‘Bail’ Money To Aid March Of Dimes Fund-Raiser Participants Will Use Real Cell Phones For Calls To Free Them From Mock Jail

Incarceration can be fun when you are serving time for the March of Dimes.

The nonprofit organization’s annual Jail and Bail fund-raiser is Tuesday through Thursday at NorthTown.

This year’s goal is to raise $50,000, says March of Dimes Community Director, Leilani Rego.

Proceeds will help fund research and programs to improve the health of mothers and babies.

Good-natured “criminals” are arrested and locked in mock jails equipped with cellular telephones. They have one hour to raise bail by securing pledges from friends and relatives.

From 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., shoppers can lend their support by making a donation at the event on the mall’s second level near Sears.

Those wishing to participate may arrange an “arrest” by calling 328-1920. A second Jail and Bail will be Oct. 21-23 at the Spokane Valley Mall.

SCAN Conference

The annual SCAN Conference, “Challenged Parents and Challenging Children,” will be Thursday and Friday at Spokane’s Mukogawa Conference Center.

Local and internationally known professionals will present research and information to families and service providers who face the challenges of attention deficit disorders (ADD/ADHD), alcohol-related neurological disorders (FAS/FAE) and cognitive disorders.

The forum will also focus on fatherhood and society’s attitude toward fathers as the primary or sole caretakers of children.

The conference, sponsored by the Spokane Child Abuse and Neglect Prevention Center and the Vanessa Behan Crisis Nursery, will be from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. each day, with lunch provided.

The event ends Friday with an awards luncheon sponsored by the Spokane County Council for the Prevention of Child Abuse and Neglect (SPOCAN). The 12:30 p.m. luncheon will feature Naomi Haines Griffith speaking on “Getting the Most Out of Your Job.”

The full conference fee is $120, with price reductions for portions of the event. Student rates are available.

Cost for the luncheon only is $12, payable at the door.

Academic and continuing education credits are offered.

To register, call SCAN at 458-7445.

A special feature of the SCAN conference is a pre-event seminar for parents of children with ADD and ADHD.

“An Evening with Dr. Goldstein” will be at 7 p.m. Wednesday in the Ferris High School cafeteria. Goldstein is a psychologist, speaker and author on attention disorders in children.

Reservations are not required for the event, co-sponsored by the Spokane School District 81 Special Services division. Admission is $5 each, or $7 per couple, payable at the door.

Assistive technology fair

People with disabilities and the professionals who serve them are invited to attend the Assistive Technology Fair on Friday at Cavanaugh’s Inn at the Park. It’s presented by the Idaho Assistive Technology Project and the Eastern Washington Assistive Technology Resource Center.

From 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., more than 40 vendors will present and demonstrate the latest devices and services that help provide independent, productive and enjoyable lifestyles for those with disabilities.

Hourly classes on related topics are free to those with disabilities and their families. Professionals can receive the early registration fee of $25 if they call (800) 214-8731 by Wednesday.

Fees are $35 on the day of the event.

Admission is free to the exhibit hall and vendor demonstrations.

For more information, call 328-9350.

Theater benefit

Next Sunday, support the Spokane Guilds’ School and Neuromuscular Center by attending its annual Spokane Civic Theatre Night for a special performance of “The Wizard of Oz.”

Wine and hors d’oeuvres will be served at 6, followed by the performance at 7. Tickets, $25, are available at the Guilds’ School, 2118 W. Garland, or by calling 326-1651.

The benefit is hosted by the Angels in Disguise Guild, a volunteer group supporting the Guilds’ School through fund-raising and community-outreach programs. All proceeds will benefit the school, which serves developmentally disabled children from birth to 3 years old.

Wish upon a star

The Wishing Star Foundation is seeking businesses and individuals willing to help needy families this holiday season as part of its Adopt-a-Family Christmas Program.

The nonprofit organization, which works to grant wishes to individuals with life-threatening diseases, has found that many families are financially needy during the holiday season because of unexpected medical expenses.

Sponsors may purchase gifts and food for their adopted family or donate money.

To become a Christmas program sponsor, call the Wishing Star Foundation at 744-3411.

Camp Fire registration

Camp Fire Boys and Girls has openings for young people from kindergarten through grade 12. The group’s aim is to provide meaningful experiences and personal growth through a variety of activities and programs.

Camp Fire clubs are small neighborhood-based groups where children meet regularly to develop friendships, gain a sense of belonging, explore the world and serve in the community.

Children in the lower grades can learn baby-sitting skills, nutrition, drug prevention, personal safety and more. Teens-In-Action, for older kids, provides opportunities to become involved in social issues and their solutions.

Annual dues are minimal, and financial assistance is available.

For more information, call 747-6191 or (800) 386-2324.

Community notes

Sharon Fosseen has been appointed development director for Foundation Northwest, the Community Foundation. She previously worked as development director at St. George’s School.

Established in 1974, the foundation has distributed more than $9 million to the community through grants to charitable organizations and scholarship awards.

The Spokane Park and Recreation Foundation has elected five new trustees to its board: Mick Miller, Jane Bowen, Charlie Keturakat, Diane Notske and Judy Cole.

Gerry Bulger was elected president of the foundation, with Sue Bradley as vice president; Mark Virden, secretary; and George Girvin, treasurer.

Since 1951 the foundation has used donor gifts to acquire park land as well as provide and equip parks and recreational facilities for residents of Spokane.

Open house for St. Paul’s School

An open house to view the historical exhibit of the former St. Paul’s School in Walla Walla will be from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., Saturday, at the school, 343 Catherine.

St. Paul’s, founded in 1872, was the oldest and most exclusive all-female boarding school in the Pacific Northwest. It’s believed that each of its 600-plus graduates pursued a college education.

The school closed in 1968 and was converted into an apartment house.

Owner Patrick McDonald created the exhibit of photographs and archival items to celebrate the school’s history. The display will become a permanent part of the apartment facility.

, DataTimes MEMO: Community Update appears each Sunday in The Spokesman Review. Please allow two weeks notice for inclusion in this column.