In the morning we (a group of half traveling PVs and half Seattlites) made our way to Frances House in the international district for a day of service. Frances House is a place where people can come to get food, housewares, clothes and other items they might need. They have been around for over 40 years serving anyone who walks through the doors with the help of a strong group of dedicated volunteers that we were able to work alongside and learn from. On a typical day they see about 100 people and help them with whatever they may need.

After we were done at Francis House, we drove north to drop off a volunteer and we made our way up to the Fremont Neighborhood to see the Troll who lives under the bridge, check out the Ballard Locks, see Mt.Rainer in all of it’s glory and even make it back in time to catch a beautiful sunset over the water in West Seattle after reflection. All in all a wonderful day.

Today marks the beginning of the 2015 Seattle PV Program. Even though we usually don’t do a service project on the first day, we were asked to step in and help out with a community dinner that the churches in West Seattle host once a month. Our Lady of Guadalupe parish hosts the event each month, but a different church steps up and prepares the the meal to serve to anyone in the community that wants to come. Today there were over a 100 people that came to enjoy the meal. The PVs helped out by serving and busing the tables when the guests were finished. It was a great experience to work side by side with the other volunteers and meet the wonderful people that came to eat.

Since this was the first day of the program we did do an orientation to the week and to Seattle and also did the PV commissioning ceremony to start the week off on a great note. We were able to finish up all the beginning of the week activities in time to partake in another Seattle tradition, watching a Seattle Sounders soccer game. While we couldn’t be there in person, we still wore Sounders scarves and enjoyed the game, especially as they beat their long time rivals.

We look forward to a great week ahead and hope you will join us in the journey.

This past Saturday in New Jersey was a busy, yet fruitful day for the PVs. Each spring we gather the PV Steering Committee together for a meeting, and this year we added the first meeting of our newly forming youth leadership team had a potluck for PVs in the area and in impromptu catch-up with a couple of young ladies from WEB, the empowerment group in Brooklyn. We left on Sunday energized and excited for what lies ahead.

The PV Steering Committee spent their time together looking over the commissioning service. The commissioning service is such an integral part of starting a PV week that we didn’t want to change it completely, but definitely thought it could use a few changes here and there. We were very happy with the end result and look forward to its first run in Seattle.

Next on the agenda was the meeting with the youth wanting to be involved with the PV youth leadership team. The enthusiasm that they showed for this group was very energizing and we are looking forward to moving forward. We ended up with a rough draft of a mission statement, (we are still pondering names,) we have a project for the the group to work on, and many great ideas for fundraisers for the younger PVs. As all of this blossoms, we will keep you updated.

A couple of the young PVs that are interested in being a part of this group are also a part of WEB in Brooklyn. Being able to catch up with these young ladies, who we have known for 17 years, was amazing. To hear what wonderful things they have accomplished is inspiring. We are so proud of you all!!!

Finally, we finished the day with a potluck for any PVs in the area. We ended up having a great turnout of about 30 volunteers. As you can imagine wherever PVs gather, there was good food, wonderful company, a lot of laughs and even a little home repair! Thank you Kraytem family for hosting the day!!!!

This past Saturday in New Jersey was a busy, yet fruitful day for the PVs. Each spring we gather the PV Steering Committee together for a meeting, and this year we added the first meeting of our newly forming youth leadership team had a potluck for PVs in the area and in impromptu catch-up with a couple of young ladies from WEB, the empowerment group in Brooklyn. We left on Sunday energized and excited for what lies ahead.

The PV Steering Committee spent their time together looking over the commissioning service. The commissioning service is such an integral part of starting a PV week that we didn’t want to change it completely, but definitely thought it could use a few changes here and there. We were very happy with the end result and look forward to its first run in Seattle.

Next on the agenda was the meeting with the youth wanting to be involved with the PV youth leadership team. The enthusiasm that they showed for this group was very energizing and we are looking forward to moving forward. We ended up with a rough draft of a mission statement, (we are still pondering names,) we have a project for the the group to work on, and many great ideas for fundraisers for the younger PVs. As all of this blossoms, we will keep you updated.

A couple of the young PVs that are interested in being a part of this group are also a part of WEB in Brooklyn. Being able to catch up with these young ladies, who we have known for 17 years, was amazing. To hear what wonderful things they have accomplished is inspiring. We are so proud of you all!!!

Finally, we finished the day with a potluck for any PVs in the area. We ended up having a great turnout of about 30 volunteers. As you can imagine wherever PVs gather, there was good food, wonderful company, a lot of laughs and even a little home repair! Thank you Kraytem family for hosting the day!!!!