We've spent a lot of time together. If it works out, it would be great.

The environmental community has spent a lot of time being right, but not winning.

That's what got us into this situation a year ago. I spent a great deal of time with the community ... to ensure the numbers we were using were the right ones, because I didn't want to do what we're doing now.

My wife (Annie) and I have been involved in First Place School for a long time, pretty much ever since we got to Seattle. That was the first (charitable) thing we did. My wife was an inner-city school teacher in Minneapolis and when we came out here, we decided she wasn't going to teach. She wanted to get involved in the community in some way. We asked the Mariners and they pointed us in that direction. It has been a great relationship since, a great fit, and we have enjoyed it.

I still don't know what works until it works, until I see it working. It wasn't through seeing other playwrights or reading other plays, because I haven't done much of either of those. Again, you have an intuitive sense that this is dramatic or a nice shape to a scene; you intuitively know how to tell a good story... where the highlights are, what information to withhold, and how to reveal things.

Our goal is to work it out, and everyone works together to do just that. We are so thankful to the parents that we work with and hope that many more will reach out to help these kids in need.