Community Newsletter | April 2023

Spotlight Film Festival Coming to Concrete 

On April 26 and 27 at 6:00 pm, the Concrete Theatre and Concrete Resource Coalition are bringing two Spotlight Film Festival documentaries upriver! The Most Dangerous Year shows a small group of families fighting a wave of discriminatory anti-transgender legislation that swept the nation and their home state, and The Bully Project offers a window into the lives of bullied kids and how teachers, administrators, parents, and youth themselves are finding new ways to address bullying. Both films will be followed by a panel discussion, and clock hours will be available for participating educators. Admission is free, and everyone is welcome! Learn more at concrete-theatre.com/movies.

Learn more about all four documentaries showing in the Spotlight Film Festival at the Lincoln Theatre this May by visiting skagitspotlightfilmfestival.com.

Spring Cleaning Your Medicine Storage 

Have expired or unused medicines in your home? Bring them to a Take Back Day event happening across our community on Saturday, April 22 for safe disposal. Flushing meds can harm the environment and throwing them in the trash puts pets and children at risk for poisoning, so we collaborate with law enforcement agencies to collect meds for proper disposal. Rain or shine, take-back locations will be available in Sedro Woolley, Mount Vernon, Burlington, and La Conner from 10 am to 2 pm.



Learn more about what is and is not accepted at Take Back Day and event locations and details on our website.

Power in Prevention

While most young people in Skagit County do not use vaping products, the rise in reports and rates of youth vaping cannabis and commercial tobacco are concerning. Parents and caring adults have an important role to play in preventing youth drug and alcohol use of all kinds, and we partner with community Coalitions and school districts to support their prevention efforts. Learn more about what vapes are, the impacts of use, facts and myths about vaping, how to have a conversation with young people in your life, and where to turn for support during a community presentation with the Sedro-Woolley RISE Coalition. Thursday, May 18, from 5:00 - 6:30 pm, at the Sedro-Woolley Public Library. 

Can’t make it to the presentation? Download the Parent’s Guide to Raising Drug Free Kids from the Washington Healthy Youth Coalition. The evidence-based strategies help protect youth from all types of substance use. 

Spring Garden Lessons 

Volunteers in the Concrete Farm to School garden

Students in Sedro-Woolley and Concrete will be venturing out into their school gardens with our staff and volunteers to learn life skills while planting, tending, harvesting, and, most importantly, eating vegetables. If you’re interested in growing the good in our communities, become a Farm to School volunteer! No experience in gardening or teaching is required, just a willingness to learn and spend time outside with kids. Learn more and sign up here today!

Looking for a kid-friendly garden activity at home? Download Spring Pea Planting with Kids adapted from KidsGardening.org. 

Can You Dig It?

Shop for spring veggies at the Skagit Valley Food Co-op on Saturday, April 22 and pick up a free tree to celebrate Earth Day! Plant a Nootka Rose, Blue Elderberry, or Red Flowering Currant - this year’s tree varieties (one per customer). Learn more here, and bookmark your calendar to directly support Concrete Farm to School by shopping the Co-op on May 26 for their 4% Friday giving day opportunity.

Local Markets Opening in May! 

Use FVRx Bucks, Basic Food (aka SNAP or EBT) or WIC benefits and Senior checks at the Sedro-Woolley Farmers Market opening Wednesday, May 24 and the Concrete Saturday Market opening May 27. Stop by and say hello to our Farm to School booths with activities for kids and student-grown produce at select markets this spring and summer.

Growing as a Family

Maintaining a healthy relationship with your partner during pregnancy and after the birth of a child takes work. Bringing Baby Home combines scientific research and public education to ease stress and set families up for success! Over four evenings, participants learn what to expect during the transition to parenthood, strategies to coordinate caretaking, ways to improve communication, and a discussion on common perinatal mood disorders and available supports.

The Help Me Grow Skagit network is proud to bring this program to the community and get parents, and children, on the best possible path forward. The program starts May 9 - learn more and sign up by May 1st here.

Nurtured by Nature

The benefits of spending time in nature are waiting for you with Skagit Nature Rx! Join our Senior Strides or Family Treks walk programs - now offered two times a week starting May 1. Upcoming walks have an emphasis on mindfulness and cultivating mental well-being in the following trails and parks: Evergreen Trail, Wiley Slough, Port of Skagit, and the Tommy Thompson Trail. Learn more and sign up for Skagit Nature Rx walks today!

Launch into Summer with Trek for Treasure

Trek for Treasure 2023 is here! Gather your teammates as discounted early-bird registration runs through May 18! This year's theme centers around the true story of the infamous D.B. Cooper, a hijacker who evaded authorities with a ransom of $200,000 after jumping out of a plane in 1971. Help us by hiking local trails in search of clues to reveal the mysteries of D.B. Cooper and the fate that beheld him.

The first hike launches June 2nd!

To register, visit the TrekforTreasure.org website.

Did you know you can use your Fred Meyer card to help make our programs possible? Through Fred Meyer Community Rewards, you can link your card to Foundation of District 304. Link your card in person on your next visit, or click here to do it online. Funds support classes, trainings, and programs for Foundation of District 304 at no cost to you!

Thank You!