Community Joins In Acts Of Giving

The holiday season brings charitable acts to light as corporations make annual donations and community volunteers come together, making a difference in lives less fortunate than their own. Children and adults unite in the focus of giving a helping hand throughout the community.

Roosevelt Elementary School students collected 2,200 cans in a food drive to benefit the Spokane Food Bank. Altogether, 75 classrooms donated 1,737 pounds of food - enough to make 1,400 meals this holiday season.

Safeco Corp.’s third annual Thanksgiving Grant program benefited two local organizations:

Friend to Friend, an organization that trains and matches volunteers to nursing home patients who do not have family to visit them, was awarded a $2,500 grant. A second $2,500 grant was awarded to the Martin Luther King Jr. Family Outreach Center to assist in the center’s goal of providing Spokane’s youth with a recreation center and safe alternative to the streets.

The grant-giving program is part of a national campaign designed to benefit organizations that exemplify creativity, initiative and commitment.

St. Luke’s Rehabilitation institute Auxiliary donated $10,000 to St. Luke’s Rehab for the purchase of a voiceactivated environmental control bed. The bed will allow patients with severe disabilities increased independence in their surroundings.

A Jimmie Heuga Center Exercise Facility opened at Spokane Youth Sport’s Indoor Activity Center, 3014 E. 55th. The facility, built in partnership with the Jimmie Heuga Center of Avon, Colo., is designed to be used by people with multiple sclerosis to monitor and improve their physical condition.

The Jimmie Heuga Center is a nonprofit scientific research center dedicated to optimizing the health and well-being of people challenged by multiple sclerosis. Jimmie Heuga, founder and president, is a former Olympic medal winner who was diagnosed with MS at age 26 and has since dedicated his life to helping others afflicted with MS overcome the physical challenges associated with the disease.

To learn more about the program, contact Susie Luby, 448-4107.

Senior Lecture Series

The Cheney Cowles Museum on Jan. 3 will host the final program in its Senior Lecture Series. A continental breakfast at 10:30 a.m. will be followed by a slide show featuring the first 73 years of the Eastern Washington State Historical Society.

Glenn Mason, museum director, will conclude the program with a presentation concerning the society’s recent developments and plans.