Today I wanted to first highlight the City of Mercer Island's Youth & Family Services (MIYFS) department. I listened in on the City Council's virtual meeting on Tuesday and learned that in recent weeks the community need for MIYFS services has grown. Of course, this increased need isn't surprising as it relates to COVID-19, and locally, MIYFS is seeing more visits to the food pantry, more emergency assistance requests for financial support, and more individuals reaching out for counseling services.
The MIYFS Foundation has a comprehensive page outlining MIYFS resources on its website – COVID-19 Resources for Mercer Island. The page also provides additional ways community members can support MIYFS and the individuals and families it serves, like donating a grocery store gift card or shopping online at the Thrift Store. If you are able, consider supporting MIYFS during this time (here's a video that captures the extent of MIYFS services and its impact on the community).
Find more links and updates in regard to COVID-19 below, along with additional community links and resources:
Schools
- On Monday, Gov. Jay Inslee announced that the closure of Washington school facilities has been extended through the remainder of the school year, which ends on June 19th.
- On its website, the Mercer Island School District (MISD) elaborated on what the closure of facilities means for local education, stating “school buildings may be closed, but learning will continue” with more curriculum-based remote learning instruction in store on April 13th, after spring break ends.
- The MISD’s Fine Arts Advisory Council is hosting its Fine Arts Showcase virtually. Check out students’ extraordinary artwork in the online showcase.
City of Mercer Island
- In this week’s video conference to take place at 3 pm this afternoon, City Manager Jessi Bon will be joined by Sarah Bluvas, Small Business Liaison, and Ryan Daly, Interim Parks & Recreation Director, who will provide information in regard to small business resources and parks updates.
- Next week, the Mercer Island Parks & Recreation (MIPR) department is hosting Mercer Island Spirit Week. You can participate with your responses to the Spirit Week questions on MIPR’s Facebook and Instagram pages.
- In addition to grocery store gift cards and monetary donations, the MIYFS Food Pantry is now accepting donations of masks – whether homemade or purchased – for local seniors and immune-compromised individuals.
On the topic of masks, here are two articles that I found helpful recently:
- “Are you wearing your face mask properly? Many people aren’t, coronavirus experts say” – The Seattle Times
- “Face masks and coronavirus: When, how and why to wear them. The do's and don'ts of homemade mask safety.” – Crosscut
Community Links
- There are still a few spots open in our online presentation, “Overcoming the Overwhelm of Stuff,” with Denise Allan – to take place this evening at 7 pm. Email me if you’d like to join!
- Get your Sunshine and Fiesta Bowls to go! Don’t miss the Wonderbowl Pop-Up at Homegrown. You may remember Wonderbowl as I Love My GFF, a popular farmers market vendor. (Wonderbowl)
- Running into paywalls? You can use your KCLS membership to access local, national, and world news, including The Seattle Times, The New York Times, and the Wall Street Journal. (KCLS)
- The MI Community Fund and the Mercer Island Historical Society has announced the cancellation of Mercerfest, which had been planned for July 11th. The one-day festival would have celebrated the City’s 60th anniversary with music, food, fireworks, a car show, pet parade, and boat rides. The event steering committee looks forward to the community’s support when they resume planning for Mercerfest 2021. (MI Community Fund)
- “Local [Mercer Island] woman celebrates 100th birthday with virtual celebration” – Kiro 7
- Mercer Island Rotarians help fight hunger [as] COVID 19 regulations impact hunger relief efforts” – Mercer Island Reporter
- Thank you to the photographer Jorge Martinez for sharing the photo above – a beautiful view looking toward Mercer Island as the supermoon rises above the Cascade mountains.
And lastly, on a spiritual note …
- Happy Passover to all who celebrate. The Stroum Jewish Community Center has provided Passover programs and resources in its newsletter and has a full calendar of upcoming virtual events on its website.
- With Passover celebrations taking place virtually, Island Synagogue and Herzl-Ner Tamid are offering online services.
- Happy Easter to all who celebrate. Most local churches are also offering online services during Holy Week and for Easter Sunday.
- I hope you all find ways to connect with family and friends this holiday weekend despite this very unusual and uncertain time.
Thank you for reading!
Take care,
Erin
Erin Sirianni
Editor, My Mercer Island
Broker and Co-Founder, The Sirianni Group
Windermere Real Estate – Mercer Island
206-992-5272
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