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Cove To Clover Raffle Could Win You 2 Tix To Anywhere Alaska Airlines Flies!

Scott Schaefer — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 04:32:12 +0000

Our friends at Burien’s upcoming Cove to Clover fundraiser have an offer with odds that are far better than finding a 4-leaf clover* – 1 in 200 – raffle tickets where the winner gets two tickets to fly anywhere Alaska Airlines flies, as there are only 200 raffle tickets, priced at just $25 each!

If you’re not already familiar with it, Cove to Clover is a local, homegrown fundraiser that will benefit numerous local charities, with a weekend that will include a 5k, 10k, talent show, Pub Crawl and much more between March 9 – 11. The organization is very lean and is run by passionate, local volunteers.

“Be assured, your participation will be making a positive impact on your community,” the website adds.

Tickets can be purchased for just $25 each at Mick Kelly’s Irish Pub – just ask to buy some from the bartender.

Buy early, buy often and increase your odds of escaping the crazy winter weather we’ve been having. Think of how easy it’ll be to forget the snow, ice, slush, gusty wind, downed trees and power outages when you’re sitting on a nice beach sipping a cocktail…

And did we mention how the odds are 1 in 200 that YOU could win AND help raise money for a great local cause?

Here are some details:

Winner will be drawn at the finish line of Cove to Clover on March 11 (need not be present to win).
Single prize is 2 airline tickets for anywhere Alaska Airlines flies.
Chance is 1 in 200!
Buy tickets for just $25 each at Mick Kelly’s Irish Pub!

For more information on this great fundraising event, or to register for the race, go to http://covetoclover.com.

*EDITOR’S NOTE: According to a website about 4-leaf clovers, the odds of finding one are 10,000 to 1.

It All Adds Up As Seahurst Math Club Receives Awards At Math Contest

Scott Schaefer — Mon, 12 Dec 2011 20:39:45 +0000

On Saturday, Dec. 3rd, Burien’s Seahurst Elementary School’s Math Club won several awards at the 2011 Federal Way Middle School Math Contest, hosted by the Thomas Jefferson High School Math Team.

Over 150 elementary and middle-school mathematicians from more than 10 area schools met at Thomas Jefferson High School for the competition.

After all the questions were answered and graded, Seahurst students received several awards:

Frank Evans placed 7th among 5th-graders on the Ciphering Test, while on th e Individual Test he placed 5th in the 5th-grade division
Ashleigh Bell came in 7th-place.
Joemir Nocom (a 4th-grader!) came in 8th place.
The team of Anita Chung, Michelle Lopez, Frank Evans, and Joemir Nocom placed 8th in the 5th- & 6th-grade division.

The Seahurst Math Club plans to attend many more contests in the Spring, including the Mt. Rainier Math Invitational, three ‘Math Is Cool’ regional grade-level contests, and the All-City Math Bonanza. The Seahurst Math Club will also host their Elementary Math Bonanza again next Spring – a fun, short, inexpensive contest designed to encourage Highline schools to start their own math clubs.

The Math Contest featured a Ciphering Test, consisting of 10 rounds in which individuals had four minutes to work on four problems. With a single test for grades 5-8, older students were challenged to answer all four problems in the time limit, while younger students hoped to answer one or two problems in each round. After the Ciphering Test, there was an Individual Test with forty multiple-choice problems to be solved in fifty minutes, then a Team Test on which teams of four students worked to solve twenty multiple-choice problems in thirty minutes. On each test, the top ten students in each grade 5-8 or teams in the 5th/6th or 7th/8th divisions were recognized.

If you are a parent, community member,or local business interested in helping the Seahurst Math Club in any way, please contact Tom Clymer, the Seahurst Math Club adviser, at clymer@natassessment.com.

Win Contest And Get Exclusive Access To The Alaskan Way Viaduct Oct. 22nd!

Scott Schaefer — Mon, 10 Oct 2011 14:00:32 +0000

This could be your playground (or film set, marriage proposal location, etc.) on Oct. 22nd!

What would you do if you had exclusive access to the Alaskan Way Viaduct for 30 minutes, free of cars and people? Maybe celebrate a birthday, propose to your significant other or play flag football?

That’s what the Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) wants to know.

WSDOT is sponsoring a contest where one lucky person and 24 of their friends will win access to the viaduct’s downtown section for 30 minutes on Oct. 22. Starting Oct. 21, the viaduct will be closed for nine-days in order to demolish the southern mile and transfer traffic onto the new southbound bridge that is nearly complete.

To enter, answer the question:

“What would I do with 30 minutes on the Alaskan Way Viaduct?”

…in 100 words or less and send it to viaduct@wsdot.wa.gov by Sunday, Oct. 16. Entries should be original, creative and fun! The winner will be escorted to a private section of the viaduct at a predetermined time to follow through with their plan. Check the WSDOT website for contest details, rules and restrictions.

For those who don’t win the contest, and anyone else interested in spending a little time on the viaduct before it’s demolished, there’ll be a commemorative walk on Saturday, Oct. 22. This is a perfect opportunity to get a firsthand perspective as this historic event unfolds.

A portion of the viaduct’s top deck near the stadiums will be open to watch as crews demolish large sections of the roadway. You’ll also be able to enjoy great views of the city from the structure that helped shape Seattle’s waterfront. Attendees can take home a commemorative piece of the viaduct.

Here are more details:

WHEN: 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. (celebration continues until 2 p.m.) Saturday, Oct. 22
WHERE: Construction area north of 1051 First Ave. South
Elected officials make formal remarks and celebrate this major milestone at 1 p.m.
No RSVPs are required, but some restrictions apply:

Please wear sturdy shoes and be prepared for late October weather.
No pets or bicycles are allowed on the structure.
Children under 18 must be accompanied by an adult.
The event will be ADA accessible.

Parking is available for cars and bicycles in the fenced construction site just south of Railroad Way South and on adjacent city streets and in nearby pay lots.
WSDOT encourages attendees to take light rail, bus or the water taxi. The closest light rail stop is Stadium Station.

So. King County Nonprofit Wins $20,000 Zino Society Award for Social Innovation

Scott Schaefer — Fri, 07 Oct 2011 03:49:11 +0000

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.

REMINDER: Vote For Burien Businesses In KING5′s ‘Best Of Western Washington’

Scott Schaefer — Tue, 04 Oct 2011 20:01:17 +0000

REMINDER: As anyone who reads The B-Town Blog knows, we’re big boosters of Burien businesses, and we’d like to remind our Readers that the deadline to vote in KING5′s annual ‘Best of Western Washington‘ contest is Oct. 9th, so if you haven’t yet voted for a local business, now would be a good time!

Several Burien-area businesses are nominated for the contest (including us for “Best Neighborhood Blog” – vote here!) and we’ve done our best to list them all below, with direct links that you can use to vote for them.

Please note that if your business is not listed below (several don’t turn up in searches because they use “Seattle” as their mailing address), please email the direct link to your “Vote” page and we’ll add it (you can find it by searching for your business, or if it’s not listed, nominating it yourself).

Each link below should go directly to the “Vote” page for that particular business, and voting takes less than a minute – so start clicking away B-Towners!:

BRAT TROT: Here’s How YOU Can Win FREE Tickets For 2 On Alaska Airlines

Scott Schaefer — Tue, 13 Sep 2011 23:41:21 +0000

Our Organizer friends at the upcoming Oct. 9th Burien Brat Trot (we’re Sponsors) want our Readers to know that another Sponsor that you may have heard of – Alaska Airlines – is giving away tickets for two to anywhere they fly (except Hawaii and Mexico), and to enter, all you have to do is:

Text BRAT to 44227 for a chance to win (message and data rates may apply)!

You can also now register online – here are the details:

5k Solo Race
The 5K race begins @ 1:00 PM (at the corner of 10th and 152nd)

$35.00 registration (through 10/7 at 11:59 PM US/Pacific)

$40.00 day of registration (available at the race only)

Short Course Race (about 1 mile)
The short course race begins @ 1:40 PM (at Lake Burien Park)

$30.00 registration (through 10/7 at 11:59 PM US/Pacific)

$35.00 day of registration (available at the race only)

Family Registration (4 or More People, Same Household)
Family rate available through 9/15. Family Registration opportunities exist for both the 5K and short course races.

$100.00 for 4 family members, $10.00 each after fourth

Be an “Angel” Donor and Sponsor a Child (Sign up and Pay Now)
Each year during our school competitions we encounter families with children who would love to run but cannot afford the registration fee or do not have adequate shoes to run in. The Angel Donor funds will be matched with kids – either partial or full.

$30 to sponsor a child

$20 to sponsor running shoes for a child (through 10/7 at 11:59 PM US/Pacific)

Click here to register!

Here’s more info:

Sunday, October 9 will be a great day of German-style fun and exercise presented by the Tin Room Bar & Grill in Olde Burien!

The 5K race starts at 1:00 p.m. in the heart of Olde Burien and widely circles Lake Burien. The “Seize the Sausage” Family Race (about one mile) starts at Lake Burien Park at 1:40 p.m. Both events finish to cheering crowds right in the heart of Olde Burien where revelers can enjoy a day-long Oktoberfest style festival including brats, beer gardens, live entertainment and plenty of activities for kids! Costumes are encouraged!

The Brat Trot is a true community celebration – one that brings out the fun in all of us – and it also raises critical funds for two local non-profits:

Safe Kids King County South and Highline Schools Foundation for Excellence.

Thank you to our main event sponsors:

And just in case you missed it (or can’t get enough of it…), here’s our video of the first-ever Brat Trot “Flash Mob” held July 16th:

Click here to view the embedded video.

Environmental Science Center Announces Earth Day Art Contest For Kids

Scott Schaefer — Thu, 08 Sep 2011 02:02:47 +0000

can make big things that can help the earth.””]Burien’s Environmental Science Center (ESC) is inviting kids, ages 5-13, to participate in its second annual Earth Day Art Contest.

“We are seeking two-dimensional artworks that celebrate the earth and showcase creativity,” reads a press release.

Last year’s winner was Olivia Gibson of Marvista Elementary, whose entry is above – read all about last year’s contest here.

Here are the Rules:

Create an original painting, drawing, collage (no copyright protected images please), or any other two-dimensional work of art that is an artistic celebration of Earth Day (Sunday, April 22, 2012).
Students must be 5-13 years of age and can submit only one entry.
All work must be created by the student.

Deadline:

Deadline for submission is Friday, December 16, 2011. Winners will be announced in December 2011. Artworks will be returned in 2012.

Winners:

Three winners will be chosen by an official jury of ESC staff and local city art commissioners. Judging criteria includes artistic merit, originality and creative expression. ESC shall have permission to use winning artworks for promotional, educational and awareness purposes.

Prizes:

Winners will have their artworks featured on the ESC website and will receive a selection of prizes such as art supplies, cool gift certificates, and memberships/tickets to the Seattle Aquarium, Woodland Park Zoo or the Bug Safari.
Grand Prize Winner – The grand prize winner will be the featured artist at ESC’s annual Earth Day celebration on Friday April 20, 2012. The artist and his or her parent(s) will be invited to the Earth Day celebration as ESC’s guests of honor. This winner’s artwork will also be featured on ESC’s invitations to promote its annual Earth Day celebration!

How to participate:

Contact ESC Program Manager, Miriam Castro at programs@envsciencecenter.org or call 206-248-4266 for more details and an application form.

Help Burien – Vote For Local Businesses In KING5′s ‘Best Of Western Washington’

Scott Schaefer — Tue, 06 Sep 2011 03:18:21 +0000

KING5 is holding their annual ‘Best of Western Washington‘ contest through Oct. 9th, and as any businessperson who’s won before will tell you, winning can help a local business by getting some much-needed regional attention.

In 2010, several B-Town area businesses won, including:

The Tin Room was named “Best Neighborhood Bar”
Emerald Cove Catering was named “Best Caterer.”
The Tin Theater – #2 in the “Best Indie Theater” category
Poggi Bonsi – #5 in “Best Housewares”
Hi-Liners, – #5 in “Best Theater Group.”

“The goal of the KING5 Best of Western Washington is to host a fair and accurate contest to determine the best local businesses by popular vote,” reads the Contest Rules page. “Nominees are encouraged to invite their customers to vote and may use any official tools and promotional materials provided on best.king5.com to promote their involvement in the Best of Western Washington.”

Each link below should go directly to the “Vote” page for that particular business, and voting takes less than a minute – so start clicking away B-Towners!:

Teen ‘Iron Chefs’ Will Make Salsa From Farmers Market Items From 3-4pm Today

Scott Schaefer — Thu, 18 Aug 2011 16:34:42 +0000

The Burien Library will be hosting a Teen ‘Iron Chef’ competition from 3 p.m. – 4 p.m. today, with teens utilizing items purchased from the weekly Farmers Market.

Teens will compete using items purchased from the market to make a Salsa.

“Make your own salsa using fresh ingredients from the Burien Farmers Market,” reads the KCLS website. “Local celebrity judges will taste your creations and choose a winner. Everyone who attends gets to enjoy chips and salsa.”

The actual event will take place in the Multipurpose Room of the library, and it’s open to children ages 10 and older.

From what we can tell, participants can just show up and register at the library – but may we suggest calling 206-243-3490 first to confirm.

For more information, check out the KCLS event listing here.

Burien Parks Challenging Local Families With Parks-Based Scavenger Hunt

Scott Schaefer — Thu, 30 Jun 2011 22:08:58 +0000

July is ‘Park and Recreation Month,’ and with five weekends in it, the City of Burien is challenging families to get outside to celebrate and explore their own B-Town parks – with a Scavenger Hunt (PDF file)!

The Burien Community Center is challenging families to a scavenger hunt that spans 12 city parks, including Arbor Lake Park, Chelsea Park, Dottie Harper Park, Seahurst Park and more.

‘Rock Your Park’ is an entire month celebration of the parks and what they have to offer. Participants will discover random facts about each park with scavenger hunt questions like: What type of animal can you see on a daily basis at Hilltop Park and what is located under the slide at Southern Heights Park?

Families who complete the scavenger hunt can bring their completed form into the Burien Community Center or one of the Music in the Park events by Aug. 1 to enter to win prizes. The winners will be announced at the August Music in the Park events.

Burien Parks is also asking families to submit photos of families using the parks. The best photo will be awarded with a prize and used in displays and publicity.

For more information, click here.