Applause
Published 2:05 pm Thursday, January 14, 2010
GIVING
City Bank helps kids get bicycles
Greg Noren, vice president of marketing for City Bank, recently presented a $20,000 check for “Kids On Wheels” to Christmas House president Rick Kvangnes.
With this donation from City Bank, Christmas House purchased more than 350 new bicycles and tricycles and gave them to children from qualifying low income families throughout Snohomish County.
Whidbey Eagles Aerie helps groups
The Whidbey Island Eagles Aerie in Freeland recently gave $500 to seven organizations.
The donations were given to the American Legion Boys State, Forgotten Children’s Fund, Hearts and Hammers, Helping Hand, Holiday House, Meals On Wheels and Tommy’s Mobile Turkey Unit.
The money was donated from the proceeds of the Eagles’ Annual Donkey Baseball game.
Zonta Club donates decorations, gifts
The Zonta Club of Everett donated holiday decorations and gifts to the women at Pacific Treatment Alternatives program Safe Babies, Safe Moms at their December 2009 meeting.
Zonta International is a global organization of executives and professionals working together to advance the status of women worldwide through service and advocacy.
Boeing employees give to YMCA
During last year’s Spirit of the Holidays Program, Boeing employees and employee groups adopted families, seniors, and children in need.
The YMCA of Snohomish County partnered with Boeing on this program and the YMCA’s six branches provided a total of 75 families for adoption, most of whom have children in YMCA child care programs.
HONORS
Lowe’s employees help soldiers
Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 1040 in Lynnwood presented Lowe’s Home Improvement Store employees with a Patriotic Citizens Award on Tuesday for their donations and support for military personnel overseas in Afghanistan and Iraq.
Store employees recently collected more than $1,200 in food and sundry items for the troops.
Monroe firefighters of the year named
Monroe Fire District 3 presented awards and recognized members for their achievements on Dec. 11 at an annual awards banquet.
The Monroe Volunteer Firefighters Association chose Clayton Mattern as the 2009 Career Firefighter of the Year. Mattern was recognized for helping to teach volunteers. He helped train those who want to become engineers on fire engines, quizzed volunteers on how to find addresses inside and outside of the fire district, and assisted those who needed to make up a missed training session.
Volunteer Lyle Bartley was selected as the 2009 Volunteer of the Year. Bartley covers two to three shifts every week. He is also active in the department’s Explorer program and helps with their weekly training every Thursday night.
Public information officer Richelle Risdon received the 2009 Administrative Award for her work. She is responsible for “House Calls,” the department’s newsletter, its Web site and several programs.
Other awards recognized department personnel for years of service. Battalion chief LeRoy Schwartz Jr. began his fire service career as a volunteer firefighter with the department 25 years ago. In 1986, he became an emergency medical technician and was hired as the department’s second career firefighter.
Those recognized for 20 years of service were Steve Guptill, Bryan Hunt and Randy Woolery. Individuals with 10 years of service were Mike Camerer, Kurth Schneider, Scott Rybar and Brad McLenaghan. Those who have served for five years include Jennifer Pardee, Stacy Arnold, Matt James and Brad Henning.
SnoIsle school retirees earn award
The SnoIsle Unit 22 School Retirees of Washington was recently recognized with a National Retired Teachers Association With Our Youth Excellence Award.
The award recognizes the SnoIsle School Retirees’ volunteer project to provide a multigenerational educational outreach program in honor of Veteran’s Day.
The volunteers partnered with Imagine Everett Children’s Museum to help with the Veteran’s Day project including a wall of remembrance featuring approximately 2,000 paper bricks with veteran’s names made by youth. Members also helped children send postcards to veterans at hospitals and talk with retirees in uniform about their time in the service.
The unit’s award was one of three given in the local category nationwide.
NRTA also honored Linda Averill of Marysville with an Individual Dedication Award for her work to secure a grant to provide dictionaries to third graders at a school on the Tulalip Reservation. Her work expanded to secure additional funding for library books, selected by the students based upon book reviews that they read.
Averill is also a pen pal with ESL students and active in her unit’s scholarship program. Her Individual Dedication Award was one of five presented nationally.
