Summary

Fairwood Greens and Woodside Homeowners Associations, organizations located in the Fairwood area, within the West King County/Fairwood Community Service Area, will receive King County Community Service Area grants.

Story

Bringing neighbors together are the focus of two grant awards announced today by Metropolitan King County Councilmember Reagan Dunn. Fairwood Greens and Woodside Homeowners Associations, organizations located in the Fairwood area, within the West King County/Fairwood Community Service Area,  will receive King County Community Service Area grants.

“Everyone wins when communities are thriving,” said Councilmember Reagan Dunn. “These Community Service Area Grants partner with local organizations to fund projects focused on safety, education, and providing opportunities for area residents to grow closer and together.”

The $1,000 grant received by the Lake Desire Community Club will help fund a kitchen remodel for the Lake Desire Clubhouse. Clubhouse facilities are currently used regularly by both members of the Lake Desire community and special interest groups including the Girls Scouts of America, 4H, Alcoholics Anonymous, King County services, and local faith communities. The remodel would ensure a continued safe and sanitary kitchen for the groups.

“The Lake Desire Community Club is grateful to King County for their generous contribution to help fund a kitchen remodel to extend the life of the neighborhood clubhouse and provide an adequate service area for use by local residents and area non-profits. The clubhouse is a gathering place for neighbors and members of the community organizations who live and assemble in the Lake Desire neighborhood.

Updates to the kitchen will improve the safety of the space and enhance the quality of the building and its overall ability to serve as a secure, comfortable meeting space for the community,” said Heather Stafford, President of the Lake Desire Community Club.

Save Habitat and Diversity of Wetlands (SHADOW) is an organization dedicated preserving the area around Shadow Lake through education, research, and community engagement. The $2,000 grant award SHADOW received will help fund the organization’s major outreach events including Frog Frolic, which served over 300 participants in 2015.

“Community is at the heart of stewardship and creating a vision. Save Habitat and Diversity of Wetlands started with a vision to protect a unique wetland, but soon realized that the opportunity to share, provide education and providing a place where community could visit and help to provide future vision was the great opportunity of the project. Leaving a place for future generations is something we can all invest in. Without SHADOW’s board, community support with vision and stewardship, the efforts of SHADOW to save, protect, enhance and share would not get done. Thank you for this grant and confidence in the community’s work,” said Max Prinsen, President of Save Habitat and Diversity of Wetlands Organization.

Fairwood Greens was awarded a $1,500 grant to help fund the 8th Annual Neighborhood Day.  Past Neighbor Days have provided family fun and community building for over 400 attendees in Fairwood and the surrounding area. The event features events and activities for all ages and will be held this year from 1 to 4 p.m. on September 11th at Allen Park within Fairwood Greens.

“The grant provided by King County to our Fairwood Greens HOA will go far to provide our community a great event. We are pleased to partner with King County and accept this as an encouragement to continue developing strong communities,” stated Fairwood Greens Homeowners Association President Jim Canterbury.

The 2nd annual National Night Out at Petrovitsky Park hosted by the Woodside Homeowners Association received a grant of $1,000 to help fund the event. The Night Out is an opportunity for local residents to learn about crime prevention as well as building neighborhood camaraderie.

“We are delighted to receive funding to assist in hosting a National Night Out event in Fairwood this August,” said Amanda Heins, Treasurer of the Woodside Homeowners Association.  “This event will bring together residents of Woodside and the Fairwood area for a fun evening with food and entertainment, giving them an opportunity to engage with their local law enforcement and fire department representatives, and promoting safety awareness for our community as a whole.”

The King County Community Service Areas (CSA) offer expanded ways for the County to engage with the over 252,000 county residents who live outside city boundaries. There are more than 72,000 residents of Council District 9 living in CSAs.

The grant programs within the CSA’s are available through a competitive application process. The grants must be used to fund community projects that offer unincorporated area residents in the Community Service Areas an opportunity to participate and be more connected in their communities. A total of $60,000 was awarded for projects in 2016.

If you live in an unincorporated community and are interested in learning more about the CSA program and how to apply for future grant opportunities please visit www.kingcounty.gov/exec/community-service-areas.aspx