Current News - Fall 2008
Day of Caring Spurs Two Projects at SAHG Communities
On September 12, 2008, United Way’s annual Day of Caring was the catalyst for not one, but TWO great projects at SAHG complexes. The first project took place at Ellsworth House, a senior property on Mercer Island where a team from The Alford Group, led fearlessly by Kurt Lutterman, spent a full day uprooting an old and tiny garden plot and replacing it with an enormous space
for the garden club to plant in. They also did smaller projects around the property replacing old dirt with nice bark and removing dead shrubbery. The Garden Club’s thank-you card says it all, “Thank you for our new expanded garden. It has so inspired people that we now have 15 gardeners!”
At Andrew’s Heights in Bellevue, a team from AT&T spent the day painting fire lanes, sanding and re-painting benches, stair rails and a dumpster closure as well as doing some gardening at the entryway. The highlight for this team was working with all of the kids who were not back in school due to the Bellevue strike. Most of these kids had never held a paintbrush before! One volunteer commented, “When I signed up to volunteer, I hoped that I could make at least a small difference in someone’s life. I hadn’t considered that the inverse would be true—that it would make a difference in my life.”
A big THANK-YOU to Kurt Lutterman, AT&T and The Alford Group for an incredible day of hard work and making these residents’ homes a place to be proud of!
A Touching Opening Celebration at Johnson Hill Apartments
On October 1st, SAHG, along with all of its financial and project partners, residents and community members celebrated the opening of Johnson Hill Apartments. Over the last year, 30 existing units were rehabilitated and weatherized, and a new building was added. This new building will be home to eight families transitioning out of homelessness and provides a large community space, laundry room and staff offices.
In a touching moment, Executive Director Mike Nielsen honored the family of Lewis H. Johnson, the original owner and manager of both the Mine Hill and Johnson Hill (formerly 280 Clark) apartments. The family members (wife, Sonia; daughter, Cynthia; son and daughter-in-Law, Ditman and Carrie; and son, Peter) received plaques with pictures of Lew as well as of the new Johnson Hill. The awards ceremony then continued by presenting each financial and project partner with a plaque in appreciation for all of their effors to make this project happen!
Thank you again to all of our partners and community supporters who have made it possible to open new units for hard working families on the Eastside. Johnson Hill residents, welcome home!
Also in this issue:
Fall 2008
- A great opportunity to make a difference in the lives of our residents
