Applause

Service group recognizes volunteers

Martha Mee, Larry Wewel, Everett Irwin, Geraldine Atwater, Marissa Obedoza and Herb Williams recently were recognized for their volunteer efforts by Catholic Community Services as part of Volunteer Recognition Week, nationally observed April 27 to May 3.

Vicki Howell, regional chief of operations for Catholic Community Services, also presented a symbolic check to Aaron Reardon, Snohomish County Executive. The check represented the value of 165,373 volunteer service hours at $18.77 per hour provided by the organization’s 1,318 volunteers in 2007.

Granite firefighter on state commission

Tony Mace of Granite Falls has been appointed to the state commission on national and community service by Gov. Chris Gregoire. Mace’s term begins March 20 and ends Feb. 15, 2010.

Mace is a firefighter and acting captain with the Paine Field Fire Department. He is a CPR first-aid instructor and an instructor at the Fire Academy for the Sno-Isle Vocational High School Program. He also was a member of a mission team sent to Helene, Honduras, to aid in construction, education and first-aid clinic work.

Girls basketball team wins championship

The eighth-grade girls basketball team at Immaculate Conception, Our Lady of Perpetual Help School in Everett recently won the Catholic Youth Organization Division AAA Basketball Championship of the Seattle Archdiocese. Ellie Wicklund, Annie Schmidt, Nicole Rohlinger, Savannah McIver, Ellie Hoban, Kelly Gould, Karoline Brodie, Kristina Bride, Jody Barhanovich and Tierney Bagley are the team players. Shawn Hoban, Karen Barhanovich and Randy Wicklund are coaches.

Catholic youths win sportsmanship award

Fifteen Catholic Youth Organization basketball players recently were named winners of the Francine Veith Sportsmanship award. Each team nominates one winner.

Winners by grade are:

Fourth-graders: Ben Morgan, Jon Sisneros and Addison Schmidt.

Fifth-graders: Zach Weber, Scott Rohlinger, Audrey Metcalf and Madelyn Hoban.

Sixth-graders: Nolan Heisel and Maggie Keaty.

Seventh-graders: Ross Rhone, Christopher Boe and Janie Lucas.

Eighth-graders: Tim Dobson, James Kussy and Ellie Hoban.

School classified staffers earn awards

Karin Craft, Terrie DeBolt, Sue Sporrong and Mary Wennerberg were among 36 public school classified employees who recently received Classified Employee Excellence Awards.

The four women received a $1,000 check and a certificate from State Superintendent of Public Instruction Terry Bergeson at an awards ceremony in the Washington state Senate chambers. This was the first year for the awards ceremony.

There are 78,000 classified employees in the state and more than 210 employees applied for the awards.

The awards were proposed by the Public School Employees of Washington, a union representing classified employees, and were approved by the 2007 Legislature.

Craft is an education assistant at Voyager Middle School, in the Mukilteo School District. DeBolt is transportation supervisor in the transportation department of the Everett School District. Sporrong is an education assistant at Little Cedars Elementary, in the Snohomish School District. Wennerberg is an instructional aide at Stanwood Elementary, in the Stanwood-Camano Island School District.

Everett paramedic named Star of Life

Scott Lang, a paramedic and Everett resident, recently was named a 2008 Star of Life award recipient by the American Medical Response of Tacoma. Lang will be recognized at the 17th annual Stars of Life event at the Washington Court Hotel in Washington, D.C., May 5-7.

The Stars of Life celebration coincides with National Emergency Medical Services week. Last year more than 100 “Stars” were honored.

Lang has worked for American Medical Response in EMS for six years. He began working as an EMT in Portland, Ore., and Seattle while earning the first Associate of Applied Science in Paramedicine degree awarded from Clark College.

He works as a paramedic in the greater Pierce County area and is also working toward a Bachelor of Science degree.

Lang was nominated for the award for a trip he and his wife made to Cambodia with a medical team in August 2007.

While there, Lang and the team treated more than 10,500 people for ailments ranging from back pain and malnutrition to dengue fever and malaria. Lang worked in the emergency and operating room administering IVs and breathing treatments and assisting in minor surgeries.

Snohomish Camp Fire awarded health grant

The Snohomish County Council of Camp Fire USA recently was selected as a pilot council for Camp Fire USA’s partnership with MetLife Foundation, for an initiative aimed at addressing obesity and lack of physical activity among young people in diverse, underserved communities.

Through the initiative, called the MetLife Foundation-Camp Fire USA Hold on to Health Initiative, Camp Fire plans to develop a health curriculum in English and Spanish, pilot the curriculum in 10 local areas, and share best practices throughout the organization.

The Snohomish County council will use the grant to expand its Out-of School Time Mega Club program for low-income children. The enhanced program will address lifestyle changes, including the importance of physical exercise, good nutrition, access to healthy foods and health-enhancing behaviors.

Partners for the program include the Housing Authority of Snohomish County, Washington State University Extension Service, Mercy Housing and the Public Health Department.

Nonprofits receive Moyer grants

Little Red School House and St. Vincent de Paul of Snohomish County were recently named recipients of The Moyer Foundation grants.

The foundation, which awards grants three times yearly, recently awarded grants totaling $100,000 to local nonprofit organizations.

Little Red School House received a grant for $10,000 to help children living in homeless shelters. St. Vincent de Paul of Snohomish County received $3,000 to provide beds for children from low income families.

Founded in 2000 by former Seattle Mariner pitcher Jamie Moyer and his wife, Karen, The Moyer Foundation provides comfort and support to children during times of profound physical, emotional or financial distress.

Langley resident heads to Botswana

Autumn Preble, 57, of Langley recently was accepted into the Peace Corps.

Preble is the daughter of Bob Preble and the parent of Brendan and is a graduate of Aberdeen High School in Aberdeen. She attended Stanford University in Palo Alto, Calif., where she earned a bachelor’s degree in psychology, graduating in 1974.

Preble departed for Botswana on April 14 to begin pre-service training as a district AIDS Peace Corps volunteer. Upon graduation from the training, Preble plans to work in the district office of an AIDS coordination program, which helps the Botswana government meet the goals and objectives of the National Strategic AIDS plan.

During the first three months of her service, Preble will live with a host family in Botswana to become fully immersed in the country’s language and culture. She will then serve for two years in Botswana, living in a manner similar to people in her host country.

Preble joins the 363 Washington residents currently serving in the Peace Corps. More than 7,911 Washington residents have served in the Peace Corps since 1961. Preble previously worked in Uganda in 2006 and 2007 coordinating creativity camps for teens living with HIV/AIDS and working with Bead for Life, a poverty eradication project in Kampala.

Lake Stevens schools recognize volunteers

The Lake Stevens School District recently named its volunteers of the year.

The citizen volunteers were recognized at the district’s annual volunteer celebration for their work at schools in the Lake Stevens School District.

Chief Randy Celori of the Lake Stevens police department was named Partner in Education for the Safe Schools Initiative.

Other volunteers of the year and the schools where they served are: Kelly Swanson, Glenwood Elementary; Bill Clough, Highland Elementary; Margaret Wertz, Hillcrest Elementary; James Spainhower, Mt. Pilchuck Elementary; Susanne Langerveld, Skyline Elementary; Cherri Gooding, Sunnycrest Elementary; Anna Slater, Lake Stevens Middle School; Claire Kane, North Lake Middle School; Ivy Houghton, Cavelero Mid High School; Cyndy Nance, Lake Stevens High School; and Kathy Gascoigne, HomeLink.