Potting and Planning for Future Forests

NAAAP-Seattle ventured outside the city and into Lake Sammamish State Park to volunteer for the first time with Seattle Works and Mountain to the Sound Greenway on a chilly but sunny Saturday morning, March 5.

Seattle Works is a non-profit that connects people with volunteer opportunities. The Mountains to Sound Greenway stretches over 100 miles along Interstate 90 from the shores of Puget Sound in Seattle, over Snoqualmie Pass and into Central Washington. The Mountains to Sound Greenway Trust aims to protect these lands and preserve them for public benefit.

NAAAP volunteers included John Park, Dan Hu, Jaydee Ocon, Steve Yao, Rick Fok, as well as Community Service Chair Jenafer Park, Technology Chair Sherwin Tsao, and PR/Marketing Chair Julie Pham.

First-time NAAAP event- goer Ricky Fok learned about the event through NAAAP-Seattle member Steve Yao.

But Fok is no stranger to outdoors community service. “I like being outdoors and doing outdoor manual work,” said Fok. “Today, the weather was fine and the people were friendly, so it made the work easy. I would definitely volunteer with NAAAP again.”

Dan Hu said he’s been to NAAAP events on and off over the past few years.

“I look forward to getting back to doing more community service with NAAAP,” said Hu.

Jema Hayes, Mountain to the Sound Greenway Volunteer Program Coordinator, said the activities at the nursery are done with 95% volunteer power.

According to Hayes, 41 volunteers that morning potted approximately 1040 trees in 2.5 hours. Aside from potting Red Alders, Vine Maples, and Douglas Firs into 1- and 2-gallon pots, the volunteers clipped roots, shoveled soil, and pruned seedlings. The trees will grow in the pots at the nursery for 1-2 years before being planted in parks and forests along I-90.

NAAAP-Seattle's Tips for those considering volunteering at Mountain to Sound Greenway:
1) wear lots of layers because you will get warmer with work
2) wear old clothes because you will get very dirty
3) bring a pair of knit or leather gloves to wear under the thin gardening gloves provided for extra insulation
4) your shoes will get very muddy, so bring newspapers to protect your car floor mats.

Hayes said that they are still looking for volunteers for next Saturday, March 13 to plant more trees. The snow days set the planting back this spring. For more information, please email Hayes at volunteer@mtsgreenway.org

On March 26, NAAAP-Seattle will continue their outdoors volunteer adventures at Marra Farms. For more information and to sign-up, please email Jenafer Park jenafer.park@naaapseattle.org.

NAAAP volunteers with FareStart, 2/6

NAAAP-Seattle volunteered at FareStart on Feb. 6 for the first time of 2011.

As usual, FareStart attracts more volunteers than NAAAP-Seattle has spots available. NAAAP-Seattle members are given priority when registering for this popular volunteer event.

Volunteers this time include: Sherwin Tsao, Jenafer Park, Wilson Ung, Heng Sun, Katie Phan, Rina Shin, Charles Davis, Lilly Kuo, John Park, and Jiunn Lee.

For any information on NAAAP-Seattle's award-winning community service program, please contact NAAAP-Seattle Community Service Chair Jenafer Park at jenafer.park@naaapseattle.org.

NAAAP-Seattle volunteers put their sales skills in high gear for Farestart’s 35th “Guest Chef at the Waterfront”

Among the 1,200 attendees at the sold-out “Guest Chef at the Waterfront” at Bell Harbor Pier 66 on July 14 were seven NAAAP-Volunteers: John and Jen Park, Dan Hoang, Tom Michael, Leigh Momii, NAAAP-Seattle Community Service Chair David Eam and NAAAP-Seattle Membership Chair Kevin Chang. Another NAAAP Volunteer, Mikhaila Gonzales, came the day before to help prep for the event.

This is Farestart’s 35th year holding “Guest Chef at the Waterfront (GCOW),” which raises funds and awareness for Farestart. GCOW allows FareStart to spread the word about its training programs, Guest Chef Night and the importance of helping disadvantaged and homeless people in our community. With the funds raised at this special event, Farestart can increase the number of people its serve and improve the quality of the services it provides.

According to the organizer of this NAAAP-Seattle community service event, Jenafer Park, NAAAP volunteers were responsible for collecting guests information for a free drawing and to get people on Farestart’s mailing list.

“It sounds easier than it actually was,” said Park. “Some of us were greeted with smiles and willingness, while others received snarks here and there. Yet everyone worked tirelessly to get as many people as they could to sign up. All in all, we were successful in getting at least 600 people to sign up (about half of the attendees)!”

Other NAAAPsters, including NAAAP-Seattle Secretary Claire De King, were spotted at the event as attendees.

The volunteers admitted it was difficult to stave off the desire to snack on the smorgasbord of culinary delights that surrounded them. Food vendors included: 35th Street Bistro, Assaggio Ristorante, Basil's Kitchen at the Hilton Bellevue, Brasserie Margaux, Columbia Tower Club, and Crush.

One volunteer confessed, “I want to be the other side next year, as an attendee!”

Although GCOW was new to all of the NAAAP-Seattle volunteers, Farestart is no stranger to NAAAP. GCOW marked the third time this year that NAAAP-Seattle has organized a community service event for Farestart.

GCOW was Park’s first time taking the lead on an event for NAAAP.

Park added, “I really appreciate that David Eam, the Community Chair, gave me this opportunity to organize. I would do it again in a heartbeat and look forward to hopefully organizing more events in the future.”

NAAAP-Seattle community service events are ideal for busy professionals who want to volunteer when they do have some spare time but who do not have time to seek out volunteer opportunities on their own.

A chance to volunteer for “Guest Chef on the Waterfront” drew Tom Michael to his first NAAAP-Seattle event.

“I really enjoyed feeling good by doing good,” said Michael. “The opportunity to volunteer for a worthy cause and meeting NAAAP members at the same time was an experience I hope to repeat again in the near future.”

Farestart Volunteer Coordinator Carlene Deits told the NAAAP-Seattle volunteers, “Guest Chef on the Waterfront (GCOW) this week was a terrific success for FareStart! The joy of our guests, chefs and winemakers that came out at this event was a direct result of the energy, time and love you put in!”

“Thank you for volunteering at FareStart’s 2010 Guest Chef on the Waterfront! I hope you will consider joining us again next year,” said Deits.