Swiftwater Gallery is pleased to announce on first Friday, May 2nd from 6-7pm Jeff Good, local Vashon watercolor artist, will be demonstrating watercolor painting in Swiftwater Gallery, 17600 Vashon Hwy. SW, Vashon, WA.

At Give Big, the massive, two-day, blunderbuss donating event in May benefiting all the Island non-profits we take the position that pretty much all Islanders are open-hearted folk who willingly support the plethora of organizations that call Vashon home, but with so many of them all clamoring for your dollar at once, it is hard to know which are the ones you most want to benefit from your generosity. And so, once again, the Voice of Vashon, the very radio station you are listening to now, will once again function as the Hub o’Luv on the two Give Big days on May 7^th and 8^th. And all you have to do is tune in between 9AM and 4PM as representatives of all the non-profits come in and sit down at the mic and talk about their organization and all the reasons you should support it. Not forgetting that the Voice of Vashon is a non-profit too, the one, in this case, that is in there helping out all the other Island candidates as the Hub o’Love. Just go to the Voice of Vashon website and click on “donate”. Almost easier done than said. Give Big at the Voice of Vashon Hub o’Love on May 7^th and 8^th, between 9 in the morning and 4 in the afternoon. Or, if you’re, understandably, just too eager to wait you can take the action I just described when early giving begins on April 23^rd. This has been a Voice of Vashon Public Service Announcement, Burnishing Your Karma Department.

There’s a great documentary movie out there that the Vashon Island Growers Association is convinced would be of more than common interest to a wide Island audience if only they could get a look at it in a theatre. The story is right there in the title: The Biggest Little Farm: the remarkable true story of a couple who leave city life behind to pursue their dream of creating a diverse, sustainable farm. Over eight years, they transform barren land into a thriving ecosystem, facing drought, pests, predators and the unpredictable rhythms of nature along the way. It’s a beautiful, eye-opening journey that celebrates resilience, balance, and our connection to the land. Well, the Vashon Park District is going to screen this movie free of charge for our Island audience at 1PM on Saturday, May 10^th at the Vashon Movie Theatre along with a brief presentation by VIGA. That’s how important VIGA feels it is that a wide general audience gets a look at this film about being okay doing things the right way. So, make a date and bring one too. The Biggest Little Farm. Free screening at the Vashon Movie Theatre at one o’clock on Saturday afternoon, May 10^th. This  has been a Voice of Vashon Public Service Announcement, Cheap Date Department.

If you are a woman. If you are forty years old or older. If you are a woman of forty who has not had a  previous mammogram in the past year and you have no current breast problems or complaints, then you for sure ought to take advantage of the onsite mobile screening event that’s happening here on the Island on Friday, May 23, at the JG Commons Community Room, 17300 96^th Pl SW, where you can make an appointment between the hours of 9AM to 4PM to pop in with a picture ID and insurance card and get the job done. Call to make an appointment for your mammogram at 888-204-9214. That’s 888-204-9214 to make an appointment for your mammogram on May 23^rd between the hours of 9AM till 4PM. Go to the J.G. Commons Community Room at 17300 96^th Pl SW right here on good old Vashon Island. This has been a Voice of Vashon Public Service Announcement, Women’s Services Division.

Where would you go if you wanted to learn something new? How about the Library?. That’s kind of what libraries are all about, right? Well, it just so happens that on Tuesday, May13th, the Humanities Washington program will be sending author, Elise Hooper, to the Vashon Library at 1PM for a talk about Trailblazing Olympic women in which she separates fact from fiction to uncover the progress and setbacks faced by women Olympians since they first began competing in 1900. This event is free, with no registration required. Just show up at the Library at 1 on May 13^th and – voila! – learn something new. This has been a Voice of Vashon Public Service Announcement, Feeding the Brain Department.

Every Spring something wonderful happens when the Master Gardeners come out and make themselves available to other Island gardeners for help and advice. They set up shop in the breezeway between Ace Hardware and Thriftway for their opening plant clinic at 10AM on Friday May 2 and will continue to do so every Saturday and First Friday, May through August, 10AM to 2PM. Bring your plant questions, photos, and samples and get free, science-based advice for the home gardener, from the Washington State Extension Master Gardeners program. For more information contact mgvashon@gmail.com. This has been a Voice of Vashon Public Service Announcement,

May 6-7 is GiveBIG. When you give to the Vashon Schools Foundation on these days, you will help us reach two goals–provide more early math and reading intervention for the kids who need it most and fund an additional family engagement coordinator position so we can connect kids and families with the community resources they need to achieve. Your donation will fill the gap left by state and federal funding gaps so that our support reaches more students. Together, let’s show our students that even in uncertain times their education is our priority. Visit our website at Vashonschoolsfoundation.com to learn more and please consider a generous donation for the next generation. And thank you!

Attention all Islanders in business with the Department of Health and Social Services, past, current, or being currently pondered: you will be glad to know that DSHS is bringing its mobile office over to the Island on Thursday, April 17 and will be parking it from 10AM till 2PM at the United Methodist Church, 17928 Vashon Highway, because that means that there will be a full complement of Department Representatives for you to consult whether it be for food or cash assistance or health insurance. You can also make changes to an existing account¸ drop off paperwork or complete a review. Visit the big, colorful van while it’s parked in town in front of the Methodist Church if you need some attention for County business from 10 to 2 on April 17^th. This has been a Voice of Vashon Public Service Announcement, Business as Usual Department.

Goodness knows there are about as many ways to get a decent education as there are people who have their own ideas about how to dream one up. We don’t necessarily want to all stop and start together. For instance, you may be a Vashon High School Senior but you’re not done with Vashon High School yet; there’s stuff that you want to get out of the way before you move on. And it’s for long-range students like that that the Helen M. Clancy Memorial Scholarship was created. Helen Clancy was a Vashon resident for 45 years and since 1995, 254 graduating seniors have received the continuing annual scholarship. Applicant high seniors must be residents of Vashon Island but may attend Vashon High School or any off-Island High School. Selection is based on the applicant’s: financial need, scholarship, leadership and other personal achievements.

Online applications are available at www.HMCSF.ORG or with the Vashon High School Counselors. The deadline for completing and submitting the application is Friday, April 4th.

The mission of the Vashon Maury Community Food Bank is to work in partnership with our community to increase our island’s food security and connect people to the supporting resources they need to thrive. What this means is that there is no need for anyone on Vashon or Maury Islands to ever go hungry no matter who you are or what your income level may be. The Food Bank serves over 300 households per week and distributes food at the Bank itself every Wednesday from 10AM till 2PM, and then again, later in the day, from 4 to 7PM. And this message addresses the supply side of our operation as well. Nonperishable food and clean grocery bags with handles are always welcome in our blue donations shed or in the drop-off receptacles inside Thriftway or IGA. If it’s your time or energy or, hey, even your money you want to donate visit www.Vashonfoodbank.org. If you eat, then this announcement was all about you. This has been a Voice of Vashon Public Service Announcement, Basic Needs Department.