News Gleams: Rainier Beach Chamber embarks on storytelling project, Molly Moon's joins Seattle Pride Dine OUT

Collected by Emerald Staff

Connect 10,000 highlights diversity, vitality of Rainier Valley businesses and community

The Rainier Valley Chamber of Commerce has received a $53,000 grant to support local storytelling among about South End business owners and managers, particularly women and people of color.

The Chamber calls the project Connect 10,000 and has already began gathering South End stories at the Rainier Valley Heritage and Othello International Festival in August. But the Chamber is hiring four people to do communications, storytelling training, graphic arts and videography to interview business owners and managers.

Connect 10,000 will result in 25 videos to highlight Rainier Valley's vitality and diversity among its businesses.

The Chamber is collecting applications through Sept. 4 for these positions. The project will run from September 2018 to August 2019, however some of the positions are project-based and do not run the full year.

For more information, or to submit an application, contact mail@rainierchamber.com or mail to Rainier Valley Chamber of Commerce, 5290 Rainier Ave. S., Seattle, WA 98118.

Molly Moon's joins Allyship's Seattle Pride Dine OUT

The LGBTQ Allyship is kicking off its first Seattle Pride Dine OUT, a celebration of restaurants committed to affirming and supporting LGBTQ folks. The project takes place Sept. 12 and is being run by the Allyship and restaurants that have taken the Talk Gender To Me pledge, a commitment to practices that support individuals' gender identities, particularly those working in the food service industry.

Molly Moon's, an ice cream chain that has a branch in Columbia City, is one of several restaurants in the area to take the pledge.

"In Seattle Capitol Hill, Beacon Hill and Columbia City are neighborhoods where many LGBTQ people work and live," the Allyship said in a release. "Supporting safety and respect for workers and our neighbors at the local level, is a starting place to address the growing lack of safety for LGBTQ, immigrant and other marginalized individuals."

Restaurants hoping to participate in Seattle Pride Dine OUT can contact the Allyship at info@allyship.org.