Thank You, Sitka
Dear Editor: What an emotional night it was for us at the Sitka Elks Lodge benefit dinner for our daughter-in-law Jill and son, Jarrett. The outpouring of concern, support and love was overwhelming and so heartfelt. Sitkans are known for coming together in times of crisis and need and we never thought that a life changing experience would ever happen to this couple, to the boys and to our family. The hugs, the words of hope shared, and the prayers that have been said have been so powerful through this entire time. They have been truly felt by all of us.
So many individuals and businesses willingly came forward to make what happened that night incredible and it doesn’t feel right to just say “thank you.” You gave so much of yourselves and who you are. The donations of auction items were amazing and the bidding that happened that night was unbelievable!
Mike Vieira and Ariel Coleman Starbuck truly spent hours and hours organizing the auction, and Keith Perkins in his glory kept the auction clicking along for over three hours and didn’t even lose his voice. It was fun to see the House of Liquor softball team work their way through the crowded room to serve and the helpers showing the auction items did a great job.
Thanks a million to Mike Coleman and Lisa Langenfeld and Elks and Emblem Club for hosting the event. At the end the tired cooks were proud of what they accomplished – frying over 450 meals. They certainly outdid themselves and the fish was absolutely delicious.
Thank you so much to the Lucy O, Sitka Producers Coop and Sitka Sound for donating all the fish.
The loving support given to Jarrett and Jill by calls, texts, notes as well have kept their spirits up. They have not been alone since they left on July 1. We can’t say enough either to the medical teams at Fred Hutchison Cancer Center and the University of Washington who have expertly cared for them through this entire time away.
Jarrett, Jill, all the Hirai and Phillips families have felt the heart and soul of this community and we feel very blessed and are forever grateful.
Hirai and Phillips families
Support Brave Heart
Dear Editor: Everybody has a story. Some chapters are marked with joy while others are composed of heartache. At Brave Heart Volunteers, our staff and volunteers accompany Sitkans who are enduring the chapters of grief, loneliness, or end of life.
Heartache is universal. No matter the source, we all experience sorrow and suffering, and will one day face our own mortality. Sometimes we are aware of another’s heartache; other times, the experiencer keeps it concealed. It is like sugar and salt – you cannot determine the difference just by looking at it. At BHV, our care receivers entrust us with the salt of their tears and the sweetness of their companionship. We embrace the stories of who they are, what they need, and the experiences that brought them to us.
It takes concerted time and energy to provide loving care for others, especially during their moments of heartbreak. Some may ask, is it worth it? We would emphatically answer, “Yes!” and our care receivers – both past and present – would categorically echo the same.
As a charitable services organization, it also takes the financial support of our donors to keep BHV’s services intact. Unfortunately, this year we have seen a 27% decrease in donations. Would you consider making a financial contribution today? You can donate online at braveheartvolunteers.org/donate-to-braveheart or mail a check to P.O. Box 6336, Sitka, AK 99835.
You can also support BHV by purchasing a $20 raffle ticket for a chance to win two Alaska Airlines tickets! Raffle tickets can be purchased by emailing board@braveheartvolunteers.org or by visiting our table at the Holiday-Made in Sitka Market, December 16-17, at Harrigan Centennial Hall.
Thank you for helping us safeguard our ability to continue serving our neighbors. We appreciate your generosity! In gratitude,
Angie DelMoral
Executive Director
Brave Heart Volunteers
Legacy Foundation
Dear Editor: The Sitka Legacy Foundation has provided support for so much good and beneficial work in this community for so many years. This year they helped the Sitka Community Land Trust fund its Homebuyer Assistance Program. We are thankful for the support and will in turn help people of this community towards home ownership.
Randy Hughey
Sitka Community Land Trust
On WhaleFest
Dear Editor: How is it – in the words of Heathcote Williams, in his epic poem ‘‘Whale Nation’’ – how is it that:
“In the water, whales have become the dominant species, without killing their own kind?
“In the water, whales have become the dominant species, though they allow the resources they use to renew themselves?
“In the water, whales have become the dominant species, though they use language to communicate, rather than to eliminate rivals?
“In the water, whales have become the dominant species, though they do not broodily guard their patch with bristling security?
‘’In the water, whales have become the dominant species, without trading innocence for the pretension of possessions?
“In the water, whales have become the dominant species, though they acknowledge minds other than their own?
“In the water, whales have become the dominant species, without allowing their populations to reach plague proportions?”
On the occasion of Sitka WhaleFest 2023, this is an invitation to think about something for a moment or so. This is an invitation to think about whales and about what we humans could and/or can learn from them. This is an invitation to ask yourself, “What can we learn from the whales?” This is an invitation to ask yourself: Can humans learn from whales? And if so, what?
The Sitka WhaleFest has long established and distinguished itself as one of the pre-eminent gatherings on the planet of scientists, naturalists, explorers, artists, musicians, craftswomen and men, master chefs, athletes, and concerned, knowledgeable folks gathering to learn about and to celebrate, among many other things, whales and the ocean.
What truly distinguishes WhaleFest most, perhaps, is that the scientists in attendance, in particular, are not there primarily to educate other, fellow scientists on what they have uncovered and discovered about whales and the ocean and such.
Rather, they are there to share what they have learned about their subject with us, those very same concerned and knowledgeable folks, in terms and ways that we, those folks, can grasp, absorb, understand, and appreciate. And perhaps even act upon.
This, then, is an invitation at WhaleFest 2023 to explore the possibilities and potentials of a proposed, provisional, working hypothesis: That we humans may very well have much, much more to learn FROM whales – the dominant species in the ocean – than we humans – at this stage thedominant species on the planet – have to learn ABOUT them.
What might we learn FROM the whales? For starters: How have they become that dominant species – as Williams put it – without killing their own kind while allowing the resources they use to renew themselves, while using language to communicate rather than eliminate rivals without guarding their patch with bristling security, or trading innocence for the pretension of possessions while acknowledging minds other than their own, and without allowing their populations to reach plague proportions?
Why, and more importantly, how have they done all that? How do they know what to do and how to do it? And/or, how did they learn all that? And how do they teach it to their young?
And most importantly, if humans were to seek to learn all that – or even just some of that – from them, would they teach us? And could we learn? And how are we to learn all this? Could we? Would we?
Jeffrey G. Moebus, Sitka
