SIUSLAW NEWS ❚ WEDNESDAY, JULY 1, 2015
Power
from 1A
and toy drives by the
Soroptomists and Florence
Police Department. Later, she
and her brother ran a lemon-
ade stand for Relay For Life.
“We were just born doing it,
because our parents taught us
from a young age. It just made
us want to do it more. We
loved the feeling we got from
it, which made us want to vol-
unteer more as we grew up.
Then we did our own events,”
Kaylee said.
Taylor, who turns 18 tomor-
row, just concluded 10 years
of Read for the Need, a book
drive and fundraiser for
Florence Food Share that he
started when he was 7.
Shannon said, “It was
always just a part of teaching
them the right thing to do, to
give back to the community.
We shouldn’t take things for
granted. ... It just sort of start-
ed from there — to give back,
give to others who may not
have as much as you have and
be grateful for what you do
have.”
Kaylee and Shannon came
up with “Power of FlOreNcE”
when they were looking for
the right name for the event.
“‘One’ is inside the word
Florence,” Kaylee said, “so it’s
like the Power of Florence is
our whole community coming
together for one day to make a
difference. ‘Each one, one day,
Vacation
Bible
School
making a difference, togeth-
er.’”
The first year, more than
1,000 people volunteered,
donated and helped with the
event.
Each year since then has
matched or exceeded the num-
ber of participants.
“There’s nothing in the
world that compares to the
feeling of helping others. On
the Power of Florence day,
I’m just on top of the world,”
Kaylee said. “I just think,
‘Wow! This is so amazing that
our community just came out.’
Look at what they’ve done.
Look at what they’re doing.
It’s crazy. I love that.”
She said that last year she
was glad to see more events
going on that she didn’t know
about.
“I originally started the day,
but the community has really
taken it on as their day, which
I really want them to do. I
want it to be Florence’s day,”
she said.
“It belongs to the people,”
her mother added. “Kaylee
loves it, but she wants the peo-
ple of Florence to take it as
their own, to be proud of it.”
“It’s the city’s day, not my
day,” Kaylee agreed.
Florence city administration
is showing its support for
Power of Florence by teaming
up with Florence Christian
Church and the Realtors of
Florence to beautify Miller
Park.
“I had the distinct pleasure
of meeting with Kaylee
Graham and her mother,”
Florence Mayor Joe Henry
said at the June 15 city council
meeting. “What a wonderful
person, and her mother is a
wonderful person. It’s a great
family. They’re all involved in
bringing a huge amount back
to our community.”
Henry has recruited Dunes
City Mayor Rebecca Ruede to
join the city’s team for the
day.
Kaylee’s one hope for
Power of Florence is that it
will continue, even after she
graduates in three years.
“I would really love to have it
continue. ... I think part of it is
because I’m young, and people
like to be involved with young
people. They like that we’re
making a difference,” she said.
“I’m really hoping that the city
continues doing it.”
Shannon said, “There’s no
reason that Kaylee has to keep
doing it forever. It’s something
she can leave behind.”
No matter what happens
with Power of Florence,
Kaylee knows she will contin-
ue volunteering and helping
people.
“I’ve had so many different
ideas of what I wanted to do
(when I grow up),” she said. “I
really love helping people.”
At one point, Kaylee want-
ed to open a farm where peo-
ple and children with disabili-
ties could connect with nature.
A shorter term goal would
be to travel and help people in
other countries.
“No matter what, I would
love to do something that
helps others,” she said.
She is interested in mentor-
ing other students and encour-
aging the civic responsibility
she feels.
After the Power of Florence
work is done, there will be
live entertainment during the
party in the Grocery Outlet
parking lot with entertainers,
including blues musician
David Weigan, CROW kids’
dance and song group and
local musician Marty Adams.
Those already signed up
with events or volunteers
include Children’s Repertory
of Oregon Workshops
(CROW), City of Florence,
Delta Gamma of Florence,
Florence Ambassadors,
Florence Area Humane
Society, Florence Christian
Church, Habitat for Humanity,
Kiwanis, Lane Blood Drive,
Minutes of Gold, Rotary Club,
Siuslaw Area Partnership to
Prevent Substance Abuse
(SAPPSA), United Methodist
Church, U.S. Forest Service
and Van Fans, as well as indi-
viduals.
For more information about
Power of Florence, group
events or how to add an event
or volunteers, contact Kaylee
by email at powerofflorence@
hotmail.com or go online to
www.powerofflorence.org.

Monday, July 6
to Friday, July 10
9:30—noon
Florence Evangelical Church
1318 Rhododendron Drive - call (541) 997-5159
For Children who have completed K to 5 th grade
VOLUNTEER SPOTLIGHT
BEV HOLMAN
P.E.O. Sisterhood
Bev Holman has been a P.E.O.
member for 23 years. Bev has
willingly held every offi ce in
our chapter more than once and
President three times. She has been
a delegate to state convention many
times over the years. She has worked
tirelessly with all our fundraisers so
that funds are available for women
applying for scholarships.
Events
from 1A
Park at Patterson State
Park or park in Waldport to
view the festivities from the
Historic Alsea Bay Bridge
Interpretive Center or along
Keady Wayside.
Friday, July 3
B ANNER B ANK
A NNUAL BBQ
11 a.m. to 2 p.m., Banner
Bank, 777 Highway 101
Visit familiar faces under
their new banner and enjoy
free hot dogs, a book sale and
the Kiwanis Duck at this annu-
al tradition leading into the
Fourth of July weekend.
O REGON P ACIFIC B ANK
A NNUAL I CE C REAM S OCIAL
11 a.m. to 3 p.m., Oregon
Pacific Bank, 1355 Highway
101
Join Oregon Pacific Bank
for its annual ice cream social,
featuring free ice cream from
BJ’s Ice Cream Parlor and live
music during the event.
F LORENCE F IRST F RIDAY
5 to 8 p.m., Historic Old
Town and Antique District
Visit area shops and vendors
after hours as they remain
open for evening traffic.
O REGON C OAST
M ILITARY M USEUM
10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Oregon
Coast Military Museum, 2145
Kingwood St.
Come to the grand opening
of a museum more than seven
years in the making. Eat ham-
burgers and hot dogs and
explore this treasure trove of
dioramas of World Wars I and
II, the Korean War and the
Vietnam War, plus artifacts
ranging from the Civil War to
recent conflicts.
A ribbon-cutting ceremony
is scheduled at 12:45 p.m.
The museum will also be
open Sunday, July 5, from 10
a.m. to 4 p.m.
16 TH ANNUAL Y ACHATS
L ADIES P IE S OCIAL
10:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. at
Yachats
Commons,
441
Highway 101, Yachats
Yachats Ladies Club pro-
vides over 160 homemade pies
to make the trademark “river
of pie,” consisting of varieties
of apple, berry, peach, cherry,
other fruit pies and 50 cream
pies. Each serving is $3.50,
with ice cream for 50 cents.
Coffee, brownies and to-go
containers are available.
F REE R HODY E XPRESS
S HUTTLE
9:45 a.m. to noon, 12:30 to
3:15 p.m.
Park at Siuslaw Middle
School, 2525 Oak St., to get a
free ride to the Oregon Coast
Military Museum and the
Wings and Wheels Fly-In
and Car Show.
Call the Rhody Express at
541-902-2067 for more
information.
F LORENCE 4 TH OF J ULY
C ELEBRATION
11 a.m. to 10 p.m. in
Historic Old Town
Festivities include:
• 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.,
Declaration of Independence
and US flag living history
display and photo opportuni-
ty with Raymond and
Cynthia Brown dressed in
period attire on the Port of
Siuslaw Boardwalk
• 1 p.m., pie-eating and
watermelon contests on the
lawn at Silver Sand Dollar,
1499 Bay St. Registration
starts at 12:30 p.m.
• 2 p.m., Florence Kiwanis
Club Duck Race on the
Siuslaw River. Race tickets are
$5 each.
• Live music from 6 p.m.
until dark, including CROW,
David Wiegan, Ron Green
and Ronnie Jay
• Firework display over the
Siuslaw River at 9:45 p.m.,
starting when it gets dark
W INGS AND W HEELS
F LY -I N AND C AR S HOW
10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the
Florence Municipal Airport,
2001 Airport Way
Visit this annual show to
delight in the sights and
sounds of general aviation air-
craft, vintage cars and hot
rods, military vehicles, emer-
gency apparatus and more.
Food provided by Lions Club
and Ada Grange.
Admission is free, but a
suggested donation of $2 will
go to the Siuslaw High School
wrestling team.
Y ACHATS L A D E D A
P ARADE
Noon to sundown, Yachats
The 20th annual La De Da
parade brings wacky, whim-
sical fun to Yachats. Explore
the town to enjoy special
treats and great food, games,
art and live music.
Later, find a place on the
beach by the mouth of the
Yachats River to watch the
afternoon Duck Race.
At dusk, from the same
beach or from almost any-
where downtown, watch fire-
works over the Yachats bay.
Saturday, July 4
Y ACHATS L IONS P ANCAKE
B REAKFAST
7:30 to 11:30 a.m., Yachats
Lions Hall, at W. Fourth and
Pontiac streets, Yachats
The Yachats Lions provide
all-you-can-eat
pancakes
with scrambled eggs, choice
of sausage or ham, milk, tea
or coffee. Donations are
accepted.
4 TH OF J ULY
B ARBEQUE
$5.00 per person
Lunch 11am to 1:30pm
P.E.O. is a philanthropic organization where women celebrate the advancement
of women; educate women through scholarships, grants, awards, loans and
stewardship of Cottey College in Missouri; and motivate women to achieve their
highest aspirations.
P.E.O. Sisterhood of Florence
P.O. Box 820, Florence, OR 97439
BBQ Chicken
Baked Beans
Potato Salad
Watermelon
– PRIZE DRAWING –
for Gift Basket
Alpha Bit Café
Home Insulation
First Baptist Church
Oregon Pacifi c Bank
County Transfer and Recycling
7 A
SPONSORED
BY:
Wanda Johnson, Broker
Coldwell Banker Coast Real Estate
Florence Habitat for Humanity
Chad Clement, D.D.S., P.C.

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