Seattle News and Events for March 5 Through April 2015

PHOTO: The Alliance for a Just Society held a community forum on "How Do We Assure That Health Coverage Will Translate to Health Care for All?” Panelists included Janet Varon, executive director of Northwest Health Law Advocates; Sofia Aragon, senior governmental affairs advisor for the Washington State Nurses Association; Seattle/King County NAACP President Gerald Hankerson and Fernando Mejia of the Alliance for a Just Society. Susan Fried photo

Learn How to Start a Business at the Seattle Public Library

Entrepreneur and business coach Jeff Levy will present an overview on how to start and run a business from 5:30 p.m. to 8 p.m. Thursday, March 5 at the Central Library, 1000 Fourth Ave., Level 1, Microsoft Auditorium.

Library events are free and open to the public. Seating is limited and registration is suggested. Parking is available in the Central Library garage for $6 after 5 p.m.

At the workshop, Levy will share stories from his experience as a business owner and manager. Attendees will learn the fundamentals of starting a business, including incorporation, financing, stakeholder development and how to write a business plan. After the presentation, there will be a question and answer period.

Levy is a nationally recognized consultant and coach to individuals interested in exploring self-employment. Levy was a founding member of Windswept Capital, president and COO of Spider Staging Corporation, an officer at Flow International, and executive vice-president and principal of SafeWorks LLC. He is the co-author of "Making the Jump into Small Business Ownership."

This event is co-sponsored by the Small Business Administration (SBA) Seattle District office.

For more information, call the Central Library at 206-386-4636 or www.spl.org.

Network with Government Contractors at Regional Forum

The Seattle Public Library and other regional government entities will meet and greet businesses and organizations at the 2015 Regional Contracting Forum (RCF) from 8 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Tuesday, March 10 at the Washington State Convention and Trade Center, 800 Convention Place, Seattle.

The event is free and everyone is welcome. Registration is required.

Representatives from the Library will be at the RCF to talk about free tools and resources that support business information needs. RCF attendees will have the opportunity to meet government contracting representatives and network with contractors, consultants, and suppliers all at one event.

For more information, call the Library at 206-386-4636 or www.spl.org.

Great Seattle Seed Swap at The West Seattle Branch

Gardeners of all abilities are invited to bring seeds to share and discover new varieties to grow from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday, March 15 at The Seattle Public Library, West Seattle Branch, 2306 42nd Ave. S.W., 206-684-7444.

Library events are free and everyone is welcome to the seed swap—young and old, new or experienced gardeners. Registration is not required.

Gardeners who are sharing seeds should arrive by 2 p.m. to set them out, and can expect to exchange about as many seed packs as they bring. Seeds should be accompanied by as much information as possible, such as variety, growth habit and days to maturity. Participants are asked not to bring hybrid seeds, GMO seeds or old seeds (aged four years or more). The Seattle Farm School will have seed packs available for beginning gardeners, and the Library will have a variety of gardening books available for check-out. For more details, go to www.seattlefarmschool.com/great-seattle-seed-swap.

Auburn Museum Reaching Out to Area Veterans for Tattoo Exhibit

The White River Valley Museum in Auburn is inviting all area active and former military members to submit an entry of their military-inspired tattoos for the museum’s upcoming exhibit, SERVICE INK: Veterans’ Tattoos and Their Stories. Deadline for submissions is April 1. Entries can also be submitted by spouses or widow(ers).

To enter, visit the exhibit webpage at wrvmuseum.org/serviceink.html or call 253-288-7437. There is no fee to enter, all accepted entries will be part of the exhibit!

There will also be a workshop at Green River College on March 5 for any interested veteran that needs help submitting their entry! Workshop will be held in the Technology Center in room 206 at the Green River College Campus. Contact Tim Lovitt at 253-833-9111 ext. 2559 for more information on the workshop.

Volunteers needed for Arbor Day-Earth Day projects

Bellevue Parks & Community Services is looking for 300 volunteers to work on environmental improvement projects and help celebrate the important contribution of trees at its annual Arbor Day-Earth Day event on Saturday, April 18, 9 a.m.-1:30 p.m.

Volunteers will plant trees, restore trails, remove invasive plants and otherwise help improve parks and open spaces. Following morning volunteer projects, participants can join in the Arbor Day-Earth Day Family Festival and community tree-planting celebration, 11 a.m.-1:30 p.m. at Lewis Creek Park.

Volunteers will receive a free T-shirt and complimentary lunch provided by Whole Foods Market. The celebration will recognize the city’s 24th year being recognized as a Tree City USA by the Arbor Day Foundation.

The event will be held rain-or-shine, and volunteers are asked to dress for the weather and bring work gloves. Pre-registration is required by March 27. Registration is first-come, first served. (Projects will fill up fast!) Volunteers of all ages invited. Groups and individuals are welcome.

For more information, contact Curtis Kukal at [email protected] or 425-452-4195.

Free help with Tax Forms at the Rainier Beach Library

The Seattle Public Library and AARP have consolidated the free tax preparation service available in southeast Seattle. Tax help is no longer offered at the NewHolly Branch, but remains available at the Rainier Beach Branch.

Drop-in tax help at the Rainier Beach Branch, 9125 Rainier Ave. S., 206-386-1906 is offered on a first-come, first-served basis from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturdays through April 11.

Due to federal budget cuts, the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) is unable to provide the Library with certain tax forms and instruction booklets. Most IRS forms are available online at www.irs.gov. Black-and-white prints of the forms may be printed from Library computers for 15 cents per page. To request forms by mail, order online at IRS.gov/orderforms or call 1-800-829-3676.

Tax help at the Rainier Beach Branch is provided by AARP.

For more information, call the Rainier Beach Branch at 206-386-1906, visit spl.org/taxhelp, or www.spl.org.

For more Seattle and Portland area events, visit the Community Calendar.