Neighbors

Neighbors calendar

Neighborhood association meetings and events

Healing power of stitching awarded

Washougal -- After her mother died, 10th-grader Allison Aller calmed her "wild grief" through "embroidering intricate counted diagrams after school, learning early on what a balm for the soul stitching is. Then those colored threads danced their way through my jeans as I decorated Hippie Dreams in college; they skipped along borders of baby bumpers, and formed playful designs on quilts for my kids. Clowns, choo-choo trains in bold colors -- all that stitching made me heal and smile." That poetic sentiment has won Aller a grand prize in the DMC Needlework Memories Contest. Hundreds of entries were submitted and Aller was one of two top winners, both of whom will be sent to Paris and to Mulhouse in the French countryside to tour DMC's historic 268-year-old factory. DMC is the oldest needlework thread company in the world.

Groups honor 11 young women

Camas -- Soroptimist International of Camas/Washougal and Soroptimist International of Americas honored 11 outstanding young women -- for volunteerism, overcoming tough odds and pursuing their dreams -- at an annual awards presentation, held April 16 at Zion Lutheran Church. The Camas/Washougal group recognized Henna Ahsan, Brianna Scott, Chantear Song and Mariesa Smith with Technical-Educational awards; Diana Romanczuk and Lindsay Wourms with Endowment Fund awards (for education in medical and related fields); and Tess Nakaishi with a Fern Carlson award (for study in the field of education). The Americas group recognized Teresa Starr with a Women's Opportunity award, and Emily Hull, Allison Erskine and McKenna Smith with Violet Richardson awards. Soroptimist groups work to make the world a better place for women and girls. Visit http://www.cwsoroptimist.org/ to learn more.

Va Va Voom troupe cleans up

Barberton -- Splish splash, they were taking one big bath, right there on the stage of Serendipity Playhouse in downtown Vancouver. Va Va Voom, "Vancouver's sensational senior variety thespians," brought their latest vaudeville-style frolic, "Everything Old is New Again," to Serendipity on April 27. It included everything from old-time radio sketches from shows like Fibber McGee and Molly to special guests including Elvis, and, best of all, the whole troupe in striped swimsuits and shower caps, dancing and singing that bathtub-based ditty. The show gets a second run at 2 p.m. May 9, 2 p.m. May 10, and 7 p.m. May 11 at the home of Va Va Voom -- the Barberton Grange at 9400 N.E. 74th Ave. Call 360-546-5855 or email info@vavavoomtroupe.com.

Doctor, district get health awards

Bagley Downs -- Dr. Sally Williams and Vancouver Public Schools were honored with 2013 Public Health Community Awards by the Clark County Board of Health on April 24. Williams, a member of the board of the Free Clinic of Southwest Washington, was instrumental in developing the Clinic's Project Access, which provides free specialty medical services for people with no health insurance. Vancouver Public Schools was chosen for the award for establishing Family-Community Resource Centers at public school. These centers are hubs for community partners who promote learning readiness, school attendance, academic success and overall physical and social health for kids and families. Both Vancouver Public Schools and the Free Clinic are based in Bagley Downs.

AAUW raises funds for scholars

Harney Heights -- The Vancouver branch of the American Association of University Women held its Dollars for Scholars bridge tournament on April 20 and raised $870. The money will help women attending Clark College and Washington State University Vancouver. Naomi Davis and partner Jean Nordstrom were the first-place winners.

Garden pays tribute to Wager

Pacific Park — Late parks and recreation booster Florence Wager lives on in so many ways, including a new community garden that was built in Pacific Community Park on April 13, as part of Earth Month. The Florence Wager Community Garden has 16 new raised beds that were installed thanks to volunteer labor, 14-year-old Eagle Scout Chad Richards and an anonymous donation of $5,000.

Angus group awards local teen

Ridgefield -- Lauren Martin returned home from Reno, Nev., last month the winner of two scholarships from the Western States Angus Auxiliary. The Ridgefield teen was in Reno for the annual Western Regional Junior Angus Show, held April 19 and 20. The junior member of the American Angus Association was awarded a total of $1,000 in scholarships.

Women's group elects officers

Battle Ground -- Bonnie Walden was recently elected as president of the Battle Ground Greater Federation of Women's Clubs, replacing former leader Valerie Huey. Officers who will serve this year also include First Vice President Terry Grendahl, Second Vice President Marla Polos, Secretary Bonnie Rippengale and Treasurer Mary Lee Miller. The worldwide organization is based around encouraging women to better themselves and their community. The Battle Ground chapter was created in 1972. Each fall its Ladybug Bazaar showcases hundreds of Clark County artisans and their crafts.

Comcast Cares attracts helpers

Kevanna Park — More than 100 local Comcast employees and others took part in a service day April 27, lending a hand to community organizations. The volunteers organized donations for the Fort Vancouver Regional Library District, maintained Kevanna Park with the Vancouver Watershed Council and helped at the Innovative Services NW Spring Family Day. The local efforts were part of Comcast Cares Day. Nearly 1,700 volunteers participated in the Oregon and Southwest Washington region — and about 70,000 across the country, according to a press release.

Groups team for canned-food charity competition

Esther Short — With cans of food as building blocks, employees of two Vancouver offices recently "canstructed" a large statue of Wreck-It Ralph, the titular star of the 2012 Disney animated movie. Construction consulting firm BergerABAM's Vancouver office in April teamed with Vancouver-based developers the Holland Partner Group to design the structure for the annual Portland Canstruction event, which invited companies to create thematic structures out of canned-food donations. The "Wreck-It Ralph" entry, titled "Game Over Hunger," won the Juror's Favorite award. The cans used in the event were donated to the Oregon Food Bank. Combined with other recent fundraisers, the two local companies have brought in more than $11,000 to fight hunger so far this year.

Neighbors calendar

A weekly list of neighborhood meetings and events

What's Up With That? Sign protecting eagles lingers long after raptors

Rachel Fishback sent us a wordless question: A photo of a woodsy picnic table set off with a sign that says NO ENTRY and WILDLIFE PROTECTION AREA. Get out your magnifying glass and you can also make out a sticker that says "Closed June 29 -- July 7, 2007."

Keeping track of crime in Clark County

Numbers show where various types of offenses are concentrated

Do you feel safe on your home turf? The 2012 year-end crimes rates show where crime is concentrated in Clark County, and what kind of crimes these neighborhoods attract. But statistics and figures aren't always what they appear to be.

Students sound off on inspiring literature

Ridgefield — Ten View Ridge Middle School students were chosen this month as semifinalists in the state's annual "Letters about Literature" competition. Essays by nine eighth-graders and one seventh-grader were picked by judges as some of the best of the 3,400-or-so they received. Including the View Ridge students, 325 young writers made it to the semifinals in the competition, which was sponsored locally by the Washington State Library and the Library of Congress. In Letters about Literature, which has competitions across the country, students write about the books that changed their perspectives on the world or their own lives. The letters are addressed to their favorite authors, whether living or dead. The state competition is part of the Washington Reads program.