The struggles associated with this year’s recessionary economy have no doubt been shared by many and have taken a toll on families around the country; some more severe than others. Unfortunately, one does not have to look far to find local families in our community that are in desperate need of assistance. This season, members of the Issaquah Highlands Contribution Club (the“IHCC”), an organization dedicated to bringing together the families and individuals of Issaquah Highlands to support the local community in need, provided aid and assistance to 16 families from local churches and the Issaquah Food Bank through an “Adopt a Family” Program.
Together, groups of residents and local churches pulled together to fulfill wish lists and meet the needs of these local families to provide food, clothing, gifts for children and most importantly hope and a little joy this holiday season.
“Reading through the stories of these families struggling breaks your heart,” said IHCC member Anne Taylor Hartzell. “Many are single moms, struggling to put food on the table and are now forced to agonize over how to tell their small children there will be no holiday presents only adds to their stress. We had to do something to mobilize our community and provide these families with at least one day of relief from the stresses in life.”
The IHCC holiday family adoption program could not have been possible without the generous support of time and donations by our neighborhood captains, leaders from Mosaic and Alathia Churches, Starpoint Condos and the Issaquah Highlands Community Association. The response was overwhelming as neighborhood captains began reaching out to their neighbors via email and door-to-door to fulfill wish lists, shop and wrap gifts. The impact was felt not only by those that were receiving, but also by those that were giving.
“I was blown away by the willingness of our neighbors to help out our family in need,” said Candace Powell, neighborhood captain and Highlands resident. “Going door-to-door, sharing these stories and collecting donations from neighbors is truly amazing and really emphasized for me our strong sense of community.” The adopt a family initiative brought all corners of the
Issaquah Highland’s community together to make a lasting impact on a few families this season and is just another example of how together, residents can make a meaningful impact on shared initiatives that improve the lives of our community. The IHCC
organizes other programs throughout the year and plans to partner closely with the Issaquah Food Bank and other local organizations next year to expand its Adopt a Family program.
According to the Puget Sound Blood Center, the Issaquah Highlands Contribution Club’s first blood drive held on Aug 1st was a success! Our community blood drive registered 28 donors and collected 24 pints of blood, which have been tested and divided into three separate components: red blood cells, platelets and plasma. This means that, in the coming weeks, our donor contributions may benefit as many as 72 local patients.
The other exciting news is that the IHCC blood drive registered 18 first time donors – 64% of our donors. 80% of first time donors will donate again, in fact, multiple times in their lives. So this means that at least 14 of our donors will give again and again. The Issaquah Highlands Fire Station was a comfortable–and air conditioned–facility for donors and the Puget Sound Blood Center which unfortunately had to cancel a number of blood drives at other locations during the previous week’s extreme heat.
The Issaquah Highlands Contribution Club would like to thank all blood donors who participated in the August 1st blood drive. IHCC is planning to host future blood drives for Puget Sound Blood Center so stay tuned for dates
and consider participating! If you would like to be added to IHCC’s donor contact list, please contact Kirsten Wisdom at kwiz@ihmail.com.
The blustery winter weather, snow and arctic conditions couldn’t stop the Issaquah Highlands Contribution Club (IHCC) from hauling more than 10 SUV and pickup trucks full of food for the food bank the weekend of Dec 20. The generosity of the neighborhood was overwhelming. Big bags stuffed full of food were left on doorsteps and people at home eagerly rummaged through their pantries for food to donate.
IHCC members and their families spent the whole weekend knocking on doors, ringing doorbells and carting bags of food up and down the neighborhood. They were greeted with smiling faces and many who were eager to help out. The success of the food drive is testament to the great spirit of the residents of our neighborhood and our commitment to the local community. “Our first project to fill the Issaquah Food Bank for the holidays was a huge success,” said IHCC founder Tony Bristol. “This project reaffirmed the generosity of the community we live in here in the Highlands and we were inspired by the act of giving from our fellow neighbors.”
The IHCC will focus on one project per quarter and will meet once a month for up to two hours to discuss projects and action items. The next meeting will be February 20. For households with families, this will be an opportunity to include children in the act of giving and contribution back to one’s community. If you are interested in joining this cause to support our community, contact Tony Bristol at tbristol [at] msn.com or join our group on Facebook and search for Issaquah Highlands Contribution Club.
The struggles associated with this year’s recessionary economy have no doubt been shared by many and have taken a toll on families around the country; some more severe than others. Unfortunately, one does not have to look far to find local families in our community that are in desperate need of assistance. This season, members of the Issaquah Highlands Contribution Club (the“IHCC”), an organization dedicated to bringing together the families and individuals of Issaquah Highlands to support the local community in need, provided aid and assistance to 16 families from local churches and the Issaquah Food Bank through an “Adopt a Family” Program.
