Dear Friends of the Homeless Remembrance Project: In collaboration with the Seattle Mennonite Church and the Lake City Task Force on Homelessness, we  will gather to lay seven more Leaves of Remembrance to honor people who have died in our community and experienced homelessness. Please join us at 3:30 PM Friday, August 16th on the sidewalk in front of Seattle Mennonite for a short ceremony. After a brief ritual, we will gather to share fellowship and food.  Refreshments will be provided by Hunger Intervention Program, LDS Women’s Auxiliary and the Seattle Mennonite Church. We will be remembering the lives of: Kim Reister-Toburen  1959-2012 John Carsten Plate, Jr.  1948-2012 Arleta May Burbach …

40 Leaves of Remembrance are being laid in Pioneer Square this week, and will be dedicated on Wednesday, October 10th. Beginning at noon, 15 Leaves will be dedicated at Compass Center (65 South Washington Street), 10 Leaves at Real Change (96 South Main Street) at approximately 12:20 pm, and 15 Leaves at DESC (Downtown Emergency Service Center, 517  3rd Avenue) at 12:40 pm. At 1 pm we will celebrate in the Morrison Community Room, 509 3rd Avenue.

We have gotten news coverage before, but never so thorough and thoughtful an article as How homeless remembrance finally found a Seattle home by Alison Sargent, published in the online news journal Crosscut on June 21, 2012.

More than 60 people came to the Seattle Mennonite Church in Lake City on Saturday, June 23rd to dedicate fourteen Leaves of Remembrance for beloved neighbors, friends and family members. Because our  permit for permanent installation had not quite been completed, we did a ceremonial laying of the Leaves.  This was a powerful emotional experience, and the sense of community was profound.  All fourteen  names were read aloud, with a personal statement about each person.   Then each of the fourteen Leaves was laid on the ground by people who felt close to that person, as the names were spoken again.  Many times, Leaves were carried forward by two or more friends!

See much more of the Tree of Life and the history and development of the Homeless Remembrance Project at our brand new project website, homelessremembrance.org.

Our first installation of 2012 will be fourteen Leaves of Remembrance outside the Seattle Mennonite Church in Lake City (3120 NE 125th Street), at 3 PM on Saturday, June 23rd.  Please check back for more detailed information, and please mark your calendar now!  We will post stories and photos of the 14 folks whose Leaves we’ll be dedicating by June 1st on this site.

Our Last Big Event of the Year: Leaves of Remembrance Dedication at the Women in Black Vigil site, outside the Seattle Justice Center (600–5th) You’re warmly invited to the Homeless Remembrance Project’s last big event of the Year!  This will be a big Leaf Dedication & Celebration, starting at NOON on TUESDAY, OCTOBER 18TH, at the WHEEL/Women in Black Vigil Site, outside the Seattle Justice Center (at 5th/Cherry)!  We’ll be dedicating 13 Leaves of Remembrance in this Installation. Directly after the Leaf Dedication Ritual, under sponsorship from Seattle City Councilmember Nick Licata, we’ll be hosting a RECEPTION (from 12:30 to 2 PM) at the Bertha Knight Landes Room of Seattle…

On Sunday, September 18th, a community celebration was held outside the Seward Park PCC (5041 Wilson Avenue S) as we installed a “Leaf of Remembrance” for our beloved friend Robert Hansen.  More than 50 people gathered, including Real Change vendors and staff, PCC staff and shoppers, community activists, politicians, and other friends of Robert.  The Installation Ritual was co-led by Reverend Pat Simpson (Superintendent of the Northwest United Methodist Conference) and Reverend Jeffrey Barker of nearby Columbia-Lakewood Community Church.  Many memories were shared in a sidewalk gathering afterwards; PCC provided delicious, fancy cupcakes.  We’re grateful for their support in honoring Robert!

At 2 PM Sunday, September 18th, 2011, we’ll be dedicating a single Leaf at the Seward Park PCC (5041 Wilson Avenue South, on the #39 bus route from downtown Seattle) for beloved community member and Real Change vendor Robert Hansen.