The Phinney Ridge Gospel Choir will perform “Peace: A Soulful Christmas Celebration” from 4:30-5:30 p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 17, at Phinney Ridge Lutheran Church, 7500 Greenwood Ave. N.

Admission is free, but donations are accepted for the Downtown Emergency Shelter. Cookies and eggnog will be served after the concert, and childcare will be available.

Jean and John Bolivar, board members of House of Stone, a non-profit that raises funds for disadvantaged Zimbabwean children, are hosting a garden party fundraiser on Saturday. More than 90 African statues are scattered throughout their house, and a six-foot-tall stone statue of an African mother and child is currently in their driveway.

The free garden party from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Saturday is open to the public, at 6706 Cleopatra Pl. NW. Sculptures are priced for a variety of budgets, and there will also be crafts and jewelry from several programs that House of Stone supports.

The statues represent over 30 artists, including many from the artist colony of Tengenenge, Zimbabwe. Some of the world-famous Zimbabwean artists whose work will be shown are: Fanizani Akuda, Davison Chakawa, Josiah Manzi, Conducto Kagore, Stanford Derere as well as many lesser known artists. The show will also feature the first US showing of Goodson Mlera’s stunning statues of African women, including several large pieces over 5 feet tall. Many of the featured artists are represented in the world’s finest galleries and museums.

House of Stone was founded in 2000 by two pediatricians, Susanne Martin Herz and Arnd Herz, formerly of Seattle. They saw an opportunity to strengthen Zimbabwean communities while supporting artists and raising awareness about the HIV/AIDS crisis in Southern Africa. House of Stone primarily raises funds through the sale of Zimbabwean “Shona” sculpture – African stone sculpture from Zimbabwe is often called Shona sculpture, named after the largest tribe engaged in sculpting. In 2010, HOS helped fund a preschool for the deaf, provided education and warm meals for 270 preschoolers, supported job-skills training for vulnerable girls, and maintained programs at preschools that were under threat of closure. Past events in San Francisco helped House of Stone raise over $100,000 for vulnerable Zimbabwean children, while supporting the livelihood of Zimbabwean artists. Over 95% of funds raised go back to help the children of Zimbabwe.

The second annual Spoke & Food event is coming up from 5-10 p.m. next Tuesday. If you ride your bike to any participating restaurant, they’ll donate 20 percent of your bill to the Children’s Garden Education program at Seattle Tilth.

In our neighborhood, Stumbling Goat Bistro and Barking Dog Alehouse are participating.

Billed as “an evening of dining and bikes”, the event will take place in 13+ different Seattle area neighborhoods. The event asks people to bicycle to (and from) one of the “host” restaurants on the night of the event. This community event was launched last year as a way to influence the culture of Seattle, to show how easy and fun bicycling to and from dinner is and to raise money for a well-deserving Seattle area non-profit. A new non-profit beneficiary is selected each year. This year’s event will benefit the Children’s Garden Education program at Seattle Tilth whereas last year’s event benefited the Lettuce Link program at Solid Ground.

More restaurants may be added before Tuesday. Check the Spoke & Food website for the most up-to-date list.

The Sixth Annual Gumshoe 5K Walk, a fundraiser for Phinney-Greenwood nonprofits, will be Aug. 5-14. Buy a $20 entry form and follow the clues to interesting sights around the neighborhood. Turn in your completed form and be entered to win a Fred Meyer gift card.

One of the many quirky yards featured in past Gumshoes.

Proceeds will be divided equally among the Greenwood Senior Center, Greenwood Elementary School PTA and Volunteers of America Food Bank in Greenwood. (Last year’s Gumshoe raised $3,700 for the senior center.)

Entry forms will be available at Starbucks, Couth Buzzard Books Espresso Buono Café, and Ken’s Market. Ken’s Market is even designating a key on its cash registers so gumshoers can purchase entry forms with debit or credit cards instead of cash.

The Gumshoe also includes about 30 “MiniGumshoes.” Neighborhood stores will have micro scavenger hunts inside their businesses. Gumshoe organizer Mike Veitenhans says the MiniGumshoe map inside entry forms will double as discount coupons good for 10-20 percent at participating stores. The MiniGumshoes will run a little longer than the main Gumshoe event, from Aug. 3-17.

Veitenhans tells us that students from Greenwood Elementary will march in the Greenwood Seafair Parade on July 27 and pass out colorful Gumshoe bookmarks.

(Note: The Gumshoe website still has last year’s data; it will be updated in June.)

Update Monday, April 4: Organizers say the Bakesale on Saturday raised $2,000, and they raised another $1,100 selling leftover goodies at the Ballard Farmers Market on Sunday.

Earlier: This Saturday, communities nationwide are participating in the Bakesale for Japan, to raise money to help those affected by the devastating earthquake and tsunami. Seattle’s event is taking place at CakeSpy Shop, 415 E. Pine St. All of the proceeds will be donated to Peace Winds, a Seattle-based charity working in Japan.

CakeSpy will be selling donated baked goods from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday. Organizers tell us that bakers and chefs from all over Seattle are donating, but they’re looking for even more donations (and people to buy those goodies).

If you’re interested in donating to the Bakesale for Japan, email seattlebakesale@gmail.com.

Greenwood Elementary School’s Parent-Teacher Association is looking for corporate sponsors for its annual Jogathan fundraiser, set for Oct. 22.

Sponsorship levels are:

$250 Silver Sponsorship Level
- Acknowledgement on Greenwood PTA website for 2010/11 with link to your business
- Your company logo printed on Jogathon materials including Weekly Bulletin
- Your company logo printed on large banners displayed at school (80th & 3rd NW)

$375 Gold Sponsorship Level – benefits above PLUS:
- Your logo on Jogathon t-shirts distributed to participants

$500 Platinum Sponsorship Level – benefits above PLUS:
- Your company coupon, flyer or marketing item distributed to approx 375 participants and their families via a goodie/treat bag
- Write-up/column about your business in Weekly Bulletin

For more information and a sponsorship form, email jogathon@greenwoodpta.org.

Local filmmaker Tim Watkins will show a preview of his new indie movie “Photo Booth” from 5:30-8 p.m. Thursday at Ed’s Kort Haus, 6732 Greenwood Ave. N. The event is also a fundraiser for Watkins’ next movie project, ”Easter Weekend The Movie,” which will be shot from Sept. 17-24 in Wapato. According to the website, the film is “a subversive thriller set in biblical times.”

At Thursday’s event, the first hour is for meeting and mingling, then from 6:30-7 p.m. Watkins will talk about the movies. The word premiere of “Photo Booth” begins at 7 p.m.

Photo Booth is a noir film set in 1970s Seattle about an idealistic young writer, Eric, who sets out to find the truth about what happened to the sexy and mysterious Emily, with whom he had shared one passionate night – only to be told that she has been murdered and that he is a suspect in her death.

Enter the raffle to win a signed copy of “Photo Booth,” a T-shirt signed by Watkins, and the chance to be an extra in ”Easter Weekend The Movie,” (and to be named in the credits).

Sugarcomb Salon, at the corner of North 73rd Street and Linden Avenue North at the nexus of Phinney/Green Lake, is sponsoring a unique fundraiser for victims of the Haiti earthquake. “Haircuts for Haiti” on Monday April 12 and April 19 will give all proceeds from the days’ haircuts to Children of the Nations’ “Hands on Haiti” project, which helps finance the ongoing medical care of children injured in Haiti’s earthquake.

Haircuts are available on a first-come first-served basis from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. April 12. For more information, check out their Facebook page.

Picnic food and wine boutique at 6801 Greenwood Ave. N. is turning its usual Thursday night wine taste from 5:30-7:30 p.m. into a fundraiser for Haiti earthquake relief efforts. (Picnic is a PhinneyWood sponsor.)

Our usual $8 wine tasting fee will be waived. Instead make the $8 suggested donation to help raise money for Haiti. All funds raised will be donated to ShelterBoxUSA.org. A great and effective solution to disaster relief.

Event features include a wine tasting and an Art Opening for Sierra Scott’s beautiful paintings. An Australian native, Sierra’s works have an aboriginal grit and truth that is at once harsh and beautiful. Our good friend Vito returns to pour a selection of Australian wines to pair with the images you will see.

10% of proceeds from ALL ART and ALL WINE SOLD will be donated to ShelterBoxUSA.org.

Here’s more information on ShelterBox:

Each ShelterBox is a large, rugged, green plastic container that holds a 10-person tent and a range of other equipment. In general, typical box contents could include:

• Thermal blankets and insulated ground sheets
• Waterproof ponchos and bin bags
• A multi-fuel stove that can burn anything from diesel to old paint
• Cooking pans, utensils, bowls and mugs
• Collapsible water containers and water purification tablets
• A basic tool kit – hammer, axe, saw, pliers, hoe head, trenching shovel, rope etc.
• A small, children’s pack containing drawing books, crayons, pens etc.

The Barking Dog Alehouse, 705 NW 70th St., is hosting a Haiti fundraiser at 7 p.m. tonight (Jan. 23) for People in Need Partnership.

Besides what the restaurant is kicking in, Georgetown Brewing Company, Deschutes Brewery and Diamond Knot Brewing have all donated beer. Proceeds from all four kegs alone could total $1,000, according to a restaurant manager.

On Tuesday, Jan. 26, Carmelita, 7314 Greenwood Ave. N, is serving a special menu, of which 100 percent of the proceeds will go to the Oxfam America Haiti relief fund. You can see the special menu here.

If you know of any other upcoming Haiti fundraisers not already mentioned, please post something in comments, or send us a note at tips@phinneywood.com.

Many people and businesses around Seattle are collecting donations or holding fundraisers for the victims of Tuesday’s Haiti earthquake. Here in Phinney, The Shop Agora, at 6417-A Phinney Ave. N., will have a donation box set up in their shop this weekend for Doctors Without Borders.

They’ll also be donating 100 percent of the proceeds from sales of their TAG cards. Agoro co-owner Alexis Saloutos created TAG Cards as a kind of “pay it forward” campaign. The idea is to give one of the cards to anyone who displays the quality printed on that card – such as Love, Honesty, Hope, Integrity, Joy, etc. They can keep the card or pass it on to someone else, as in “tag, you’re it.”

She started selling TAG cards this August. This weekend, each TAG Card will be $1 and Alexis and her husband, Nikos Spiliopoulos, will donate all the money to Haiti earthquake relief.

Nikos and I have been thinking about what we can do to help those in Haiti. We would love to see the neighborhood come together to support people enduring desperate circumstances.

The Phinney Community Chorus supports a school in Haiti with an annual fundraiser in June. In light of Tuesday’s devastating earthquake, the chorus tonight is dedicating 45 minutes of its rehearsal time tonight to singing some appropriate songs “with our Haitian friends in mind.”

Everyone is invited to come and listen to this impromptu concert at 8:15 p.m. in the Brick Building at the Phinney Neighborhood Center at 6532 Phinney Ave. N.

Normally, as we do at our June concert, we’d pass the hat for donations to our school, but the earthquake has disrupted our normal channels to the folks who run the school (it’s tricky getting money past corrupt government officials and into the hands of those who need it), so we’re encouraging folks who’d like to donate to relief efforts in Haiti to give via http://www.pih.org/home.html.