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About Hermiston herald. (Hermiston, Or.) 1994-current | View Entire Issue (Dec. 9, 2020)
NEWS WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 9, 2020 HERMISTONHERALD.COM • A9 Motorcycles thunder through Echo on annual toy run By BEN LONERGAN STAFF WRITER The sound of more than 50 motorcycles thundered through the town of Echo on Saturday, Dec. 5, as the 17th annual Echo Toy Run departed to take donated gifts to children at Good Shepherd Medical Center in Hermiston. The parade of riders left Echo with their motorcy- cles adorned with stuffed animals and brightly col- ored toys, a small line of cars trailing behind them loaded down with even more gifts. The event, started by Al Sells 17 years ago, has taken on new meaning fol- lowing Sells’ death in a motorcycle crash in 2019. Sells’ daughter, Amanda Silvani, said it was incred- ible to see support from the community for the event and her father’s mem- ory even in the midst of a global pandemic. “I was a little worried about this year,” she said. “But there was a great turnout.” Silvani, who works in home health for Good Shepherd, said she used to work in the emergency department at the hospi- tal and had the opportunity to see fi rsthand the joy the toys would bring to chil- dren spending the holidays in the hospital. “It’s usually their worst day that they’re in the ER,” she said. “To be able to give them a toy is incredible.” Silvani expressed her gratitude to the many peo- ple involved in carrying on the toy run in her father’s memory and the many peo- ple who donate toys each year. This year, participants fi lled three large hospital linen carts with toys and stuffed animals. “I think it’s pretty incredible to see everyone’s support — that they want to help with this every year,” Silvani said. Leading off the group of riders were Phil and Beth Spencer on their 2006 Ben Lonergan/Hermiston Herald Ben Lonergan/Hermiston Herald Riders leave Echo for the 17th annual Echo Toy Run on Saturday, Dec. 5, 2020. A stuff ed animal adorns a motorcycle during the Echo Toy Run on Saturday, Dec. 5, 2020. Ben Lonergan/Hermiston Herald Ben Lonergan/Hermiston Herald Motorcycles fi ll a portion of the parking lot at Good Shepherd Medical Center in Hermiston on Saturday, Dec. 5, 2020, following the Echo Toy Run. “IT’S A REAL HONOR TO BE PART OF THIS — WITH AL SELLS’ MEMORY — AND EVERYTHING. IT’S AN HONOR.” Phil Spencer, who dressed as Santa Claus for the event Honda VTX 1800, Phil dressed as Santa Claus with Beth riding in a side- car beside him. The pair said they have been taking part in the ride for seven or eight years and enjoy the opportunity to give back to the community. “It’s a real honor to be part of this — with Al Sells’ memory — and every- thing,” Phil Spencer said. “It’s an honor.” For the Spencers, this year’s toy run served as more than an opportunity to bring joy to children and celebrate Sells’ memory, it served as a release from the stresses of a global pan- demic and an opportunity to bring joy to an entire community. Toys fi ll a large bin in the parking lot of Good Shepherd Medical Center in Hermiston at the conclusion of the Echo Toy Run on Saturday, Dec. 5, 2020. “We’ve all had our stress and this is an excel- lent release for everybody,” Phil Spencer said. Kandie Jensen, Sells’ ex-wife, said Sells would have found a way to make the toy run happen no mat- ter the circumstances, and she commended the com- munity for continuing through in his spirit. “They weren’t going to let it die,” she said. “He wouldn’t have. He would have done it if he’d been the only one riding.” Although Jensen has long had a part in collect- ing toys for the Echo Toy Run, she said the event was one of Sells’ greatest enjoy- ments and something that he took great pride in each year. “He was always one of those people that he liked to help the kids — no mat- ter what. He would do any- thing for children,” she said. “This was his pride and joy.” Boiler fails at Hermiston High School By JADE MCDOWELL NEWS EDITOR Hermiston School Dis- trict is ending 2020 with an unexpected expense after staff discovered major damage to the boiler in the “92 wing” of Herm- iston High School. The school board had a brief emergency meet- ing over Zoom on Thurs- day, Dec. 3, to declare an emergency regarding the boiler, allowing the district to immediately work with its contracted heating and air service to fi x the prob- lem rather than go through its usual lengthy bidding process. The resolution passed Dec. 3 described the boiler failure as “catastrophic.” Katie Saul, director of business services for the district, told the board that a temporary fi x was allow- ing the boiler to provide some heat for now, but the district would need to purchase a new boiler, which a preliminary quote showed would likely cost about $200,000. “Right now we’re limp- ing through with the cur- rent boiler but it’s only a matter of time before it fails, and this time of year we cannot be without heat in that part of the high school,” she said. In an email to the East Oregonian, Superinten- dent Tricia Mooney said maintenance staff initially found evidence of the boiler leaking into a class- room, and investigation of the leak found a crack in the boiler. She said the boiler heats the wing of the school that includes the gym, fi tness room, locker rooms and about 15 class- rooms. For now, Mooney said, because staff have temporarily patched the leak and are adding extra water to nurse it along, no staff who are teaching from the school have been displaced from that wing. She said the money for the new boiler and its installation will come out of the school district’s general fund. The section of the school where the boiler failed was built in 1992. Other sec- tions of the school opened in 2001 after the com- munity passed a bond in 1999, and the district plans to add another wing to the high school using money from a bond passed in 2019. Small and Large Animal Care Mon: 8-6 Tue - Fri: 8-5 Sat: 8-12 Emergency Service 541.567.1138 MEET BODE (BLU) Mark Sargent, DVM • Brent Barton, DVM Robert Thonney, DVM • Jana Parks, DVM, cVMA 80489 Hwy 395 N Hermiston www.oregontrailvet.com would LIKE to invite you TO Shop and PET OF THE R E T S W EEK F O E D E D Bode (Blu), who NE recently had a leg amputated, is in search of a foster home. He is a year old, high flight risk, needs a fence. He needs a low-key foster to heal and learn to trust people. Prefer no young children. Downtown District Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, animal shelters need our help more than ever. Please donate to your local shelter, or offer to foster an animal in need. If interested please go to fuzzballrescue.com and fill out an application. If you are not able to adopt, but would like to foster or donate, visit fuzzballrescue.com or you can mail in donations to Fuzz Ball Animal Rescue, PO Box 580, Hermiston, OR 97838 Dine Local this holiday season We’re HERE for YOU !
