Message from The Vicar of Bayview

Whilst sitting at my Grace Cathedral office during the quiet summer months, I received a phone call from Protiviti (one of six divisions of the Robert Half International). Their organization was looking for an outreach project during their annual conference in San Francisco. Their slogan was “To Grow, Strengthen and Succeed."



On October 8th, 2010 one hundred top executives walked from the Fairmont Hotel to Grace Cathedral to participate in a very special afternoon. Bayview Mission volunteers (including mothers from Cathedral School for Boys) rallied, and with truck-loads of tuna cans, cereals, soaps, diapers, infant clothing and children’s Halloween treats, we unloaded and setup the items in our conference rooms. Six different workstations were prepared. When the guests arrived they were divided into six groups and set about filling hundreds of bags with the items for Bayview Mission’s food pantry. It was truly amazing! They are very grateful and they continue to thank us for the opportunity in allowing them to serve.









Then, on Thursday, October 28th, Protiviti employees, Jim and Gordon came back to Grace Cathedral, along with their photographer Chris, to present Bayview Mission with a beautiful plaque, photos of the event, and a gratefully received contribution in the form of a check.



The words on the plaque say it all - “Thank you for ALLOWING the Protiviti Global Managing Directors to assist you with the Bayview Mission”. It seems the Protiviti executives that afternoon received so much from the opportunity to serve the community.



I want Grace Cathedral and every church and mission in our diocese to grow, strengthen and succeed.

How can we as a Diocese look outside of the box and “Allow others to assist?”

Bee Busy at Bayview 2010 Summer Camp Summary

Bee Busy at Bayview Mission 2010 ran for the first two weeks of August. Both weeks were spent at Bayview Mission this year, and as many of our returning campers are growing older, we decided to spend a few days our first week on local field trips.

On Tuesday the 3rd we visited the relatively new Academy of Sciences in Golden Gate Park. Our campers enjoyed a full day of everything from looking at sting rays, small sharks, and sea urchins to petting a cheetah hide, watching penguins at feeding time, and spotting butterflies fluttering around a model rain forest. The looks of incredulity on some of the children’s faces were wonderful.



The very next day we took a trip to the San Francisco Zoo and took advantage of the free day on the first Wednesday of every month. We did everything from watching bears search for food in their massive enclosure to riding a tiny train around the grounds. Everyone giggled as the train let off bubbles on our second round! Everyone from campers to counselors to adult chaperones had a blast.




The following week we stayed at Bayview Mission. Monday the 9th the campers helped with the food pantry by handing out the backpacks we had made the previous Monday. Each child gets the chance to keep their own school supplies for the coming year.




The rest of the week was spent engaging in a variety of activities. We had plenty of arts and crafts projects, including mosaics (Christina made a lovely one with the words “Bayview Mission”), coloring books, painting small pottery, and of course the kids’ all-time favorite, tiny beads, which can be ironed so that they meld into various shapes. We had farm animals visit again this year (everything from horses to chickens and bunnies), and while the campers still enjoyed them, we’re thinking we won’t have them back next year, as field trips really seem to be the most engaging new activity for our growing campers. All in all it was another great year for Bee Busy at Bayview Mission!



Victoria Holt
Seattle University
Junior Year Student/Bishop’s Committee Member
Written October 5, 2010

Bayview Mission Halloween Costume Distribution

This afternoon (Oct 25, 2010) Bayview Mission greeted numerous families at our fourth annual Halloween costume party. Else Holt welcomed each family as they arrived and encouraged everyone to take home as many Halloween books as they wanted. Each family received Halloween treats whilst their children picked out their very own special Halloween costume. Thanks to Christine Hendrickson and Gabriela Bruce for their patience and warmth in listening carefully to each child’s wishes and helping them to choose costumes. The faces of the children lit up as soon as they found something that was perfect for them. It was smiles all around! Deacon Nina made sure to capture images of the happy faces, and they also picked out their very own child-sized pumpkin to take home. Today we made it possible for 75 children to participate in their school and community Halloween festivities!