Kuinka to perform free concert for Skookum block party

BELLINGHAM, WASHINGTON — Seattle-based folk band Kuinka is taking a break from its East Coast tour to perform at Skookum Kids’ block party on Sunday, July 8 from 4-7 p.m.

Skookum Turns 3! is put on by local foster care nonprofit, Skookum Kids. The event is free and open to the public. In addition to the live concert, Skookum Turns 3! will include carnival games, a bouncy house, local vendors and food trucks. It will be located on Franklin Street outside Skookum-owned Perch & Play.

“Our band dug its first roots in Bellingham,” Miranda Zickler, Kuinka vocalist, synthesizer and banjo player, said. “When we moved back to the PNW from New York City, we all rented a house together, first on Humboldt Street and then on Franklin Street. We lived and played there together for three years and it's still such a special place to us. We're so grateful for the community there, and our cellist Jillian still calls Bellingham home!”

Kuinka began recording in the Seattle area in 2014. Since then, the quartet has released two albums—The Heartland and The Wild North. Kuinka is currently touring their most recent release Stay Up Late. Bob Boilen of NPR Music said, “Kuinka’s live performance knocked me out.”

Skookum Turns 3! will celebrate Skookum’s third anniversary after a year of explosive growth.

Skookum Kids hired 12 staff members in the last 12 months alone. The staff has worked with a team of 100 volunteers to care for over 100 foster kids and license 29 foster homes since July 2017. Their operating budget for 2018 was $1.1 million dollars, primarily funded by private donors.

“Skookum Kids is the embodiment of our community's desire to do foster care differently, and we are honored to steward that movement,” Ray Deck III, founding director of Skookum Kids, said. “And it's a good thing we've grown so fast. There is an immense need for this kind of common sense innovation.”

Skookum attributes its success to team of mission-focused and talented individuals and the support of Whatcom County. Skookum is supported by a network of 121 businesses, churches and other nonprofits, and about 100 regular individual givers.

Skookum Kids was founded in 2014 by Ray Deck III in Bellingham, Washington. This non-profit organization exists to repair the foster care system by eliminating the pain points that cause unnecessary stress for foster parents. It is staffed by eleven full-time, seven part-time employees and over 100 volunteers. For more information, visit their website atwww.skookumkids.org.