Applause

Grace Castle of Marysville has been honored by Sno-Isle Unit 22 of the Washington State School Retirees Association for her contribution to the group’s annual community outreach project. The mother of member Linda Averill, Castle has made a full wardrobe of clothes for more than 30 dolls destined for the Salvation Army’s Toy and Joy shop.

Each December, members of Sno-Isle Unit 22 contribute dolls, stuffed animals, games and books to help Salvation Army provide for families during the holidays.

Contributions will be accepted by Salvation Army at the Washington State School Retirees annual Christmas brunch, set for 10 a.m. Dec. 7 at Everett Golf and Country Club. Retired educators from Snohomish and Island counties are encouraged to attend. To make reservations, call 425-353-7814.

Sky Valley Food Bank plans party today

Sky Valley Food Bank’s 30th anniversary celebration will be from 5 to 7 p.m. today at 784 Village Way, Monroe.

Donations can be sent to the Sky Valley Food Bank, P.O. Box 724, Monroe, WA 98272, or dropped off at 784 Village Way, Monroe. Call 360-794-7959 for more information.

Students’ ornaments to grace Capitol trees

Students from St. Thomas More School in Lynnwood recently created ornaments that will hang on the national Christmas tree in Washington, D.C., or on one of the 65 companion trees from the state. Their ornaments are in the shape of the state and each design is different. Since the Capitol’s Christmas trees are from Washington this year, children in the state were invited to make ornaments to decorate them.

Sertoma Club donates to cancer center fund

The Everett Sertoma Club, represented by Dave Burgen, recently presented a check for $3,500 to the Flynn Cancer Center Family and Assistance Fund at Providence Everett Medical Center. The group has contributed to the fund for 23 years, and its contributions now total $100,000.

Organized in 1956, the Everett Sertoma Club is a community service organization of professional men and retirees whose main purpose is “service to mankind.” The club’s primary program is supplying free hearing aids to people in need.

Girl named honoree for Arthritis Foundation

Sadie Jordan, 9, of Snohomish County has been named a 2006 honoree of the Arthritis Foundation. A patient at Upton Family Medicine in Edmonds, she has lived with juvenile rheumatoid arthritis since she was 18 months old. A fundraiser in Sadie’s name is set for 7 p.m. Nov. 16 at Jimmy Z’s, 1712 Hewitt Ave., Everett. A cover charge of $10 includes live music and prizes. The band Shadrack will play at 8 p.m. Prizes include AquaSox tickets and restaurant and salon gift certificates.

All proceeds benefit the Arthritis Foundation in its effort to fund research that may find a cure for juvenile arthritis. For more information, call 206-547-2707, ext. 102.

Lions Club donates to Machias Elementary

Machias Elementary School in Snohomish recently received two grants to purchase electronic equipment for three low-vision students. The King County Lions Club donated $10,000 and the Snohomish County Lions Club donated $6,000 to purchase a laptop and camera combination and three docking stations that will assist low-vision students.

Pilchuck Audubon offers teacher awards

The Pilchuck Audubon Society, through a recent grant given by two of its members, will award a yearly classroom conservation award to elementary school teachers in Snohomish County.

Awards of $250 each are available for as many as 10 public or private schools. Applications will be judged on classroom science and conservation projects. The final product of such projects must involve the entire classroom and demonstrate achievable and relevant wildlife conservation goals.

The Pilchuck Audubon Society is an associate of the National Audubon Society and has a long history of conservation- related activity. The group hopes the awards will help students begin to understand the complex natural world and its ecosystems.

Applications for the awards must be submitted by Dec. 15 to Pilchuck Audubon Society, 1903 Hewitt Ave., Suite 108, Everett, WA 98201. Winners will be announced in January. For more information, call Mike Blackbird at 425-670-2491.

Everett med student presents research

The results of medical research by Lisa Qi Wang of Everett were presented recently at the Medical College of Wisconsin, where she is a student. Wang had completed a research fellowship that studied burn injuries among young children in the Milwaukee area.

Wang reviewed two years of charts for 313 children with burns who were evaluated at Children’s Hospital of Wisconsin. She found that the highest incidences occurred among boys age 18 months. Nearly half of all injuries were scald burns, and clothing irons were the most common cause of contact burns on hands and fingers.

Her research was funded by the Healthier Wisconsin Partnership Program.

Camp Fire club sews blankets for kids

The Snohomish Camp Fire USA club O Da Kon Ya Wee recently completed a community service project to help children in need.

Members Dalanie Church, Stephanie Church, Abbie Ryan and Laurel Clayton made and donated security blankets to Project Linus.

Named for the security-blanket-toting character from the “Peanuts” comic strip, Project Linus provides new handmade blankets to children in hospitals and foster care.

This is the third time the Camp Fire club has sewn the blankets.

Fire district volunteers finish state training

More volunteer firefighters for North County Fire and Emergency Medical Services have completed training at the state fire academy. They are:

* Andrew Hiechel and Ben Piper, Freeborn residents and 2004 graduates of Stanwood High School.

* Corey Westerman, a Warm Beach resident and 2004 graduate of Stanwood High School.

* Anthony Berwald, a Bryant resident and 2003 graduate of Arlington High School.

* Ryan Dupra, another Bryant resident and a 2001 graduate of Nathan Hale High School in Seattle.

* Brendon Booth, who has been a volunteer with the department for two years.

* Derek Smith, a 2000 graduate of Marysville-Pilchuck High School who has a bachelor’s degree in fire protection and safety.

Cascadia’s literary magazine wins award

Cascadia Community College’s annual literary magazine, Wetlands Review, has won the Small College Award in the Pacific-Western region of the Community College Humanities Association Literary Magazine Competition.

“The credit for the quality and depth of our publication should go to the faculty, staff and students who work on the publication and who create the art and writing,” said Jared Leising of the English faculty.

Wetlands Review is published annually and distributed free on campus. The 2006 Wetlands Review, published in the spring, features 65 poems, stories and photographs and other visual arts.

Terrace students help shooting victims

Mountlake Terrace High School’s recent benefit concert raised almost $1,400 for the victims and families of the Amish school shooting in Nickel Mines, Pa. During the event, the students also received boxes and sacks of nonperishable food items and a monetary donation for the Mountlake Terrace Food Bank.

Chili cook-off winner donates to food bank

Jamie Stuart is the winner of a recent chili cook-off sponsored by Hawkeye’s Pub in Lake Stevens. The winner was allowed to pick a community organization or charity to receive the proceeds from the contest. Stuart chose the Lake Stevens Community Food Bank, and Hawkeye’s matched the proceeds, resulting in a $412 donation for the purchase of food items to help area families in need.

Monroe adds to fire commission board

Monroe Fire District 3 recently added Leslie Wells and Marc Mechling to its board of fire commissioners.

Wells has been a resident of Monroe Fire District 3 for 10 years. She lives outside the city limits and said she is interested in serving the greater Monroe community. Mechling has been a Monroe resident for 14 years. He previously served as fire district commissioner.

Monroe Fire District 3 covers 55 square miles in east Snohomish County and provides fire and emergency services to about 27,000 people.