Good morning, everyone.
Welcome to the 13th annual Pioneer Square Spring Clean and the One Seattle Day of Service for 2023. My name is Chris Woodward.
I'm the Community Development Director with the Alliance for Pioneer Square.
I'm going to briefly kick us off with a land acknowledgement and then pass it back to Lisa Howard, the Executive Director of the Alliance for Pioneer Square.
We acknowledge that this indigenous land now called Pioneer Square is the ancestral land of the Coast Salish people.
We recognize, honor, and respect the indigenous peoples connected to this land, past, present, and future.
OK, so I'm going to pass it over to Lisa Howard, the executive director of the Alliance for Pioneer Square.
Thanks, Chris.
taller than I am.
Thanks everyone for coming out this morning.
I am Lisa Howard, the executive director of the Alliance for Pioneer Square.
And just to kick it off, I want to start out with some thank yous.
First of all, thank you to our mayor, Bruce Harrell, and team within the city for organizing the one day of service and allowing us to jump in with our screen clean to be able to clean up the neighborhood in partnership with all of the other neighborhoods across Seattle.
And to Seattle Public Utilities and SDOT for helping to get deep in the organization of this event.
A special thank you to the Seahawks and First and Goal for the monetary donation towards pulling this off to help with food and all of the other event costs.
ESSTAT especially for leading the First Avenue median project, the Fortson Square project, and that critical role of making sure that we have the traffic control that we need to pull off getting the medians up to par this year.
Thank you to Laz Parking for the free parking for our Spring Clean volunteers.
If you parked in the Butler Garage, please stop by the registration table at lunch to get your parking voucher.
And then next is just a thank you to all of you, all of the volunteers showing up today on your Saturday morning to help make Pioneer Square a little bit better.
We really appreciate your time and involvement and just jumping in and being part of this community.
Okay we're going to have a short series of speakers and then we're going to give you instructions on breaking up into our groups and also we're going to take a large group photo within that.
So hang with us for a little bit and we're going to start with Mayor Bruce Harrell.
Thank you Lisa.
Hey come on up, come on up a little closer.
We're going to get this party started.
Come on up Blue Shirts One Seattle.
We're standing around.
Come on up please.
You know I will beg, but don't make me beg.
It's too early for me to beg.
Thank you, family.
You know, we're standing around some royalty right now.
Not talking about me.
We got Mario Bailey over here.
We got Jordan over here.
Come on over here, Jordan.
Come on over here, Mario.
Come on, man.
You ugly mugs make me look handsome.
I got my first cousin right here, Linda.
Come on up here, Linda.
Yes, right.
Oh, my other first cousin coming up here.
We've got family around here, in all seriousness.
And we have, to my knowledge, I don't know if he's the only three-term mayor, I don't know, Charlie Royer's right over here.
He never stopped serving.
When we talk about One Seattle, this is what we're talking about.
I got to tell you, I think it's a funny story.
I hope I get a chuckle out of it.
So when I was a little kid, I played on the baseball team.
They put me on the team.
And about the second, third game, I wasn't getting any what these athletes call tick playing time.
I was on the bench.
And I said to the coach, I said, yeah, I'm going to quit, man.
He says, why?
He says, I've got a uniform here.
I've got a hat.
I'm not playing.
I'm not doing anything.
He says, I've got a special role for you.
He says, when they're getting the bat, you give them the bat.
And when they finish hitting, you pick up the bat and you bring it back.
Well, I could do that.
And then I felt like I was part of the team.
And then I realized I was just the bat boy.
But I was part of the team.
And so when we talk about One Seattle, we're talking about whether you're high or low, any demographic, differently abled.
We are writing a new chapter in Seattle, together.
We are writing a new chapter in Seattle.
We have 12 members here that we expanded our Seattle Ranger program.
There are 12 that are about three quarters of the way through.
Raise your hand, Rangers.
Note to self, make the Rangers wear blue shirts like everyone else next year.
No, I'm just kidding.
I'm just kidding.
Those shirts symbolize a program that we started.
And I want to publicly thank all of you for stepping up for what we're trying to do in this Seattle.
When I talk about taking our city back, it starts with you.
It starts with new ideas.
It starts with new energy, new energy, new love, new commitments.
When we say we're writing a new chapter today, for example, we have over 110 community partners.
Lisa mentioned a few of them.
Not just our great athletic organizations, but our companies that are stepping up with their employees.
We have over 140 events.
We have the help of over 4,000 volunteers.
We're uniting around common values and common purposes.
This toxicity must start.
You probably heard these statistics.
We are right now the second Destination for tourists right now, the second.
And check this out.
Number one is Orlando, because they have Disney World.
And number three is Honolulu, so you can't hate them for that.
In fact, I don't know how he has you at Honolulu, because I would have checked Honolulu.
And you might have read just two days ago, we are the fastest growing big city in America.
And I, yes, and we are a welcoming city.
We are a welcoming city.
And I say that to say this, that when we grow, we worry about those that are slipping through the cracks.
We worry about those we have to help.
So on our one Seattle effort, we will be defined by our compassion, by our love, by our commitment, by our faith, by our ability to help others.
That is in our DNA.
And as your mayor, I'll make sure that our administration helps us together write this new chapter.
And when I see someone like our former Mayor Charles Royer sitting right here coming out, that embodies what we're trying to do.
Pull together.
And I don't want to embarrass Mayor Royer anymore, but I have to tell you that I'm not a lot younger than him.
Or should I say, you're not a lot older than me.
I don't even want to say this.
But as a young man, I worked for the city when he was mayor.
And one thing I always appreciate, I never told you this story, that when he got on the elevator, he spoke to everybody.
I'm thinking, man, this dude's the mayor.
He's speaking to everybody.
And I always said, if I ever were fortunate to become mayor, I would never lose that common touch.
So I will close by saying this.
Number one, yes, I was only supposed to speak for one minute.
Yes, I'm over.
Because I get excited writing this chapter with you in our city, and I cannot thank you enough.
My heart comes from a spirit of humility.
One Seattle, we're going to take our city back.
Thank you very much.
Oh, at 12 o'clock today at a four, there's a free concert at Denny Park in partnership with Amazon and Bumper Shoes.
So there's a free concert at Denny Park between 12 and four.
I also want to say, now this is what I'm supposed to say.
Hey, Jamie, I've just got to get it in so you don't get mad at me.
I'm thanking representatives from the Seahawks, the Sounders, and the Oil Rain.
I've already thanked Lisa Howard.
We're writing a new chapter.
Oh, I said that part.
OK.
I love you.
Thank you very much.
All right, thank you.
And next up, we have David Young, COO of the Seahawks, and first and goal.
Thanks, everyone.
I don't know who put me on the agenda after the mayor to follow that.
This is going to be a tough one, but clearly a testament to the energy and the excitement and the vision.
So thank you, Mayor Harrell.
Thank you to the mayor's office for putting this event together and putting it together again this year and your vision for One Seattle.
So thank you very much, Mayor Harrell.
We're happy to be here.
We're so proud to be here as a Seahawks and First and Goal as just another neighbor here in the neighborhood.
We've got a lot of members of our organization here today.
You saw Jordan and Mario up here, a lot of our front office and executive team here today to fan out across the community.
And I see so many volunteers here that are ready to go out into the community and really give back to the city of Seattle.
And to me, that's really what makes our city unique and special is this commitment and this this idea that we all come together and that we give back to our community and it's it's so special and I really think also that sport is a big part of that and of course I would right.
But I do believe that sports brings people together and this is such a special place and, you know, as you know having our home right here at Lumen Field at the center of these three historic neighborhoods, Pioneer Square, Chinatown International District and Soto.
We bring a lot of folks into these communities through both our events that we host at the building, whether that's in the Lumen Field, Lumen Field Event Center, in the WAMU Theater, the sporting events that go on every year.
There's hundreds of events, millions of visitors every single year.
And we recognize at the Seahawks and First and Goal the commitment that we owe back to our community and back to the neighborhoods to give back.
And so whether that's through the volunteer opportunities like today, whether that's through our community concessions program that brings small businesses from the neighborhoods into Lumen Field to serve food to our fans, which Those are our highest rated concession stands in Lumen Field, actually, or whether it's through our community partnership forum that brings the neighborhoods together at Lumen Field to discuss issues related to the neighborhoods and foster dialogue.
We recognize, as all of you do as well, the responsibility to give back and we're proud to be here today.
The One Seattle Day of Service to us is that opportunity to give back to the neighborhoods, to give back to the community and to the businesses that so graciously welcome us in.
So we're excited to be here today.
We're happy to see all of you and we can't wait to see the impact that we all make here locally and across our city to make Seattle a great place for all of us.
Thank you.
Thank you for being here.
All right, thank you, David.
Next up, we have Maya Mendoza Ekstrom with the Seattle Sounders.
Seattle Sounders SD has a mission, and that is to create moments in rich lives and unify through soccer.
That also includes a commitment to make our community stronger and more equitable.
Our family of fans and players and staff inhabit these neighborhoods all of the time.
And they are sacred spaces to us.
If Lumen Field's our fortress, this is our dinner table.
This is the place that our fans come to.
And so there's no better place for us to engage with one Seattle Day of Service than in Chinatown International District, right here in Pioneer Square, and as David mentioned, the Soto Business District south of the stadium.
As we look to convene the world in 2026, these neighborhoods matter more than ever.
Our fans from all over the world will get to eat where we eat, walk where we walk, play where we play all the time every year as part of Sounders FC and the soccer legacy.
And we are ready to share this amazing culture, this amazing heritage with fans from all over the world.
So thank you so much for being here.
If you didn't see the QR codes when you checked in, thank you for volunteering here today.
Scan the QR code.
We'll get you some tickets to Sounders FC match this summer.
So thanks for being here.
We're proud to be here with you.
Thank you, Maya.
And if you have trouble finding those barcodes, because I know they're hidden, just go ask at the registration table.
We'll get you hooked up.
Next, we have Michelle Haynes, the VP of Marketing at the OL Reign.
Good morning everyone.
It is so wonderful to see all of these amazing faces here today.
I just really want to thank you for welcoming us to this community.
We're the newest member at Lumen Field and in this neighborhood and we have experienced such warmth and welcome and authenticity and just the full feeling of community here.
So I'm so proud to be here today representing OL Rain and being a part of this incredible neighborhood.
I don't know how many of you are familiar with what we do off the pitch, but we are a team that plays with purpose and that is on and off the field.
So an event like today, really resonates with us and is something that means so much to our players who enjoy all the businesses here, to our fans who descend down here before a game, take it all in, and also to our club.
This neighborhood means so much to us.
So I thank you.
I thank Lisa and the Alliance for what they're doing today.
Thank you, Mr. Mayor.
And thank you Seahawks and Sounders for being such great friends and neighbors and supporters.
Welcome today, and we'll see you out there soon.
All right, one more.
So hang with us for just a second.
Council Member Andrew Lewis, say a few comments as well.
Hello.
Hi.
Good morning, everybody.
Are you excited to get out there and help clean up Pioneer Square?
I'm going to be very, very brief.
Really appreciate the opportunity to come back here for this annual day of service.
You know, now that we've done two of these, it is officially annual and we're going to keep doing this and I look forward to seeing you next year, same place, same time.
You know, the progress that we've made over the course of the last year has been good to see.
We've got this cohort of park rangers now.
This is the first time I've seen you guys out in the field.
Raise your hands again to be recognized.
When Mayor Harrell and I were working on putting the Metropolitan Park District together, and that idea was on paper, it's just so great to see it in person, to see you guys out here, to see you guys ready to roll up your sleeves and make our open spaces clean, safe, and open for everybody.
Thank you so much for your service.
You know, I look at Pioneer Square and see the people that are making up its recovery.
And we've got Robert back here from Butterfly Coffee who's been catering.
Raise your hands.
Waving the American flag.
Robert, who took a risk, who moved into a storefront on 3rd Avenue in the basement of the Morrison, and has been keeping it going ever since, was here last year catering, here catering again this year.
Next year he's gonna be back in the same place.
Robert, thank you for your commitment to Pioneer Square and our recovery.
I am so excited.
to spend this morning with you, to continue that progress that has led us to having a new park ranger cohort, to having Robert, I see Emily came over here with the pastry project, Emily with the pastry project over here, who has been a really great advocate of getting Pioneer Square back on its feet.
Together we are gonna come together, we're gonna get this done, we're gonna keep up the progress and the work to bring Seattle back.
And one Seattle, let's get out there, let's get it done, thank you.
Okay, gotta do one more shout out for the staff and the board of the Alliance for Pioneer Square.
Thank you for putting this together today.
We couldn't do this without you.
Really appreciate all of the volunteer hours that make this work all year long.
And now I'm gonna pass it over to Chris.
You have to listen very carefully to him because we need to get a group photo and there are some specific instructions.
So, all right, thanks all.
We'll get this kicked off.
We'll get you off in your work groups and get going.