YFS Foundation funds Thrift Shop staffing pilot project
At its June 6 meeting, the Mercer Island City Council accepted a donation of $19,445 in funds from the Mercer Island Youth and Family Services Foundation for a one-year pilot project to enhance Thrift Shop staffing.
The object of the pilot project is to ascertain the viability of a full-time staffing model that does not include work-study students, with a goal to improve the consistency and steady increase of Thrift Shop revenues.
The grant will cover the hourly and benefits cost of increasing a part-time work-study staff position to a full-time staff position; an increase of 10.5 hours for a Thrift Shop employee who currently works 29.5 hours.
The Thrift Shop is the largest source of funding for MIYFS, but for the past three years, revenues have fluctuated due to unpredictable changes in funds available to work-study students, according to the council’s agenda bill.
“Full-time staff who are not students are more dependable and more likely to remain in their position longer than part-time and student staff,” it continues. “With this funding and shift in staffing pattern, the Thrift Shop business coordinator will be able to evaluate staffing configurations that have the greatest potential to sustain steady growth in revenues.”
Save the date for Summer Celebration
In a few weeks, Mercer Island’s annual Summer Celebration! Festival will be here again, with the 2016 theme “Symphony of Summer.”
For two weekend days, July 9 and 10, the festivities unfold at Mercerdale and Luther Burbank Parks, offering events for all ages and interests, as well as music, a street fair, a parade and the fireworks show starting at approximately 10:15 p.m. on Saturday night. Some events, such as the boat rides, require registration in advance. Check the Summer Celebration webpage for more information.
Special note for 2016: this year, access to the Island from Seattle during the Summer Celebration weekend will be slowed by a Washington State Department of Transportation eastbound I-90 detour.
Go to www.wsdot.wa.gov/Projects/I90/TwoWayTransit/detourmap.htm to learn more and plan ahead.
No lifeguards at Groveland Park Beach this summer due to staff shortage
Due to a lifeguard staff shortage, the city’s Parks and Recreation Department will be unable to provide lifeguards at Groveland Park Beach this summer. The beach will be open to the public for swimming at your own risk.
Please visit Luther Burbank Park Beach if you would like to swim at a beach that will be guarded. Guards will be on duty there from June 27 through Aug. 28, from 11 a.m. – 6 p.m. daily.
Learn more about the city’s beaches at www.mercergov.org/parks. Contact recreation supervisor Ryan Daly with questions at ryan.daly@mercergov.org.
YTN begins 33rd season: ‘Glinda of Oz’
This July, Youth Theatre commences its 33rd season by taking audiences on a magical journey to “a place behind the sun, just a step beyond the rain.” After the release of the 1939 movie “The Wizard of Oz,” the world fell in love with the fairytale land created by author L. Frank Baum.
Today, many children are unaware that there were 13 other books in his series that expanded the story with new adventures and enchanted characters. YTN is excited to adapt Baum’s final book “Glinda of Oz” into a magical theatre experience.
Adapted by Kate Swenson and directed by Hattie Clare Andres, “Glinda of Oz” performs July 15-31 at the Mercer Island High School Performing Arts Center, located at 9100 SE 42nd St. on Mercer Island.
Advance tickets are available at YouthTheatre.org or call 206-232-4145, ext. 109.
