On June 23rd (this Thursday), the Seattle Foundation is hosting GiveBig! This is a one day challenge to people from the   general community to donate to their favorite non-profit. By making a donation to the South Park Information And Resource Center (SPIARC) via the Seattle Foundation’s web page below you will not only grow your donation thanks to the matching funds, but you will also go on record as a supporter of our efforts. Your support is not only important (and   appreciated) by us personally, but also by our institutional donors.

For those of you not familiar with SPIARC here is a little background ….

MISSION:

“The South Park Information and Resource Center (SPIARC) is a community-driven organization that provides access to services and to community networks, and connects neighbors to neighbors.”

SPIARC serves as a neighborhood hub where community members can connect with one another, groups, projects and obtain access to information and resources. More than 700 people visit the information center each year and as the SPIARC staff and our organizational capacity continues to develop we expect this number to grow.

SPIARC staff and volunteers help people to navigate various issues regardless of language, literacy, computer literacy/access, or other circumstances. When possible, we provide direct assistance on issues that can be easily navigated from the Center. Some of these include resumes and employment on-line application assistance, utility bill reduction application preparation, translation and interpretation services, (Imagine for example, getting a traffic ticket and not being able to read English). In other cases we direct customers to outside services and resources, like energy-payment assistance, medical, dental and mental health resources, housing and shelter programs, Immigration and legal resources, child care resources, meal programs, senior programs, you name it. We also offer important links to community groups and regional service providers like Sea Mar, Consejo, Concord International Elementary, South Park Community Center, South Park Neighborhood Center, South Park Neighborhood Association, South Park Business Association, South Park Merchants Association, South Park Arts, South Park Action Agenda etc. In fact we are home of the South Park Action Agenda.

Additionally SPIARC is very focused at a community level in South Park. We work to maintain and foster relationships with other neighborhood-based committees and local service providers, in an effort to encourage partnerships and reduce duplication of services. We serve as the place to come to find out how to connect with the group in South Park that fits your interest or project. We also work to help keep the community informed on as many levels as possible by getting the word out, managing event calendars, help with outreach and keeping asset maps and other documents for South Park.

SPIARC serves many needs on a small budget, we utilize our funding very efficiently. We would deeply appreciate your support to help ensure that we can continue to provide free multi-lingual resources for the residents of South Park and surrounding areas.

If you wish to participate click on to the link below and donate any amount:

http://www.seattlefoundation.org/npos/Pages/SPIARC.aspx

When you give to the South Park Information and Resource Center this Thursday, June 23rd, your gift will be matched by The Seattle Foundation’s GiveBIG community giving challenge!

GiveBIG is a one-day event created by Seattle Foundation that will rally together the community to create a wave of charitable giving to support amazing non-profit organizations, including Children’s Alliance.

Here’s how it works.

The Seattle Foundation and local businesses will match a share of every contribution made through the Seattle Foundation’s Online Giving Center, on Thursday, June 23rd, between 7am and midnight.

Every gift, large and small, will go a very long way in supporting the work we do for and in South Park, and GiveBIG is a window of opportunity for you to see your gift grow.

Thank you for your support, and for being part of this wonderful community of friends, neighbors, businesses, service providers and industry.

Two more ways to help:

· Forward this message, with a personal note from you, to someone you know who cares about South Park and folks who need our services!
· Volunteer with us!

Sincerely,
Lora

Lora Suggs
Program Manager

P.S. As an added bonus, if you give on June 23rd, you could be chosen at random to select a charity of your choice to receive an additional $1,000 from GiveBIG’s sponsors!

Lora Suggs
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Program Manager
South Park Information and Resource Center (SPIARC)
8520 14th Ave S., Seattle WA 98108 ~ 206-767-7445