December: Alternative Gift Market

Shop for the holidays and change the world at the same time? On Wednesday, December 10, 2008, the Greenwood SAGE Project hosted an Alternative Gift Market at the GSC to help raise money and awareness for a variety of national and international humanitarian projects. Shoppers were given the opportunity to browse colorful display booths while enjoying a warm and festive atmosphere with live music and holiday treats. Gifts could then be purchased to support particular projects in honor of friends and relatives.

Volunteers chose from projects selected by Alternative Gifts International, an organization that has been "sending gifts of peace and justice - food, shelter, trees, water, medicines - around the world since 1986." Each volunteer then carefully researched their project and designed a project display with photos and information.

Volunteers working on project displays

The market turned out to be a wonderful success. Volunteers educated and enlightened shoppers about the various geographical, social, and political factors creating a need for each of the respective projects and how each particular project addresses the need and helps provide solutions. Shoppers who chose to donate received beautiful cards with inserts explaining to recipients the nature of donation made in their honor.

Example of card insert

At the end of the day, $3,526 had been raised in support of the featured projects at the Greenwood Senior Center's Alternative Gift Market! Not only will this make a significant impact in the lives of needy people around the world, but this will also make an impact in the lives of the givers and receivers of alternative gifts who are made aware of important global issues and participate in a reorientation of what it means to give during the holiday season. Thank you to all who contributed your time, effort, and enthusiasm to make this event possible!

Top Five Projects Supported by Alternative Gift Market shoppers:

1. New Water Wells for Nomadic People in Sudan - $644
   
2. Wheelchairs for New Freedom in Ecuador - $458
3. Trees for the Rural Poor in the Caribbean - $355
4. Micro-Loans for Poverty Reduction in Haiti - $245
5. Renewed Sight for the Blind in Cambodia - $219

To view a photo album with more photos from the Alternative Gift Market, click below:

Alternative Gift Market at the Greenwood Senior Center

November: Health Care in Washington State

EDUCATION

On Tuesday, November 18, two representatives from Sound Alliance joined us at the Greenwood Senior Center to discuss the Health Care Crisis in Washington and important values to consider in any new health care reform proposal. Tom Buchanan and Aaron Katz presented harrowing facts about our current health care system and engaged SAGE participants in a lively discussion about their frustrations, concerns and experiences regarding the situation.

The following are a few brief facts about the Health Care Crisis in Washington:

1. Over the last five years, health care costs for the typical Washington household have risen over six times faster than family income.
2. An estimated 19,000 Washington residents file for medical bankruptcy every year.
3. Almost 600,000 Washington residents are uninsured, and every year 380 Washington residents die because of lack of proper medical care.
4. Since 1993, employer-based coverage declined from 71% to 66%.
5. In our system, administrative costs account for 30 cents of every health care dollar.

For more facts, click here: Health Care Crisis Facts

We concluded that the current system is inefficient and unfair, and that in order to ensure access to care to everyone when they need it in a way that meets their needs, the system must be reformed. We were reminded that this requires action on the part of all who seek to effect change.

And so, a week later, we put a bit of our knowledge and frustration into action.

ACTION

The following Tuesday - November 25 - a group of organizers from the statewide, grassroots lobbying organization Washington CAN! joined a group of SAGE participants to engage us in outreach to small business owners in the Greenwood business district. We began by learning a bit more about how small businesses are getting hit the hardest by the health care crisis in Washington. The 2006 Northwest Health Gap study found that quality health insurance is out of reach for most small business owners, resulting in over 200,000 small business employees who are uninsured in Washington.

In response to this, Washington CAN! has organized the Small Business for Secure Health Care Coalition. Hundreds of small business owners across the state have joined the coalition, which calls for an American health care solution that ensures that all small businesses and individuals receive affordable, quality health care.

After a brief outreach training that included an overview of basic outreach skills and rap practice, we headed out in groups of 2 to 3 to educate small business owners in our neighborhood and invite them to join the Coalition. Each group visited several businesses, engaged the owners in discussion regarding their experience trying to provide health insurance for their employees, and invited them to sign their name in support of the Coalition's goals.

Upon returning to the Greenwood Senior Center we joined together as a group to reflect on our experiences and congratulate each other on the success of our outreach endeavors: we had collected a total of 5 signatures to add to the Secure Health Care campaign! This represented one significant step toward combating the health care crisis.

History of SAGE

For those who are new to SAGE or for those who would like to refresh their memories regarding the history of the SAGE Project, here is a brief summary of past topics.

POVERTY AND HOMELESSNESS

• Education: A guest speaker from Real Change, a local weekly activist publication sold by Seattle's homeless, came to the Greenwood Senior Center to share her personal story of homelessness and provide information about the publication. The paper strives to create fairness, opportunity and community by covering various social justice issues such as poverty and homelessness, labor rights, the environment, public health and civil liberties. Vendors pay 35 cents a copy and then sell them on the streets for a dollar donation.
• Action: The SAGE Project hosted a baby shower for women affected by poverty and their children in partnership with Harrington House, which provides homeless women and their children a safe and stable home. Donations were also accepted for Baby Corner, an organization that provides essential items for infants and children living in poverty.

FAIR TRADE

• Education: A guest speaker from Theo Chocolate, the only roaster of organic cocoa beans and the first roaster of Fair Trade certified cocoa beans in the United States, lectured on the social, economic, and environmental benefits of fairly traded products.
• Action: The SAGE Project raised awareness about Fair Trade coffee among members of the GSC community by implementing a new initiative to serve solely Fair Trade coffee in the GSC café.

CRISIS IN SUDAN

• Education: The GSC hosted a speaker from the Southern Sudanese Community of Washington, a nonprofit organization that helps Sudanese refugees transition to life in the United States and accomplish goals of self-sufficiency. The lecture covered the various religious, racial, and economic issues that are currently affecting Sudanese people.
• Action: The SAGE Project helped at an after-school tutoring session for Sudanese children and also promoted opportunities for volunteers to work together to sponsor a Sudanese refugee family in Seattle.

COMPOSTING

• Education: GSC board member and Master Composter, Geir Jonsson, gave a lecture on composting, including tips on how to start home composting bins as well as information on varoius composting systems and composting resources in the Seattle area.
• Action: The SAGE Project supported the reduction of waste by initiating a composting system at the Greenwood Senior Center. Two green gones were placed outside the GSC for collecting food scraps from the daily lunch program.

GLOBAL WARMING

• Education: A discussion class was offered on the issue of global warming. Topics included reflections on climate change, personal habits related to climate change, and steps that could be taken to reduce the effects of global warming.
• Action: The SAGE Project joined the GSC walking group for a trip to the Phinney Farmers Market to demonstrate the reduction of carbon emissions through an alternative mode of transportation. In addition, the support of local farmers gave shoppers the opportunity to learn about local, seasonable produce and the energy that is saved by shopping locally.

DISASTER PREPAREDNESS

• Education: Volunteers from the American Red Cross came to the GSC to educate SAGE participants on the importance of being prepared for disasters at home, work, and in the community.
• Action: The SAGE Project helped prepare disaster kits for members of the Southern Sudanese Community of Washington with help from the American Red Cross. Items for the kit were donated from the community.

BLOOD DRIVE

• Education: Representatives from the Puget Sound Blood Center came to the GSC to share knowledge about the importance of donating blood.
• Action: The SAGE Project helped promote the importance of blood donations by sponsoring a community blood drive at the GSC. SAGE participants volunteered by checking people in as they arrived and monitoring donors afterward.