You Can Help Give Somebody A Hand Up

The urge to clean, throw out, tidy up, paint, plant, etc., seems to be universal this time of year. Thus the expression “spring cleaning.” There is something renewing about bringing freshness to our homes and yards.

Joy Milos, board chair of Habitat for Humanity in Spokane, brought all this to mind in her comments about spring cleaning in the Habitat newsletter. She points out that even though spring cleaning is a lot of work, those who have homes and yards to clean are the lucky ones. Twenty-five percent of the world’s population live in inadequate housing.

Habitat for Humanity works to share the joy of home ownership with those for whom it is nearly an impossible dream.

Since 1987, 28 families in Spokane have become homeowners through the aid of Habitat. Ten more houses will be built in 1995.

Building houses is costly, even with the donations of labor and some materials. The homes are sold at cost to selected families.

The average cost of a house is $40,000. A zero-interest loan over 20 years makes the home affordable.

“Habitat offers a dignified solution to poverty housing. It is not a handout, but a hand up,” according to Milos’ letter.

Habitat is seeking financial contributions to aid in their work.

To help understand how the dollars are spent, it is pointed out that $10 will buy 14 pounds of nails, $25 will light two porches, $50 will buy a kitchen sink, $100 will buy 10 rolls of insulation, $600 will buy windows and $7,000 will buy a building lot.

As you do your spring cleaning, think about what you could do so someone else will have a home to clean.

Have a bite for art’s sake

Tomorrow would be an ideal day to take the family out for a meal - at the new, upscale Perkins Family Restaurant and Bakery on the southeast corner of Division and Trent. Not only will you get to eat out, you’ll help keep music in Spokane.

John McDaniel, president of Perkins Family Restaurants, will donate 50 percent of the net profits from the restaurant on Monday to the Spokane Symphony Associates for the benefit of the Spokane Symphony Orchestra.

The restaurant, located in the Higher Education Park area, will be open from 5:30 a.m. until 11 p.m. No reservations are necessary. For further information call Theo Egan, SSA chair of the event, 926-7235.

Local teens honored

With all we here about “bad” teenagers, it’s easy to lose sight of all the fine young people we have in our communities.

Teens in Action and Horizon Club members of Camp Fire Boys and Girls will be honored for their work and contributions at a special reception to be held at the Camp Fire office, 154 S. Stevens, from 6 to 7 p.m. on Wednesday, April 12.

Teens in Action is a program open to youth from eighth grade through senior years of high school.

The Spokane TIA program received the Spirit of Jim Chase Award from the Chase Youth Commission in 1994.

Each year TIA members select local community service projects they want to undertake. In Spokane, TIA has put on parties for the homeless children at the Salvation Army safe house, and recently decorated and staffed the dance for the Special Olympics State Basketball Tournament.

Local TIAs also participate in national youth projects, a suicide awareness project called Self Acceptance is Life (SAIL), and the AIDS/HIV project by sponsoring community conferences in Spokane, Coeur d’Alene and Lewiston.

Horizon is the traditional Camp Fire program for members in grades nine through 12. The emphasis of the program for this age level is personal development, leadership and service. Many Horizon members are also members of TIA.

The reception is being hosted by the WoHeLo committee. The committee oversees teen members working to earn the WoHeLo Medallion. The WoHeLo is the highest award which can be earned by a youth member of Camp Fire, equivalent to the Eagle Scout in the Boy Scout program. For further information about Camp Fire programs, contact the Camp Fire office, 747-6191.

Environmentalist speaker featured

The National Society of the Daughters of the American Revolution, Spokane Garry Chapter, will meet Tuesday at the Liberty Park United Methodist Church.

Dorothy Nelson and Margaret Witter will be hostesses for the meeting. Beth Harper will present the program, “Conservation in Spokane County’s Natural Area.” Harper is a member of the Sierra Club and is participating in the current projects of the Dishman Hills Association.

The chapter will welcome new members Sharon L. Thomason and Nancy L. Edwards, both of Spokane; and Tracey B. Ribacchi and Eleanor Borgardts, both of the Seattle area.

Elizabeth Clodfelter, regent, and Loretta Kolsrud, honorary state regent, are the chapter delegates to the National Continental Congress to be held in Washington, D.C., in April. Leota King will also attend. For further information about the DAR, call 466-0581.

Recital, speaker planned at GU

Gonzaga University music faculty members Kevin Hekmatpanah and pianist Colleen Hunter will present a recital Wednesday at 7:30 p.m. in the Hughes Auditorium on the GU campus. Selections by Beethoven, Bach, Tchaikovsky and Strauss will be included in the performance. General admission is $3. They will also perform at North Idaho College on Sunday, April 30. For further information, call 328-4220, ext. 3333.

Marilyn Quayle, wife of former vice president Dan Quayle, will speak on “National Affairs and Family Values” on Wednesday at 8 p.m. in the Martin Center at GU. Her speech, presented by the Gonzaga Associated Student Body, is open to the public. Admission is $3. For further information, call Tom Lopach, 328-4220, ext. 2238.

Conference on loss planned

“Solo Strageties,” a conference for those who have been widowed or touched by loss, will be held Friday and Saturday, April 28 and 29, at the Lair Conference Center at Spokane Community College.

The conference will open on Friday evening with a get-acquainted session from 7 to 9:30 p.m. Saturday’s presentations dealing with healing, nurturing and growth are collectively titled “Always Tomorrow.” Sessions run from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Spokane City Council member Phyllis Holmes, who was widowed in 1965, will be the keynote speaker.

Solo Strategies also offers a speaker’s bureau of professional individuals willing to share their expertise in many diverse fields of interest. For further information on the conference or to schedule a speaker, call 484-8636 or (800) 344-SOLO, or write, CMHC/Solo Strategies, 5125 N. Market St., Spokane, 99107.

Camp Mak-A-Dream gets grant

Ronald McDonald Charities presented a check for $100,000 to Camp Mak-A-Dream, the children’s oncology camp near Gold Creek, Mont. The funds will be used toward the construction of the camp, which is scheduled to open on July 21.