Saturday has been designated “The Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women in Snohomish County.” Urged by members of the Zonta Club of Everett, Snohomish County executive Aaron Reardon recently signed a proclamation acknowledging victims of violence in the county.

He set aside Nov. 25 to recognize the Zonta Club’s efforts to improve the status of women. In addition, Mukilteo Mayor Joe Marine has proclaimed this week “Domestic Violence Awareness Week” in Mukilteo.

As part of a worldwide campaign by Zonta International to end violence against women, the Zonta Club of Everett contacted local officials and requested they join the campaign.

The Zonta Club of Everett was chartered in 1929 and is affiliated with Zonta International, a worldwide service organization of business and professional executives. Zonta International has selected the eradication of violence against women as its service focus.

Stanwood Lions members named top volunteers

Stanwood Lions Club, which has provided volunteer services to the Camano Senior and Community Center for years, has been named the center’s volunteer group for December.

Members of the club have served as the color guard for special events at the center and have put in long days as parking attendants for the center’s annual Collectors Car Show and Flea Market.

Food banks benefit from Fire 1 Foundation donation

Programs to provide food to low-income Snohomish County residents will benefit from a $10,000 donation from the Fire 1 Foundation, a nonprofit community service organization founded by the employees of Snohomish County Fire District 1.

Fire 1 Foundation treasurer Jim Grieco, a captain at the fire district’s Mariner Station, presented the donation to the Volunteers of America for food bank programs Nov. 15.

“The Fire 1 Foundation’s support for area food banks is rooted in tradition. It all started more than 10 years ago with a group of firefighters who passed the hat to sponsor a family for the holidays, and it grew from there,” said Leslie Hynes, foundation president.

Over the years, District 1 firefighters have raised more than $40,000 for the Volunteers of America food bank programs, which are a major beneficiary of the organization’s Holiday Harvest auction held each fall.

Marysville Noon Rotary encourages literacy

Marysville Noon Rotary recently distributed checks totaling $18,000 to Marysville, Arlington and Lakewood school districts. The donations were proceeds from the service club’s Pumpkins for Literacy fundraising program.

In addition the Rotary club plans to give dictionaries to each fourth-grade student in the Marysville School District. The Marysville Morning Rotary plans to make the same donation to students in the Lakewood School District.

Edmonds teen raises awareness for hospital

The artwork of an Edmonds teenager will brighten the days of shoppers this holiday season while raising awareness for Children’s Hospital and Regional Medical Center.

Drawings by 15-year-old Sarah Herczog will appear on millions of grocery bags used by TOP Food &Drug and Haggen Food &Pharmacy stores in the state. Sarah, daughter of Ed and Jill Herczog of Edmonds, is a sophomore at Holy Names Academy in Seattle.

She has been a patient at Children’s since the second grade.

At age 10, she was diagnosed as having mitochondrial disease, with symptoms that include fatigue, memory loss and seizures.

Sarah and her family are among the founders of the Mitochondrial Research Guild, which has raised almost $600,000 for Children’s during the last four years with its Cure for Mito Auction.

North County volunteers raise funds for burn victim

North County Fire and Emergency Medical Services department recently raised more than $4,000 during its 10th annual Northwest Burn Drive. The money raised from Stanwood community contributions will help burn victims in the region.

Monroe music groups tune up for trips to East Coast

Monroe High School’s Jazz Ensemble is headed to Boston, and the school’s JazzCats vocal group is bound for New York.

The Jazz Ensemble, which is under the direction of Lisa White, recently learned that it will travel in March to the invitational Heritage Festival in Massachusetts.

The ensemble earned the invitation by scoring top marks at a regional music festival in the spring. The ensemble plans a fundraising event Jan. 20, with a “Musical Dessert” and silent auction. Proceeds will help band members cover travel costs.

Choral director Katie Lenoue will take her singers to New York City in May for a Heritage Festival for vocalists. The choir’s annual “Soup, Salad and Song” event in March will raise money to help with JazzCats travel costs.

Terrace Boy Scout troop looks for new members

Boy Scouts from Troop 60 recently completed a 16-mile overnight hike in the Henry M. Jackson Wilderness. Scouts practiced survival techniques, compass work, edible plant identification and wilderness first aid measures. On a recent trip to the Vertical World in Everett, Scouts learned the fundamentals of rock climbing.

Troop 60, sponsored by St. Pius X Church in Mountlake Terrace, meets at 7:30 p.m. Tuesdays at the church, 22301 58th Ave. W. Interested boys are welcome to visit a troop meeting.

Boy Scout finishes project, donates to Everett mission

Garrett Luck recently completed work on his Eagle Scout project. Garrett, the son of Carl and Lisa Luck of Camano Island, organized the collection of supplies for the Everett Gospel Mission.

Over four weeks, he collected soap, shampoo, razors, shaving cream, blankets and sleeping bags and other items. In addition, he collected $1,500 donations for the mission.

To complete his project, Garrett recruited friends from his Scout troop, his church youth group and several family members to help out. He delivered the supplies and cash donations to the Everett Gospel Mission on Saturday.

Garrett is an eighth-grader at Stanwood Middle School, where he is an honor student and is on the basketball team. He is a member of Camano Island Boy Scout Troop 46 and has been involved in Scouting for eight years. He also is active in the Camano Chapel youth group.

Volunteer group donates backpacks for kids

Verizon Norwesco Telecom Pioneers, a group of Verizon employees and retired volunteers, recently put together 50 backpacks for police and sheriff’s officers to use when they respond to domestic violence calls or other problems. The backpacks contain age-appropriate comfort items that help distract children who have been brought into the police station because of a traumatic event.

Volunteers earn disaster response certificates

A new crop of south Snohomish County residents recently completed Community Emergency Response Team classes offered by the Emergency Services Coordinating Agency.

The students received 24 hours of classroom instruction, which covered information on fire safety, urban search and rescue, medical operations, disaster psychology and terrorism.

The training will help people prepare for the first several days after a major disaster, training program manager Jamie Gravelle said. The course test provided students an opportunity to practice their skills during a earthquake disaster drill.

The agency offers the training program three times a year. The next class is set to begin in January. For more information, call 425-776-3722 or go online to www.esca1.com.

Those earning CERT certificates included Nancy Blevins, Geri Groberg, Annabelle Heartsfield, John Jewell, Ruth Jewell, Roger Lee, Molly Lloyd-Wilson, Liz Martinez-Thoma, Michelle McLaughlin, Kam Ostriker, Adriana Peytcheva, Kara Price, Ruby Quemuel, Mark Schnurle, Darian Selbey, Renu Shani, Sean Simson, Judi Smith, Julene Tomberg, Stacey VanKleeck, Jacque Williams, Dee Williamson, Cheryl Yamashita and Gene Yamashita.