High school students on mission to help soldiers
Karlee Freeland, left, and Katie Bryant are two driven Goldendale High School students on a mission to ensure that troops overseas get things to make their lives easier. They’ve launched “No Soldier Left Unloved,” a program to acquire donations of things such as non-perishable foods, games (cards, dice, etc.), plain T-shirts, long socks, wrapped candies, toiletry items, puzzle and comic books, sunscreen, toothbrushes, lotions, razors and shaving cream, (unscented, they specify), wet wipes and sanitizers, and money donations. They’re accepting the gifts now through May 1.
Donation drop-off points are at Columbia Bank, Holcomb’s Sentry Market, and the Goldendale IGA. The items then go for distribution to an organization called Caring for Troops and through the hands of Bend, Ore., police officer Lt. Gary Dekorte, who helps get everything to the troops. For more information, call Karlee at 310-9471 or Katie at 250-3116.
Father-daughter dance sponsored by Wasco parks and recreation
With moms and dads working, it’s difficult to get some one-on-one time with the kids. Northern Wasco County Parks and Recreation is planning a Father-Daughter dance for Feb. 12, to encourage this special relationship.
The purpose of the evening is to allow dads to set the standard of how a man should treat their daughters on a date, and to build the daughters’ self-esteem. “It’s really important for young girls to know what it means to be treated with respect. It’s also an unusual opportunity for dads to enter the little-girl world of dress-up and dancing, when it’s more common to find them coaching their daughter’s soccer team,” says Anya Kawka, Activities Coordinator. Each father/daughter will receive a memorable photo and attendees are encouraged to dress up in evening attire.
The dance will be open to girls k-8 grades and their dads or father-figures. “We will be playing fun dancing songs, like the Macarena and the Hokey Pokey so that everyone can participate,” says Kawka. “Any social-service agency will tell you that girls who have positive male role models in their lives are more likely to choose good husbands or partners later on. We encourage girls who may not have a biological dad in their life to invite a special man who represents that role.”
Many other American communities host such dances around Valentines Day. Pendleton’s Park and Recreation district has been doing it for eight years, and the event has become so popular that they have to limit their registration to the first 570. Because this is the first year for The Dalles, NWCPRD anticipates around 50 couples. “We need volunteers who are willing to help set up tables and chairs and to clean up after the dance,” she notes. Volunteers are also needed to provide snacks and punch.
Volunteers who want to help are encouraged to contact Parks and Rec as soon as possible at (541) 296-9533.
Student walk-outs and petitions call for support for higher education
Campus walk-outs and rallies accompanied a delivery of petitions to state lawmakers from college students and professors last week, asking that higher education at Washington’s state schools be spared any more budget cuts. 8,000 signatures have been gathered on petitions by student groups and the teachers’ union, AFT Washington, to be presented to state lawmakers.
Peter Sterr, a senior at U.W. Vancouver and a leader of the Washington Students Association, says his classmates are often too busy to worry about what’s happening in Olympia, but now, they’re seeing the need to pay attention and get more involved. “We have thousands of students around the state who are receiving financial aid of one sort or another, and many more students who are on loans, are working their way through, and are really on the cusp of being able to not afford to go. Students are getting riled up.”
Sterr says students want to know if there’s a limit after which the cuts will stop or tuition hikes will level off. In four-year universities, tuition has increased 28 percent in the past two years. At two-year schools, according to AFT Washington, one in four students is unemployed and trying to boost their career skills.
At South Seattle Community College, instructor Mike Hickey says there’s a waiting list of a thousand people who can’t get into classes on his campus as a result of funding cuts. “Professional technical programs, the worker retraining programs, et cetera—this is what’s going to get folks back out into the workforce in the most efficient and accelerated manner. That’s why I think we have to continue to fight higher education cuts.”
Enrollment in community and technical colleges was up 16 percent in Washington last year, and tuition in those schools has risen 14 percent in the past two years. The petitions will be given to members of the Ways and Means Committees in both the House and Senate. |
