As promised, Bret Wirta, owner of the Sequim Black Bear Diner and chief executive officer of Wirta Hospitality Worldwide, donated $500 to the nonprofit Captain Joseph House Foundation. The donation recognizes the recovery of the wooden carving “Peekin’ Bear” on April 20 by the Sequim Police Department. The wooden statue went missing on
March 8. Founder of the Captain Joseph House Foundation Betsy Schultz is “extremely thankful” for the ongoing support from Wirta, she said. The donation will aid in the nearly three-year effort to renovate a 1910 Tudor-style craftsman house located in Port Angeles set to be a respite for Gold Star Families. Schultz started the nonprofit as a living memorial to her son Captain Joseph William Schultz, who was mortally wounded while serving in Afghanistan in 2011.