North Clark County and Woodland
Woodland: Santa made an early visit to north Clark County. The Big Guy arrived in Woodland for the Snowflake Bazaar on Nov. 20. The yearly event, which features around 50 tables of handcrafted items for sale, is sponsored by the Woodland Beaver Booster Club.
Woodland: The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife and Fish First on Nov. 17 placed salmon carcasses into the North Fork of the Lewis River to feed baby salmon. Tails are cut off the dead salmon so they can be identified from wild fish. The program was established in 1999 to imitate nutrient distribution that took place naturally when salmon were abundant. The program runs from October though March, according to the Fish First website.
Ridgefield and Fairgrounds
Gee Creek: Ridgefield volunteers and an AmeriCorps team hired with state grant money through the Northwest Service Academy finished a long-running effort to remove non-native, invasive plant species and stabilize banks along Gee Creek in November. They planted 150 native trees, cleared Himalayan blackberry and English ivy, and injected Japanese knotweed with herbicide. Native Western red cedar and red osier dogwood replaced the removed vegetation. The $10,818 grant came from the Washington Department of Ecology.
Battle Ground, Meadow Glade and Hockinson
Old Town: Loaves and Fishes, “the meals on wheels people,” hosted a Battle Ground Holiday Tea on Dec. 7 at the city community center on East Main Street. There was tea, hors d’oeuvres, a silent auction and entertainment. Proceeds will benefit Loaves and Fishes’ mission of running hot meals to senior citizens at home.
Hazel Dell, Felida and Salmon Creek
Northeast Hazel Dell: A new business aimed at getting kids comfortable and safe in the kitchen has come to the historic Padden home at 5206 N.E. 78th St. It’s The Kids Cooking Corner, a culinary school for children, and the proprietor is Heidi O’Connor. At an open house was held Dec. 1 and about 50 people attended. Visit http://www.thekidscookingcorner.com.
Felida: Dr. Jessica Lee, a 1989 graduate of Columbia River, was selected to receive a Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers. The award is the highest honor bestowed by the United States government on science and engineering professionals in the early stages of their independent research careers. Lee is an associate professor of pediatric dentistry at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Dentistry. She is investigating how the oral health literacy of caregivers and parents affects the oral health outcomes of their preschool-aged children.
Orchards, Sifton and Brush Prairie
Sifton: Big Brothers Big Sisters Columbia Northwest, which provides adult volunteers who take an interest in children’s lives, recently won a couple of grants. The agency received $5,000 from the Firstenburg Foundation and $2,500 from the Vancouver Rotary Foundation. The money will help BBBS provide school-based mentoring at Sifton Elementary School.
West Vancouver and Downtown
Esther Short: Gifts For Our Community recently awarded six $2,500 grants to local charities including Bridge the Gap, Discovery Family Community Resource Center, Fort Vancouver Regional Library Foundation, Innovative Services Northwest, Vancouver School District Foundation and Silver Buckle Ranch. The organization has donated more than $37,000 to community charities through proceeds from Divine Consign, the charity furniture store on Main Street, and its spinoff projects Divine Bites (cupcakes), Divine Again (custom reupholstery) and the Divine Home and Garden Tours.
Central Vancouver, Minnehaha and The Heights
Father Blanchet Park: William Goforth of Vancouver will participate in the 2010 St. Olaf College Christmas Festival. The program is one of the nation’s longest-running seasonal celebrations. Goforth is the son of Brian and Janet Goforth and attended Vancouver School of Arts and Academics.
East Vancouver, Cascade Park, Fisher’s Landing and Evergreen
Mountain View: Mountain View High School’s 2009-2010 Associated Student Body received the Award of Excellence from the Washington Association of Student Councils.
Airport Green: Melissa Johnson was recognized by Neighborhood Watch at an Airport Green Neighborhood Association meeting on Nov. 18. Johnson called 911 to report a burglary in progress at her neighbor’s home. Her call resulted in the arrest of the suspect and restitution to the victim, said Ross Montgomery, neighborhood president.
North Image: The Southwest Washington Chapter of Safari Club International held a “Sportsmen Against Hunger” event at Wholesale Sports on Nov. 26. The club collected around 300 pounds of meat and canned goods that were donated to the Vancouver branch of the Salvation Army.
East Clark County: Camas and Washougal
Washougal: Washougal Scouts from Pack 314 and Troop 314 hosted a Veterans Appreciation Breakfast on Nov. 7. The group collected $200, which was donated to two military programs: Gorge Heroes and Homes for our Troops. The Scouts served more than 100 breakfasts and cleared tables. Parents cooked the food. Volunteers donated an estimated 147 hours of service, including Scouts, adults and siblings, according to spokeswoman Janelle Stanton.
Camas: Twenty-eight students from Camas High School attended a live surgery at Providence Portland Medical Center on Nov. 19. Around 170 students from Portland and Southwest Washington attended to watch a video-assisted surgery on a 50-year-old woman with lung cancer. The event was planned in conjunction with the Providence School Outreach Program to connect with high school students in the health field and to provide information about the risks of smoking.
