Severe Weather Shelters Train New Volunteers

New volunteers operating severe weather shelters this season, through Interfaith Coalition, can get training Monday Dec. 16, said Kara Hauerwas, who works at Interfaith Coalition.

                The Coalition partners with two congregations to host the shelters.

                The men’s shelter is located at Faith Lutheran Church, on 2750 McLeod Road, and the women and children’s shelter is hosted by Garden St. United Methodist Church, on 1326 N. Garden St.

The Minister of College, Youth & Children at Garden St. United Methodist Church, Angie Ritchey, said, “The shelters open when there are life threatening weather conditions.”

Volunteers put effort into making those who arrive “, feel like honored guests,” Ritchey said.

                The Pastor of the Faith Lutheran Church, Sharon Swanson, said there is no way of telling exactly when the shelter opens; and it can be possible to not open at all in some winters.

                Other winters, the shelter could be open multiple days in a row.

“The most I’ve seen is 14 days one December,” Swanson said.

                Laura Harker, the executive director of Interfaith Coalition, and others from the coalition make the decision to open the shelters first thing in the morning, said Hauerwas.

                We set out flags outside the shelters and sandwich-board signs in town, Ritchey said, but word-of-mouth is another way people hear about the opening.

                When the shelter is open multiple nights in a row and word-of-mouth spreads, the turn-out grows and more volunteers are coordinated to work, Hauerwas said.

                A volunteer coordinator contacts volunteers and media as soon as the decision is made to open, Hauerwas said. The decision could be made at 6 a.m. to open the shelters that night, and volunteers organize in time to get the shelter open by 5 p.m, Hauerwas said.

                “We really couldn’t do it without volunteers,” said Hauerwas. 

                “We feed guests dinner and make them comfortable,” said Richey.

Likewise, Swanson said volunteers make an effort to make the shelters comfortable.

 “We respect the privacy of the guests so they each have their own space,” Swanson said, “they work very well together because everyone wants to make it work.”

While the shelter is open, volunteers may organize special things but it isn’t officially planned, Swanson said, for example in one instance a pizza place in town donated pizzas to one of the shelters.

                “It can be hard to coordinate, so we keep it very simple,” Swanson said.

                About 10 volunteers will be in the shelter at one time, and “the congregation is very involved,” Swanson said.

                Because these severe weather shelters are a partnership, volunteers can come from outside the congregations too.

                “We just host it. People all over the community volunteer,” Ritchey said.

                 “We’ve had to learn we are not providing long-term care, so it’s a hard thing to do,” Richey said, but “its amazing experience for me being able to help these people for a short time.”

                Some of the tasks volunteers take care of, Hauerwas said, include heating water for hot chocolate and making sure guests have enough blankets.

                If the shelter is open multiple nights in a row, blankets get labeled in bags for guests to re-use the same blanket the next night, Hauerwas said, otherwise they are washed.

                “But sleeping mats are sanitized each night,” Hauerwas said.

Both men and women volunteers can work at the men’s shelter, while only women volunteers can work at the women and children’s shelter, Hauerwas said.

                While the shelters can be open multiple nights and a row, the shelter hours are 5 p.m. to 8 a.m., Hauerwas said.

                Hauerwas also explained volunteers work in three shifts:

                4:30 p.m. to 10 p.m.

                10 p.m. to 5:45 a.m.

                5:30 a.m. to 8:30 a.m.

                The first shift of volunteers arrive before 5 p.m. in order to register and orient guests as they arrive and to get dinner prepared, Hauerwas said.

                At the men’s shelter only men volunteers work the night shift, Hauerwas said, and during the night shift volunteers are able to take turns to sleep while a few volunteers are always awake for safety and security.

                Morning volunteers get hot water and breakfast ready and help guests as they leave, Hauerwas said.

The Interfaith Coalition also has a housing program for homeless families, manages an annual coat drive, and provides medical services through the Interfaith Community Health Center, a private non-profit organization.

Working Behind The Scenes

Bellingham High School is putting on “Lend Me A Tenor”, and students are putting in several hours each week now to prepare for the show.

But the students who will be performing on the stage aren’t the only ones working away.

                Freshman Emma Hartwell, 15, said she puts in five to eight hours a week doing stage crew work.

                She wanted to get involved with theatre when she went to Whatcom Middle School, but it wasn’t an option available yet.

                At a club fair Bellingham High School had in September she learned about doing stage crew work and the drama club.

                Since then she has started to help with behind-the-scene work after school with about 6-15 other students, depending on everyone’s schedule, Hartwell said. “Anything in demand I help them out with.”

                “It’s fun and I’ve reconnected with friends from middle school and made acquaintances with people. Everyone’s super nice,” Hartwell said.

                Work involves moving furniture, building canvases, and painting.

“We have to paint a lot and people don’t like it, but I like painting a lot,” Hartwell said.

For now Hartwell said she is gaining more knowledge about drama and theater production, and hopes to be a part of productions on stage in the future.

A lot of stage work is student led, Hartwell said, but is supervised by Teri Grimes, the drama club advisor who is the director of the production.

The show runs Nov.14 to 16 at 7 p.m. and on Nov. 17 at 2 p.m. Tickets are $8.

Bellingham Theatre Guild Celebrates

Producing over 700 shows in the past 84 seasons, the Bellingham Theatre Guild (BTG) is entering its 85^th season.

 Another monumental birthday for BTG has passed as well.

On August 17, 1963 BTG had their first musical open, according to BTG.

To celebrate 50 years of musicals a musical re-view playing Jan. 24 to Feb. 2, 2014 will be BTG’s way to celebrate.

The musical birthday bash will be directed by Kathryn Murray and Martha Benedict. Auditions will be held Dec. 1 and 2 at 7 p.m.

Trustee member of the board of directors, Mike Schackel said, “It’ll be quite a show,” as the re-view will cover a number of songs in a little over 2 hours.

Schackel said the guild plays five shows a season, with the first how starting in September and the last show ending in the third week of June.

Though the guild doesn’t strictly hold to this marker, Schakcel said the types of shows run as follows:

First show: A known play, playwright, or director

Second show: Holiday themed

Third show: Farce/comedy

Fourth show: Drama

Fifth show: Musical

                In 2012 however, the season consisted of four musicals.

“Elements of Drama, Melodrama, Comedy, and Farce”

Costumes of the Bellingham Theatre Guild Being Sold for Halloween

Gowns, medieval outfits, and a pink octopus costume will be available for the public to shop through the Saturday before Halloween at the Bellingham Theatre Guild.

The theater is opening its surplus of costumes that have accumulated from past shows.

Bellingham Theatre Guild President John Purdie said, “We have decades of costumes that have piled up.” Founded in 1929, the guild has been putting on shows for 84 years and is entering its 85^th season.

World War II uniforms and real wedding dresses have been donated in the past, Purdie said.

“It should be fun, it should be a great place to find a costume. If you came with 10 bucks you’d probably be able to find some good stuff,” said Kathy Murray, vice president of the guild.

The costume sale is October 26 at 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. in the Lettered Streets Neighborhood, 1600 H Street.

 The 110-year-old building is bright blue and pink, and sticks out in the historical neighborhood that was once the edge of town, as explained by volunteers at a behind-the-curtain tour of the theatre.

“If you want to be something specific, there will be specialty type things. And there’s all different kinds of hats and shoes,” Murray said, and the costume room is larger than Western Washington University’s theatre costume room.

We won’t have fantasy characters like Batman or monster costumes, Purdie said, but we have some things you can make into other costumes.

Last year was the first time the Bellingham Theatre Guild put on the costume sale.

“A part of it is to give people the opportunity to come in and buy costumes,” Mike Schakel said, a member of the board of directors.

It also gives the guild a chance to clean house and make room for future shows Schakel said.

Money raised from the sale will go towards future productions, volunteer recognition/appreciation, and the facility.

In the past shoppers have been very generous giving donations for the costumes, Schakel said.

Schakel became involved with the theatre six years ago with his family when they moved from California. 

His son and daughter were 10 and 12 years-old, and the opportunity this community had for children’s theatre was “so lucky,” he said.

“The nice thing about theatre, particularly here, is we get actors from all over,” Schakel said.

Doing a good job reaching outside the guild, he said, the upcoming show ‘Inspecting Carol’ only has about 4 actors from the guild of the 12-13 in the show.

The ‘Sweeney Todd’ show was acted out by a majority of Western students, Schakel said.

Lettered Street News

The Lettered Streets Neighborhood is one of several Bellingham City neighborhoods with its own distinct character and news. This residential community is one voice of Bellingham, and the goal is to share as much of it as possible.