This week “COVID-19 Community Conversations” continues with another set of videos highlighting specific efforts from organizations and people in our community that provide key services and crucial leadership around the county. You can find our entire collection of videos on our YouTube channel “San Juan County COVID-19 Response” at www.sjccovid.com/conversations. This week we have two  Continue Reading

Understanding both the short- and long-term impacts of COVID-19 in our community is critical for making a sustainable plan. For more than 2 months, SJICF has continued to stay vigilant. San Juan County is experiencing a 27% unemployment rate and is expected to reach 30% very soon. This is twice the national and WA state  Continue Reading

In order to help San Juan County businesses and other organizations protect their employees and customers, the County COVID response team has produced printable posters to support their effort. Two versions are available, one that is 8.5” x 11” (available HERE), and the other is 11” x 17” (available HERE). As the world moves into  Continue Reading

The San Juan Island Chamber of Commerce, a business community non-profit, has proudly produced the Town’s 4th of July celebration for over 35 years in cooperation with the Town of Friday Harbor, the Port of Friday Harbor and the whole island. The 2020 4th of July Parade has been cancelled. Becki Day, Executive Director stated  Continue Reading

This week “COVID-19 Community Conversations” continues with another three videos that highlight specific efforts from organizations and people in our community that provide key services and provide crucial leadership around the county. You can find our entire collection of videos on our YouTube channel “San Juan County COVID-19 Response” at www.sjccovid.com/conversations. We now have fifteen  Continue Reading

EDC Survey to Determine San Juan County Impacts of Paycheck Protection Program The San Juan County Economic Development Council (EDC) is collecting data to learn how well the SBA’s Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) is working for islands businesses. Business owners are urged to participate in the EDC’s PPP survey here: https://forms.gle/DPxi4gUSpCtnKmDW6 For more information, please  Continue Reading

Don’t forget – tonight’s  “Know Your Islanders Talk” is happening over Zoom… In 2011 Christchurch, New Zealand experienced a devastating earthquake that leveled the city.  In 2019 an attack on two mosques further shook the humans of Christchurch.  Gail Richard, who has strong ties to this community and is a team member of Humans of  Continue Reading

The Organizers of the San Juan Island Artists Studio Tour regretfully wish to inform patrons and visitors that the June 6th & 7th event is cancelled. This decision was made with significant concern for the safety of both visitors and artists during this time of the CoV19 pandemic. We remain hopeful for a positive outcome  Continue Reading

The “COVID-19 Community Conversations” series continues this week with three short videos that highlight efforts from organizations and people providing key services and crucial leadership in our community. You can find these videos on our YouTube channel “San Juan County COVID-19 Response” at www.sjccovid.com/conversations. Jennifer Armstrong: Armstrong is the Director of the Joyce L. Sobel  Continue Reading

Friday Harbor, WA…   National Travel and Tourism Week, May 3 — 9, is the annual salute to the positive effects of travel in the U.S.  Now, more than ever, is a time to reflect on what visitors bring to the vitality and resilience of the San Juan Islands. Travel is in our DNA, and the  Continue Reading

Island Senior is a regular column on the San Juan Update written by Peggy Sue McRae… With community lunches on hold due to COVID-19 it may seem like not much is happening these days at the Mullis Center. However, since the lockdown, the number of meals delivered to local seniors by our Meals on Wheels  Continue Reading

An initiative to connect local farms with consumers has been coordinated by the following organizations: San Juan Islands Agricultural Guild (Ag Guild) San Juan County Economic Development Council (EDC) WSU San Juan County Extension San Juan County Agricultural Resources As part of that effort, they have created a survey to gather data on farms’ open  Continue Reading

SJICF Launches Community Response Hub, Distributes $70k in Grants The SJI Community Foundation continues to work closely with nonprofits and other county services to ensure a coordinated response to the COVID-19 crisis. To create a publicly accessible resource for both residents and nonprofit services, SJICF has launched the San Juan Island Community Response Hub website:  Continue Reading

EDC urges businesses and residents to “Hire Local”, presents Virtual Job Fair The San Juan County Economic Development Council (EDC) urges businesses and residents to hire local workers and contractors as the economy starts to reopen.  In an effort to connect island workers with local businesses, the EDC has created a Virtual Job Fair on  Continue Reading

Library staff are working hard, albeit remotely, to serve the community in new ways to meet your changing needs.   We’ve heard that many of you miss our Staff Picks book recommendations in the Library; these are now available online in our new and improved Reading Room.   Staff members have answered questions about reading interests and are  Continue Reading

This week “COVID-19 Community Conversations” continues with three short videos that highlight efforts from organizations and people providing key services and crucial leadership in our community. You can find these videos on our YouTube channel “San Juan County COVID-19 Response” at www.sjccovid.com/conversations. Jamie Stephens, San Juan County Council Member (Lopez and Shaw): Stephens takes a  Continue Reading