Recycle Cds To Help Kids In Wheelchairs
Unwanted musical compact discs - those dusty CDs sitting on the shelf, no longer played - can be turned into cash by donating them to an organization supporting kids in wheelchairs.
Non-profit Winners on Wheels (WOW) has announced Discs for Dollars, a music CD-recycling drive.
Discs for Dollars is the cooperative effort of WOW and corporate sponsors The MED Group and Sunrise Medical Corp. Proceeds will allow Winners on Wheels to continue programs that offer disabled youngsters in wheelchairs the chance to meet other kids, join clubs and surf WOW’s Web site (see Family Notes item below).
Through such programs, WOW helps children achieve independence and build self-esteem in an environment of fun and acceptance.
Through the innovative fund-raiser, WOW asks citizens around the country to clean out drawers and contribute their unwanted CDs. For every 5,000 CDs collected, Winners on Wheels receives $15,000 from the Wherehouse Music Store, which will resell and, in some cases, recycle the CDs.
To contribute to Discs for Dollars, drop off CDs with album jackets (no computer disks) at Inland Medical & Rehab, 200 E. Second, Suite B. Drop-off hours are 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday.
Or, mail the CDs to: WOW, 2842 Business Park Ave., Fresno, CA 93727. On the box, indicate the Inland Northwest MED Group dealer, Inland Medical & Rehab.
Family notes
Kids in wheelchairs can laugh, learn and be challenged through the club WOW Connection, via the mail. The program is sponsored by Winners on Wheels, a national, non-profit organization (see item above).
Each month, club members receive a newsletter filled with stories, birthday listings and puzzles. Club members can also earn merit badges called “Wheels” in areas such as arts and crafts, interpersonal skills, independent life skills, sports and games.
For information on WOW Connection Kids Club, call (800) WOW-TALK.
Also, check out WOW Online (http:/ /www.wowusa.com), an Internet Web site that brings together youth in wheelchairs from around the world to gain support, education and opportunities. The interactive Web site offers science, games and history as well as “Pals Online,” a safe and monitored global pen-pal program.
MLK luncheon-lecture Tuesday
The South Hill Senior Center will host a luncheon and lecture Tuesday to commemorate the birthday of Martin Luther King Jr.
Bob Bartlett, cultural affairs director at Gonzaga University, will discuss “Unity Out of Diversity.” The 12:30 p.m. program is free and open to the public.
The noon lunch, however, is $3.
For reservations, call 535-0803 by noon Monday.
The South Hill Senior Center, 2727 S. Mount Vernon, is in the Lincoln Heights Shopping Center.
Health notes
A free informational meeting on asthma for children and adults will be at 6:30 p.m. Thursday at the Deaconess Health and Education Center, 910 W. Fifth.
Robert Cepeda will demonstrate techniques to control breathing and teach asthma management. An asthmatic, Cepeda is a karate instructor and support officer in the Spokane County Sheriff’s Department.
The program is sponsored by the Asthma & Allergy Foundation of America, and Allergy & Asthma Network/Mothers of Asthmatics.
For more information, call 747-1624.
Volunteers needed
Every day, children in Spokane County are brought to the attention of Juvenile Court because of suspected neglect, abuse or abandonment, and they need a member of Court Appointed Special Advocate (CASA) to speak on his or her behalf.
Community members are needed as volunteers.
For a term of approximately 18 months, CASA volunteers meet with the children, parents, caseworkers and attorneys to gain an understanding of each child’s situation. The volunteers submit a recommendation to the court that reflects the child’s best interest.
No experience is necessary - only a desire to make a difference in a child’s life.
The next volunteer training session begins Feb. 11. For an application (and a screening interview), call Susan Cairy, program director, at 458-2469.
Uptown Opera has new name
Take note: Uptown Opera of Spokane is now Spokane Opera.
The professional opera company was founded in 1986 by Whitworth College professor Marjory Halvorson. The organization began with one-act performances and then expanded, formed a board of directors and achieved non-profit status.
In 1990 the group moved to The Met, where it has performed “A Little Night Music,” “The Magic Flute” and other classical and modern operas.
Paul Allison, president of Spokane Opera, says the new name “provides greater community recognition and acceptance.”
In May, look for the Spokane Opera production of Gilbert and Sullivan’s “The Mikado.” In September, Franz Lehar’s “The Merry Widow” will be performed.
This spring, as part of the group’s educational outreach program for children, advanced vocal students from area colleges and universities will provide 30-minute operatic performances in schools.
Kudos
Congratulations to the Spokane Valley Rotary Club for raising $13,000 during December’s Festival of Trees fund-raiser.
This was the first year the Spokane Valley Rotary Club sponsored Festival of Trees, with proceeds benefiting the Valley Center of Sharing, Hugs to Health day care at Valley Hospital and Medical Center, and the new Valley Senior Center and universally accessible park at Mirabeau Point.
“We’re hoping we’ve built a great base for a bigger and better event next year,” said Jim Philopant, Festival of Trees treasurer. “It’s a great event for the community. The volunteers are excited, and we want more people to participate.”
To help plan the 1998 Festival of Trees, call Philopant at 444-0426.
, DataTimes MEMO: Community Update appears each Sunday in The Spokesman-Review. Please allow two weeks notice for inclusion in this column.