Applause

Snohomish Fire No. 1 honors employees

Snohomish County Fire District No. 1 recently honored employees who have been promoted or who have achieved other career milestones in the past year during a ceremony at headquarters. Those honored were:

Deanna Carter, Tanner Friebel, Josh Stadler, Jesse McCormick, Scott Schmitz, Melissa Reimer and Bryce McCorchuk for successful completion of their introductory period as firefighters.

Jon Dickson, Aaron Keller and Robert Pomper for successful completion of their first year in the volunteer program.

Gene Smith and Dave Ruddell for promotion to captain.

Jeff Larmore and Capt. Bruce Krause, retirees.

Fire District 1 is the largest provider of fire and emergency medical services in south Snohomish County.

Scouts, 4-H clean Granite Falls cemetery

Members of Boy Scout Troop No. 28 of Granite Falls and the Friendly Critters 4-H Club recently worked together to help get the American Legion Cemetery in Granite Falls ready for Memorial Day.

Helping from Scout Troop 28 were Tyler Fornia, assistant Scout master; Jay Abbott, Granite Falls High School; Trevor Cox, Granite Falls Middle School; Shawn Kelly, Stillaguamish Valley School; Julian Leclair, a home-schooled student; Michael Moore, Granite Falls Middle School; Zechariah Sarey, Monte Cristo Elementary; Kylee Gray, Granite Falls Middle School; and Ed Moore, Scout master. Diane Kelley and Naomi Leclair, leaders of the Friendly Critters 4-H, also helped in the effort.

The team worked from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. trimming grass, picking up litter, cleaning headstones and planting rhododendrons donated to the cemetery, to get it ready for Memorial Day weekend.

Bothell Police Department honored

Dale Amundsen, community relations coordinator for Evergreen Washelli's Bothell funeral home and chairman of the Greater Bothell Chamber of Commerce, recently honored the Bothell Police Department during National Police Week, an event established by President Kennedy in 1962.

Amundsen met Police Chief Forrest Conover and Bothell Police Department employees in the police community room to present a letter of appreciation to Conover for the department and its valuable work in the community.

Conover began his law enforcement career with the Snohomish County Sheriff's office in 1980 and was hired by the Bothell Police Department in 1984. Conover has held every rank in the Bothell Police Department, and served as the patrol operations captain and SWAT team commander for six years. He was promoted to chief of police in February 2002, becoming the sixth chief of police in the history of the Bothell department.

Police Memorial Day, observed May 15 each year, recognizes and honors law enforcement professionals who have lost their lives in the line of duty. Nationwide, 180 officers died in the line of duty in 2007, up from 147 in 2006.

National Police Week honors the officers, deputies and agents who continue to take the risk and to serve in the interest of the public.

Senior volunteer honored by governor

Dolores Sternola of Lynnwood recently was recognized by Gov. Chris Gregoire and the Washington Commission for National and Community Service for her volunteer work in support of the Concern for Neighbors Food Bank in Mountlake Terrace.

Sternola received the award at the governor's mansion as part of National Volunteer Recognition Week. Sternola enrolled in the retired and senior volunteer program (RSVP) in 1993 and has volunteered in all capacities at the food bank, serving more than 4,500 hours.

Everett teen a Seafair semifinalist

Andie Sellers, 13, of Everett recently was chosen as a semifinalist in the Seafair Ambassador Program for a community service Web site she created called Bandage the World. Andie's Web site inspires others to help their communities.

On her Web site, Andie invites others to join in a "viral volunteer challenge" to do "one good thing per week and post it on a blog labeled 'Bandage the World'; encourage at least two other people to join each week and go to at least three other people's blogs each week to see what they've done, and to give them positive feedback."

Once a year, Seafair hosts an ambassador program that provides an opportunity for area youth to learn how to help themselves and their community.

Andie, who excels at computers and art, hopes to build a solid community service record during high school so she can go to art school on scholarship. She also hopes to continue with her volunteer work.

If Andie is one of the six out of 12 youth chosen to be Seafair Ambassadors, she could go to Kobe, Japan, plus earn a small scholarship for college. For more information go to www.Bandagetheworld.org.

Kamiak High School hosts African children

Kamiak High School in Mukilteo was among several Snohomish and King County schools that recently participated in the 2008 Suubi Tour, an event created by Sister Schools, a Seattle-based nonprofit that links schools in Washington with schools in Uganda.

Sister Schools recently brought a group of nine Ugandan students to the area for the tour.

Through school presentations each fall, Washington children learn about life in Uganda and the overwhelming odds these children face on a daily basis. Each school donates school supplies, books and clothing which Sister Schools then ships and distributes each spring to the schools and orphanages in Uganda.

Each May and June, Sister Schools organizes the Suubi tour, bringing the African children to Seattle schools for a follow-up presentation. During the tour, African children perform songs and dances that reflect their African culture, with traditional African drums to accompany their music.

The children also host five fundraising events throughout the Puget Sound area. All proceeds benefit the Suubi performers through the Sister Schools Children of Promise Fund. For more information call 206-447-6962 or go to www.sisterschools.org.

Boys & Girls clubs honor youth

The Boys & Girls Clubs of Snohomish County recently named its youths of the quarter for January through March.

The following teens were honored, listed with the location of clubs in which they participate: Ivan Garcia, north Everett; Alex Hendrick, Alderwood; Matt Maddock, Sultan; Makayla Baker, Monroe; Donika Low, Trailside Village; Luis Orozco, south Everett; Kayla Gray, Mukilteo; Nick Berry, Arlington; Amber Spaid, Lake Stevens; and Dillon Betts. Edmonds.

Winners were selected out of the thousands of teens who are members of the 13 Boys & Girls clubs and 18 extension sites throughout Snohomish County. The title recognizes outstanding contributions to a member's family, school, community and Boys & Girls Club, as well as personal challenges and obstacles overcome.

Police ceremony in Mountlake Terrace

Mountlake Terrace police recently held a brief ceremony at the department flagpole to honor fallen police officers and commemorate the beginning of National Police Week.

After the playing of taps by Edmonds officer Debbie Dawson and the lowering of the flag, the interim police chief, Larry Dickerson, lead the Pledge of Allegiance.

For each Snohomish County officer killed in the line of duty, a rose was placed at the base of the flagpole. As each name was read, a bell was rung a single time. Mountlake Terrace records specialist, Beth Menstell, sang "Amazing Grace" a cappella, and closing the ceremony was a benediction by Support No. 7.

The first Snohomish County officer recognized as dying in the line of duty was Everett police detective Charles Raymond in 1902. The most recent was Eddie Thomas, from the Brier Police Department, who died in 2006.

Edmonds Chief David Stern passed away on April 27, 2007, of a brain aneurysm while on duty, but a medical condition while not involved in a high-stress incident does not meet the criteria for line-of-duty recognition.

Events are held nationally each year to honor past and present police and custody officers.

Marysville YMCA receives $1,000 grant

The Marysville Family YMCA recently received a $1,000 grant to enhance its parent-child swimming initiatives for the Marysville community from YMCA of the USA and Huggies Little Swimmers, a product of the Kimberly-Clark Corp.

The gift is one of 100 grants of $1,000 each awarded by Huggies Little Swimmers to YMCAs across the country to initiate or enhance the YMCA Parent, Child Aquatic Enrichment Program, designed for children from 6 to 36 months old in underserved communities.

Money received from the Huggies Little Swimmers Outreach grant will enable the Marysville Family YMCA to provide free parent-child classes for participants of the Alternative High School program, called "Grads." This program targets young, single mothers in an effort to support their education and help them to graduate in spite of their circumstances.

The YMCA will offer young mothers the opportunity to take part in a parent-child water safety class created specifically for them. This will allow them to learn water safety for themselves and their children and focus on directed family time as the child learns to swim.



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