Pencil Me In For Kids (PMIFK) is a West Seattle Rotary sponsored project that has provided basic school supplies to West Seattle grade school students in need since 1996. The primary PMIFK activity is a community-wide school supply drive each July and August.
The goal of PMIFK is to provide local area public grade schools with the specific items they know their students will need in the fall. Each school is different and no two student “wish lists” are the same.
The 2025 school supply drive started July 21 and runs until August 1. Items most in need are folders with pockets (e.g., Pee-Chees), glue sticks, pens and pencils, pink erasers, washable fine tip color markers, washable fine and slant-tip black markers, and wide-ruled paper. Drop off sites include Brookdale Arbor Heights Senior Living, Fauntleroy Church, Fauntleroy YMCA, Potter Construction, and Thriftway. Donations can also be dropped off at Rotary Club meetings (Tuesdays 12 noon at the West Seattle Golf Course clubhouse).
Online donations are tax-deductible through the West Seattle Rotary Service Foundation. Click on the Donate button above, select Local Projects in the drop-down menu, and type PMIFK in the notes.
Pencil Me In For Kids began as a 501c3 nonprofit sponsored by the West Seattle Chamber of Commerce. Sue Lindblom, then owner of Illusions Hair Design, and her team operated the project from her salon.
“In the beginning, we raised modest amounts of money for the back-to-school supplies for student wish lists,” said Sue. “Our only thought was to get supplies to kids who needed them so they wouldn’t feel left out and hopefully their self-esteem could be helped.”
The first year, PMIFK raised $1,800, which was distributed to Family Support Workers serving the most students in need so they could meet basic school supply needs. In the years that followed, PMIFK held raffles with prizes donated by local businesses, coordinated a fishpond at summer street festivals, raised money from haircuts on “Have a Heart Day” at Illusions, held dinners at the West Seattle Eagles, hosted car washes, and received donations from West Seattle Thriftway, private individuals and Rotary Club of West Seattle.
In 2013, the Rotary Club of West Seattle took PMIFK on as an annual project. Association with the largest nonprofit organization in the world (Rotary International) increased visibility
