Wine Tasting Part Of Fund-Raiser For Festival At Sandpoint

Don’t miss an occasion to dress up, sample fabulous wines and bid on exciting merchandise at The Festival Wine Tasting and Auction on Saturday at the Bonner County Fairgrounds in Sandpoint.

This classy fund-raiser will benefit The Festival at Sandpoint, a non-profit organization which hosts a two-week concert series every summer on the shores of Lake Pend Oreille.

Proceeds will help the festival continue to showcase an eclectic mix of musical groups featuring classical, jazz, blues, folk and popular music.

Festivities begin at 5 p.m. with tasting of regional and international wines, accompanied by a silent auction. At 7, Ivano’s restaurant will present an Italian dinner, followed by a live auction at 8. More than 100 items will be on the block, auctioned by Chuck Whitman, including travel packages, services, specialties and rarities.

Music, complimentary wine glasses and lavish decor suggest an evening of elegance and enjoyment.

Tickets are $100 per couple. For reservations, call the festival office at (208) 265-4554.

Additional fund-raisers

State Sen. Lisa Brown (D-3rd District) will speak from 5 to 7 p.m. Wednesday at the annual Pioneer Circle reception, hosted by the Women Helping Women Fund.

Proceeds from the $200-per-person event will help underwrite the cost of the organization’s annual fund-raising luncheon next May.

The wine and hors d’oeuvres reception will be at Kempis Executive Suites, 523 S. Washington. For reservations, call the Women Helping Women office, 747-0802. (See a related story below.)

Practice your hula for the Hawaiian Luau Dinner and Auction on Saturday to benefit the Spokane County Domestic Violence Consortium.

Festivities begin at 6 p.m. at Center Pointe, 1408 N. Washington. Catered For You will provide a dinner of Hawaiian-style cuisine. Items to be auctioned include home furnishings, electronics, getaways, services, tickets to Broadway shows and sporting events.

The $50 tickets are available by calling 487-6783.

Non-profit note

Grant applications and guidelines are available from the 1998 Women Helping Women Fund. Non-profit organizations serving women and children in Spokane County may apply. Recipients will be announced in February.

The Women Helping Women Fund is dedicated to empowering women and children to create healthy families and vibrant communities. Since 1993, the fund has contributed $800,000 to aid women’s and children’s human service programs in the county.

Pick up a grant application at the Women Helping Women Fund office, 405 S. Stevens; or at the funding desk at the Downtown Branch of the Spokane Public Library. Applications are due by 5 p.m. Oct. 24. For more information, call 747-0802.

Seniors

Employment opportunities for people 55 and older are available through the AARP Senior Community Service Employment Program. A variety of jobs are available, and there is no fee for the service. For more information, call 624-4232.

Community events

Considering law school? Gonzaga University School of Law is hosting an informational session for prospective students on Saturday from 9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m.

“Law School in a Box” will be in GU Law School’s main building, 601 E. Sharp. Faculty and students will provide tips on how to succeed in law school with workshops covering a variety of topics.

Registration is $10, which includes a continental breakfast and lunch. To register, call 328-4220, ext. 3736.

A $2,000 educational scholarship will be awarded to a young woman at the Miss Spokane Scholarship Pageant on Saturday. Thirteen contestants will vie for the Miss Spokane title in a competition preliminary to the annual Miss America program.

The competition begins at 7 p.m. in the Music Auditorium at Spokane Falls Community College. Contestants not selected to wear the crown will receive a lesser scholarship to attend the college or university of their choosing.

Tickets are $12, available at the door, or by calling G&B Select-A-Seat, 325-SEAT.

Through personal tragedy, Denise Brown, sister of the late Nicole Brown Simpson, has become a powerful national advocate for victims of domestic violence. Brown comes to Spokane next week to speak on the subject as part of the YWCA’s “Week Without Violence” awareness program.

At 7 p.m. Oct. 20, Brown will appear at The Met to present “Children Hiding in the Shadows: The Unseen Victims of Domestic Violence.” Proceeds from the event will benefit the YWCA Alternatives to Domestic Violence Program.

The suggested donation for tickets is $15 for adults, $7.50 for students, available at the YWCA, 829 W. Broadway, or by calling 326-2255.

Health notes

Learn the components of stress and how to manage your emotions in a three-part stress-management seminar sponsored by Deaconess Medical Center, Holy Family Hospital, Sacred Heart Medical Center and Valley Hospital and Medical Center.

The course begins Tuesday from 6 to 8 p.m. and continues Oct. 21 and 28.

Psychologist Chris Howland will facilitate the program in Room 265 at Deaconess Health Education Center. Cost is $35. For information or reservations, call 744-7666.

Learn about the prevention and treatment of osteoporosis during a free HealthTalk seminar from 7 to 8:30 p.m. Wednesday in the conference room at Rockwood Clinic.

Dr. Carol Wysham, endocrinologist, will discuss maintaining bone health, hormone replacement therapy, new medications and more.

HealthTalk is a series of community health and wellness programs sponsored by Rockwood Clinic, HealthPlus, Medical Service Corp. and Blue Cross of Washington and Alaska. The program is free but reservations are encouraged; call 838-2531, ext 6200. , DataTimes MEMO: Community Update appears each Sunday in The Spokesman Review. Please allow two weeks notice for inclusion in this column.

This sidebar appeared with the story: KUDOS Spokane-area firefighters are No. 1 among their peers across the state when it comes to raising funds for the Muscular Dystrophy Association. The firefighters’ recent “Fill the Boot” campaign raised $61,225 to help MDA serve Eastern Washington families struggling with neuromuscular diseases. Of the total receipts, city of Spokane firefighters raised $23,900, Spokane Valley units brought in $11,165, Deer Park collected $15,852, District 9 raised $5,632, and District 8 brought in $4,676. Funds will be used to help buy wheelchairs, provide families with clinics, support groups and summer camp, and enable vital research to continue at local universities.