On the Mayor's mind

Shoreline Mayor Shari Winstead

A few weeks ago, after another great community meeting, I found myself trying to unwind before getting some shut eye. I opened my computer and remembered that a friend had reminded me about a blog for people going through cancer, called CaringBridge. One of our mutual friends was recently diagnosed with cancer, and this was a way of keeping your friends up to date on your progress. I had read most of my friend’s posts (she’s doing great) and was reading the comments in the guest book.  

After spending a few minutes catching up on the blog posts, it occurred to me that these friends were part of an exclusive group, one I will call the“super volunteers” of Shoreline. The funny thing about this group is that none of them will admit that is what they are, or take credit for any of the 12,653 hours of volunteer work they have logged, equivalent to $285,325 of labor. They all know each other, because they see each other probably twice a week, some lucky enough to have their spouses by their side, and some see each other more than they see their spouses! They are passionate about our community, caring about each other and engaged in the service they provide. Whether they are involved in one specific project or several projects, they are selfless in their service to all of us citizens.

Because of our volunteers, we get to yell “Bingo!” at the Shoreline-LFP Senior Center, enjoy an amazing Arts Festival in the summer, let our dogs run in the off-leash area and stay informed at our neighborhood meetings. They keep our trails and roads free of garbage and have taught us how to turn our backyard into a wildlife habitat area. They share their passion with us and teach us new things.

My thanks to all of you, whether you have volunteered one hour or one hundred hours, for sharing and teaching, for the conversations about each other, our kids, hobbies, the Seahawks, and our mutual friends. This is how great friendships are built, and why volunteering is so much fun. It’s also how you end up with friends that tell you they have a “24 hour phone line”. You know they are always there for you.

Life in Shoreline is pretty great, and our many volunteers are just one of the reasons living in Shoreline is so special.

Thanks for reading! 

Mayor Shari Winstead