State Sen. Rosemary McAuliffe and her husband, Jim, have been longtime supporters of public life in Bothell. As chair of the Washington State Senate’s education committee, she will have her hands full in the coming legislative session during which a battle royal looms over a shrinking state revenue budget. Rosemary will be busy with committee hearings, meetings and possibly a special session as the Christmas holidays and year’s end activities approach.
She’ll not be deterred at home though, as they continue to develop their personal treasure in Woodinville — the Hollywood Schoolhouse — operating it as a commercial venture but also making it available for community gatherings and fund-raising, charitable events.
Built to replace an 1890s, one-room, wooden schoolhouse in 1912 by the Derby School District, the brick structure has seen many uses. It served as a potato cellar for Sammamish Valley farmers in the lower level and as a popular dance hall or for roller skating on its first level hardwood floors. The historic building was purchased in 1977 by the McAuliffes and operated as an antique mall until a fire ended that use. In 1994, a complete renovation and expansion was completed to provide a popular spot for weddings, banquets, meetings and special events.
One such event will be on Dec. 9 when Rosemary will again host “Women, Wine and Business” at the Schoolhouse from 5-9 p.m. Rosemary describes the event as held “to promote women in business, in the arts, and to enjoy wine tasting as we come together at this time of the year to support one another.”
Proceeds go to the Children’s Response Center in Bellevue, which responds to children who have been sexually abused of traumatized.
She is taking special pleasure in introducing to our communities a remarkable 13-year-old teenager named Greer Garson, who has been doing unselfish work for others since the age of 7. In 2005, she made 100 bracelets from a bead kit given to her as a gift. Appearing at a local Relay for Life cancer fund-raising event, Greer then sold all but four of them for $5 each to support a close friend who was fighting ovarian cancer.
Greer has not looked back since.
Over the next few years, she upped her goal, according to Rosemary, and last year she raised $12,000. She attracts help from school and family friends, relatives and supportive parents. Not satisfied with raising nearly $20,000 for cancer research in such a few years, Greer currently has taken the leap to an online store, registered with the Secretary of State’s office and has her business license. The online store is called “greersjewelsofhope”. Her products sell for between $5 and $15 each, so you can see she has been pretty prolific about making such personalized jewelry one piece at a time.
Each piece of jewelry is adorned with a sea turtle charm or stamp on the back in honor of her friend, Nancy, a diver who greatly respected and admired sea turtles. Nancy recognized how the turtles could overcome obstacles and adapt to survive. Rosemary recalled how Greer explained making bracelets to memorialize her friend who died this past January.
Greer introduced necklaces celebrating Nancy’s life, naming them “Dancing Nancy” and “Fancy Nancy’s” with each bearing a special message to the wearer “about remembering the small things in life.”
Her dedication to others has not gone unnoticed. Greer’s hometown newspaper and credit union honored her with a “Healthy Tomorrow” award and a local department store awarded her a $1,000 scholarship.
Greer is working on a book she hopes to publish on “philanthropy for kids” as a guide to “help other kids with a passion to find their niche and to create and execute their plan” much like Greer has done.
“It’s a real honor to have Greer at our event, a privilege to introduce such an outstanding young lady who has devoted so much to others,” Rosemary added.
And to think Greer is still an eighth-grader, plays volleyball, studies Spanish and enjoys babysitting. This energetic, caring young woman is someone I’d like to meet.
John B. Hughes was owner-publisher of the Northshore Citizen from 1961 to 1988 and is active in local nonprofit organizations.
