When I talk about nonprofits, people tend to mention the usual suspects, United Way, Habitat for Humanity, and Salvation Army. These are great organizations, however, there are many more unique nonprofits, and I would like to introduce one of those to you today.
I suspect anyone who has driven through Tenino has noticed the beautiful stonework that symbolizes the town.
Stone Cutter Keith Phillips first came to Tenino in 1984, where he met some of the city’s last carvers and quarrymen. The knowledge imparted to him by these elders helped him to preserve their skills and customs for the next generation. Phillips has been carving ever since, and his works can be found in Tenino, the Great Northwest, Brewery Falls in Tumwater and around the world.
Earlier this year, a group of like-minded masons, carvers, and artists formalized the Tenino Stone Carvers Guild as an official nonprofit to carry this heritage forward for future generations. According to Bill Lenker, Director of The Tenino Stone Carvers Guild, their mission is to celebrate and preserve the heritage and associated skills and customs of Tenino’s sandstone quarrying, stone cutting, and stone carving history.
“We preserve Tenino’s rich relationship with sandstone through commissions, consignment, and education,” says Lenker. “The Shed,” our rustic showroom, is open on Saturdays from 10 to 4, and we are in the process of raising money to renovate an old Public Works building into a proper classroom for future classes. Keith Phillips and sculptress Myrna Orsini will be our featured instructors”.
Tenino Stone Carvers Guild group will be hosting their first fundraiser next Tuesday, August 22nd at the Quarry House in the Tenino town park.
“We are having a reception that evening to share our operations and future goals with the community, as well as to hopefully raise some money to help us access a legislative grant that was awarded to us last spring,” says Lenker. “The grant is designed to reimburse, so we are raising seed money to renovate an old Public Works building that will be our future classroom. The event will be catered by Don Juan's of Tenino, and we have secured a school bus to shuttle guests for a tour of the Hercules #1 quarry, as well”.
If you would like to be on that bus, follow this link to the invitation, click here. Website and donation links can be found at this link, but the best way to get involved with Tenino Stone Carvers Guild is through classes and consignment.
Visiting with Lenker, it is obvious that the Tenino Stone Carvers are passionate about passing along Tenino’s sandstone heritage, skills, and customs to the next generation.
“Stone is history incarnate, and art is healing by nature,” says Lenker. “We are well-versed in historical restoration. Our classes will teach craft and trade while giving people opportunities to sell pieces via consignment in the Shed”. Lenker says that they plan to award one scholarship per year to stand-out students as well as help enhance community identity and tourism by manning the Shed in period-specific attire on Saturdays.
As the former marketing director of the blood bank serving North Texas, I know that there is an increased need for blood during the summer months, but right now in Thurston County, the need is more urgent than ever.
In fact, if the supplies do not increase dramatically, scheduled surgeries could start to be postponed.
There are several reasons there is a blood shortage during the summer. Many regular blood donors and organizations take off the summer months and therefore the number of blood donors decreases. But also, there is an increased need for blood during the summer due to accidents as well as individuals who schedule elective surgeries during the summer. Did you know that only 3% of us donate blood annually? Therefore, each donation is critical to supporting patients who need blood for trauma, cancer, and surgery. To encourage individuals to donate Bloodworks Northwest and Flaming Pig BBQ are partnering to host a blood drive this Thursday. You can also make an appointment at BloodworksNW.org or call 800-398-7888.
When you make a blood donation like at our local nonprofit blood center Bloodworks Northwest, your blood most likely will be divided into several different blood components: Red Cells, Platelets, Plasma, and Cryoprecipitate which means you can potentially save the life of at least four different people with one donation.
Contrary to popular belief, those four people who receive your blood are not necessarily people with Hemophilia (an inherited bleeding disorder) or people who have been in an accident. Every two seconds someone in the U.S. needs blood for surgeries, cancer treatment, chronic illnesses, and traumatic injuries.
Whether a patient receives whole blood, red cells, platelets, cryoprecipitate, or plasma, this lifesaving care starts with one person donating.
This brings us to another misperception about blood, there is still no such thing as artificial blood. The military does have something that can sustain life for a period, but nothing can replace the need for real blood, and the only way to get that is by people donating theirs.
Our local blood center supports more than 90 hospitals coast to coast. According to Bloodworks Northwest each year Bloodworks helps hundreds of thousands of patients to receive lifesaving transfusions. Founded in 1944, they are local, non-profit, community-based, and backed by 230,000 donors and volunteers. To learn how you might become one of those donors or volunteers, click here.
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
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JKRector
Great article - thanks for mentioning both of these non-profits. Think I’ll be donating blood tomorrow
Tuesday, August 15, 2023 Report this