report:

The results are in!!! This year’s Empty Bowls best soup winner is Elliott Bay Brewing Company for their Habanera Beef Chili! They received 92 points out of a possible 100! Big chunks of perfectly cooked beef, full flavored spice, and a hint of beer! Superb!

White Center’s new restaurant “Company” deserves an honorable mention for coming in 2nd place with their very first contribution to Empty Bowls. Their potato leek with bacon soup came in strong with a rating of 89.5 points and nearly perfect marks for flavor!

With a strong 3rd place finish was the Tin Room Bar and Grill’s creamy tomato soup with 88 points. Their high marks for “aroma” were appreciated by everyone volunteering in the kitchen!

The Empty Bowls trophy will reside at Elliott Bay Brewing Company for the next year. Pictured is Chef Clayton McVey, Sous Chef and soup creator David Bunnell, Highline Food Bank Director Mike Werle, and White Center Food Bank Director Rick Jump.

Screenwriter Derek Connolly took home the Waldo Salt Screenwriting Award for the screenplay, the plot of which is based on a classified ad placed in an obscure magazine in 1997:

A trio of magazine employees are sent to a small coastal town to investigate a classified ad seeking a partner for time travel. Darius, a young, cynical intern, poses as a candidate to accompany Kenneth, a paranoid but compelling loner, on his journey. But her motivations become confused when she develops feelings for him…and begins to wonder whether he actually does have a time machine.

The film was Directed by Colin Trevorrow, and was filmed in Washington State, including lil’ ol’ B-Town.

“Safety Not Guaranteed” stars Aubrey Plaza from the NBC sitcom “Parks and Recreation” as well as Mark Duplass, Jake Johnson, and Kristen Bell.

Reviews we’ve read seem highly favorable, so we tip our creative hats to the makers of this film. Perhaps some B-Town luck rubbed off on them?

Look for a major theatrical release this summer!

Here’s a video that tries to explain the time-traveling, mullet-laden premise:

Click here to view the embedded video.

This isn’t the first film shot in the Burien area – check out our coverage of some others:

• Local Filmmaker Holding Fundraiser Party For Indie Film On Nov. 20th
• SLIDESHOW: “Grassroots” Movie Conducts A Drive-By Filming In Burien
• UPDATE: ‘The Day My Parents Became Cool’ LA Screening
• VIDEO: ‘The Day My Parents Became Cool’ Trailer + News
• ‘The Day My Parents Became Cool’ Sneak Peeks
• ‘The Day My Parents Became Cool’ Production Update
• Report & Photos From Highline High Movie Set
• Your Chance To Be In A Movie This Saturday

The competition, sponsored by the Association of Marketing and Communication Professionals, is one of the largest, oldest, and most respected competitions in the creative industry.

“Community and staff participation is what made the process of developing our new logo so successful,” said Catherine Carbone Rogers, Highline’s Director of Communication and Community Engagement. “People shared their ideas about what Highline means to them, and we came up with a logo design that reflects our diversity, multiple paths to success, our focus on higher education, and our dedication to every student.”

The MarCom competition attracts about 5,000 entries per year from marketing and communication departments, advertising agencies, PR firms, production companies and freelancers. Winners range from individuals to Fortune 50 companies.

Highline adopted its new logo last spring after nearly a year of gathering input from students, staff, parents, and community members.

“It was a process of taking to heart what’s important to this community, what’s important to our students,” said Sili Savusa, who was school board president when the board adopted the new logo.

JayRay Communications served as the consultant on the logo project.

Here’s a comparison of the old vs the new logo:

Here’s a video that explains why the logo was changed:

Click here to view the embedded video.

Beverly Mowrer (pictured above with some of her students), a teacher at Highline’s New Start program, is one of eight teachers in the state to receive this year’s Golden Apple Award from KCTS 9, Seattle’s PBS television affiliate.

Mowrer is known for her innovative approach to teaching and her ability to rally the community around her students.  She identifies and works with students’ individual needs—everything from transportation to clothing to study skills.  She goes after resources for her students no matter how much time and effort it takes.

The New Start program is an alternative for students who have been out of school for extended periods of time or who don’t thrive in a standard high school environment.

Mowrer often develops unique and engaging learning opportunities for students, such as taking students sailing aboard the schooner Adventuress.  Students who have never been on a boat before are exposed to navigation and other science-based skills. “That experience has such a powerful impact on our students. It is just amazing to see the transformation,” says Mowrer.

Last spring, Mowrer and her students received the King County Earth Hero Award for their science project removing invasive plants and restoring native plants at Salmon Creek Park and Salmon Creek Ravine.

Mowrer also received the 2010 Gold Star Award for Outstanding Teacher from the Highline Schools Foundation for Excellence.

The Golden Apple Awards honors successful teaching models and programs among Washington state educators. Awards recipients are featured in a TV special that will air on public television stations across the state.

This isn’t Ms. Mowrer first award – she’s won a few others – read our previous coverage of her here.

Award Recipients (l to r): Janet Peterson, Secretary/Receptionist and Rachel Gilbert, Recreation Specialist Burien Parks, Recreation & Cultural Services Department.

Two staff members from the City of Burien Parks, Recreation & Cultural Services (PaRCS) Department were recently honored with awards – Rachel Gilbert won an ‘Outstanding Professional Award’ and Janet Peterson won a ‘Customer Service Award.’

Members of the Washington Recreation & Parks Association (WRPA) announced the winners at a conference held in Seattle Oct. 19. Two of the three statewide awards went to these two Burien staff members. Several colleagues from Burien PaRCS were on hand to show their support for their co-workers, as the award announcement and presentation came as a complete surprise to the recipients.

“I am so happy for these two individuals,” said Michael LaFreniere, Parks Director. “They’re very deserving of this award and great examples of the kind of public service they and other members of the team here try to provide every day. They are truly great to work with; we and the public are very fortunate to have them at Burien Parks.”

Rachel Gilbert received the 2011 Outstanding Professional Award. The nomination, submitted by colleagues Debbie Zemke and Casey Stanley, highlights Rachel’s professional passion and commitment towards providing the best service possible.

As the Award Committee noted, Rachel:

“… goes ‘above and beyond’ often dealing with high-need customers and staff while continually responding in a calm and logical manner. She has established high standards, clear expectations, and accountability and is committed to providing training and feedback for her staff to be successful.”

Rachel has been an active member of the Facility Services Section of WRPA for five years. She served on last year’s planning team, was a presenter for the Customer Service session, and is co-chair of this year’s WRPA Facility Services Workshop.

Janet Peterson was selected by the Awards Committee to receive the 2011 Customer Service Award. The nomination, submitted by Vivian Casteneda, highlighted Janet’s interest in and passion for health and wellness with customers at the Burien Community Center.

The Committee said Janet was deserving of the Award because of the way she helps customers:

“…feel special and how she genuinely helps match them with the perfect class, and how she wants to hear how they liked the class. Janet’s enthusiasm ‘sells’ Burien Parks & Recreation programs and special events in an exemplary way.”

Janet recently implemented a new marketing program called ‘This Works For Me!’ that allows customers to share their successes with one another.

Through a grueling elimination process, Dynamic Partners, emerged as one of the top two nonprofit finalists competing in the first annual Social Innovation Fast Pitch presented by Social Venture Partners on October 3, 2011 at Fisher Pavilion in Seattle. Dynamic Partners was awarded the $20,000 Zino Society Award for Social Innovation for their Dynamic Labs project.

“We feel privileged to have been a part of this inaugural event and incredibly honored to receive such an award,” Jon Botten, the CEO of Dynamic Partners.

“Dynamic Labs exemplifies the core values of the Social Innovation Fast Pitch program through exceptional societal impact, innovation, sustainability and leadership,” said Will Poole, SVP Lead Partner and Social Innovation Fast Pitch organizer.  “The ZINO Society Award for Social Innovation represents our community’s enthusiastic support of Dynamic Lab’s vision and work in developing breakthrough solutions for individuals with special needs.”

The 2011 Social Innovation Fast Pitch competition began in August with over 120 applicants. Forty organizations were chosen to compete in the quarter finals with twenty advancing to the semi finals. Of those semi-finalists, Dynamic Partners was chosen as one of seven nonprofits to pitch their projects onstage to an audience of 700 at Monday’s Fast Pitch final event at Fisher Pavilion in Seattle.

Jon explains the purpose behind Dynamic Labs:

“By creating Dynamic Labs, we are making an organizational commitment to innovation. We recently went through an intense organizational review as part of a marketing and branding project with an outside consultant. This project brought to light the fact that innovation is a key characteristic of our organization and staff. This drive stems from our commitment to do whatever it takes to help children with special needs reach their full potential. Until now, we did not have a dedicated space for staff, families, and community members to test, vet, and trial innovative products, services and funding models. Consequently, we missed opportunities. We’ve now made a commitment to make innovation a priority via Dynamic Labs.”

“Through a process of systematic innovation, we will gather ideas from a wide variety of constituents including staff, families, referral sources and community members. Then, we will vet those ideas for impact and sustainability. Once something has proven itself inside the lab, we will spin it off into its own social enterprise. Like all of our products and services, Lab ventures are intended to help children with special needs reach their full potential.”

Dynamic Partners is consortium of organizations empowering children with special needs through innovation and collaboration headquartered in Kent, Washington. Our Dynamic Partners include Children’s Therapy Center, South King Early Intervention Program, Dynamic Orthotic Systems, SPIO Compression Garments, Dynamic Labs, and Dynamic Family Services. Member organizations have been providing therapy services for children with special needs in South King and Pierce County since 1979. We currently have locations in Kent, SeaTac and Tacoma.

To learn more about our Dynamic Labs project, make an investment, volunteer your expertise, or present an idea, please contact Jon Botten, CEO at jon@dynamicpartners.org. To learn more about SVP’s Social Innovation Fast Pitch, visit www.sifp.net.

Washington State Housing Finance Commission Executive Director Kim Herman, left, presents Burien resident Mark Flynn with the 'Friend of Housing' award.

The Washington State Housing Finance Commission presented a 2011 ‘Friend of Housing Award’ to retired HUD Officer (and Burien resident) Mark Flynn at the Davenport Hotel in Spokane during the annual Housing Washington conference.

“Mark devoted the past 30 years to affordable housing and has proven to be an effective leader, innovator and role model,” said Washington State Housing Finance Commission Executive Director Kim Herman. “He has developed and nurtured the careers of others, and passionately promoted collaborative training efforts that have benefited the lives of thousands.”

In fact, Flynn has served in nearly every capacity in the industry—from developer and owner, to a leader in government financing, monitoring, and preservation efforts.

Most recently, Flynn served as Seattle Program Center Director for the Northwest HUD field office where he was responsible for overseeing more than 1,000 properties with HUD financing or insurance in Washington and Alaska, and also approved new HUD multifamily developments and investment in both states.

Prior to his HUD assignment, he served two years as the executive director of Impact Capital, a LISC affiliate. Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC) is dedicated to helping community residents transform distressed neighborhoods into healthy and sustainable communities. At Impact Capital, he oversaw pre-development and bridge loans for nonprofit multifamily development.

For almost a decade, Flynn served as Director of Compliance & Preservation for the Housing Finance Commission with oversight of Commission tax credit and bond-financed properties. While at the Commission, he implemented the nationally recognized state compliance training workshops in cooperation with the management industry and ensured all of his staff were certified trainers.

Flynn has served as a board member for the Affordable Housing Management Association; for Digital Promise, a group that puts computer centers in affordable housing properties; and, back in Kansas City, he worked for the FDIC/Resolution Trust Corporation saving troubled financial institutions and properties after the savings and loan disaster. While with the Washington State Housing Finance Commission he also skillfully utilized innovative financing mechanisms in the HUD Market-to-Market program, to preserve over 1,000 affordable housing units in the state.

“Flynn’s creativity, innovative spirit, and big heart have spurred positive changes for the people and organizations he has assisted over a long and distinguished career in affordable housing,” according to Herman.

Flynn has lived in the Burien area for more than 10 years, has served as a soccer coach with the Highline Fire youth soccer program as well as serving on the Burien Parks and Recreation Board.

Some other previous community activities Flynn has been involved with include the following:

• Former Member and Board Chair for Digital Promise (a non-profit that helps establish and support computer learning centers in low-income apartment projects)
• Former member of the Advisory Council for Catholic Community Services of Western Washington (King County)
• Former Board Member of Washington Community Reinvestment Association
• Former Board Member for the Affordable Housing Management Association of Washington
• Former Board Member of the Washington Low Income Housing Alliance

It may not be as exciting an award as the Oscars™, but the City of Burien has been awarded the ‘Distinguished Budget Presentation’ Award by the Government Finance Officers Association, its eighth such award since 2003.

We can imagine the glamorous awards ceremony in a room full of golden calculators, with cool Abacus Statues, Excel-themed centerpieces and perhaps even a choreographed PowerPoint song and dance routine, with nominees wearing their finest pocket protectors, high-water pants and…

We kid! We kid! (because we love!)

One such local winner who is surely proud is the city’s own Accounting Manager, Gary Coleman (and no, not that Gary Coleman – he’s dead…).

Okay, before we ruin this real honor any further, here’s more from a press release:

The Government Finance Officers Association of the United States and Canada is pleased to announce that the City of Burien, Washington has received the GFOA’s Distinguished Budget Presentation Award for its budget.

The award represents a significant achievement by the entity. It reflects the commitment of the governing body and staff to meeting the highest principles of governmental budgeting. In order to receive the budget award, the entity had to satisfy nationally recognized guidelines for effective budget presentation. These guidelines are designed ed to asses how well an entity’s budget serves as

• a policy condiment
• a financial plan
• an operations guide
• a communications service

Budget documents must be rated “proficient” in all four categories, and the fourteen mandatory criteria within those categories, to receive the award.

When a Distinguished Budget Presentation AWard is granted to an entity, a Certificate of Recognition of Budget Presentation is also presented to the individual or department designated as being primarily responsible for having achieved the award. This has been presented to Gary Coleman, Accounting Manager.

For budgets including fiscal period 2010, over 1,250 entities received the Award. Award recipients have pioneered efforts to improve the quality if budgeting and provide an excellent example for other governments throughout North America.

The Government Finance Officers Association is a nonprofit professional association serving nearly 17,400 government finance professionals throughout North America. The GFOA’s Distinguished Budget Presentation Awards Program is the only national awards program in governmental budgeting.

My Oh My! – Saturday night (May 21st) at Safeco Field, The B-Town Blog team hit a major home run when it was named ‘Best Hyperlocal Website’ by the Society of Professional Journalists (SPJ) in their annual awards that covers Washington, Oregon, Alaska, Idaho and Montana.

“We received more than 2,500 entries from dozens of media organizations throughout the region which were then reviewed and rated by out-of-state judges,” reads the SPJ website. “Congratulations to all of our 2010 SPJ award winners and to the editorial, design and production teams that helped make their work possible!”

This is a huge honor for everyone involved with The B-Town Blog, which was started as a hobby by Founder/Publisher/Editor Scott Schaefer in Dec., 2007, then turned into a full-time business in 2008.

Now, we’ve been awarded the top prize in our category for the entire Pacific Northwest by our journalist peers, and we are humbled by this honor.

Since this is an award for the entire team, some serious shout-outs are required now to everyone who works very hard to make this site the ‘best,’ including:

• Michael Brunk, Photographer/Technical Guru
• *Ralph Nichols, Senior Writer (*also a 3rd place winner in Business Reporting for his series on Burien Town Square!)
• Janet Grella, Sales Diva
• Mark Neuman, Writer/Marketing
• Bart Bryan, Sales Dude/Video Host
• Philip Benais, Intern, Big Picture High School
• Bryan Charles, Intern, Big Picture High School
• Nicholas Johnson, Reporter/Photographer
• Kristen Kerns, Sales
• Lisa Bosques, Sales
• Jack Mayne, Reporter
• Rachel M. Lusby, Writer
• Gina Bourdage, Reporter/Designer
• Francis Zera, Photographer
• Joy Steele (aka “Missed Congeniality”), Humor Columnist
• Shawn Underwood, Humor Columnist
• Theresa Frasch, Sales
• Many others!

Over 200 awards were handed out Saturday night in a ceremony hosted by Jerry Brewer of The Seattle Times and Jen Mueller of Root Sports (download a PDF of all winners here).

Here’s a Michael Brunk pic of the big screen at Safeco Field when we were announced as winners:

About the SPJ
Founded in 1909 as Sigma Delta Chi, the Society of Professional Journalists is dedicated to the perpetuation of a free press as the cornerstone of our nation and our liberty. To ensure that the concept of self-government outlined by the U.S. Constitution remains a reality into future centuries, the American people must be well informed in order to make decisions regarding their lives, and their local and national communities. It is the role of journalists to provide this information in an accurate, comprehensive, timely and understandable manner.

Burien Girl Scout Emma Elliott, age 14, has been awarded the Silver Award for her “Leadership, Community Service and Personal Growth.”

Emma is an 8th-grade student at Washington Virtual Academy, and also works as Senior Photographer for Focus Photography, LLC of Burien.

She is a nine-year veteran of Girls Scouts of Western Washington through Tukwila Troop #470, under the direction of Verna Seal.

“Through Emma’s dedication and perseverance has just received the Silver Award for her Leadership, Community Service and Personal Growth,” said her Mother Tammie in an email.

This award is the second highest honor that can be bestowed on a girl scout.

Congratulations Emma!