Welcome Fall! As weather has permitted, our members have been outdoors hiking and enjoying the beautiful autumn colors. Record breaking daily mileage was set by both hiking clubs on October 15
th
as they logged more than 3 miles on their outings! You can see frequent photos and updates on the ITA Facebook page. It is so great to see all the members in action!
When weather does NOT permit, nothing dissuades these active members. Frequent trips to the Bainbridge Island Aquatic Center, twice weekly BRIDGE Fitness classes and trips to bowling keep members and staff alike fit and engaged. For information on all club activities, please see the Calendar page on ITA’s freshly designed website at
www.islandtime activities.org
. Read more about this exciting remodel further on in this newsletter.
The Craft, Gift and Bake Sale held September 28 on Winslow Green started off a bit soggy but ended up a warm success. Steady foot traffic in this central location on a Saturday yielded over $1,000 in sales. Many customers remarked on the quality of the goods for sale which included bath products, note cards, tie dyed aprons and napkin sets (complete with metal sporks and straws) as well as delicious baked goods. Many thanks to all who made this event a success!
Coming next year: 2020 US Census. Your participation in the census is critical! Please be aware that when the envelope arrives, you take time to fill it out and return it promptly. Why? The three Ds: Dollars, Data, and Democracy. Dollars means federal and state funds for roads, schools and services. Data means the information needed to know who needs theses services and where they need them. Democracy means ensuring all members of our community have a represented voice in our state and national capitols.
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Seabold Church Annual Bazaar
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Seabold United Methodist Church will host its annual bazaar
Saturday, Nov. 9 - 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.
6894 Seabold Church Road, Bainbridge Island
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NEW AND IMPROVED ITA WEBSITE
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A complete overhaul of the ITA website was completed in the past six months by our generous volunteer webmaster, Ian Mitchell. ITA Executive Director Kellie Creamer and Administrative Coordinator Leigh Platt worked tirelessly with Ian to create a vibrant, information packed, user friendly website.
Click on
www.islandtimeactivites.org
to see all their hard work in living color! There are wonderful photos of ITA members engaged in a myriad of activities, an updated calendar listing all clubs, Saturday Supper dates, and more.
Thank you Ian, Kellie and Leigh!!
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Partygoers to the October 26th Saturday Supper jumped the tracks at 9 & 3/4 platform to enter Hogwarts Academy for a spooky, Harry Potter-themed evening.
Outstanding décor created by ITA staff and members was the backdrop to the surprise filled night. Straight away attendees were “sorted’ into Houses by the color of M&M candies buried deep in a delicious cup cake. Once sorted, members participated in games and activities until the magical feast was served.
ITA members and staff came dressed for the night, either as their favorite Harry Potter character, a minor player in the books or just in spooky Halloween garb. It was an “epic” party; one that combined the vision of ITA staff, enthusiasm of the ITA members and lots of creative energy from all!
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Have you received your
Red Envelope
? The annual One Call For All (OCFA) campaign kicked off in late October with a deluge of red envelopes being delivered to the Post Office to be sent to each mailing address on Bainbridge Island. This island tradition since 1960 is a
critical fundraiser
for ITA.
For each $20 donated organizations get a share in the community pool. Donations can be spread out monthly through the year to help us maximize our potential in the pool. OCFA takes no money from donations targeting specific non-profits (in fact OCFA needs to raise its own operating funds through this effort as well).
Please respond to this request and give generously to ITA today! Spread the word to family and friends about the important work ITA does – they can donate through the envelope solicitation or online:
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As ITA continues to grow in members and expand in programming, so too must our sources of revenue. We rely on grants and generation donations to make up about 36% of our annual budget. These funds help us keep our doors open and provide scholarships for those in need. However, there are many ways – big and small – to support this organization and encourage others to do so as well. A few words about the importance of ITA to you and your ITA member is the best way to inspire friends and family to financially support the life changing work ITA provides.
Beyond our twice-yearly requests through One Call For All and Kitsap Great Give, here are some other ways you can help:
Amazon Smile
is a website operated by Amazon with the same products, prices, and shopping features as Amazon.com. The difference is that when you shop on AmazonSmile, the Amazon Smile Foundation will donate 0.5% of the purchase price of eligible products to the charitable organization of your choice. ITA is a registered participant.
So please the next time (and every time) you shop at Amazon go to
www.smile.amazon.com
instead and sign up to support Island Time Activities.
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Retail Gift Cards
are a great way to support ITA! Frequent shopping trips to Town & Country, Safeway, Home Depot, Walmart, Costco and Amazon are needed to purchase supplies for all clubs and events hosted by ITA. The next time you are at one of these retailers, pick up a gift card for ITA and drop it off on your next visit. We would be so grateful!
Leave 10
Kitsap
is a movement created by local nonprofits to educate, encourage and inspire people in Kitsap to leave at least 10% of their estates to charity in their wills. ITA is a member of Leave 10. For more information on this program visit
Leave 10 Kitsap.org
or email Kellie at kellie@islandtimeactivities.org.
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Reporting by NW News Network’s Austen Jenkins explored the question of “Are Developmental Disability services a constitutional right in Washington?"
In a series broadcast September 30th, Jenkins covered this topic from several perspectives. You can read or listen to his reporting
HERE
Highlights of the piece include:
- Institutional rights are guaranteed under Article XIII of the state constitution but services in the community are not.
- Article XIII requires the state to foster and support institutions for “youth who are blind or deaf or otherwise disabled” and for people “who are mentally ill or developmentally disabled.”
- Article XIII is what former state Supreme Court Justice Phil Talmadge, calls an “overlooked” provision in Washington’s constitution.“ People always think of a constitution as a restriction on what can be done, rather than a prescription about what has to be done and in fact our state constitution has been seen as being prescriptive,” Talmadge said.
“
I think with the change to a deinstitutionalized structure, what we’re talking about is really quality services for mentally ill and developmentally disabled people, that’s what the framers had in mind,” Talmadge said. “And I think a legitimate argument can be made that the state has failed its obligation to those populations
.”
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Island Time Activities
Address: P.O. Box 10822, Bainbridge Island, WA 98110
Phone: 206.842.5594
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