LCC Recognizes Special Neighbors

Laurelhurst Community Club recognized the following neighbors this summer at its Annual meeting.

LCC wrote in its most recent newsletter:

Neighbor Recognition 

In May, LCC called on neighbors to recognize special neighbors and/or businesses that have made a difference in our neighborhood, especially during this year’s Covid-19 challenges.  

Jeannie Hale received LCC’s Exceptional Service Award for her more than 20 years of service as trustee and president of the Laurelhurst Community Club. She also served as president of the Northeast District Council.  

Jean Amick Nominated by Colleen McAleer

Jean exemplifies a great neighbor as she cruises the streets on her bike spreading cheer by sharing a smile, dropping off a bouquet of flowers, sharing an archived newspaper article, or snaring you into joining her to “Weed and Sweep” at SUN Park. Jean championed the park’s vision by bringing neighbors together to purchase the land and transform it into a beautiful green space for all ages to experience. Jean is also an avid birder and provides colorful habitat for local and rare bird species that frequent her sidewalk garden. 

Burke Gilman Brewing Company Nominated by Jake and Noelle Dahl

Burke Gilman Brewing Company has become a favorite place for members of the Laurelhurst community to meet (socially distanced), interact, and enjoy a pint of their award-winning beer, 2020 GABF Gold Medal Winner, 2020 Alpha King Winner. They have supported numerous community and social causes (BLM, Stop Asian Hate, Diaper Drive, Seattle Children’s families). They should be recognized as a new, positive addition to the community.  

Pat Chaney Nominated by Robin Bransford 

A huge thanks to Pat, who organized the up keep and beautification of both ends of our 43rd Ave. NE boulevard. She contacted the city, which then delivered many truck loads of bark to various planted circles along the boulevard. She then contacted neighbors and worked along with them to weed, prune, haul, dig, and rake each planted area, which has greatly improved the appearance of the boulevard. It was a fun and rewarding project.  

Beth Cogan Nominated by Stephanie Neffner 

Beth is a special woman in the neighborhood who has gone above and beyond to help families with food insecurity in the area. When Covid hit and closed down schools, she took on the job of coordinating lunch deliveries to students receiving free or reduced lunches for almost a year. The program morphed into not only daily lunch and breakfast deliveries, but also a Friday delivery of weekend food bags. She has been monitoring the food bins outside of St. Stephens and has had food drives. When there were extra lunches, milk, or other items, she coordinated with local food banks or shelters; one of the volunteers has delivered to them as well. And, because of her compassion, she and her group of volunteers have been delivering to many locations outside of the Laurelhurst boundary line, including Capitol Hill and South Lake Union areas. 

Jamie Doran Nominated by Betty, Lauren, Grant, and Michael Pauly 

Jamie is a true weekend warrior going above and beyond to help keep Laurelhurst beautiful, spontaneously mowing neighbors’ parking strips, setting up outdoor movie nights, volunteering at the Beach Club, for youth sports, with his cheerful smile and willingness to pitch in.  

Mary Jo Gasparich Nominated by Lorelle Shearer 

Mary Jo has repeatedly spearheaded the weed and brush removal on the banks of the Laurelhurst Playfield. She is great at marshalling a group to do this over at least three seasons! It makes the sidewalk more safe and accessible.  

Peggy Headstrom Nominated by Janice Camp 

Peggy has single-handedly organized food trucks to visit our part of the neighborhood every week for the past year. It has been a welcome and energizing break in pandemic cooking and something to look forward to each week. And, it gave food trucks some business, which I think was particularly welcome in the middle of the pandemic. Peggy’s efforts helped build community, improve the mental health of the neighbors, and give business and exposure for numerous food truck entrepreneurs. 

Katterman’s Pharmacy Nominated by Robert Arbios 

Katterman’s Pharmacy has been providing personable and reliable service to this community for literally decades. If you’ve lived here for any time at all, when you walk in they know your name. But during the pandemic Beverly, Steve, and their colleagues have really stepped up their game for the neighborhood. Early on they increased their efforts to provide no-contact delivery to your doorstep at no additional cost, even for relatively inexpensive prescriptions paid for by Medicare. In January 2021, when Covid vaccines were just becoming available but still very scarce, Katterman’s took the initiative to reach out to senior customers to offer what they had to this most vulnerable group. Now with vaccine supply more plentiful, Katterman’s is operating an efficient system to administer shots to dozens of people each day. We are lucky to have such a fine, locally owned and operated entity providing critical service to this community. But we should not take them for granted. I therefore urge the LCC to not miss the opportunity to give Katterman’s the shout-out they deserve, particularly for their efforts during this pandemic.  

Bev Kelleher Nominated by Betsy Mullen 

For more years than I can remember, Bev has been organizing the cleanup and maintenance of the median on 43rd Ave. between 41st and 38th. I appreciate her willingness to collect the money and organize the workers that keep this special street in Laurelhurst looking good. I believe her efforts may have inspired the folks north of us to maintain their section of the boulevard as well. Judging by all of the walkers and runners that go by, many more people than just the residents on the street appreciate her work. Bev definitely goes above and beyond and is worthy of recognition for volunteering to keep the boulevard beautiful.  

Brian Larson Nominated by Gloria Hennings 

Brian and his entire family organize The Turkey Trot every Thanksgiving morning. Many neighbors run or walk with their families and dogs and it builds community. All contribute to the local food bank! The Larsons collect the food and money and deliver it to the district food bank. It has become an annual affair because of their willingness to organize it for the past nine years on a busy holiday. 

Louise Luthy Nominated by Kay Kelly 

Louise and her LEAP (Laurelhurst Emergency Action Plan) team stepped up, especially during the Covid-19 pandemic, to ensure the health and safety of all Laurelhurst neighbors. With the established system of Cluster Captains, this network was activated to check on shut-in folks and provide connectivity to needed resources. Louise also spearheaded the building and furnishing of LEAP’s recently completed Communications HUB. Her team is now crosstraining other neighbors to operate the HUB and the radio system. The neighborhood is much better prepared for emergencies, especially earthquakes, thanks to her tenacious efforts, so we all sleep better knowing there is a safety net right here in Laurelhurst.  

Dixie Porter Nominated by Friends of SUN Park 

Dixie is a force of energy who has the knack of making the neighborhood more connected. She effortlessly has linked neighbors throughout her long residency in Laurelhurst and has acted as an informal local historian on schools, activities, and families. Dixie was ever present at the SUN Park that she helped found. Until just two years ago, she was on a ladder hanging the holiday lights s on the park’s trees. She worked vigorously to root out invasive plant species and build optimal pollinator pathways in local gardens, including SUN Park, to restore the eroded ecosystem.  

Jenny Roberts Nominated by Ardeth Hollo 

Jenny has given so much of her time and energy as the LEAP organizer Cluster Captain and communicator for our particular neighborhood. She is always eager to donate her time and talents to do tireless emails, and has hosted informative meetings for our neighbors at her home. Jenny always has a positive attitude and a “can do” frame of mind, even though she volunteers in other capacities. Kindness and thoughtfulness is her middle name, and we are so blessed to have her as our neighbor! 

Leslie Wright Nominated by Colleen McAleer 

Leslie as a neighbor extraordinaire. She now coordinates and leads the monthly work parties that keep SUN Park weeded, swept, and mulched as a showcase of native plants and a restorative green space where all may enjoy urban nature. In addition, she edits and produces the LCC newsletter’s ten issues a year, designs other materials for LCC, and creates time-sensitive Constant Contact emails, keeping the neighborhood informed about local issues in a manner that is relevant to neighbors.