In your neighborhood

Hazel Dell, Felida and Salmon Creek

Salmon Creek: Paul Davis Restoration, a remodeling company that specializes in properties damaged by fires, floods, mold, vandalism and other disasters and emergencies, has donated approximately 200 “comfort kits” to the Southwest Washington chapter of the American Red Cross. Each kit contains a soft blanket, tissues and handy wipes, a first aid kit, note pad and fliers providing next steps and important information. The kits are valued at approximately $20 each. During the winter of 2009-2010, local Red Cross disaster teams went out to assist 409 individuals who were impacted by 90 different emergencies.

Northeast Hazel Dell: Former Vancouver mayor and retired local sign magnate Bruce Hagensen is getting into a new line of work — helping small businesses grow. Hagensen is looking for small businesses interested in affordable office space. In 2005, he sold the Vancouver Sign Co., which occupied a building at 6615 N.E. Highway 99 for more than 50 years, and the business moved out earlier this year. Now Hagensen has launched Incubator-Links LLC in the same building, and he’s looking for startups and small businesses that need a place to grow.

North Salmon Creek: After years of hurrying up and waiting, plans to develop Chinook Neighborhood Park are back on. Clark County has purchased 2.5 acres of additional land directly south of the existing park parcel — which has been constrained from development for years by wetlands regulations — and that addition allows park development to continue at last. The price was $300,000. The new acreage “does not have the same wetland and habitat restrictions as the existing Chinook Park property. It will also help provide a better connection to the neighborhood to the south and the adjacent schools,” says a statement from the Greater Clark Parks District. The county parks department will proceed with planning and neighborhood involvement in coming weeks and months; visit http://www.clarkparks.org/projects/chinook.htm to participate in a survey.

Battle Ground, Meadow Glade and Hockinson

Battle Ground: Columbia Mother of Twins Club has chosen Stephanie Loll as the 2010 Mother of the Year. Loll has been a member of the club since September 2006 and is currently serving as secretary, program and secret pal chairwoman. She is also a member of the nominating committee for the Northwest Association of Mothers of Twins Cubs. She and her husband, Brian, have identical 5-year-old twin girls, Chole and Haley.

East Vancouver, Cascade Park, Fisher’s Landing and Evergreen

Fisher’s Landing East: The Goddard School hosted ornament making for The Make A Wish Foundation’s Christmas trees at Hotel Fifty in Portland. Children participated in decorating ornaments that will be hung on the tree in the lobby of the hotel. Each ornament can be purchased from the tree, all proceeds will go to the Make A Wish Foundation.

Mountain View: Looks like a bright future for the Mountain View High School Marching Band, which won a $20,000 grant from Clorox, the detergent maker. The “Power a Bright Future” grant will help replace aging instruments, some of which have been in use since 1983, and expand student access to music. Clorox aimed its grants — $110,000 total — at school arts, sports and music programs hurt by budget cuts.

North Clark County and Woodland

Woodland: This past summer Henry and Marva Warndahl traveled to Kenya and Paige Bosen visited China to volunteer in orphanages or build schools and libraries for rural villages. The three Woodland High School students are members of the O Ambassadors Club. The service club’s goal is to inspire young people to become active, compassionate and knowledgeable global citizens and to create lasting change. The Warndahl teenagers realized that the children in Kenya loved learning and reading but did not have access to books. After hearing the Warndahls’ experiences in Kenya, the O Ambassadors Club sponsored a book drive at the high school in early November. The club collected nearly 850 books that will be sent to the villages in Kenya and to local shelters to be given to people not fortunate enough to own their own books. Nelean Warndahl and Jennifer Cullison are co-advisers.

Woodland: The theme for Planters Days 2011 will be “Planting Good Seeds by Doing Good Deeds.” The winning theme, by Alexis Lucero of Ariel, was chosen out of 32 entries. Lucero received a $100 cash prize for winning, and it was presented at a Christmas lighting on Dec. 4. Planters Day 2011 will be June 16-19.

Fargher Lake: Summit Equine Assisted Therapy, a stable east of La Center, has just added a new autism therapy program to its offerings. According to a statement from Summit, autism clients use a “non-riding” model in this therapy. The facility has both indoor and outdoor arenas and employs horse-centered models for psychotherapy, alternative learning and team-building workshops. You can learn more at http://summitequineassistedtherapy.com/.

Woodland: The Woodland Middle School LEGO robotics team, called LEGOs 4 the Cure, snagged the highest total score ever by a Woodland team at the First LEGO League tournament at Salmon Creek Elementary School on Dec. 4. The team finished second out of 18 teams and will be advancing to the Oregon state championship tournament at Liberty High School in Hillsboro on Jan. 15. The winner of the state tournament will advance to either the North American championship or the World championship. This year’s theme is bioengineering.

Ridgefield and Fairgrounds

South Ridge: Several fifth- and sixth-grade students from South Ridge Elementary School auditioned in October for the Washington State Youth Honor Chorus. Each student had to record audition materials and send them off to the state. Fifth-grader Sarah Whetsell was selected for the Washington State Honor Choir and will be performing with approximately 150 other students from around the state in February for a Music Educators Conference in Bellevue. Also, sixth-grader Kevelyn St. John and fifth-grader Hannah Farley will be singing in the honor choir of the Lower Columbia River Music Educators Association meeting, to be held in Camas this spring. South Ridge music teacher Bobbe Whetsell wants to see more of her students trying out for these opportunities.

Ridgefield: The Ridgefield Public Schools Foundation awarded $3,400 in mini-grants to Ridgefield schools in November. Foundation grants of up to $500 each were available to help implement school improvement plans. Ridgefield High School won several grants, including one for the English Department to buy 30 copies of Webster’s New World Dictionary, and another to buy various young adult books after a student survey is undertaken. The high school also got grants to purchase laser and optical equipment and 120 new compasses for geometry classes. South Ridge Elementary School won a grant to put toward 15 lighted cordless compound microscopes for sixth-grade science. And Union Ridge Elementary School won up to $1,000 to support the startup and operation of a homework club. Details to follow.

Orchards, Sifton and Brush Prairie

Brush Prairie: The Rocksolid Teen Center, a supervised after-school hangout for latchkey kids, won some key wheel support recently. On Dec. 9 the Keller Williams real estate company presented Rocksolid a $5,000 check toward the purchase of a new van that will be used to bring students over from local schools. Rocksolid has been located at the Bethel Lutheran Church, at 12919 N.E. 159th St. in Brush Prairie, since 2002. It’s open 2 to 5:30 p.m. Monday through Friday. Visit http://rocksolid-teen.com to learn more.

West Vancouver and Downtown

Esther Short: Soroptimist International of Southwest Washington recently announced it will give the Soroptimist Ruby Award to Alexis Del Cid, reporter and co-anchor at KOIN Local 6. Del Cid continues to support Soroptimist efforts through volunteer work at local events in Portland and Southwest Washington. She will receive the award on March 8 during the Women’s International Day Award Gala.

Arnada: John and Debra Bauman, owners of Bauman Chiropractic, are giving back to their community. The couple made a $12,000 donation to the Parks Foundation to provide free swim lessons for 100 children in 2011 and fund free Saturday afternoon family swim sessions for the entire year beginning Jan. 1 at Marshall Community Center.

Esther Short Park: Next year’s “Three Days of Aloha” festival should be bigger and better than ever, thanks to a $20,000 grant from the Ke Kukui Foundation, a Vancouver nonprofit that promotes native Hawaiian, Alaskan and Native American music and culture. The annual festival, held every July in Esther Short Park, starts off with two days of workshops and classes on everything from language to guitar technique, and then winds up with a massive festival in Esther Short Park — typically attended by as many as 10,000 people. Learn more at http://www.hawaiianfestivalpnw.com.

Hough: Juanita Bond, chairwoman, and her team of helpers helped make the Sons of Norway annual lutefisk dinner a success on Nov. 21. It takes a lot of hands to peel 115 pounds of spuds — and 10 man hours. The team logged more than 500 hours. All proceeds from the dinner will be used to maintain the club’s building at 2400 Grant St.

Central Vancouver, Minnehaha and The Heights

Rose Village: The third-graders of Washington Elementary School received an early Christmas on Oct. 26, when Beryl Lamb McMahon arrived with a sackful of gifts for the youngsters. Beryl collected 18-inch dolls from thrift stores and garage sales, gave them a complete makeover and outfitted them with handmade wardrobes. Fifteen girls were lucky enough to have their names drawn from a jar and took home the dolls; other girls and boys got handmade bookbags or caps. McMahan wants to thank the “elves” helping her: Guy Brainard, a 93-year-old gentleman from Vancouver, hand knitted 28 hats for the children, and Barbara Sizemore, from Amboy, created some of the clothes that dolls wore to their new homes. McMahon hopes to do 30 dolls next year, and invites donations to the project; call 360-260-3102. Contributions of quality fabric and supplies are also appreciated.

Van Mall: Who’s more motivated — the second floor or the fourth floor? According to Julie Hanes, a friendly food drive competition between different strata of employees at the Bonneville Power Administration Van Mall offices showed both floors were on the job. The fourth floor won, with a total of 2,770 pounds collected, and the second floor was right behind with 2,690 pounds, Hanes said. All the donations — that’s 5,460 pounds in all — went to the FISH of Vancouver food bank. The winning floor will enjoy a light buffet hosted by the losing floor.

West Minnehaha: Friends of the Carpenter, a Vancouver-based ministry for the homeless, has opened a thrift shop to provide ongoing funding for their ministry. The shop is at the corner of St. Johns Boulevard and Northeast 53rd Street. Donations are accepted during business hours, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Saturday.

East Clark County: Camas and Washougal

Union High School: As you read this, the Union High School Percussion Ensemble is taking a trip to Chicago. “They have become only the second group from the state of Washington to be accepted to perform at the Midwest Band and Orchestra Clinic,” said Gayle Scott, who identified herself as “mother of a drummer boy.” “The Midwest Clinic is the largest and most prestigious band conference in the world, drawing bands and orchestra educators internationally, as well as top musical instrument companies and music publishers from around the world. Select groups are invited to perform throughout the three-day event. UHS is only one of two percussions groups performing this year. This truly is a world-class experience for these students.” To raise funds for the trip, the percussion ensemble held a benefit concert on Dec. 7. The Chicago trip is Dec. 15 to 18.

Washougal: Several Washougal High School choir groups — the Chamber Choir, the X-Tet and the Jolly Brass Sextet — performed at The Grotto’s Christmas Festival of Lights in Portland on Dec. 3. “It was a magical night of music in the acoustically spectacular chapel, and the Washougal performing groups earned a standing ovation from the large crown in attendance,” wrote choir director Jennifer Mahorney.