Fireworks! And hidden treasure.

Mary Beth Harrington, CVA

Ready for some fireworks?

For more than 50 years, the City of Lacey has celebrated Independence Day a day early. Sunday, July 3^rd from 3:00 – 11:00 pm at Rainier Vista Community Park, enjoy a high-energy dance party with Beat Frequency at 5 pm, the Good Vibrations Beach Boys tribute at 8 pm, and fireworks set to music at 10 pm. There will also be free kids’ activities and food vendors. Onsite parking is limited so catch a free shuttle bus from the Lakes, Komachin, & Timberline parking lots between 3:30-9:30 p.m. and get a return ride after the fireworks.

Tumwater Parks & Recreation will present its 34th Annual Tumwater Independence Day Parade with a theme of Aloha 4th! Celebrate our nation and show your patriotic spirit!

The parade starts at 11 am at the corner of Capitol Boulevard and Lee Street and moves south on Capitol Boulevard to Israel Road where it turns west (right) onto Israel Road and continues past City Hall, ending up at the intersection of Linderson Way / Israel Road.

The parade will be followed by the Artesian Family Festival & Thunder Valley Fireworks Show at the Tumwater Valley Golf Course Driving Range. The festival gates open at 6:00 pm and the event features music, food vendors, games, and much more. Kapowsin Skydivers “drop in” to the festival at 8:30 p.m. and the da ends with the Thunder Valley Fireworks Show at 10:15 p.m. accompanied by music on site. Festival entry is free; event parking is $10/car. No alcohol, pets, or BBQs allowed. Check this page for more details.

Ready to hit the beach?

The Puget Sound Estuarium recently announced its 2022 Meet the Beach schedule. This free program runs all summer at local beaches during weekend low tides (which are even lower than normal this year). During the program, the Estuarium’s Beach Naturalists provide resources to learn about the plants and animals found in our estuaries. You might discover sea stars, snails, crabs, and even jellyfish. Just look for the folks in the bright green vest marked “Volunteer.”

There are 12 dates coming up, the first of which are this weekend: 

• Saturday, July 2 – Noon to 3:00 pm at Tolmie State Park.
• Sunday, July 3 – 1:00 – 4:00 pm at Squaxin Park (formerly Priest Point Park)

Find out the other dates by checking The JOLT’s Community Calendar. Note that times vary widely because they’re based on the tides.

Ready to search for hidden treasure?

 Join the hunt for hidden treasure throughout Thurston County! Not the lost coins of yesteryear but something far older. Grab your gear and set out solo or with other adventurous explorers. This all-ages, family-friendly treasure hunt will take you through old-growth forests, hidden urban gems, beaver ponds, marine beaches, and much more!

Using the GooseChase app on your tablet or smartphone, explore and sleuth your way through 28 beautiful parks and natural places throughout Thurston County.

Learn each park’s mission and receive a park-specific Nature Sleuth sticker as well as be entered into a drawing for cool prizes! The more missions you complete, the higher your chances are to win!

You can explore year-round however prize drawings will be held on July 1 and December 15, 2022. Stickers will be mailed to participants at the end of each month. For more information go to https://streamteam.info/nature-sleuths/

Mixed national nonprofit news

In our family, it is common to start some conversations with, “I have some good news and some bad news” and then start with the bad news to get it over with and hopefully be happier with the good news. Here goes:

Given the national news lately, it seems many people are feeling an overall dissatisfaction with our organizations and institutions – whether they be government or nonprofit.

Recently the Independent Sector released the results of its third annual “Trust in Civil Society” survey, which found while there is room to increase public trust, most respondents believe nonprofits will still do what is right for society. The Independent Sector is a national membership organization made up of changemakers, nonprofits, foundations, and corporations. According to the Independent Sector, the survey was conducted in February in partnership with Edelman Data & Intelligence and revealed that 56% of Americans said they trust nonprofits, however, this is down a statistically significant 3-points from the 2020 benchmark study. In addition, philanthropy trust edged down a 2-point drop during the same period, but this difference is not statistically significant. Overall, the findings from the survey indicate:

• Financial well-being and education are major drivers of trust.
• Trust of nonprofits among women declined during the pandemic.
• Gen Z is skeptical of the nonprofit sector.
• Integrity and purpose remain critical to building and maintaining nonprofit trust.
• Black Americans have higher than average trust in nonprofits and philanthropy.

Soliciting your ideas

If you know of a nonprofit that is doing something great, celebrating a success, needs some outstanding volunteers, or hosting an event, let me know! This column (aside from a little education) celebrates nonprofits!

Mary Beth Harrington, CVA (Certified Volunteer Administrator) lives in Tumwater. She travels the country speaking at conferences and to individual organizations articulating issues facing nonprofits. Send your ideas to her at  MaryBeth@theJOLTnews.com