Exchange Program Embodies Oympic Spirit
Many of us are living the spirit of the 1996 Summer Olympics through television coverage. We are awed by the talent, dedication and determination of participating athletes. Rules about numbers of hours spent in front of the television are tossed to the wind as we sit glued to the set, cheering individuals and teams from our country and sharing the wins and losses in this ultimate competition.
Families can keep the spirit of the Olympic Games alive all year long by becoming host families through Program of Academic Exchange (PAX), a nonprofit foundation that brings teenagers from 20 countries to spend a high school year living with American families.
“The Olympic Games fill us with admiration for the accomplishments of today’s youth and unite us in a feeling of international friendship,” said PAX director Libby Cryer. “As families applaud the skill and commitment of these international athletes, they should know that PAX provides an opportunity to bring outstanding young people and cross-cultural exchange into their own homes.”
PAX students, 15 to 18 years old, carry full high school course loads and participate in sports and extracurricular activities. They have basic English skills, full medical insurance and their own spending money.
Host families provide room and board and a warm, supportive environment. Traditional families, single parents, young couples and retirees are welcome to apply by calling Rosanna Sangermano, (800) 555-6211.
Fund-raisers
If you notice a green, eerie light coming from the Fairways Golf Course in Cheney on Friday evening, don’t be alarmed. It’s the site of the eighth annual Bud Light Up The Night Golf Tournament, benefiting the Multiple Sclerosis Society. The 6 p.m. dinner will be preceded by three-hole putting, pitching and long-drive contests. An award will be given to the player in the best pajamas. (It is a night tournament!) The nine-hole scramble using glow-in-the-dark balls begins at 8 p.m.
A registration fee of $35 includes greens fees, a commemorative golf-bag water bottle, glow ball and a steak dinner.
For more information, call 482-2022. Registration forms are available at area golf courses and the Multiple Sclerosis office, 818 E. Sharp.
The Inland Empire Council of Camp Fire Boys and Girls and Q6-TV are sponsoring their second annual Kids Helping Kids Back To School campaign Aug. 9 and 10. Area Camp Fire youth will be asking for donations of extra school supplies for kids in need.
Last year, the group won a national award and $300 from Colgate-Palmolive Co. in the 23rd annual search for the country’s best community projects by young people.
Some 1,000 boxes of crayons, 11,000 pencils 3,500 pens, 900 notebooks and other supplies were collected, sorted and distributed to 15 area schools serving low-income families. The group also received more than $400 in donations that were used to purchase dictionaries and backpacks for the children.
Look for collection barrels at all area Rosauers and Office Depot stores, and buy extra items to donate after shopping for your children’s back-to-school supplies.
For more information, call 747-6191 or (800) 386-2324.
Volunteers needed
The Children’s Museum of Spokane will open a mini-museum in downtown Spokane’s River Park Square, on the corner of Spokane Falls Boulevard and Post Street, Oct. 3 through Dec. 1. The museum storefront will give the public an opportunity to experience a miniature version of the Children’s Museum of Spokane.
“Our goal is to introduce the community to the potentialities of a children’s museum and to offer a concrete example of what a children’s museum can be,” said CMS president Mary Brandt. “We are actively seeking volunteers to staff our museum storefront this fall.”
For more information concerning donations of time or money, call Marybeth, 838-8248, or Sondi, 456-5624.
Health notes
Multinational research in the United States, Canada and England to determine the consequences of nausea and vomiting in pregnancy has begun at the Hospital for Sick Children (HSC) in Toronto through its Motherisk Program.
Research methods include surveys aimed at clarifying the consequences of nausea and vomiting on health of the mother and child, and examining strategies to deal with the issues. For more information, or to share pregnancy experiences with nausea and vomiting, contact Patricia, (800) 977-6362, ext. 220, or at website http://www.mshealthline.org/.
Fun for teens
On Aug. 14, as part of the Chase Youth Commission’s annual KidsWeek celebration, the Cheney Cowles Museum and Corbin Art Center will collaborate on collage workshops for youth in grades seven through 12.
The classes will be held in the museum’s Carriage House and taught by Diane Rowen Garmire, a local artist and instructor. A tour of the museum’s “Jacob Lawrence: Thirty Years of Prints (1963-1993)” exhibition begins the session, followed by a 1-hour workshop on collage with design techniques utilized by Lawrence.
Register no later than Aug. 7 by calling 456-3931, ext. 101 and paying a $1 per person fee.