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
