Silent Auction Will Make Wonderful ‘Evening Under The Stars’ For Kpbx

Sun., June 30, 1996

Nancy Slack Correspondent

A full moon, good food, music and wine.

Sound like a prescription for a romantic evening? It could be, but add a silent auction and the evening becomes even more - a benefit for KPBX-FM, listener-supported Spokane Public Radio.

“An Evening Under the Stars,” the station’s sixth annual fundraiser, will be July 31 at Arbor Crest Cliff House.

The evening begins with a social hour and background music by Prior String Quartet. Hors d’oeuvres will be served from 6 to 7 p.m. along with wine, a silent auction and a special appearance by the Spokane Alphorn Quartet. Dancing to the jazz music of the Pamela McGuire Quartet begins at 7:45.

A donation of $20 per person includes the hors d’oeuvres, one glass of wine and a nonalcoholic punch. Advance tickets are on sale through July at KPBX, 2319 N. Monroe. Sales are limited and only those who are 21 or older will be admitted.

“An Evening Under the Stars” is presented by KPBX and Katherine Gellhorn. Event costs are underwritten by D.A. Davidson & Co., and Express Personnel Services.

Nonprofit merger

Ronald McDonald Houses and Ronald McDonald Children’s Charities have merged to become one entity - The Ronald McDonald House Charities.

While these two organizations have existed nationally as separate entities, there has never been a chapter of Ronald McDonald Children’s Charities in Spokane. Children’s charities was created in 1984 to reach beyond the existing program and serve as a fund-raising tool for grant making, with Ronald McDonald House positioned as its cornerstone.

Combining the chapters allows communities to better serve children’s needs by formally aligning the Ronald McDonald House program with the grant-making function. In 1997, the organization hopes to offer grants to area nonprofit programs that deal with children’s and family issues.

A grant-making committee to make local-level decisions is being formed here.

“Funds for this program will be generated through our McDonald’s owner/operator national fundraising activities,” said Toni Robideaux, board president of the Ronald McDonald House. While fund-raising for grants will be conducted on a national level, local donation dollars will continue to maintain and support the Spokane house.

“Funding and operating the Ronald McDonald House will remain the No. 1 priority of our house,” said Robideaux.

Last year, Spokane’s Ronald McDonald House served 575 families from Eastern Washington, Idaho, Montana and Oregon, providing a place to stay while their children recuperated in area hospitals. A $10 rental fee is requested, but no one is ever turned away for inability to pay.

It’s a family affair

Cheney Cowles Museum will offer an activity kit for families who attend the exhibits “Jacob Lawrence: Thirty Years of Prints” (1963-1993), and “I Am Somebody: A Century of Spokane African American Life,” which opens July 3.

The kits are meant to enhance visitors’ understanding and enjoyment of the exhibits. Among its activities are a stenciling project, a treasure hunt for certain prints, two projects using colored shapes and a book illustrated by Jacob Lawrence. After completing the projects and returning the kit to the museum store, visitors will receive a packet of projects to take home.

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