LETTERS | Center doesn’t collect taxes, seeks island donations

Published 12:05 pm Wednesday, December 9, 2015

My wife Sandy and I have lived on Vashon for 50 years. For most of our adult lives, we have spent our time helping kids; Sandy worked in the Vashon schools for 35 years and assisted me in my volunteer efforts.

Over the years, I served as PTSA president and was a member of the Jaycees for eight years. I was involved in numerous Jaycees community projects, such as building bus shelters so kids wouldn’t have to wait for the school bus in the rain.

For 27 years, I was a board member of the Vashon Ski School and served as a bus chaperone every Saturday; for 18 years I served as Santa Claus, and for 10 years I was on the board of the Vashon Senior Center.

What point am I trying to make? As much as the kids on Vashon can use our support, they have many different funding support vehicles, including our taxes. We own three homes on Vashon and gladly support the schools and kids with the tax dollars levied on all three.

The annual appeal letter the entire island recently received from the Vashon Senior Center states that it has lost $15,000 in funding from United Way of King County next year. The center cannot tax you or in any way force you to help make up this deficit. There are so many island seniors on fixed incomes, and the center can truly use your help in providing meals, as well as other interesting events and activities that bring seniors out of a social isolation they may face at home. The center’s Neighbor to Neighbor assistance helps seniors with day-to-day difficulties they may encounter.

These programs and activities, under the capable direction of Ava Apple, have improved significantly over the past few years, so give big or give small, but please, please give.

— George Eustice