Four island humans and a sheep have announced their run for Vashon’s unofficial mayor, carrying on a long-standing annual tradition that uses the election as a platform to raise funds for nonprofits.

Every year, the whimsical mayoral race that has been organized by Vashon’s chamber of commerce since 2001, raises thousands of dollars for charitable work on Vashon. Contestants enter the mayoral race and then compete for votes, each worth $1, by campaigning and holding fundraising events such as carwashes. Donations can also be placed in dropboxes set around town.

Proceeds from the votes go to the designated charities. The winner will be announced in the Strawberry Festival’s beer garden at 10 p.m. Saturday, July 16. Candidates have until 6 p.m. that day to collect donations.

In the past few years, the event has raised between $6,000 and $9,000, with some years bringing in far more and others far less. Eighty-five percent of the total for each candidate goes to their designated nonprofit, and 15 percent goes to the chamber.

“It’s about the charities,” chamber Executive Director Jim Marsh said. “It’s a fun way to raise money … and we just enjoy it. There’s no power that comes with the mayoral title. It’s just another way to get people to pay attention.”

Working this year to get people to pay attention to island organizations are Noodle the Sheep, running in support of Vashon Youth and Family Services (VYFS); The President of Me’s Rebecca Wittman, running in support of the Vashon- Maury Island Heritage Association; Bernie O’ Malley and Hilary Emmer, supporting the Vashon Senior Center and Joe T., running in support of Rj’s Kids.

The deadline for candidates to declare to run is June 1, so more mayoral hopefuls are likely.

“I’m excited, it’s always fun” Marsh said.

Noodle the Sheep: Vashon Youth & Family Services (VYFS)

Noodle is a sheep at islanders Joe and Celina Yarkin’s Sun Island Farm, but is best-known for his appearance on HGTV’s “Island Life” television show. He decided to use this reality television fame to run for office and support VYFS’ services.

Noodle has already begun making appearances at the Vashon Farmers Market on Saturdays with the Yarkins and plans to attend the Sheepdog Classic in June along with many other island events. He is excited about chewing through ribbons at opening ceremonies for island businesses.

While introducing Noodle at a recent farmers market, Joe Yarkin said that he is happy to lend his sheep to the mayoral race in support of “all of the good things” VYFS does for the island.

VYFS Executive Director Kathleen Johnson said that Noodle “typifies the values held dear by all islanders: individuality, strength, loyalty, courage and spirit.”

“Noodle firmly believes that all islanders thrive when they support each other, and he throws his support behind VYFS,” Johnson said in a statement announcing his running.

The agency is the island’s primary social services agency and provides prevention and intervention services ranging from mental health support and counseling to homeless assistance programs, financial assistance, parent support and childcare.

Rebecca Wittman: Vashon-Maury Island Heritage Association

Rebecca Wittman is known on Vashon as the owner of The President of Me, a clothing store that spreads a message of self-responsibility. Early last month, she made waves in the community by announcing an April Fool’s prank that she was moving to Brooklyn. Making it clear that she is going nowhere, she has now decided to run for unofficial mayor in support of the Vashon-Maury Island Heritage Association.

She announced her running early last week, calling herself “a strong champion of Vashon history,” as she lives in a nearly 100-year-old house and has served on the Heritage Museum board of directors for four years. The association is in the midst of fundraising for a new foundation for the museum, and Wittman said she wants to raise $20,000 by the July 16 deadline.

“If Vashon is to maintain its essential character, longtime residents, as well as newcomers, must be active stewards in the preservation of that character,” she said. “Pledging allegiance to our Heritage Museum is step one in that stewardship.”

Wittman said she felt running for mayor during this year of presidential politics was “a no-brainer.”

“It doesn’t take any brains to be Honorary Mayor of Vashon. Cutting ribbons? I do it everyday at the shop when I send someone out the door with a gift.”

Anyone donating more than $1,000 will be invited to the inaugural dinner at Wittman’s home.

Heritage Association Board President Deb Phillimore Dammann said Wittman “gave … her heart and prodigious skills to the organization” while she was on the board.

“Now, by running for unofficial mayor, Rebecca is determined to save the museum because it’s a treasure for the community. We hope the community will help her raise the badly needed funds to replace the foundation. This is a gift of love,” Dammann said.

Joe Thieme: Rj’s Kids

For his second year in a row, Thieme is running for mayor to support Rj’s Kids. A recovered addict, Thieme said he is in “partial retirement” from his job at an off-island counseling and mental health education facility and is running for the community.

“I’m looking for more community-based things to do and want to focus on the the people on the streets we know and love,” he said. “Youth on the island, that’s the main concern.”

“I am blessed because I see all these opportunities to help our youth.”

Rj’s Kids is an island nonprofit created in response to suicides among teens and young adults on Vashon. The organziation helps out with a multitude of community issues and is branching out to seniors, Judith Neary, director of Rj’s Kids, said. The organization’s main focus now is serving seniors who were affected by the senior center closing on Thursdays. The closure means seniors have not been able to receive the center’s free lunches on that day.

“There are quite a number of seniors who depend on the meal service offered through the center, and the closure on Thursdays meant that some of them may not get a meal that day,” Neary said about the organization’s plan to begin serving meals to seniors this month.

“The cost of the meals are covered by Rj’s Kids and so we are asking Joe T. to help us with fundraising efforts for our ‘Seed Feed for Seniors.’ This program is scheduled to go through October, but our goal is to provide this service year round,” Neary said.

Thieme said that he is looking forward to helping the community become a safe environment for all islanders.

Bernie O’Malley & Hilary Emmer: Vashon Senior Center

Running on the platform of awareness for the Vashon Senior Center and what senior center director Ava Apple is calling the Peace and Happiness ticket, Bernie O’Malley, best known as Vashon’s Head Elf, and community activist Hilary Emmer have thrown their hats into the unofficial mayor ring.

O’Malley has never run for unofficial mayor before and said he got the idea after he realized he had never been to the senior center.

“I’m turning 72, and I have never been to the senior center,” he said. “I realized that a lot of other people haven’t either and should know what they offer.”

He’s hoping to use his elf fundraising experience to get the upper hand in the race, as he said he is up against some stiff competition, but that his ultimate goal is just to let people know more about the center and its functions. He said that there seems to be confusion on the island about the difference between the center and Vashon Community Care.

Emmer became unofficial mayor in 2012, raising a record $7,100 for the community dental van and medical vouchers.

Apple said she is thrilled to have the duo running together and said the center’s lunch caravan as well as off-island medical transportation will be needing funding this year.

“Those are two very popular and much-needed programs,” Apple said. “We want to make sure not to lose those.”