LYDIA PLACE | OFFICIAL MONTHLY NEWSLETTER | SEPTEMBER 2021
CONTRIBUTOR CIRCLE
Attention Lydia Place Housing Heroes Monthly Contributors
You may update or change your credit card details via our Financial Manager, Judy Wayt at 360.671.7663 or by filling out an online donation form with your new credit card information here.
Thank you to the following Housing Heroes for committing to the work of Lydia Place by helping us end family homelessness with a monthly gift!
Anonymous, Sampson Greig Alvarado, Joyce M Anderson, Mary and Jeff Anderson, Marissa Arbogast, Butch and Linda Arnold, Calvin R Atkins, Jeanne Baker, Matthew & Stephanie Barrow, David James Beaumier, Judy Bell, Wayne Bell, Drew & Michael Betz, Brianna Brumbaugh, Michael & Mary Jane Brunt, Rachel Lucy Cecka, Lisa Cerezo, Lisa N Chovil, Theresa Anne Christiani, Karen & Richard Clark, Jennifer Cool, Susan Costanzo, Monica Craig, Sue Croft, Jayme and David Curley, Deb Currier, Shannon & Peter Day, Ana Luisa Dias, Cayla Dickens, Carey Ditton, Michelle Dohm, Cherish Eastwood, Danielle Elder, Kacia Emley, Graham Essex, Dixie Farthing, Pamela J Felke, Jaime Alison Friedrich, Rachel Garcia, Kaitlyn Gerard, Deanna Marie Ginter, Jaylin Lee Godwin, Audrey Gravley and Bill McGinnis, Mindy and Alex Gravley, Stephanie C Hadley, Greer W Hastings, Alycia Hawkins, Meredith Hayes, Roxanna Hayes, Lisa Heezen, Katie Herling, Cassie Hernandez, Shelley Higgins, Afsheen Ali, Karyl Jefferson, Alivia Jelinski, Jennifer M. Johns, Amy Johnson, Hank Kastner, Misty Kemp, Bill Kern & Kay Caylor, Tom Laughlin, Dru Lee, Sonja Lee, Matt Lesinski, Rebecca Taryn Lewis, Sarah Lewis, Megan Liede, Kayla C. Litton, Abby Lollar, Nancy A Long, Rebecca Ludwig, Erin Lynch, Lynda Hinton Real Estate Inc, Katherine McDade, Kate McDonald, Megan C McGinty, Kathleen McQuaide, Heather Michel, Patti K Morgan, Marilyn Moullen, Samantha Murry, Shenandoah Myrick, Sarah Nuanes, Talia R Nuckolls, Tammie O'Dell, Laura Ann Owens, Tierney Owens, Erin Page, Susan & Jeff Palmer, Deborah Parker, Melanie S Pysden, Misty Kaye Rainwater, Beth Randall, Natalie Ransom and Ryan Wimberly, Steffany Raynes, Linda Read, Adam and Kathryn Resnick, Laura Rink, Anna Rodriguez, Kathy and Marcus Rowe-Guthrie, Lyn Salazar, Suzannah & Tyler Schroeder, Allison Sculthorp, Emily Olena Sharpe, Susie Simerl, Bethany Smith, Gail A Smith, Jaretta Smith, Jessica Smith, Kathleen Smith, Jillene Snell, Kelly Spencer, Sue Staley, Delores Starcher, Sterling Rentals, LLC, Lacey Stewart, Patricia McGuire Stigliani, Chara Stuart, Trisha Symonds, Ryan Thramer, Pepper Tipton, Wylder Tipton, Jeffery Tom, Bruce Underwood, Shawna Unger, Jamie Valenta, Yvonne Vaughn, Trent John Vigor, Ruby Volker, Elizabeth Walukas, Terell Weg, Adrienne Wrightson, and Tonya Yoder.
Thank you the following neighbors who gave a one-time gift this month!
Anonymous, Bellingham Elks Lodge #194, Charlie & Susan Brown, Chuckanut Health Foundation, Carol & Dennis Comeau, Joanne & Tim Douglas, Anthony & Elizabeth Finfrock, Danny Gusukuma, Julianna Guy, Myra & Terry Harmer, Jessica Heck, Danna M Hilleren, Eliza & Gary Hurlbut, Sara Johnson, Roshni Adi Jokhi, Theresa Keith, MTE Fund, Henry Muska, Penny & William Roberts Charitable Giving Fund, Charles E Rudolph III, Satterberg Foundation, Elizabeth Snyder, Brien Thane, and Linda & John Watkins.
Lydia Place is a registered 501(c)(3) non-profit organization and your donations are tax-deductible to the extent allowable by the law. Scroll to the bottom of this email to learn how The CARES Act impacts your 2021 charitable giving.
SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENTS
The Holidays are Approaching!
Each year, individuals and businesses throughout our community step up in many ways, big and small, to make sure every Lydia Place family and child feels supported and has the same opportunity to experience a sense of comfort and joy during the holiday season.

Whether you adopt a Lydia Place family, host a holiday drive, or donate your time, it all helps ensure that no kiddo will be left behind this Holiday Season!

To explore all the ways you can make a significant impact for the families we serve this holiday season, download our 2021 Holiday Giving Guide.
Interested in hosting a Holiday Drive this season? We would love to hear from you. Contact Outreach Manager, Lisa Sohni at [email protected].
WE COULD NOT HAVE DONE IT WITHOUT YOU!

We wanted to send our utmost and sincere gratitude for your support at this year's virtual Handbags for Housing! We also want to give a massive shout-out to the businesses and individuals who worked months on end to make this event possible and for our community's understanding when we had to pivot our in-person event plans into another virtual event. 

Whether you helped sponsor, volunteer, donated a handbag, spread the word about our event, donated dollars, signed up to be a Housing Hero, or showed up ready to bid on Thursday- IT MATTERED and will continue to matter for many months beyond today for families in our community. 

Special thank you to Barleans, The Spice Hut, and Barkley Village for their leading fundraising gifts!

The Lydia Place team is expanding!
We are seeking driven individuals to join our mission. We are in recruitment for a variety of positions.

To continue social distancing practices, we've established new hiring procedures to ensure future applicants and our team stay safe and healthy during the application process.
HEART HOUSE UPDATE
Throughout the summer we have watched Heart House take shape right before our eyes. This new building, slated to open in Spring 2022, will contain offices, residential suites, and a much-needed childcare facility.

Every day we hear from families impacted by the lack of available and affordable housing and childcare placements in Whatcom County. Heart House is just another way that Lydia Place is living its mission and creating the opportunities that our families deserve.
ADDITIONAL EVENTS SUPPORTING LP
TRAILS TO TAPS RELAY
October 17, 2021
Registration is OPEN

Trails to Taps is a 5-10 person team relay through downtown Bellingham and beyond. The 30+ mile course explores trails, roads, and parks via ten running legs ranging from 1.6 – 5 miles. Each transition takes place at a different brewery or cidery. Costumes are encouraged and rewarded with a costume contest at the After Party! The winning team gets a variety of merchandise. Additionally, each participant receives a pint glass and a fill by one of the participating breweries/cideries. As in years, past Lydia Place is the beneficiary of the proceeds from this relay, and we couldn’t be more grateful.  

WANT TO GET INVOLVED? 
Form a relay team: click the button below.
Volunteer at the event: Contact [email protected].
WILL YOU CELEBRATE WITH US?

Help Lydia Place celebrate our 32nd year of providing critical housing, mental health, and parenting support services to families in our community. To prioritize community health, we are not hosting an event this year, but invite you to join us however you feel comfortable (dine-in, take-home) at these upcoming events:  

Thursday, Oct 21st - Kulshan Pint Night :
$1 from every pint will support Lydia Place (K2 location – off Kentucky Street) 

Tuesday, Oct 26th - The Filling Station's Dine Out for Lydia Place:
5% of your ticket will support Lydia Place.  

Wednesday, Oct 27th - Lombardi's Dine Out for Lydia Place:
15% of your ticket for happy hour, dinner, and take out sales 

Sundays, in November (7th, 14th, 21st, 28th) - Flatstick Pub
$2 for every golf round & beer purchased will be donated
HOUSING WEEK 2021
Join us and the Whatcom Housing Alliance for Whatcom Housing Week 2021: a series of events that build awareness and support for innovative housing solutions to create safe, equitable, and affordable homes for everyone. Whatcom Housing Week 2021 will have various engaging and educational virtual events and discussions for housing enthusiasts and the broader community alike. 

Learn more and register at www.whatcomhousingweek.org.
BUSINESS PARTNER GRATITUDE
Ridwell is making an impact Whatcom County!
Over the summer, we developed a new partnership with Ridwell, a Washington-based company specializing in good recycling and reusing solutions for everyday items that have traditionally been difficult to get rid of responsibly.

Started in Seattle, Ridwell began serving Bellingham earlier this year and is already making a significant impact in our community. In addition to their recycling service, Ridwell partners with local non-profits to put other people’s waste to good use. From July to September, they collected dishware and utensils and donated them to Habitat for Humanity, benefiting Lydia Place. See more about our partnership here: https://www.ridwell.com/pickup-categories/pOGQ9PVN

You can support the environment, local businesses, and non-profits serving people in need for a low monthly subscription. It’s a win-win-win.

To learn more about Ridwell: www.ridwell.com

Interested in Business Partnership opportunities? We would love to hear from you. Contact Outreach Manager, Lisa Sohni at [email protected].
COMMUNITY CHAMPION GRATITUDE


Jumping for Joy!
We want local children’s book author Stefanie Fields to know just how beautiful we think she is for donating 30 signed copies of her book, “You’re Beautiful When” to Lydia Place families.

VOLUNTEER APPRECIATION

We want to say a HUGE thank you to our superstar volunteers
Jeffery Tom & Courtney Reid!

These two go above and beyond with their dedication and passion for supporting Lydia Place fundraising events. Because of their creative ideas and hard work, we have had much success with our events. In addition, they have donated endless hours of their time, and for this, we are forever grateful! Over the years, the volunteer support of these two unique humans has helped raise crucial funds to help support families and children in our community.
Thanks to you both, Courtney and Jeffery, for your fantastic contribution to our community and Lydia Place's Community Engagement Program.

We also want to say a special thank you to Kip & Brett, who jumped into action and provided a tent for our Handbags for Housing VIP Pick Up Party when our event plans changed.
CELEBRATING DIVERSITY & INCLUSION
HONORING INDIGENOUS PEOPLES' DAY
What is Indigenous Peoples' Day?

Indigenous Peoples' Day is celebrated on the second Monday of October in the United States, in place of Columbus Day. Indigenous Peoples' Day, at its core, aims to celebrate and honor the past, present, and future of Native peoples throughout the United States and acknowledges the legacy of colonialism, which has devastated Indigenous communities historically and continues to impact them negatively today.

This day is an essential and explicit acknowledgment that Native people are still here, that Native peoples are contemporary, present, and relevant. But, more than recognition, Indigenous People's Day is an opportunity for non-native individuals to join Native communities where they are, which is on a path led by healing, better understanding, and being one together.

Children of the Setting Sun Productions is hosting an online gathering on October 11th to honor Indigenous People's Day. There will be special guest speakers and ceremonial songs throughout the day to raise awareness of our Mother Earth responsibilities and celebrate the Salmon People for their work to protect salmon and restore rivers.


We hope you join us in committing to exploring how Native people have, and continue to, contribute to mainstream society for the betterment of all peoples.

Lydia Place offices will be closed Monday, October 11th in recognition of Indigenous Peoples' Day. We will resume normal business hours on Tuesday, October 12th at 9:00 AM. Thank you!
DONATE NEW & GENTLY USED ITEMS
Flip - Premier Kids & Maternity Consignment gives growing families a place to purchase gently pre-owned, name-brand children's and maternity items. Six years ago, this local business went one step further and offered its support to Lydia Place to help address the needs of our growing community.

Through the donations made on behalf of Lydia Place, our donation partnership with Flip has provided hundreds of families with vouchers to pick out the exact items their family needs and wants. These vouchers allow us to serve our clients more efficiently. More importantly, vouchers give ownership to our families by allowing them to find safe and quality items such as strollers, toys, children's and maternity clothes that they might not be able to attain otherwise.  

Donating your new and gently used items to Flip on behalf of Lydia Place is easy. All you have to do is mention our name!  

Find out "How to Flip" HERE
Located at: 1512 Ellis Street, Bellingham, WA 98225 - 360.671.0954  
Looking to donate your new or gently used items to Lydia Place?

Read about which items we are currently accepting and where to drop them off on our website at www.lydiaplace.org/support or by downloading our handy donation guide.

Ongoing donation needs are also listed on Amazon!

At Lydia Place, we value our community and that means we shop local whenever possible. Due to our inability to accept most donations in person, we've had to find alternative ways to continue to provide essential items to our families in need. One of the ways we're doing that is through Amazon Wish Lists in order to limit person-to-person contact as much as possible.

These lists can also be used as a reference if you wish to shop locally. We just ask that if you aren't purchasing items from Amazon that they are mailed directly to Lydia Place. If you'd like to discuss ongoing donation needs or delivery please contact us at [email protected].

Don't forget you can support Lydia Place with each purchase you make on Amazon!
AmazonSmile in the Shopping App

You can now support your favorite charity through the Amazon app on your iPhone and Android Phones. By turning on the AmazonSmile feature, Amazon will donate 0.5% of all eligible purchases to Lydia Place every time you shop- no additional cost to you.

As of November 2020, AmazonSmile shoppers have generated $1,137.24 for Lydia Place programs and services!

How the CARES Act Impacts Charitable Giving for 2021

New Deduction Available: Non-itemizer taxpayers can write off up to $300 per tax return (up to $600 for married couples filing jointly) in charitable cash contributions for 2021. This is available only to people who take the standard deduction, not for people who can itemize their deductions on Schedule A. It is an “above the line” deduction from income that will reduce a donor’s adjusted gross income (AGI), and thereby reduce taxable income.

This information is not intended as legal or tax advice. For such advice, please consult an attorney or tax advisor. References to tax rates include federal taxes only and are subject to change. State law may further impact your individual results.