Governor Christine Gregoire and Issaquah Mayor, Ava Frisinger, spoke at Oct. 12 Groundbreaking Event to celebrate construction of first new hospital built in King County in 25 years. During her remarks, Gov. Gregoire noted that Issaquah/Sammamish is “the only community of its size in Western Washington without a hospital.”

The Swedish/Issaquah groundbreaking event took place on Oct. 12. The new campus will be developed in two phases. The first phase is the opening of a medical office building and outpatient center in 2011. And, the hospital — phase two — will open in early 2012 with 80 beds.

To see an informational video about the new Swedish Hosptial, click here!

The Highlands Council teamed up with the
Highlands Contribution Club and LeChic Pet last month to collect food for the Issaquah Food Bank and the community didn’t disappoint! Over 1,500 pounds of donations have been counted so far and there is still more to come.

1,000 pounds were collected at last month’s Green Halloween Block Party. For every 5 cans brought to the event, attendees received 1 free ticket. In addition, donations were collected at numerous locations around Issaquah Highlands throughout October.

Four, 13-year-old Sammamish girls, supported the drive by collecting donations at their birthday party. Stella Mazzaferro, Nani Klee, Kendall Spencer and Payton Simone celebrated their thirteenth birthday at Blakely Hall October 24. Instead of gifts, they asked their guest to bring bangs of groceries for the Issaquah Food Bank.

“The girls knew they wanted to have a party and that they didn’t want gifts,” said Gina Mazzaferro,
Stella’s mother. “Asking guests to give to the food bank was a great solution.”

“We loved seeing all the bags of food,” said Stella. “So many friends brought whole bags filled with canned food!”
The party brought in an estimated 500 pounds. The Highlands Contribution Club collected and delivered the food the next day.
“The party turned out awesome and we received a lot of donations,” said Kendall.

In addition to the 1,500 pounds counted in October, the Highlands Contribution Club and the Neighborhood Captains organized a Halloween Food Crawl, October 31. Community volunteers canvassed the Highlands collecting donations. Final results from the Food Crawl aren’t in yet, but Contribution Club leader Tony Bristol anticipates another 1,000 lbs to go to the food bank. Watch
your weekly email bulletins and www.ihwebsite.com for updates.

THANK YOU to all who donated and made this food drive a success!

Local women’s fitness center supports American Cancer Society and Breast Cancer Awareness. During the month of October, Curves of Issaquah participated in Breast Cancer Awareness fund raising to benefit American Cancer Society and Breast Cancer Awareness.

Staff and members together collected $1,793 for American Cancer Society and Breast Cancer Awareness by conducting a Recipe Contest, Silent Auction and Raffle at their 2nd Annual “Girls Get Together” fundraiser. Curves members participated in this worthwhile event by preparing their savory delights for competition. We would like to thank our neighbors who donated gift certificates, products and services for the Silent Auction and Raffle. The generous donations we received from over 20 Issaquah businesses made it possible to exceed our goal and raise the $1,793! “We are happy to be part of something that impacts our local communities so profoundly,” said Norma Stephens, the owner of the Issaquah club. “Breast cancer will touch all of us at some point and it’s up to each of us to work hard to end it.” Breast cancer is a significant cause of cancer death in women worldwide. To help fight this battle, Curves stresses that a healthy diet, regular exercise, monthly breast self-exams and yearly mammograms together are essential in breast cancer prevention. And every year, the company receives several letters
from women who state that a breast self exam or a mammogram saved their lives. “These letters are incredibly touching and motivating,” said Stephens. “To know that we have played a part in saving lives is amazing.” For more information about Curves visit www.curves.com.