Buy Some Art And Help A Child

Art collectors and enthusiasts can bid on works of art while supporting a local program which helps children with speech disorders.

The Scottish Rite Art Auction is next Sunday in the Masonic Temple Ballroom, 1108 W. Riverside.

Available artwork will include a private collection of European oils; wildlife art by artists such as Carl Brenders and Robert Bateman; and Oregon Coast Gallery paintings and prints, both framed and unframed.

Art pieces will be available for public viewing between 10 a.m. and noon.

The auction begins at 1 p.m., with silent and live bidding. Wine and light hors d’oeuvres will be served. At 5 p.m., don’t miss the door prize drawing for a limited edition of Bateman’s piece, “Edge of Night.” Bidders must be present to win.

Auction proceeds benefit Spokane’s Scottish Rite Center for Childhood Language Disorders. Established in 1989, the center provides intensive, professional speech and language therapy to children experiencing serious difficulties learning to talk. Parents receive information and support while helping their child through the program.

A nonprofit corporation, the Scottish Rite program is unique because there is no cost to families for any services provided. The program is wholly supported by private donations, grants and fund-raising activities of the Scottish Rite Masons.

Art auction tickets are $5, available at the door. They may also be purchased at Caterina Winery, 905 N. Washington; Tom Rousseau Insurance Agency, 7918 E. Sprague; and at the Scottish Rite Office, 1108 W. Riverside.

For more information, call 838-2310.

Additional fund-raisers

Here’s a chance to acquire original landscape and interior art pieces at the BirdHouse and TeaGarden Auction, with proceeds to benefit the nonprofit Spokane Art School.

The annual fund-raiser is Saturday from 6:30 to 10:30 p.m. at the Art School, 920 N. Howard.

This year’s auction features the works of nearly 100 artists, including gardening services, artist-hosted parties, yard sculptures, jewelry, birdhouses …

The evening begins with guitar music by Eugene Jablonsky as visitors view the auction items. Wine and light hors d’oeuvres will be served. The auction opens for bidding at 7:30 p.m.

A limited number of tickets are still available: $25 for the general public and $20 for SAS members. For reservations by Friday, call 328-0900.

Don’t miss actress, author and screenwriter Carrie Fisher speaking at the Women Helping Women Fund Benefit Luncheon, May 6, 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m., at the Spokane Convention Center.

Event proceeds benefit 14 local women’s and children’s human service programs. Women Helping Women is a nonprofit organization dedicated to empowering women and children to create healthy families and vibrant communities.

The suggested donation for the luncheon is $100. To make a reservation, call 747-0802.

Community events

The top 12 wheelchair rugby teams in the United States will vie for the championship title at the Wheelchair Rugby National Championship, Friday through April 20, in Eastern Washington University’s Pavilion.

St. Luke’s Rehabilitation Institute is collaborating with the United States Quad Rugby Association (USQRA) to bring the national event to the Inland Northwest for the first time.

“This is the biggest, most exciting wheelchair sports event in the world,” says Brad Mikkelson, USQRA commissioner. “It surpasses most world levels of athleticism in the rugby domain.”

Wheelchair rugby is a sport designed for quadriplegics. Participation increases each athlete’s sense of self-worth and confidence, enabling him or her to become an integral part of the community.

Admission is free to the games which run Friday and Saturday, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.; and Sunday, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. For more information, call St. Luke’s, 742-6282.

Go hog wild at the 15th annual Aprilfest Rodeo, April 20, co-sponsored by the Gonzaga University Student Body Association and the GU Rodeo Club.

The amateur, nonsanctioned competition among Gonzaga students includes goat tail-tying, bull and bareback riding, pig chasing, barrel racing, chute doggin’, and the two-person, three-barrel flag race.

The free, public event is from 1 to 4 p.m. at the Spokane Interstate Fairgrounds.

Laughter is an international language that motivates, energizes and increases productivity in the workplace.

Motivational speaker Linda Urquhart shares her experiences for adding humor in the office during the annual Secretaries Day Workshop and Luncheon, April 23.

The event is sponsored by Community Colleges’ Institute for Extended Learning.

The luncheon is from noon to 2 p.m. in the Skyline Ballroom at Cavanaugh’s Inn at the Park, 303 N. River Drive.

Cost is $15, which includes a light lunch and dessert. For reservations, call 533-3770.

Kids’ events

Ronald McDonald House of Spokane celebrates its 10th birthday with a grand party Saturday at Riverfront Park.

Festivities are open to the public, beginning at 11 a.m., with free carousel rides for the first 4,000 ticket holders. Carousel tickets and Riverfront Park discount coupons for the event are available at all McDonalds restaurants.

The birthday celebration kicks off at 1 p.m. with a parade through the park led by Ronald McDonald and the Shadle Park High School Bagpipers and Dancers. Following the parade and a brief ceremony, Ronald will cut a giant birthday cake.

Until 4 p.m., the Ronald McDonald House is open for self-guided tours through its facility, 1015 W. Fifth.

The nonprofit organization provides temporary housing for families facing serious illnesses in their children. For more information, call 624-0500.

Nine youngsters have been selected as winners in the Children’s Poster contest sponsored by the Northwest Fair Housing Alliance. The winning artwork will be displayed Monday through April 25 in the upper level of the Spokane Transit Authority Plaza building.

More than 150 local children, in kindergarten through sixth grade, participated in the contest which asked them to depict their vision of fair housing.

The contest helps celebrate April as Fair Housing Month and promotes equal housing opportunities throughout the community.

Everyone plays in youth baseball programs sponsored by the YMCA.

Registration is now open for T-baseball (kindergarten-aged boys and girls); coach-pitched baseball (boys and girls in grades 1-3); and co-ed softball (grades 4-7).

The six-week leagues play every Saturday, April 26 through June 7 (with no games over Memorial Day weekend).

YMCA leagues emphasize fun, skills training, team development and equal participation.

Teams are created according to the player’s neighborhood school. Practices and games are played at schools and parks.

For program fees and registration information, contact the downtown YMCA, 838-3577; or the Valley branch, 927-1474.

Health notes

“Living with Grief: When Illness is Prolonged” is the title of a national teleconference which addresses the grief experienced during and after chronic illnesses such as cancer, AIDS and Alzheimers.

The live-via-satellite program will be shown locally Wednesday, 10 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., in the Providence Auditorium at Sacred Heart Medical Center, 101 W. Eighth.

Hosted by Cokie Roberts of ABC News, the program is targeted toward health professionals, clergy and family members. A local panel discussion will follow the broadcast.

Cost is $15, which includes lunch and books. Register Monday by calling Sacred Heart, 455-4716.

Learn about traditional medicines that work for the whole person at the next Healthy Living and Life-style lecture, “Self Care, Acupressure and Mind-Body Medicine.”

The free program is Wednesday, 7:30 to 9 p.m., sponsored by Huckleberry’s Fresh Market, 15510 E. Sprague. Linda Hole, M.D., a leader in national and international homeopathic organizations, will discuss the relationship between the immune system and one’s emotions. Reservations are recommended; call 928-3687.

, DataTimes