Thoughtful Citizens

08/04/2025

VENDOR SPOTLIGHTS!
We have over 50 vendors this year and are excited to share some vendor spotlights with you so you can get a sneak peak at the products from these amazing young entrepreneurs. Meet Kiana and Lucas - two budding business owners who are also siblings!

Also giving a BIG shout out of gratitude to Evergreen Karate and Jiu Jitsu - our platinum sponsor this year who is enabling us to bring some fun new features to this fair!

For more details visit the event page Children's Business Fair

06/19/2025

UPDATE: Applications have closed for this year's fair. If additional spots open up we will let you know!
_____________________________________

Applications are NOW open for the 2025 Kenmore Children’s Business Fair! This year’s fair will be on Saturday September 6th.

Please submit only one vendor application per family.

04/23/2025

04/23/2025

Life has been busy! Even though I didn’t have a chance to put together an Earth Day event, it didn’t stop me from celebrating today! Stay tuned for a Spring Clean the Earth event coming in May or June.
Some good before and after photos from an impromptu trash pick-up today in Bothell!

04/07/2025

“What the world needs now is love, sweet love
It's the only thing that there's just too little of”

Begin by loving yourself, and spread that love outwardly.

Stay tuned for a making event, hopefully coming soon. I couldn’t wait though so made these just now at the airport to spread some love.

Coming up next though will be our annual Earth Day trash pickup - date, time, and location are still TBD.

03/13/2025

💌 Thanks again for coming to the 2025 Sentiments for Seniors event and helping to spread love to over 300 seniors in our area!

02/22/2025

On Saturday February 8th, 50 community members joined us for the 2025 Sentiments for Seniors Valentine Card making event. Together we made 302 cards that were delivered to seniors living in assisted living and retirement communities. The Mayor of Kenmore even joined us for an hour of card making, which was a very pleasant surprise!

This event was a reminder, once again, that the impact we are making exceeds what we initially set out to do. Seniors are uplifted and reminded that they matter and are loved, which of course is the reason for the event. But the value of what we are doing as a community doesn’t end there! Countless parents spoke about how they have been searching for volunteer opportunities for their children and are unable to find service opportunities for younger children. Kids themselves thanked us for hosting these events because they have been asking their parents to be involved in service.

One of the most exciting moments for me personally was when I asked two teen girls how they found out about the event. They said that they saw our group at Log Boom Park for the Martin Luther King Day ON Litter Pick Up, where they decided to join us in collecting litter. They then kept an eye out for upcoming events, and when they saw the card event they asked their parents to drop them off so they could make cards. It is truly inspiring and fills me with hope for the future to know that teens are asking their parents to bring them to community service events instead of the mall or a movie etc, especially on a snowy day when they could be having fun in other ways.

I am so grateful to the community for continuing to support these events and be the change our world needs. It helps me stay positive and hopeful in times of uncertainty, and motivates me to continue bringing these opportunities to people who are searching for them.

01/25/2025

On Monday January 20th, 48 community members ranging in age from 5 – 75 gathered at Log Boom Park for a litter pick up to honor the legacy of Dr Martin Luther King Jr. This day ON in service was the most well attended litter pick up to date. For many people, this was their first litter pick up ever. Others have attended several in the past. One local teen commented that she was inspired by last year’s day ON to host her own litter pick ups and invest in a hanging scale so she could weigh the litter they collected. Two other local teen girls stumbled upon the event as they were visiting the park and asked if they could just join in. One young boy saw the other children collecting litter on the beach and asked his mom if they could participate. It is a beautiful thing to witness, community members young and old honoring the memory of Martin Luther King and honoring our beautiful planet. Thanks to these thoughtful citizens, we collected 150 pounds of trash from the park, shoreline, and Burke-Gilman trail.

One attendee, Celia Tourenne Milota, had these comments to share after the event, “Thank you for today. It was such a great event! I was caught off guard when the kids started out with their buckets. It was deeply moving to see them taking care of their HOME ❤️As we left, my daughter and I had a great conversation about single use plastics and their impact on the environment. Thanks for creating opportunities where the kids can (also) make a difference!” The impact of these events extends well beyond the number of pounds of trash we collect, it inspires the next generation, provides a positive way to channel community service energy, and provides an opportunity for dialogue.

Most interesting finds at this litter pick up include 5 coconuts and a baseball bat! Also about 3 buckets of tennis balls (lots of sad dogs out there missing their toys apparently 🤷🏻‍♀️)

01/16/2025

Thank you Copperworks Distilling- Kenmore and the community for choosing to support us with the round up program! 💗

Last month we decided to start a roundup program as another way to offer support for our local community. This program gives you the option to “round up” your purchase to the next dollar amount, and directs that amount to a good cause.

From the time we launched this program in mid-December to the end of the month, your collective efforts raised $76 for Thoughtful Citizens, an incredible nonprofit organization dedicated to serving the community through such efforts as making and donating scarves to Mary's Place, making caring cards for senior citizens, and collecting trash.

This month, we have been using our roundup program to benefit Arts of Kenmore, a nonprofit we have worked with in the past who focuses on connecting people with art by employing multi-faceted approaches to the planning, design, and placement of arts to have the most accessibility in the public realm.

01/05/2025

A Year in Review:
Thank you all for making 2024 another successful year of community events! As these events gain interest they become more challenging to organize and run. I wasn’t sure I could keep up with the growth! Asking for help can be hard, but in my personal life I was working on growing this ability. As a result, when I posted a need for support - I was overwhelmed by the response I received!

From delivering cards to precutting fleece, setting up tables and brainstorming ideas, these events would not have happened without all of you!

**On that note, I am debating my capacity to host the Valentine’s Card event for Senior Citizens. Ways I could use support include:
-Cutting card stock in advance
-Helping with supplies (card stock, stickers, markers)
-Delivering cards to senior living communities (this is the big one!)
If you would like to support in any of these ways please let me know**

Looking forward to what we can accomplish together in 2025!

01/02/2025

I am so incredibly honored to be a select nominee for this award. Honestly, I’m a bit at a loss for words. From the bottom of my heart, thank you all for the continued support and encouragement with these events. It may have my name on the list of nominees, but this honor really goes to all of you. Together, we are a small group of thoughtful committed citizens doing our part to change the world.

Thank you to the hundreds of community members who come to events each year. You show up as strangers and leave as connected community members. Your attendance at any event has meant more to me than you know, even if we never exchanged a single word. I am reminded how many people are looking for ways to get involved and sometimes struggle to find an opportunity that works for them, it is what keeps me bringing these events back each year.
Thank you to the key people (you know who you are) who have been emotional support as I feel overwhelmed and consider ceasing these events. You have helped me plan, dealt with my scattered brain, prepped materials, and donated time and funds. You have encouraged me to keep going (and remind me it’s ok if I need a break). I am so very grateful for each of you.

And thank you to my amazing daughter. She inspires me, supports me, encourages me and reminds me how impactful these events are. As a human being, I have always looked to do my part, as a mother I have looked for ways to foster that in my daughter. Without her, I would not have thought to start hosting these events.

The North Urban Human Services Alliance (NUHSA) is proud to announce its 2024 Human Services Award recipients and nominees! All have made a significant contribution to the health and welfare of our North King County community and have supported or advocated for a strong and accessible health and hum...

12/29/2024

Kindness is contagious. While grocery shopping today my sweet 12 year old daughter asked if we could pick up some extra groceries to bring to a local food pantry. As we added our items to the pantry she explained to me what inspired her today. A woman in the grocery store complimented my daughter’s sweater, and it reminded her about how easy it is to brighten someone’s day. She wanted to do something good for others as a result. When we got home she said her heart is full and talked about how she wished there were more ways to do community service. I reminded her that’s why we started Thoughtful Citizens. While it is absolutely about the impact we are making in the world through donations and trash pick ups, it’s really about providing those opportunities for others to get involved.

Thank you all for the support with our events. It is because of all of you that we keep doing what we’re doing. Never underestimate the power of one simple kind gesture, and the ripple effect it may have. 💗