In brief: Miracle Network begins building
The Children’s Miracle Network of the Inland Northwest and Paras Home 2008 groundbreaking was held Tuesday at Eagle Ridge. Children’s Miracle Network kids, equipped with gold shovels and hard hats, along with the Paras Homes Team, Newland Communities, CMN staff and elected officials did the official groundbreaking.
The sale of the home will benefit Children’s Miracle Network and support pediatric services and programs throughout the region and help children in 11 local hospitals, providing innovative care.
The funds raised for Children’s Miracle Network hospitals are used to ensure specialized care, purchase life-saving equipment, provide charity care and fund outreach programs.
For more information visit www.inhs.org.
Spokane
Teens pitch in to clean up roads
Members of the Ecology Youth Corps recently began picking up litter on the roadways of Eastern Washington.
The Washington Department of Ecology has 114 teenagers, ages 14 to 17, working in two four-week sessions.
The goal is to clean up more than 2,000 miles of freeway and highway in 13 Eastern Washington counties.
Teens from throughout the region applied for the annual program in April and were accepted for the $8.07 per hour jobs in a competitive process.
The focus of the Ecology Youth Corps is not just litter pickup, but also educating youth about good stewardship of the environment.
The litter crews will be at work from 7 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., Monday through Friday, through July 18 and again from July 22 to August 15.
Crews work in teams of five or six with an experienced adult supervisor.
The Washington Department of Ecology urges motorists to use extra caution when they see the orange “Ecology youth working” signs along state highways. Crews will be at work on I-90 west of Spokane to Vantage, SR 395 from Ritzville to Pasco and major portions of other state highways in Adams, Asotin, Columbia, Garfield, Grant, Ferry, Franklin, Lincoln, Pend Oreille, Spokane, Stevens, Walla Walla and Whitman counties.
To report litter from a vehicle, call (866) LITTER-1 or (866) 548-8371 toll free.
Spokane County
YMCA/YWCA get $1.5 million
The YMCA of the Inland Northwest and the YWCA of Spokane will be awarded a $1.5 million grant from the Kresge Foundation, upon the completion of a $40.5 million Your Y (you’re why) capital challenge. This pledge brings the campaign total to more than 75 percent of its goal.
The YMCA/YWCA joint capital campaign will build two new facilities in Spokane County, creating new services that will provide healthy opportunities for all age groups.
The private Kresge Foundation supports communities by building the capacity of nonprofit organizations in human services and community development.
In 2007, the foundation approved 442 grants, totaling $178 million.
The Your Y campaign will serve 70,000; achieve more than $2 million in cost savings and efficiencies; and put 440,000 residents within a 15-minute drive of the three Y facilities (Central, North, Valley).
Downtown
Auntie’s holds children’s event
Auntie’s Bookstore, 402 W. Main St. , will present “American History Storytime and Crafts,” Saturday at 11 a.m.
The event will include stories about the history of the country and creating a painting of fireworks.
The event is open to kids of all ages and will be held on the second floor of the store.
For more information, call Auntie’s at 838-0206.
Spokane County
Scholarships handed out
The Spokane Transportation Club has announced recipients of its scholarship awards.
The Repeat, Reward Recipients – students who have received a scholarship during consecutive years – are Elise Burton, Josh Cobb, Lisa Stoll, Ryan Town and Teryn Clement. Each got $500 to pay for books
The $1,200 scholarship, from the Spokane Transportation Club, is the group’s traditional, primary scholarship. The recipients of this award are Alisa Kieswether, Andrea Brown, Josh Reid, Katelyn Urquhart, Rhonda Pollard and Taylor Phares.
The scholarships were distributed at a luncheon on June 20.