Who Is Involved

"Building Inclusive Communities in Seattle"

Susan, Raymond and Ginger: Sharing Neighborhood Talent and Friendship

By Susan Harmon

Raymond, who lives in Seattle's Westwood neighborhood, had been known as Raytoe the Clown. Ginger often acted as his assistant. Raymond loved to paint his face, don his clown costume, and make balloon animals for the children that surrounded him at several local community centers. Even being in a wheelchair didn't slow him down much. What did slow him down was the lack of funds to buy balloons. One of the first things we did was to buy Raymond and Ginger a supply of balloons so that they could entertain children at the Delridge Neighborhoods Festival in Southwest Seattle.

The Involving All Neighbors grant also paid for the registration fee that allowed Ginger and Raymond to participate in the Southwest Community Center's annual plant and craft sale held in May. This was a great opportunity for Ginger and Raymond to sell the crafts they were making during the long hours they spent at home. A little money went a long way toward getting them out into the community.

Mobility was also an issue. They had done quite a bit of clowning when Raymond was able to drive, but that decreased when the doctors no longer allowed him to drive. Ginger did not drive so they both depended on public transportation. They were eligible to use the transit system's vans for wheelchair passengers but the van carries passengers only. So one neighbor arranged to pick up Raymond and Ginger's merchandise and take it to the community center the day before the event. At the craft show, a couple in the booth next to Ginger and Raymond discovered they lived near each other and had common interests.

Those neighbors offered transportation and the two couples developed a friendship that deepened over time. They invited Raymond and Ginger to perform at several other community events. When Raymond's health deteriorated, their new friends brought food to their house. Raymond and Ginger felt less isolated in their neighborhood.

Raymond and Ginger's participation in the neighborhood continued, even as his health deteriorated because of diabetes. Last year, a large community group was putting together a project called The Inclusion Solution. The idea for this community festival came from our experiences with Involving All Neighbors. We wanted to extend our inclusion effort to anyone in the community who might experience inclusion barriers, such as culture or language. The Inclusion Solution was an ambitious project to celebrate diversity in our neighborhood. Sandy, a steering committee member, went to Ginger and Raymond to ask them about clowning and selling their crafts at the event. They did that and participated in the event in other ways as well, making colorful badges for the event volunteers.

It's interesting how we begin by seeing differences between others and ourselves but, when brought together, find that we all have more in common than we have differences. Ginger and Raymond, just by being who they are, have opened doors for many of us in West Seattle.

Learn more about the strategies Susan and her neighbors used.