Guemes Island Community Center Association
Enriching and Connecting Our Island Community
Seeking 9th to 12th Grade Students
The Salish Sea School in Anacortes is an outdoor marine conservation school that helps create leaders in marine conservation by providing innovative college prep and purpose-driven leadership experience. In the summer of 2020, the School is launching its first marine conversation program, Guardians of the Sea, for rising 9th to 12th grade students. This program is a four day, daily boat-based program out of Skyline Marina. Sessions are available throughout the summer.
The Guardians of the Sea program equips students to become leaders to help restore the oceans through:
- increased ocean connection and knowledge through hands-on learning
- student involvement in citizen science projects for local scientists and organizations (microplastic sampling on the water, tufted puffin survey, forage fish survey and dissection, and more)
- creation of a take-home action plan to stay involved
- leadership development through recognizing innate gifts
- mindfulness practices for every day stress-reduction
There are a limited number of student scholarships available for any interested students to apply for a seat in the program! Scholarship applications are available here and must be submitted by April 1, 2020.
Contact Amy Eberling, Executive Director, 703-477-7432 for more information or go to thesalishseaschool.org.
Meet Your Neighbor
Neighbors Helping Neighbors – Guemes Connects Needs You - A "community" is defined as a group of people living in the same place. There is also a more internal definition. A community is a group of people that takes care of each other. As Guemes Islanders, we are geographically connected but when we feel we are part of something bigger than ourselves, we truly function as a community.
For many years, Guemes Connects has brought neighbors together to help neighbors. Their mission is to foster a network of support for the Guemes Island community. This group of dedicated volunteers is committed to meeting the needs of anyone requesting assistance, regardless of age, illness, disability, race, or religion. Now Connects needs new volunteers as several of the founders are retiring.
The group's goal is to provide on-island skilled, compassionate assistance in the following areas:
- Emergency Meals
- Respite care (temporary relief for caregivers)
- Transportation to medical appointments (not available during COVID)
- Home Maintenance (helping needy island residents with uncomplicated maintenance tasks)
- Housing (availability information)
- Medical equipment (free wheelchairs, walkers, crutches, bedside commodes, grab bars, etc.)
Guemes Connects also sponsors the popular Gathering Lunch (not available during COVID) and Soup-to-Go (a COVID safe alternative). These weekly lunch programs are open to everyone. Meals are served on Thursdays from 11:30 to 12:15 from November to April at the Guemes Community Church. A suggested donation of $5.00 helps to fund the program.
When the in-person Gathering Lunch is possible, free blood pressure testing is available from 11:15 to 12:30. The "Gathering" began as an opportunity to visit with neighbors, meet new friends, and enjoy a home-style hot lunch cooked in the Church commercial kitchen by island volunteers.
Soup-to-Go provides the same home-style soup lunch, bread, and a cookie as a COVID-safe alternative. Drive through at the front of the Church from 11:30 to 12:15, beginning on Nov 4. No lunch i served on Thanksgiving, Nov 25.
Following is the current contact list of the coordinators for the areas Connects serves.
| Meals | Lorraine Francis | 360-293-8364 (H) |
| Respite Care | Juby Fouts | 360-293-2704 (H) |
| Transportation | Open | |
| Home Maintenance | Bill Clark | 360-299-3230 (H) |
| Housing | Ron Knowles | 360-588-9922 (C) |
| Medical Equipment | Juby Fouts | 360-293-2704 (H) |
| Barb Ohms | 360-298-1885 (H) 303-521-9094 (C) | |
| Gathering Lunch/Soup-to-Go | Beverly James | 206-660-1447 (C) |
| Sharon Hughlitt | 360-588-0179 (C) |
"Do more than belong: participate." "Do more than care: help." "Do more than dream: work." Words of wisdom from William Arthur Ward
Love of Place
You may have recently received a fundraising appeal letter from GICCA. The Community Center Association depends on your financial support to keep our doors open and our facilities available to everyone. A donor envelope was enclosed for your convenience. Every tax-deductible donation makes a difference regardless of size.
Donations can also be made through this website. If you wish, your donation can be directed to the General Fund, the GICCA Stage Project, the Community Emergency Response Team (CERT), the myguemes.org website, or Groundfloor Guemes.
Thank you for your support.
GICCA Stage Project Update
Work is progressing at the GICCA Stage Project, although safety concerns prohibit the crew from working in wet and slippery conditions.
Read more & view latest photos
Amazon donates 0.5% of the price of AmazonSmile purchases to their customers' chosen charitable organization. Guemes Island Community Center Association is registered on AmazonSmile. So, if you’re already shopping anyway, why not let Amazon make a small donation to GICCA - at no additional cost to you or GICCA!
How does it work?
- Click on the AmazonSmile box (right) which brings you to the AmazonSmile GICCA page
(you might want to bookmark that page to easily find it again). - Sign in to Amazon as usual.
- Then, just shop as you normally would!
Click here to see how much you have made GICCA smile. Thank you!