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www.SoundFoundationsNW.org soundfoundationsnw@gmail.com
BACK TO SCHOOL
Recently Sound Foundations NW has been the case study for two Washington universities. Barb conducted a Zoom classroom for students of operations management for Western Washington University. Tom Lennon, our materials management expert, led a tour and discussion for students from the University of Washington operations management studies focusing on inventory management. How cool is this ?!!
GIVING TUESDAY: THANK YOU!
By Andrew Buchanan
Wow, the generosity of this community continues to amaze! Thanks to all of you, our overall Giving Tuesday campaign was a great success. Not only did we raise 106% of our financial goal to pay for five+ more tiny homes, we did so partly by adding 33 brand new donors, well over half our donations, who believe enough in the tiny home solution to click the Donate button for the first time. Thank you!
“Long time volunteer, first time donor. Thanks SFNW for all of the amazing work you do!” ~Carlen V.
“SoundFoundationsNW has convinced me: we CAN end homelessness!” ~Carole & Jim K.
And on the building side of things, regulars and new volunteers alike braved the cold last Tuesday morning to build and tilt up home #438, Igloo (cold on the outside, warm on the inside!), as part of our Volunteer Homecoming and in honor of Giving Tuesday’s principle that every act of generosity is an act of kindness. Thanks to everyone who donated, built, and shared your support of tiny homes with family, friends, and colleagues. Because of all of you, HOMELESS IS SOLVABLE!
More photos from the day.
Corporate Matching
Do you know about Corporate Matching programs? Did you know that more than 26 million Americans work for, or are retired from, companies that offer corporate matching as an employee benefit? Maybe you do too! Some local companies that offer matching of their employees’ philanthropy include Alaska Air, Apple, Boeing, Expedia, Google, Microsoft, Nordstrom, Salesforce, Starbucks, T-Mobile, Tableau, and Zillow, among many, many others. For more info on corporate matching, and a larger list of companies, see our new webpage here https://soundfoundationsnw.org/corporate-matching-funds .
If you work for, or are retired from, a company that offers this benefit, please consider directing those benefits our way. It’s usually as simple as filling out an online form. If you recently donated for GivingTuesday, there’s still time to submit that receipt for a match, too. Thank You! Questions? Email Andrew, our Development Coordinator, at devel.sfnw@gmail.com.
FOLLOW UP ON BURIEN
As you know, Burien took the $1 million from King County at the 11th hour. The money is now in the hands of KCRHA to issue a Request for Proposal (RFP). What we have done in the past with RFP’s from KCRHA is let LIHI take the lead on this. LIHI submits the proposal and we attach a Letter of Support that says if LIHI wins the bid to build the infrastructure and to provide case management, we will provide the homes, in this case, at no charge to Burien.
The previous RFP from KCRHA that we submitted with LIHI for one 25 tiny home village to be built in 2023 was issued by KCRHA in November 2022. We submitted our Letter of Support with LIHI’s RFP last June. To date, that RFP has not been awarded.
So, it’s out of our hands at this point. We will see what KCRHA does and how soon they do it.
MORE SIXTH GRADERS
Our friends from Open Window School who brought 46 sixth graders through The Hope Factory last year will be bringing another group of sixth graders to tour The Hope Factory at the end of January. They are also working with Pastor Jan at Riverton Park for various types of donations. If you don’t know already, Riverton Park now has over 400 refugees at their place, and Open Window School has generously offered to help in any way they can.
OUR 10TH AND 11TH EAGLE SCOUT PROJECTS
Marina will lead our 10th Eagle Scout Project. That will happen on the first Saturday and Sunday in March. Marina is in an all-female scout troop. Our 11th Eagle Scout project will happen sometime in the Spring. More details to come.
DJINIA’S PROJECT
Djinia is one of our interns from the Bellevue Big Picture School. Her hobbies include art and theater. For her project, Djinia will be painting a mural on the outside mobile wall at our doorway. She is working with Jenn, our Valspar paint rep, for color selections. Look at her grin! She is one happy intern.
Group Builds
Group Builds continue to be popular. December and January are full, and only two dates are open for February. The March calendar opened December 1st, and it is already half full.
- December 11th, Microsoft will be building with us, and the King County Regional Homeless Authority will be touring The Hope Factory
- December 12th, The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation will be building with us, and the new head of CARES will be touring with us and our LIHI friends.
- December 24th – January 1st, The Hope Factory will be closed. Happy Holidays!
THANKS TO ALL WHO HELPED THIS WEEK
- Our “regulars“ are the heart and soul of our organization.
- “New Crew” members: Levi, Jake, Grace, Anne, Alice, David, Kim and Skye
- Our wonderful groups: Slalom, Bonnie’s Bunch, Brighton Jones, and Bellevue Big Picture School interns. THANK YOU SO MUCH!
TO VOLUNTEER
Come build with us this week! Here’s the link:
https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C0C4EACAF2AA0F4C52-46652376-week#/
- Please remember to wear painting clothes even if you do not anticipate painting. Minimum age is 16 years. Please, no exceptions.
- Clarification: If the SignUpGenius says (The name of a Group Build) AND Open Build, this means that you can volunteer even if you are not a part of the group.
- TEAM LEADERS IN TRAINING: If you wish to become a Team Leader in Training, DO NOT SIGN UP for the day you wish to do this. Email SoundFoundationsNW@gmail.com and we will put you on the list.
We hope to be building with you soon! Your Leadership Team: Beatrice, Tom, Bruce, David, Timothy and Barb
It Takes a Village to FUND a Village!
YOU are a big part of why stacks and stacks of lumber fill The Hope Factory. There are several ways to give throughout the year. Questions? Please email devel.sfnw@gmail.com. All gifts qualify as tax deductible but please consult your tax professional for your own situation.
To give by check, credit/ debit card, a Donor Advised Fund, or a qualified charitable distribution from your IRA, start on our Donate page, or:
Remember, if you sponsor a home (currently $4500), you get to name the home! Tiny home sponsors have their names (or “anonymous”) and the name of their home added to our Tiny Home Sponsor wall and join our growing list of supporters who’ve reached a little deeper to become part of the solution to ending homelessness. Email devel.sfnw@gmail.com for details.
A Few Reminders
- We do tours every day but Friday. Come visit if you haven’t been yet.
- We have a “Welcome to Sound Foundations NW” PowerPoint presentation that is also in .pdf form. If people ask you what we are all about, these are a simple thing to attach to an email to explain who we are, what we do, and why we do it. Email SoundFoundationsNW@gmail.com for this .pdf or PowerPoint.
- We fund our homes through a combination of private and public donations. For more information, please go to our website – Helping Finance the Homes.
Protocols, Address, Directions
- Volunteer at your own risk for Covid or any other illness. If you are experiencing any symptoms, please stay home.
- Masks are optional when volunteering at The Hope Factory. There is no shame in wearing a mask.
- The minimum age is 16 years. Please, no exceptions.
- When you are at The Hope Factory, please social distance whenever possible.
- Covid booster shots are not required but highly encouraged.
- We are usually there by 9 am or 2 pm on most Sundays. Make sure you double check the times in the Sign Up Genius. You can come and go as your schedule permits. Just let us know so we can plan ahead.
- Please bring your own gloves.
- Please leave your own tools at home.
- Please bring your own lunch.
- No matter what you do, please come prepared to paint.
- Warehouses can be difficult to heat and cool. Please dress appropriately.
- We currently have no indoor restrooms, Honey Bucket only.
- We understand that sometimes life gets in the way of good intentions. If you must cancel at the last minute, please contact us as soon as you know. Others may want to volunteer in your place.
- No experience necessary. We train willing hearts.
OUR ADDRESS is 5 S. Nevada St., Seattle 98109 in SODO.
Visit our website: