Applause

The Archbishop Murphy High School girls soccer team recently raised $1,140 to help fight breast cancer.

Recognizing that October was Breast Cancer Awareness month, the team dressed in pink T-shirts Oct. 27 and sold pink cookies and other baked goods throughout the day and at the home football game. The money the team raised will benefit the Susan G. Komen Foundation and aid in breast cancer research, education and treatment. Mostly Muffins owner Molly Bolanos sponsored the fundraising event.

Participating were Sam Pettinger, Julie Connelly, Melissa VonderHofen, Brittany Allen, Sarah Carratt, Alli Beard, Caroline Robinson, Lauren Jelinek, Aleigh Mansfield, Casey Gould, Drea Gaitan, Jamie Hatcher, Jessica Hofmann, Emma Nelson, Maria Ray, Sarah Fortune, Sarah McDade, Lindsey Bos, Kayla Galgano, Kathleen Pedersen, Maddie Huggins, Kristin Ehlebracht, Erin Ryan, Alexa Hughes, Taylor Bass, Catherine Bury, Katie Duff, Juliette Boddy, Amanda Hitchcock, Kendle McAdam, Jordan Nelson, China Smith, Emily Henderson, Kelly D’Ettorre, Kathryn Hoerauf, Meg Balch, Melissa White, Sarah Schireman, Marisa Parker, Paige Ryan, Krisla Nguyen, Amber Buehlmaier, Charlene Ametsitsi, Karin D’Ettorre, Katie Webster, Kayla Lord, Chrissy Shuh, Meaghan Leferink and Marya Oestreich. The team is coached by Pat Jack, Dick Henderson, Ricardo Rivera, Cortney Comunale and Mellissa Knutson.

Volunteers complete emergency training

Eleven county residents recently graduated from Community Emergency Response Team training with Snohomish County Fire District 1.

Jarrod Dibble, Laurie Dressler, John Quast, Mike Prill, Matt Cantoni, Jillian Nolton, Dan Nolton, Marcella Zettler, Jack Robinson, Barb Hulbert and Anicha Gilbert completed the eight-session CERT course to learn how to help their communities during a disaster. Class topics included readiness, basic disaster first aid, search-and-rescue operations, how to put out small fires and the psychological effect of disasters. Students put their skills to the test as they participated in a final hands-on drill that simulated a disaster scene.

The fire district’s next CERT class will be offered in the spring. The class is free, but students need to create or purchase a home disaster kit and purchase personal safety equipment to participate in some class activities. For more information or to register for the class, call 425-551-1250 or e-mail kthorstenson@ firedistrict1.org.

Sky Valley Food Bank celebrates 30 years

The Sky Valley Food Bank in Monroe recently celebrated its 30th anniversary with an open house and ceremony to mark its years of service.

More than 100 people, including volunteers, donors, city officials and clients of the food bank, enjoyed an afternoon of remembrance and sharing, food bank director Julie Morris said.

“The Monroe community is very supportive of the food bank and has proved over and over that the food bank’s ‘neighbors helping neighbors’ theme works,” Morris said. “More than 35,200 meals went out in October. Volunteers and donors keep our doors open.”

The Cascade Crew of Cascade Community Church helped clean the food bank in preparation for the event, Morris said.

The food bank currently is collecting funds to cover the cost of holiday foods, including turkeys and all the trimmings. Donations can be sent to P.O. Box 233, Monroe, WA 98272.

School nurse in Darrington honored

Darrington School District nurse Barbara Cheyney has been named School Nurse of the Year by the School Nurse Organization of Washington.

Cheyney is part of the School Nurse Corps, a statewide program that provides nursing services to school districts that would otherwise have few or no services available. The School Nurse Corps program, started in 1999, supports nursing services in 13 school districts in the Northwest Educational Service District 189 region.

Cheyney, who has worked in Darrington schools since 2004, has more than 20 years of school nursing experience. She also worked in the Marysville School District and spent two years as a public health nurse for Snohomish County’s early childhood education and assistance program. Cheyney teaches family and community nursing for one quarter each year in Seattle Pacific University’s north consortium, a program based at Skagit Valley Hospital in Mount Vernon.

Grant aids YMCA children’s program

YMCA of Snohomish County will offer added help to children in its after-school programs in Marysville and Mukilteo. The help is made possible through a $10,000 grant from the JCPenney Afterschool Fund. JCPenney also gave the two YMCA branches gift cards to distribute to children in need of new school clothes and supplies.

The grant money will be used to offer supervised activities and homework help to children whose families cannot otherwise afford after-school care.

YMCA of Snohomish County serves nearly 2,000 children at 25 sites in seven school districts in the county.

Citizen patrol does trash duty along I-5

Lynnwood Police Department Citizens Patrol members have added picking up trash on the freeway to their long list of duties.

The volunteers, who donated more than 22,000 staff hours of work to the city last year, serve as extra eyes and ears for police officers, a department spokesman said. The patrol has “adopted” a stretch of the freeway in south Snohomish County, and on a recent day, volunteers filled 25 bags with litter in less than two hours.

For more about volunteer opportunities at the Lynnwood Police Department, call Trudy Dana at 425-744-6939 or Shannon Sessions at 425-744-6938.

Troop honors three new Eagle Scouts

New Eagle Scouts Jeremy Chan, Ben Howorth and Taylor Buser of Boy Scout Troop 221 were recognized at a court of honor ceremony Tuesday at Cedar Cross United Methodist Church in Mill Creek. Only 3 percent of all Boy Scouts make it to the rank of Eagle, a troop leader said.

Chan, 17, is the son of Clarence and Abigail Chan. He participated in the early entrance program at the University of Washington and is a junior majoring in neurobiology. He hopes to attend medical school. For his academic achievements, Chan was awarded the Boeing National Merit Scholarship in 2005. In addition, Chan, in cooperation with friends Karman Tandon and Brandon Teng, recently founded the nonprofit organization Care For Kids, which aims to raise awareness and funds to provide Zambian orphans with health care. For his Eagle project, Chan assembled and installed three bat and duck houses at Martha Lake Park. He also spruced up the areas surrounding the park playground. His family, friends and scout troop helped him with his project.

Howorth, 18, is the son of Tom and Margaret Howorth of Lynnwood. He is a senior at Mariner High School and is employed at Baskin-Robbins. For his Eagle project, Howorth rebuilt a wooden bench outside of Cedar Cross United Methodist Church and corrected a drainage problem near a large flower box. He had help from other scouts, parents and friends. Howorth is a member of Cedar Cross, which is the charter organization for Troop 221.

Buser, 18, is the son of Kathy Buser of Mill Creek. He also is a senior at Jackson High School. Buser’s Eagle project consisted of building two kiosks in the Mill Creek nature preserve with information on the native flora and fauna in the area. Other parents and scouts from the troop provided assistance with the project.

Floods keep helpers from Red Cross busy

Volunteers with the Snohomish County chapter of the American Red Cross have been busy helping residents in flooded areas of the county during the past week. On Monday, the organization also helped three Snohomish County families when their houses burned.

“Because residents are in such a state of transition from day to day, the Red Cross wants them to know that we’re here and we can help,” said Chuck Morrison, executive director of the Snohomish County chapter.

Since Nov. 7, the American Red Cross has served more than 15,150 meals and snacks to those affected by recent flooding throughout Western Washington. Additionally, 68 mobile feeding units have been deployed throughout the region to deliver food and other supplies, chapter spokeswoman Adi Weaver said.

“We have amazing volunteers,” she said.

To volunteer for the Snohomish County chapter of the American Red Cross, call 425-740-2327 or e-mail volcoord@ snohomishcounty.redcross.org.

Financial donations to the county Red Cross chapter may be mailed to 2530 Lombard Ave., Everett, WA 98201. An online contribution can be made at www.snohomishcounty. redcross.org.

Grant helps young people learn golf

The United States Golf Association has awarded a $20,000 matching grant to The First Tee Snohomish County to help young people develop golf and life skills.

The grant will help fund golf course access for youths, said Jeff Cornish, executive director of nonprofit organization.

The First Tee Snohomish County will seek support from individuals, organizations and sponsors to raise money for the matching grant, Cornish said.

The USGA helps organizations develop introductory golf programs and alternative golf facilities for youths from disadvantaged backgrounds, minority youths, girls and individuals with disabilities.

The First Tee provides young people of all backgrounds with an opportunity to develop confidence, perseverance and judgment through character education using golf.

In 2006, the Snohomish County chapter has served more than 300 students at several golf facilities and more than 700 children in elementary physical education classes in the county.