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About Vernonia's voice. (Vernonia, OR) 2007-current | View Entire Issue (Nov. 22, 2011)
november22 2011 V E R N O N I A’ S reflecting the spirit of our community free volume5 issue 22 Made In Vernonia Mission To Haiti: Twelve Year Old Shop is Open Alleggra Poetter Travels to Haiti to Help A new business is open in Vernonia called Made in Vernonia, featuring, you guessed it, items that were made in Vernonia. The store front is being organized by Kathy Larsen, who managed the Vernonia Open Air Market this past season, and is located at 847 Madison Avenue in the reception area of the New Day Massage office, just a block off Bridge Street. continued on page 19 Final School Town Hall New Spencer Park See the proposed design plan December 6th, 7 pm at the School Cafeteria inside schedule of december 3rd events local coupons 9 10-12 holiday shopping guide By Scott Laird On January 12, 2010 a catastrophic, magnitude 7.0 earthquake struck the country of Haiti, leaving over 300,000 people dead, and approxiamtely one million people homeless. The Haitian government estimated that 250,000 residences and 30,000 commercial building had collapsed or were severely damaged. Reconstruction in the country has been slow and some people believe the country will never fully recover. In Vernonia, immediately after the earthquake hit, Alleggra Poetter, a young girl of ten, was moved to try to do something to help the people of Haiti. She held several bake sales on Saturday mornings and organized a fundraising breakfast, eventually sending $1,000 to the Haitian Christian Outreach (HCO) Mission to assist the devastated country. Almost two years later, Haiti is still a country in need and Alleggra Poetter once again stepped up to try to help. On October 13 she flew to Haiti and spent ten days at the HCO Mission, working in the health continued on page 19 Vernonia US Bank and Kiwanis Team Up for Holiday Giving Tree The Vernonia Kiwanis are once again providing the Holiday Giving Tree as part of the Community Closet Project they sponsor. The Holiday Giving Tree will be set up in the lobby at the Vernonia branch of US Bank on Bridge Street the week after Thanksgiving, and will be there throughout the holiday season. Community members are encouraged to come in and take a tag from the tree that contains a gift request, returning with the gift, wrapped and ready to be given to a child in the community. The Holiday Giving Tree is an extension of the Kiwanis Community Closet project which distributes personal hygiene items to children in the community through several outlets. The Community Closet is a collaboration of several groups and organizations. In addition to the Kiwanis, the Vernonia School District, Head Start and local churches, the Vernonia Prevention Coalition (VPC) has played a major role in making the program successful. This year the Giving Tree will contain requests for coats and shoes for children. In addition there will be tags with requests for dignity items to help stock the Community Closet. “This year for the Giving Tree we are focusing on some of the older children in our community,” says Nicole Larke, Director of the Vernonia Kiwanis and also Manager of the Vernonia US Bank. Tags on the trees this year will again be requesting shoes and coats for children, this year for ages thirteen and up. Dignity items will be gladly accepted for all ages and items. “People don’t need to take worked closely with the schools a tag to participate,” says Kiwanis over the last year-and-a-half to President Lee Anne Krause. “Last help provide items of need for local year people just brought in things families. “Whether people know it or not, we do have a lot of homeless like a package of combs.” Last year was the first year children and families within our continued on page 6 for the Giving Tree at US Bank and the response was more than overwhelming. “Last year we collected sixty-nine coats and shoes through the Tree,” says Larke. “In addition we collected a lot of closet items. And then people in this wonderful community of ours took it upon themselves to go further and we started getting things like dish and laundry soap, toilet paper You can help Vernonia get ready and other household items. All of that went to Vernonia Cares for the 2 nd Annual “Spirit of Christmas so they benefited from it as In Vernonia,” scheduled for December 3 rd . well.” Help decorate downtown on According to Larke the Community Closet has become Saturday November 26 starting at 10:00 a resource to help combat an AM. Meet at the VCLC Courtyard and issue that many people don’t help hang lights, wreaths and garland even know exists within the and make our town festive for the holiday season. For more information community. “The reason this contact Joni Jackson at 503-956-0445. We are also looking for Community Closet project was started was because there participants in the evening Lighted was a need expressed through Parade on December 3 rd . This annual the schools that there were a event is one of the highlights of the lot of children and families in holiday season in Vernonia and is open our community who did not to all trucks and vehicles. There will be have the resources available to competitive judging only for log trucks purchase things as simple as this year, with a trophy awarded to the toilet paper, tooth brushes and best decorated log truck in the parade. deodorant and other items,” At the conclusion of the parade, the says Larke. “That cry for help trucks will return and be on display at was heard and through several the school parking lots and the VHS partnerships, the needs were Senior Class will host a Chili Feed to assessed and from that the raise funds for their Senior Trip. For Kiwanis Community Closet more information about the Lighted Parade contact Sharon Bernal at 503- was created.” The Kiwanis have 819-7924. We Need You To Help Celebrate the Spirit of Christmas
