Island Rec Commission Vacancy

The San Juan Island Park and Recreation Commission is soliciting letters of interest from persons who may wish to serve on the Commission.

Interested applicants are asked to submit a letter of interest to Island Rec Board of Commissioners and to attend an interview at the July 1st Commission meeting at 5pm, at Island Recâ€™s office. Selection of a candidate is planned to take place that same evening. The appointed commissioner will take an oath of office at the August 5 meeting. To qualify applicants must be a San Juan Island resident and registered voter.

The appointment to the Board will run until the November 2011 election, and will fill the vacancy created by the imminent resignation of Commissioner Amy Windrope.

The Commission meets on the first Thursday of every month at 5:00 pm. In addition to participation in Board meetings, Commissioners act as a liaison on special assignments and with other community organizations and volunteer at special events and projects.

San Juan Island Park and Recreation District, locally known as Island Rec operates the Family Park and Skatepark, Eddie and Friends Dog Park and the San Juan Island Trails Committee. Additionally it runs a year-round comprehensive recreation program. As authorized by voters at the 2009 general election Island Rec is the main funding source for Friday Harbor High School Sports program.

To learn more about serving on the Commission, contact Recreation Director Sally Thomsen at 378-4953 or contact one of the current commissioners â€" Bill Cumming, Jim Ricks, Alisa Schoultz, Amy Windrope and Scott Zehner.

Baseball & Softball Registration

IG_Sports_FHBSA-001 (39k image) On-line registration is now open for all boys and girls ages 5-14 who want to participate in T-ball, softball or baseball through Friday Harbor Baseball & Softball Association (FHBSA). Tryouts & skills assessments will be held March 20th.

The season will open after Spring Break.This year, FHBSA is excited to begin an inter-island schedule with teams from Orcas and Lopez and to offer a pre-season clinic with Fletcher Vynne on March 16-17th.

Those who register by March 13th (March 20th for T-ball) will save $10-15 on each registration. Family discounts and full or partial scholarships are also available. To encourage early, on-line registration, a "Pay Later" option has been added for those who do not have the full funds or who do not like paying by credit card.

Registration forms are available on-line and at the elementary school but will only be accepted in person March 3, 4 from 3-5p.m. at the Elementary School Commons, March 16, 17 from 3-5p.m. at Hall Gym and March 20th at the Elementary School field during tryouts. There is no mail-in option this year.

For full details on registration dates and locations, forms or upcoming events check out the FHBSA website at http://www.eteamz.com/fhbsa/

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International Human Rights Day

International Human Rights Day, Thursday, December 10, 2009, celebrates the adoption and proclamation in 1948 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights by the General Assembly of the United Nations.

That day in 1948 is arguably the birth of the modern human rights movement. The Universal Declaration of Human Rights is a visionary document that articulates, in the Preamble and the subsequent 30 Articles, the human rights standards that United Nations member nations agree to guarantee. Among the Articles are the rights to be free and equal in dignity and rights; the right to life, liberty, and security; to freedom of thought, conscience and religion; rights to be educated, work, and a standard of living adequate for the health and well being of himself and his family; and the right to take part in government.

Certainly, there has been progress in the support of human rights in many nations in the world, but 61 years later the fulfillment of the promises of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights remain a distant goal that require constant reminders and relentless efforts.

Human Rights Day passes largely unnoticed in the United States. The date is seldom identified on a home calendar, receives only cursory notice by the news media, is rarely addressed by our governments at any level, and is infrequently a topic of people's conversations.

However, numerous organizations, among them Amnesty International and their affiliate chapters, work daily in the cause of human rights around the world and do champion Human Rights Day.

The Friday Harbor Chapter of Amnesty International invites you to drop in to the "Freeing Prisoners of Conscience Write-A-Thon" on December 10 at the Naked Bean Cafe, 150B First Street, Friday Harbor, from 4:30 to 6:30 PM.

In addition, we encourage you to visit the Amnesty International USA website (amnestyusa.org) to join supporters from Canada to Japan to Mongolia to Uruguay in the "Write For Rights" letter writing campaign. The letters you sign, locally and on the web, will bring hope and courage to a prisoner of conscience or help persuade an official to correct an injustice or to secure someone's freedom.

Additional information on the Friday Harbor Chapter of Amnesty International may be obtained from Steve Kirk at 378-8567.

Steering Committee
Friday Harbor Chapter
Amnesty International
Friday Harbor, Washington

Inskeep Family Donates $4 Million To Scholarships

The San Juan Island Community Foundation is pleased to announce a legacy gift from Jerry Inskeep (and family) to support the Foundationâ€™s local scholarship program. The gift is in the amount of $4,000,000.

â€œWe are saddened by the loss of Jerry Inskeep and overwhelmed by the generosity of this man, whose gift will forever change the educational opportunities for our islandâ€™s children,â€ said Charles Anderson, chair.

Jerry was a resident of San Juan Island. He graduated from Yale University in 1953 and went on to co-found Oregonâ€™s first mutual fund company which he built into one of the countryâ€™s most reputable investment firms.

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Leadership SJI Class VI

(Back row left to right: Louise Carnachan, Steve Gresham, Barbara LaBrash; row 3: Barbara Merritt, Lou Pray, Bettye Hendricksen, Marta Nielsen, Learner Limbach, Suzi Marean, Brian Windrope; row 2: Ethna Flanagan, Claire Nollman, Katie Loring, Kiara McLaughlin, and Owen Cheevers. Front row: Cheryl Harlan, Angie Atwell, Kristy Ayers, Margie Doyle, and Tracey Roberson.)

Leadership San Juan Islands announces that preparation for Class VI is will underway as the application period has officially opened. Applications and information can be found on the web at www.leadershipsanjuanislands.org
The deadline to submit applications is November 13.

Leadership San Juan Islands is a county-wide program which fosters leadership skills such as facilitation, collaborative problem solving, and public speaking as well as the analysis of local systems related to governance, economics, social services, history and culture, education and the environment.

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Concours dâ€™Elegance at San Juan Vineyards On Sunday

SCCSJI_Concours-2009-1 (62k image)

The Sports Car Club of the San Juan Islands, in conjunction with the Rotary Club of San Juan Island, will hold its annual Concours dâ€™Elegance at the San Juan Vineyards on Sunday August 30, 2009, from 11 AM till 3:30 PM. Rounding out the weekend will be a picnic and tour Saturday afternoon, and a dinner Saturday evening-- see the details below.

San Juan Vineyards is located at 3136 Roche Harbor Road, a short 10-minute drive from Friday Harbor. A $30.00 entry fee for the first car entered includes an entrance donation for two people and an 18 x 24â€ copy of the event poster. Additional cars are welcomed for a fee of $10.00. The Medical Guild will provide a box lunch, including drink for $10.00; advance orders for lunch are not required. Spectators are welcome; General Admission is free although a voluntary tax deductable contribution of $10 is encouraged.

The Concours is a charitable event with the net proceeds going to the San Juan Island Family Resource Center, San Juan Island Public School District Foundation, and the Rotary International Polio Eradication Project. Click here for a Car Entrant Registration Form or use the link on the left side of this page.
Entrees will be judged in six categories, including British, Porsche, American Sports, and Special Interest. This yearâ€™s featured marquÃ© is British Sports Cars.

Here is the schedule for Sunday:
â€¢ 9:00 to 10:30 AM Open for Entrant Parking
â€¢ 10:00 to 2:30 PM Coffee, Muffins, Cookies, Water for sale by the Medical Guild
â€¢ 11:00 AM Open for Spectators
â€¢ 12:00 to 2:00 PM Lunch Available; Wine will be sold in the pavilion
â€¢ 2:30 to 3:00 PM Presentation of Awards
â€¢ 3:30 PM Concours Closed, Cars can be moved

The event sponsors are Barrier Motors, and King Printing & Design.

In conjunction with the Concours the Medical Guild is hosting the Dinner dâ€™Elegance on Saturday August 29. at the San Juan Island Yacht Club. The Wine Bar starts at 6:00 PM followed by the $50 a plate fund raising dinner at 7:30 PM. Meal selections include a choice of halibut or prime rib with salad, rolls, special potatoes, vegetables and a yummy blackberry cobbler dessert. Net proceeds of the Saturday dinner and the Sunday lunch will be donated toward equipping a new Observation Room at the Medical Center.
Car entrants can make dinner reservations on the Car Registration form (click here) and spectators can click here for the Dinner Reservation form, or see the links on the left side of this page.

Also on Saturday, a no-cost Island Tour will be sponsored by the Sports Car Club of the San Juan Islands. The Tour will begin with a Picnic at 12:30 PM at a local member's estate, and the Tour will begin at 2:00 PM. Concours Entrants will receive a map to the Picnic site via email about a week before the event.
Saturday and Sunday will be a fun time and a chance for everyone to view a collection of rare and unique automobiles in a beautiful setting while at the same time contributing to several very worthwhile services vital to our community.

We sincerely hope that you will participate in the 2009 Concours, the show is for daily drivers as well as spic and span autos.

Islanders Bank is looking for the next Relay Idol!

Wednesday, May 13th and 20th, Starts at 09:30 PM

â€œRelay Idolâ€ is a fundraiser put on by Islanders Bank. Proceeds go to the American Cancer Society Relay for Life of Friday Harbor. American Cancer Society raises money to improve education, early detection and treatment.

The idea of â€œRelay Idolâ€ is patterned after â€œAmerican Idol.â€ There are three evenings for auditions. Auditions start at 9:30pm on Wednesday May 13th, and 20th at Herbâ€™s. There is a $5 registration fee per audition. Each performance will be judged.

The top three performances from each evening will come back for â€œRelay Idolâ€ finals. Finals are Saturday May 30th at 6pm. If a contestant does not make it into the top three one week then they are welcome to come back the next week to audition.

Like American Idol, the Relay Idol is determined by audience participation. On the Finals night contestants will perform two songs. During the second performance is the time for the audience to cast their votes. Votes are cast by placing cash donations into the performerâ€™s donation bucket.

The contestant that collects the most cash during their performance will be crowned RELAY IDOL. Relay Idol 2009 will also sing the National Anthem at the Relay For Life Event on Saturday July 25th and collect $200. Second place will receive $150 and third place will receive $100.