by May Killorin | Sep 30, 2022 | Uncategorized
The ASJ (Advocates for Social Justice seeks your input! Every member and friend of WUUC is invited to fill out the Special Collections survey at https://forms.gle/eQqDwycdG5D8PvD68. On the third Sunday of each month, WUUC donates the worship offering to a non-profit organization which supports our Unitarian Universalist values. The ASJ is conducting this survey to solicit member/friend input into which organizations should benefit from this offering in the coming year (Nov. 2022 – Oct. 2023). The organizations in this survey have been curated from prior year’s Special Collection recipients and/or nominated by Justice Ministry teams.
Our primary guiding principle for Special Collection recipients is that they support our UU values. We give priority to organizations who operate in our community (King/Snohomish Counties), to which our gift (typically $500 – $750) would have a significant impact, and who work to address the unique dynamics and effects of intersecting forms of discrimination. The organizations in the survey meet these priorities to varying degrees. Please take a moment to visit our survey and choose your top 10 organizations out of the 20 listed.
On October 16, our Special Collection sponsored by Advocates for Social Justice will go to Honor the Earth, a native initiative to create awareness and support for Native environmental issues and to develop needed financial and political resources for the survival of sustainable Native communities. Honor the Earth develops these resources by using music, the arts, the media, and Indigenous wisdom to ask people to recognize our joint dependency on the Earth and be a voice for those not heard.
In July we collected $661 for the Woodinville Storehouse Food Bank, operated by a coalition of churches and denominations serving the local community by providing nourishment and ministry to those in need. They are a faith-based non-profit that is unique in the quality of fresh food they provide including dairy, baked goods, fresh produce, meat and vegetables. August’s special collection of $331 went to JUUstice Washington, which strives to inspire, educate, empower, and nurture the capacity of Unitarian Universalists (UUs), as well as our community allies, to collaboratively advocate for and undertake social and environmental justice initiatives. They support legislative change that aligns with our UU values in Washington state and beyond.
The ASJ Committee thanks WUUC members and friends for their generous support of our monthly special collections, which take place during services on the third Sunday of every month. Instructions for giving are posted during the service, and you can also donate anytime the following week at https://onrealm.org/wuuc/-/give/now, or by sending a check to WUUC at P.O. Box 111, Woodinville, WA 98072. Please make checks out to WUUC and write “ASJ Special Collection” in the notes.
by May Killorin | Sep 1, 2022 | Uncategorized
Join us on Saturday, November 5, 2022 @ 6 pm for a meeting of the WUUC Nonfiction Book Club, hosted by Alaine Davis and Lane Owsley at their home in Kenmore. We will be discussing Our Dogs, Ourselves: The Story of a Singular Bond by Alexandra Horowitz. RSVP to Alaine <alaine.davis@yahoo.com>.
From #1 New York Times bestselling author Alexandra Horowitz, an eye-opening, informative, and wholly entertaining examination and celebration of the human-canine relationship for the curious dog owner and science-lover alike.
We keep dogs and are kept by them. We love dogs and (we assume) we are loved by them. We buy them sweaters, toys, shoes; we are concerned with their social lives, their food, and their health. The story of humans and dogs is thousands of years old but is far from understood. In Our Dogs, Ourselves, Alexandra Horowitz explores all aspects of this unique and complex interspecies pairing.
As Horowitz considers the current culture of dogdom, she reveals the odd, surprising, and contradictory ways we live with dogs. We celebrate their individuality but breed them for sameness. Despite our deep emotional relationships with dogs, legally they are property to be bought, sold, abandoned, or euthanized as we wish. Even the way we speak to our dogs is at once perplexing and delightful.
In thirteen thoughtful and charming chapters, Our Dogs, Ourselves affirms our profound affection for this most charismatic of animals—and opens our eyes to the companions at our sides as never before.
(Modified from Amazon.com)
Four times a year, the WUUC Book Discussion Group gathers to read and talk about a nonfiction book. You only attend the meetings about books that interest you, so we end up with a different group of participants every time. We meet to connect and talk about a book in depth. Anyone is welcome to suggest a book and/or lead a discussion. Contact Alaine to RSVP, suggest a book, or offer to host a future discussion.
by May Killorin | Sep 1, 2022 | Uncategorized
– Written by Leslie Morton
Hi there!
I currently have the honor of being your Board President. I would like to take the opportunity to make regular comments on what the Board is up to. At our last meeting we had the opportunity to thank outgoing member David Simons for his service. He will be sorely missed. We also took the time to welcome our newest member Jeff Lu. I am looking forward to getting to know Jeff. We will be having a retreat September 9-10 and look forward to a time to get to know one another better and to set some goals for the coming church year. The rest of the Board includes: Jan Radoslovich and Jessica Belmont (co-vice presidents), Kermit Sprang (Treasurer), Terry Santmann (Secretary) and Linda Sherry and Jeff Lu (members at large).
It was brought to our attention by a member of the ASJ team that there is currently a proposal to make changes to Title IX that would explicitly name protections for transgender/non-binary students public comment. The rule is currently open for public comment until midnight September 12, 2022. The Board are strongly encouraging people to take the time to seriously review this and submit responses as they feel moved. To be clear, we are not asking for a formal endorsement from the congregation as a whole, but for individual support.
The Board meets the third Wednesday of each month from 6-8 pm and all are welcome to attend.
Thanks you,
Leslie Morton
by May Killorin | Jul 29, 2022 | Uncategorized
WUUC’s ‘Totes to Go’ program is off to a great start for the 22 –23 school year! We had such a strong response for September that we covered quite a lot of October’s needs as well. Thanks so much to everyone who has supported this effort!
Just as a reminder, Totes to Go is a program that supports students who may be at risk of missing meals over weekends when school meals aren’t available. We support fifteen students at Maywood Hills Elementary in Bothell. We don’t actually know who they are. The school identifies the kids and distributes our food items. Each Friday, backpacks are filled with an assortment of the items we provide; some – like milk – every week, others – like peanut butter – once a month. We collect 12 different items and deliver them to the school at the beginning of the month.
We are now beginning to gather supplies for November. Please put your donations in the baskets across from the kitchen. The deadline is Sunday, October 30th. I will send out a reminder about mid-month, but you can check on our needs any time by going to this link.
Questions or concerns? Contact Grace Simons or John Hartman
by May Killorin | Jul 29, 2022 | Uncategorized
Hello WUUC Blood Drive Team,
Well WOW!!! The results at your pop up blood drives are always wonderful, but this week, the Woodinville community turned out in mass! You had 144 donors coming thru your doors to help save lives. Thank you so much for supporting our community and Pacific Northwest hospitals in this way.
We are set to be with you again November 28-30, and already you have an incredible 70 donors booked with appointments! November is a great month for gratitude and giving in so many different ways! If you hear from folks who want to join the party in November, please share this link, Book a November Blood Donation Appointment at WUUC so we can fill the rosters to capacity!
In support of Pediatric Cancer Awareness Month, take 10 minutes to listen to this story from our Bloodworks 101 Podcast, and know that with each day you open the doors at WUUC for blood donors, you are helping parents and patients! https://bloodworks101.buzzsprout.com/775991/11356312-in-the-names-of-their-children-christine-o-connell-s-cancer-moms-s4-e2?t=0
Have a Good Weekend,
Karen Chernotsky
Community Engagement Liaison
Bloodworks Northwest