Whispering Heights & Collingwood Community Association Website

WELCOME

Welcome to the Whispering Heights & Collingwood Community Association (WHCCA) website. WHCCA represents an extended neighborhood consisting of several adjacent developments with nearly 500 households, situated in Bellevue, Washington. This web site was created to help promote enjoyment and enhancement of the neighborhood, and to facilitate communication between neighbors. It is also intended to allow prospective residents to gain insight into the fabric and quality of life in our community.

We are always looking for more neighbors to join the board! Please contact WHCCA board president Merrick Van Dongen for our next meeting date and location!

Neighborhood Events & Activities for 2010

Event dates at a glance:

Coffee Social	March 17th
Egg Hunt	April 3rd
Spring Cleanup	April 17th
4th of July Bike Parade and Picnic	Sunday July 4th
Garage Sale	September 25th
WHCCA Annual Meeting	November 10th

All-neighborhood garage sales, September 25th, 9am to 3pm
Fall is here and it is time to clean out the insides of your closets, basements, attics, and garages. We all know that one person's trash is another's treasure. This is your opportunity to purge your house of all that "stuff" that you have accumulated but no longer use.

Take advantage of free advertising and the increased visibility that comes with a large neighborhood sale. The WHCCA will advertise the garage sale through a variety of channels such as local newspapers and Craigslist. Neighborhood entrances will be flagged with balloons and copies of neighborhood maps will be provided there (though the maps will not identify participating homes this year). This WHCCA-advertized annual event always draws a crowd from outside our neighborhood to find your dusty treasures and "no-longer-neededs."

If you want to donate unsold goods, several websites describe locations or organizations that may accept them, and may even schedule a pickup:
(1) http://www.pickupplease.org (schedule a pick-up online),
(2) http://www.salvationarmyusa.org (call 800-728-7825 to schedule a pick-up),
(3) http://www.nwcenter.org,
(4) http://www.babycorner.org.

If you are new to garage sales, here are two web sites that provide some helpful pointers:
(1) http://tipnut.com/garage-sale-tips-for-success-how-to-guide and
(2) http://www.ifg-inc.com/Consumer_Reports/GarageSale.shtml.

If you have questions about the garage sale, please contact WHCCA board member Hua Liu by e-mail at hualiu2001@yahoo.com or phone 425-373-9224

WHCCA Annual Meeting - Wednesday, November 10th at 7pm, Lewis Creek Park visitor center
Our "state of the neighborhood" meeting will be held at Lewis Creek Community center. Come to meet your neighbors, give your input into what you'd like to see the WHCCA do next year. The NEP cycle is nearly here again - do you have a project you'd like to see funded? New to our neighborhood? Come visit and enjoy meeting some new neighbors.

NEIGHBORHOOD CURRENTS

Volunteering in the neighborhood
If you have an interest in helping with or an idea for improving WHCCA activities, please call or email the WHCCA board's President. New board members are still needed to replace those who have retired.

Eastside Babysitting Coop
Do you need occasional childcare during the days, evenings or weekends by someone reliable, nearby, and on short notice? Join the Eastside Babysitting Coop, serving Whispering Heights and Collingwood, and neighbors from Lakemont to Somerset. More info.

Block Captain Program
The WHCCA Board is spearheading an effort to revitalize our current Block Captain network. Some of our objectives for this project include:

Help every WHCCA resident know in which block they live (see map) and who their Block Captain is.
Strengthen WHCCA community connections through this initiative to better know your immediate neighbors.
By reinforcing Block-focused community & charity efforts and awareness of neighbors potentially in need, help WHCCA neighbors cope with the practical impacts of recession, old age, and adverse health issues.
Provide WHCCA residents with contact information for neighbors in their block in case of emergency and for Block Watch purposes (knowing and watching out for our closest neighbors - police say that neighbors working together are the first and best line of defense against crime)

We are looking to fill several open Block Captain positions. The job requires only an annual update of the list of neighbors. Printed maps and neighbor lists will be provided by the WHCCA board. If you are interested in becoming a Block Captain for your block, please check the map in "The Neighborhood" to see what block you live in and contact any Board member.