On Saturday, August 11, the Habitat community came together to raise friends and funds to support our work in South King County. This was our second year hosting a fundraising event at the stunning Weyerhaeuser Pacific Rim Bonsai Collection on the Weyerhaeuser campus in Federal Way. Now, more than ever, our affiliate is committed to neighborhood stabilization and the transformation of the Westway neighborhood in Federal Way. The funds raised at Hardhats and Sandals will leverage our NSP3 grant and allow Habitat, in partnership with the City of Federal Way, to have an even larger impact in the Westway neighborhood.

Habitat, in partnership with the City of Federal Way, will acquire and rehab at least 14 homes in the Westway neighborhood over the next two years. We are already at work on four of those homes and about to acquire three more. We are especially grateful for the support shown by the City of Federal Way. In attendance on Saturday were City Council Members Jeanne Burbidge and Susan Honda, as well as Jay Bennett, Community Services Manager at the City of Federal Way. Thank you all for coming out and joining us on Saturday!

We had three wonderful wineries providing tastings at the event. Thank you to Brian Carter Cellars, Patterson Cellars, and Woodinville Wine Cellars, for donating their time and a portion of their sales to Habitat.

We would also like to thank our presenting sponsor the Franciscan Foundation and the Franciscan Health System, as well as major sponsor HomeStreet Bank. Having the support of like-minded organizations and businesses are essential to turning Habitat’s vision into reality.

Thank you to Weyerhaeuser for providing us with a beautiful setting and for their continued support of all Habitat projects. Additional thanks to the Rhododendron Species Botanical Garden for opening up their gardens to our guests and offering private tours of the Rutherford Conservatory; to Jubilee Cupcakes for providing delicious and adorable cupcakes for our guests; to pianist Derek Richards for the wonderful live music; to all the businesses who donated items for our silent auction; to the dedicated volunteers who helped before, during and after the event; and of course to our hard-working committee for making it all come together.

Thank you to everyone who came out to enjoy wine, music, and the beautiful setting at the Weyerhaeuser Pacific Rim Bonsai Collection. Please be sure to check out more pictures from Hardhats and Sandals here.

PS: While we were all celebrating in the afternoon, we also had two wonderful groups out working in Westway on Saturday. Thank you to the groups from Alaska Airlines and the Overcomer Covenant Church. More pictures from their work days can be found here.