I have known Patricia Cameron for years – 
including being a past client. Her gallery, Patricia Cameron Gallery, is impressive and among the many in South Lake Union celebrating First Thursday Artwalk tonight. Hope you have a chance to stop by!
On March 4, I attended a very inspiring luncheon, hosted by the University of Washington Women’s Center, with womens’ rights activist Lilly Ledbetter, whose fight against pay discrimination culminated in the eponymous Fair Pay Act signed into law by President Obama in 2009.
My family and me with Lilly Ledbetter
Lilly had worked for nearly 20 years at a Goodyear Tire plant, when she discovered, through an anonymous note, that her salary all those years was as much as 30% lower than that of males doing the same work! In 1998, Lilly brought suit against Goodyear and won back pay and damages. However, the Supreme Court reversed the decision because she hadn’t brought suit within 180 days of when the discrimination started.
Ledbetter with moderator Kathi Goertzen (Komo 4 News)
The Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act is a direct response to Lilly’s case, stating that the 180-day statute of limitations for filing an equal-pay lawsuit resets with each new discriminatory paycheck. Now, at 70, Lilly is a mother and grandmother in Jacksonville, Alabama, where she continues to fight for pay equity.
As a Advisory Board Member with the UW Women’s Center had several opportunities to spend one-on-one time with Lilly. As someone who deals with people’s homes every day, her story really touched me. Everyone has to live somewhere and fair pay affects every aspect of life. For me it talks about where folks can afford to live, the schools they can enroll their children in, and the general quality of their life. Glass ceilings like the one Lilly encountered can have a huge impact on families and the homes we live in.
UW Women's Center Advisory Board and Staff w/Lilly Ledbetter
Vijya & Associates hopes you will join us in a volunteer opportunity we’ve been participating in for several years now- Operation Nightwatch.
The 4th Tuesday of every other month, we make a trip to Costco, buy enough food to feed dinner to 100+ people and then we go to Operation Nightwatch – in the central district of Seattle. Once there, we chop, dice, slice, boil, and cook until the first people arrive. (Soup, spaghetti, and sandwiches have been our specialties so far!)
When: Tuesday, Mar 23
Time: 8pm-9:30pm
Where: 300 14th Ave South, Seattle
RSVP: 206.418.6260; vijya@vijya.com
Once we start serving the food to those waiting to hear if they will be fortunate enough to get into a shelter for the evening – the time flies and we are cleaning up and heading home before you know it. Each time is a humbling experience, and we are newly reminded of how fortunate we are to have food and shelter and the support of friends and family around us.
Operation Nightwatch is a Christian ministry seeking to meet the physical, social, psychological, and spiritual needs of Seattle’s night community. They are dedicated to serving the poorest of the poor by caring for the homeless men, women and children late at night. They provide emergency dispatch to shelter, hotel vouchers for families, meals, blankets, and pastoral care for those in need. The services they offer are free of charge and are all funded principally by contributions from individual donors. They are staffed by hundreds of volunteers. They do not require any religious activity for access.
We share this with you because we would like to invite you to take part with us the feeling of community and sharing. Giving back to our community is one way we show that we truly care! Let us know if you can join us – vijya@vijya.com or 206.418.2620
For several years now, the members of Emerald City Business & Professional Women (ECBPW) stuff 300 Christmas stockings for the homeless women served by Angeline House – a women’s day shelter in the Belltown neighborhood. This year is no different.
The stockings are filled with toiletries, socks, gloves, and goodies. Their goal is to give these women a little something special at this wonderful time of year. “We want them to know that they are not forgotten,” says a ECBPW representative. “For so many of these women, this is their holiday.”
The ECBPW members have donated many of the items necessary. Due to the large number that they are filling, they are asking members of our community for help. If you would like to donate goods, time, or funds to this rewarding project, they would appreciate your help!
Goods they need include: socks and scarves, individually packaged goodies…candy, chips, cookies, nuts, hot chocolate or specialty teas, paperback books, individual beauty and hygiene items, and, of course, jewelry! Contact me to coordinate your donation at vijya@vijya.com or 206-418-6260.
Want to feel like Santa? Volunteers are needed on Monday, December 14th to help fill the stockings. They’ll be meeting at the Best Western Executive Inn in Seattle at 5:45pm. I’ll be there and hope you can join me!
To make a cash donation, checks may be made out to ECBPW Foundation (a non-profit 501(c)3; #37-1423219) and sent to ECBPW Foundation, c/o Dolores Gohndrone, 1511 3rd Ave #520, Seattle WA 98101.
Vijya & Associates hopes you will join us in a volunteer opportunity we’ve been participating in for several years now- Operation Nightwatch.
The 4th Tuesday of every other month, we make a trip to Costco, buy enough food to feed dinner to 100+ people and then we go to Operation Nightwatch – in the central district of Seattle. Once there, we chop, dice, slice, boil, and cook until the first people arrive. (Soup, spaghetti, salads and sandwiches have been our specialties so far!)
Once we start serving the food to those waiting to hear if they will be fortunate enough to get into a shelter for the evening – the time flies and we are cleaning up and heading home before you know it. Each time is a humbling experience, and we are newly reminded of how fortunate we are to have food and shelter and the support of friends and family around us.
Operation Nightwatch is a Christian ministry seeking to meet the physical, social, psychological, and spiritual needs of Seattle’s night community. They are dedicated to serving the poorest of the poor by caring for the homeless men, women and children late at night. They provide emergency dispatch to shelter, hotel vouchers for families, meals, blankets, and pastoral care for those in need. The services they offer are free of charge and are all funded principally by contributions from individual donors. They are staffed by hundreds of volunteers. They do not require any religious activity for access.
We share this with you because we would like to invite you to take part with us the feeling of community and sharing. Giving back to our community is one way we show that we truly care! Let us know if you can join us – vijya@vijya.com or 206.418.6260
VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES IN 2009 ARE DWINDLING!
Mark your calendars today for either September 22 or November 24.
Homeless people are on their feet all day, and the only pair of socks they own are very likely to be wet, especially during Seattle’s rainy time of year. (September through June).
“Our feet get really chewed up,” says Fred. Working, walking around all day, and no change of socks. Yuck. You can guess how it is at night when guys in the shelter peel off their shoes.
In response, Operation Nightwatch hosts “Sock It to the Homeless” every October to kick off the season’s annual sock drive. Community groups, churches, youth groups, and concerned citizens bring new athletic socks to Operation Nightwatch and we have a ball . . . literally. Volunteers roll the socks into balls, thousands of them. These socks are distributed to homeless people at night through the rest of the year. In 2008, we collected more than 20,000 pairs of socks, gave them all away and needed even more!
Sock it to the Homeless 2009 is Sunday, October 25 from 1:30pm -3:00pm at the Shelter Dispatch Center, 302 14th Avenue S in Seattle. Plan to join us! The goal this year is 25,000 pairs of socks. Will you help?
For more information on “Sock It to the Homeless” call (206) 323 4359 or email here downtowner2003@hotmail.com.
Make a difference in the life of a homeless person today!
Vijya’s 13th Annual Client Appreciation Picnic is scheduled for Sunday, July 19!
The event will be held at Woodland Park again and host fabulous food, games, kiddo activities (including a bouncy house), henna, and even door prizes. (exact location details and time TBD)
Those who have been never miss it. Those who haven’t, check out this slideshow from last year’s festivities:
Washington CASH is hosting their 8th annual holiday bazaar this Saturday (11/22) from 11-4 at:
Northwest African American Museum
2300 So. Massachusetts Street
Seattle, WA 98144
Washington Community Alliance for Self Help (CASH) is an organization that helps individuals start or grow local businesses. Shopping at local businesses is one of the easiest ways you can give back to your community (see the Puget Sound Community Change program for some details on that) and tread a little more lightly on our planet. However, it is sometimes hard to find a local businesses close to our homes that meet our needs. Washington CASH can, in theory, help bridge that gap.
Even if you don’t want to go to the bazaar, check out their website to see all the great things they are doing.
We had the luck of the Irish with us at our annual picnic!! The first morning rain in 23 days was not going to stop our yearly fun in the park! My clients, friends and family came out to have a party and we did. The massages kept everyone mellow, the tarot gave them food for thought, great Pabla Indian Cuisine gave everyone sustenance, henna tattoos added the artsy flair to a wonderful day. The kids went crazy with our little pinata and then even more fun was had in the excitement of our annual raffle!! A really great day was had by all.
Another shout out to our friends who joined in to serve spaghetti, pasta, soup & sandwiches to the men and women being served at Operation Nightwatch in July.
Many thanks to: Lyn, Roger, Julie, Rachel, Consuelo, and Kim. What a productive and fun night with you all 
