Fun Ways To Help Good Community Causes

Here are some local fund-raisers to help support groups in the community:

The second annual Career Connections Horseback Trail Ride is July 13 at Trail Town Riding Stables, in Spokane’s Riverside State Park.

All proceeds from the event benefit Career Connections, a non-profit organization which serves to assist individuals with disabilities gain independence through employment.

Everyone is welcome to attend, with or without a horse. (Some horses will be available to rent on a first-come, first-served basis.) Festivities, which begin at 4 p.m., include the trail ride, dinner, drawings and prizes.

Tickets are $10 per person or $20 per family. To register, call Bill Stout at Career Connections, 928-0423.

Help support the Spokane Food Bank by participating in a summer fund-raiser sponsored by The Hogue Cellars winery and its distributor, Empire Beverage.

Throughout July, August and September, Hogue and Empire Beverage will donate a portion of sales from each bottle of Hogue wine (sold in the Spokane area) to the Spokane Food Bank, a non-profit corporation that supports a network of agencies working to meet the basic food needs of citizens in the Inland Northwest.

Cuisine from some of Spokane’s finest restaurants combined with superb Washington wine will create an evening of festive fund-raising at “Mostly Merlot Winemakers’ Dinner” on July 26. The event benefits Cancer Patient Care, a local non-profit organization which provides critical support services for low-income cancer patients and their families at no charge.

Tickets are $100 per person; reservations are required by July 19. The first 50 people who make reservations are invited to a complimentary barrel sampling from 3-5 p.m. before the dinner.

For reservations call Sheryl or Carole, 456-0446.

Community notes

Kudos to the men and women of St. Luke’s Rehabilitation Institute Auxiliary for their service throughout the 1995-96 year, donating more than 10,000 hours of volunteer work and $32,200 in financial gifts toward St. Luke’s projects.

The nearly 100-member auxiliary gave $10,000 for the purchase of a voice-activated, environmental control bed for spinal cord injury patients. They also contributed toward scholarships, equipment, programs and various patient needs.

The St. Luke’s Auxiliary is continually looking to expand its membership. For information on becoming a volunteer, call 838-4771, ext. 6520.

Nominations are being accepted for Women of Achievement awards sponsored by the YWCA. The awards will be presented at the YWCA’s 15th annual Leader Lunch on Nov. 21.

Leader Lunch is the region’s only award ceremony honoring outstanding women leaders in our community.

Eight local women will be honored, one in each of the following categories: Art and Culture, Business, Community Activism, Community Service, Education, Government, Health Care and Young Woman of Achievement.

The categories are open to women of all ages, except for the Young Woman of Achievement who must be a high school senior in the fall.

Community members are invited to nominate any woman by Sept. 20. For a nomination form, call 326-1190, ext. 111.

Children’s event

Kids of all ages can learn about safety this summer at Kids’ Carnival of Safety, July 25 at Valley Hospital and Medical Center, 12606 E. Mission in the Spokane Valley.

From 10:30 a.m. to 5 p.m., children will enjoy games, puppet shows, fire truck and ambulance tours and more, while learning tips on personal safety by several agencies that join Valley Hospital for the free, outdoor event.

For more information, call 459-4398.

Senior citizens

Seniors are invited to attend a full week of classes during Senior Week, July 22-26, at Corbin Senior Activity Center, 827 W. Cleveland Ave. in Spokane.

From 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. daily, enjoy “First Ladies of the White House: A Changing Role?” taught by Donna Roloff, and “Victorian England” taught by Robert Farrar.

To register for the program (No. 7988), call 533-3393.

, DataTimes