In your neighborhood

Battle Ground, Meadow Glade and Hockinson

Dollars Corner: Dave Brown caught a really big one — and let it go again, of course. That’s the whole idea for Brown, the mastermind behind a fish rescue operation that provides holding pens and ponds for fish when streams run dry over the summer. He sent in a photo of a 35-inch male coho salmon that came from a pen 50 yards off state Highway 501 (219th Street). “This is one of our wild rescued fish,” he said. “There are still coho all over the creek, and every bit of gravel is a spawning bed.” Brown said he is hoping to get a $30,000 grant for a Salmon Creek rescue project this summer. “Most programs have money and no fish, I have fish and no money,” he said.

Battle Ground: Kathleen Peters wants to thank her Crystal Springs neighbors, Tallie and Dave Anthony, for saving her house and pets on Dec. 18. The Anthonys discovered a fire in Peters’ house, got in and put it out with a fire extinguisher. The fire department was called, but due to the Anthonys’ quick actions, the fire was out before the trucks arrived at the home. Peters wasn’t at home when the fire started, but her pets — a five-pound Pomeranian and a cat — were in the house. All were OK.

Cascade Park, Fisher’s Landing and Evergreen

Mountain View: If you tuned into Washington Gov. Chris Gregoire’s State of the State Address on Tuesday, you may have noticed one bright spot shining amid the general economic gloom: Vancouver 18-year-old Kyra Smith sang the national anthem at the start of the program. Smith, a June 2010 graduate-with-honors of Mountain View High School now focusing on business and marketing at Washington State University, has sung the national anthem at many local events, beginning with the Fort Vancouver National Trust when she was 8 years old. Since then, she has sung the anthem at many sporting events, including a nationally televised Monday Night Football game and the final Portland Beavers home game. Her professional career began with a stint on Radio Disney when she was 10 years old. Now she’s aiming for a career as a recording artist. You can check out more of her singing at http://www.youtube.com/kyrasmith360.

Ridgefield and Fairgrounds

Ridgefield: Students from Ridgefield and Kalama high schools competed in December to see who could collect the most canned food. Ridgefield students collected 3,395 cans. In three weeks, the schools collected a combined total of 8,099 cans. Ridgefield may have lost to Kalama, but local food banks and needy families were the real winners in this competition.

North Clark County and Woodland

Amboy: Sharon Clark of Battle Ground was the lucky winner when the North Clark County Historical Museum raffled off a hand-crafted quilt created by the Museum Quilters. Sharon bought five tickets. The winning ticket was sold by Vickie Browning at the Battle Ground Community Library. “There’s so much work that goes into a piece like this. It’s amazing. I’ve never won anything before,” Clark said. The quilt will hang on display in her living room. “It’s going to stay in the family for years and years,” she said.

Hazel Dell, Felida and Salmon Creek

Felida: Felida Christian Fellowship at 11718 N.W. 31st Ave. — that’s the white church kitty-cornered from Jefferson Middle School — has voted to unite with an east county congregation, Summit View, adopting its “name, purpose and resources,” according to a statement. Remodeling is still underway at the Felida church building, but in the meantime, church services will be held at Felida Elementary School, 2700 N.W. 119th St. More than 1,500 people attend services at Summit View’s east-side building at 7701 N.E. 182nd Ave. More information is available at www.summitview.net or by calling 360-260-8300.

Salmon Creek: Planning for the second season of the Salmon Creek Farmers Market is under way. Organizers are hoping to find a new location. An online survey shows that customers are keenly interested in having the 2011 market stay close to the Salmon Creek “core” — that is, close to the intersection of I-5 and I-205 — despite the road building that will bounce it from last year’s location, a dead-end segment of 139th Street near the Three Creeks Library. You can weigh in with your preferences at http://www.salmoncreekfarmersmarket.com. The chief organizer of the Salmon Creek Farmers Market is Ann Foster, who can be reached at 360-574-5093.

West Vancouver and Downtown

Hough: Eileen Cowen was voted the latest winner of a neighborhood Vancouver Sparkles award for all her good works. Cowen, who lives near John Ball Park, edits the neighborhood Facebook page and through it has organized street cleanups, traffic safety efforts, green workshops and community events. She also keeps her own little corner of Hough green. Her property is bursting with trees, shrubs, herbs, vegetables, rain barrels, a chicken coop and a trellis planter. During a recent cold snap, Cowen and friend Sunrise O’Mahoney organized a Blanket Brigade to keep the homeless warm.

Hough: The Bemis Co. Foundation — the charitable wing of the parent company of the Bemis bag plant in west Vancouver — gave a $5,000 year-end donation to FISH of Vancouver. “In this difficult economic time, we recognize the increased number of individuals and families in the community who are facing hunger,” said Gene Wulf, executive vice president and chairman of the foundation. “Bemis is proud to support FISH, and we appreciate the volunteers who are dedicated to meeting the needs of so many people.” FISH of Vancouver is an emergency food and clothing pantry at West 14th and Franklin Streets.

Esther Short: Employees at Riverview Community Bank marked 29 years of tradition by donating nearly 400 gifts to foster children through the Bank’s “Shirley DuPaul — Gifts for Kids in Care” program. Every year, the Department of Social and Health Services coordinates this program for foster children in Vancouver, Portland and Klickitat County. The foster children were asked to make a “wishes and dreams” list, which included everything from Barbies to bikes — but also included requests for clothing and other basics. Riverview employees drew names and personally bought gifts for their child. More than 100 Riverview employees purchased gifts for 130 foster children. The Gifts for Kids in Care program honors the memory of Shirley DuPaul, the driving force behind the program at Riverview for the first 20 years.

Central Vancouver, Minnehaha and The Heights

Rose Village: The lion of the Lions these days is a teen named John Cummings, who realized that the annual Walk & Knock food drive launched by the Lions 26 years ago needed a publicity boost. For his Eagle Scout project, Cummings raised donations and organized volunteers to place 1,000 yard signs in high-visibility locations the week before the December event. Walk & Knock set a new collection records in its 25-year history, bringing in more than 165 tons of food. In late December, the Lions honored Cummings with a framed Certificate of Appreciation. The Lions meet every Friday for lunch at Bill’s Chicken and Steak House, 2200 St. Johns Blvd.

Harney Heights: New neighborhood resident Peter Khalil came to a recent meeting of the Harney Heights Neighborhood Association to offer his services as a free mediator in neighborhood disputes. An experienced attorney who used to live and work in New York City, Khalil said he favors mediation as a way to generate solutions that are good for everyone — rather than cranking up the negativity and confrontation. Visit http://nwmediationllc.com to learn more.

East Vancouver, East Clark County: Camas and Washougal

Washougal: The East County Volunteer Firefighters Association delivered a new mattress to Alexa and Samantha Geiger after 17-year-old Alexa lost her bed in a fire. East County Fire and Rescue, Washougal Fire and Camas Fire all responded during the Dec. 17 blaze. One Stop Home Furnishings helped the East County Volunteer Association provide the bed for the family.

Columbia Gorge: The nonprofit Friends of the Columbia Gorge announced that it surpassed its fundraising goal of $125,000 in new gifts between August 2010 and the end of the year. Reaching that goal brought in a matching $125,000 from anonymous donors. The final three days of fundraising were the biggest in the organization’s history, according to executive director Kevin Gorman. The group exists to purchase and preserve sensitive lands for public use, educate the public about the Gorge and fight air pollution and inappropriate development there.

Orchards, Sifton and Brush Prairie

Andresen: Freda Gable recently won a blue ribbon for her White Christmas Fudge recipe through a national online recipe-swapping group, Just A Pinch Recipe Club. Gable’s recipe, along with many others, can be viewed, or printed and shared, at no charge through the online club, http://www.justapinch.com.

Sifton: Oasis Mart, a convenience store and deli at 13412 N.E. Fourth Plain Blvd., sure does like recess. The store donated a modest but heartfelt $200 to Sifton Elementary School toward the purchase of playground equipment, as well as sports vests for students to wear while playing team games during the recess period.