Auction will help Big Brothers and Sisters
Published 11:31 pm Monday, September 15, 2008
It’s good news that many of our neighbors are kind enough to befriend boys and girls as Big Brothers and Sisters.
It’s urgent news is that many more volunteers are needed.
If you can’t give time, buy something to support the organization.
A Dream Builders Auction is planned for 5:30 p.m. Saturday at the Lynnwood Convention Center. For more information, e-mail dreambuilder@bbbs-snoco.org.
Alan Brockway with Big Brothers Big Sisters of Snohomish County said in 2007 more than 20,000 children lived in a single-parent household below the poverty line in Snohomish County.
He said Little Brothers and Sisters who meet regularly with their Big Brothers and Sisters are 46 percent less likely to begin using illegal drugs and 52 percent less likely to skip school. Last year, they enjoyed more than 21,000 hours of one-to-one time with their Bigs.
“Make sure children enjoy an invaluable asset, a mentor,” Brockway said.
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If your dwelling catches fire, you’ll be glad for these helping hands.
Coni Conner, director of disaster services, calls the 29 members of the Snohomish County Chapter of the American Red Cross Disaster Action Team “Angels without wings.”
The elite corps of Red Cross volunteers is known to arrive at a fire scene behind the fire truck, or occasionally even before, said Julie Reymore, the chapter’s DAT coordinator. Their mobile office is a 1996 Dodge Ram3500 christened “the DRV” (disaster emergency response vehicle) donated by the Boeing Employees Good Neighbor Fund.
Along with blankets to keep displaced homeowners or renters warm, the van is stocked to dispense clothing, flip flops and socks, snacks and beverages, and serves as a workplace to discern immediate needs.
Five- or six-member teams are on-call a week at a time on a five-week rotation. The chapter responds to a disaster in Snohomish County an average of every four days, according to Conner.
To learn about becoming a Red Cross volunteer, call 425-740-2327.
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Edmonds City Councilwoman Peggy Pritchard Olson was diagnosed with ALS (amyotrophic lateral sclerosis) on her birthday in April.
Friends and family have formed “Team Peggy” and will join a Walk to Defeat ALS, or Lou Gehrig’s Disease.
The benefit is 10 a.m. Sept. 27 at Seward Park in Seattle.
For more information about the benefit, go to www.alsa-ec.org.
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Fun Fact: It may still be Bermuda-short weather, but stores are hawking Halloween gear.
Who would expect to run into a giant air-filled black cat and ghoul playing a pipe organ hovering over shelves at Lowe’s in Mill Creek? Homeowners are finished making landscapes look beautiful for the summer, and it’s time to make the front yard creepy.
In the spirit of rushing holidays, here’s an idea for Christmas greeting card snapshots taken at a police open house planned for Thursday in Mountlake Terrace.
Newly appointed Chief of Police Greg Wilson will be there along with other officers and staff members from 6 to 8 p.m. They’ll offer prevention demonstrations including marking valuables and avoiding vehicle prowls.
Car windows will be shattered to show how quickly and quietly a thief can make off with property. Invisible-ink marking pens will be given out free to the first 75 families. The pens work on small electronics and don’t cause damage to surfaces.
Refreshments and handouts will be available along with tours of the department.
Feel free to take your camera and snap cheery pictures of the family — in a jail cell.
Columnist Kristi O’Harran: 425-339-3451, oharran@heraldnet.com.
