august2 2018
free
VERNONIA’S
volume12 issue15
reflecting the spirit of our community
Kendra’s New Heart Missionaries Serving in Vernonia
On July 24, Kendra Stefan, a junior at Vernonia
High School, received a new heart. The road to recov-
ery after a transplant is a long one, but she’s a trooper,
bravely fighting her way through the hurdles to healing.
But that’s Kendra.
Kendra was born with a heart defect and has en-
dured multiple surgeries throughout her life. But she’s
never let that hold her back. For six years, Kendra raised
and showed Flemish Giant rabbits in 4-H. She volun-
teered at the Summer
Meals Program, at the
library, and served as a
VHS registrar for Red
Cross Blood Drives.
After a stroke
following major sur-
gery in 2016, Ken-
dra still achieved a
3.8 cumulative GPA
at school, and she’s
striving for the Oregon
Promise, planning to
attend Portland State
University when she
graduates. She started
making jewelry to help
regain her fine motor
skills, and she continues to make gifts under her business
name “Kendra’s Kreations – Art from the Heart.”
When asked to describe Kendra in one word, her
friends and family responded with: Positive, Enthusias-
tic, Responsible, Loyal, Empathetic, Giving, Unbreak-
able, Joyous, Wholesome, Magnetic, Bubbly, Radiant,
Resilient, Kind, Real, Vibrant, and Spontaneous.
Kendra’s surgery took place in Seattle, Wash-
ington. She and her aunt, Heather Lewis, must remain
near the hospital for six months so her new heart can be
closely monitored by her medical team. She enjoyed the
support of the Vernonia community as she waited for this
new lease on life. As her family gathers around her and
her amazing friend Georgia keeps up her spirits, it’s time
for this wonderful community of Vernonia to cheer her
on again.
A fundraiser to help Kendra and Heather handle
their expenses while they spend the next six months in
Seattle will be held on September 15 at the Cabin in Ver-
nonia (Scout Cabin). An account will also be set up at a
local financial institution where tax deductible donations
can be made on their behalf.
Young women
missionaries have been
serving the community
since October
By Scott Laird
You may have noticed
them as you’ve driven through
town recently - a pair of young
women walking and giving a
friendly wave to each car that
drives by. Or maybe they’ve
stopped by your house to chat and
share their faith, or offer to help
you with a project around your
home.
Since October of last
year Vernonia has had a pair of
young women missionaries liv-
ing in the community as part of
the local Vernonia Branch of The
Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-
day Saints (LDS). The sister mis-
sionaries have been spreading the
word about the Mormon faith and
helping those in the community in
need.
Currently Sister Bonzo
and Sister Alvey, both originally
from Utah, are here serving in
Vernonia. During the program
Vernonia has had six different
young women rotate through and
serve.
Sister Bonzo is from
Nephi, Utah and previously
served in Brownsville, Oregon.
She has been on her mission for
nine months and has been serv-
ing in Vernonia for the past four
months. She attended Utah State
University for one year, studying
art and design, before being called
to serve, and says she plans to re-
turn to her studies at the end of her
mission.
Sister Alvey is from
Sister Bonzo and Sister Alvey are Mormon missionaries
currently serving in the Vernonia community.
Sigurd, Utah, a tiny town with
a population of 438, and has
served in Woodburn and La
Pine, Oregon. She just arrived in
Vernonia and has been here for
about three weeks. She attended
Dixie State University in Utah
where she earned a Associates
Degree and may return to study at
LDS Business College following
her mission.
Their missions will last a
total of 18 months; young men on
Mormon missions serve for two
years.
“I like serving here in
Vernonia,” says Sister Bonzo.
“Everyone is very nice.”
“It’s nice in a small town
because everyone is so friendly,”
adds Sister Alvey.
“Our main purpose is to
invite others to come to Christ,”
says Sister Bonzo when asked
about their mission. “We’re rep-
resentatives of Jesus Christ so we
go and help build people’s faith
in Him and let them know our
Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ
loves them. We know how much
it’s blessed our families and that’s
why we go on our missions – to
help God bless other people’s
lives.”
“We know that family
is so important and that having
faith in Jesus Christ can help oth-
ers have a strong relationship with
their families,” adds Sister Alvey.
“We’ve definitely seen it in our
own families growing up and how
it’s blessed us and so we share
those blessings with others.”
Local Branch Mission
Leader Tim Nebergall is the
local contact for the missionaries
and helps them coordinate their
continued on page 3
A Conversation with State Representative Brad Witt
inside
6
be YOUthful
6
new dairy princess
9
columbia
county dog fair
Brad Witt has represented Co-
lumbia County and District 31 in the
Oregon House of Representatives for
the last 14 years and is currently run-
ning for his eighth term in Oregon’s
Legislature. Recently Vernonia’s Voice
had an opportunity to sit down with
Witt and chat about his work in Salem
on behalf of Oregon’s citizens.
Representative Witt currently
sits on the Transportation Committee,
and the Agriculture and Natural Re-
sources Committee where he is a Co-
Chairman for the Ways and Means Sub-
committee.
Witt is originally from central
Massachusetts, which he describes as a
“very rural area.” He moved to Oregon
in the mid 1970s to work and located
in Clatskanie in 1989. He worked as
a union rep for the United Food and
Commercial Food Workers Union, rep-
resenting mostly grocery store workers,
but also workers in some related indus-
tries, including the
seafood industry.
Through-
out his career Witt
has strived to work
on issues important
to some of the most
vulnerable members
of his communities,
including senior citi-
zens and veterans. He
has also been a strong
advocate for animal
rights and protections.
Witt says the 2017 transporta-
tion bill should have an impact on Or-
egon’s rural communities. “The focus
of that bill was to get funding out to
the counties, and we’re starting to see
that happen” explains Witt. “Columbia
County in particular has begun to resur-
face a lot of our roads. As we all know,
state roads are ODOT’s responsibility,
but our county roads fall to the local
county governments
to maintain. County
governments have had
such a serious chal-
lenge since the begin-
ning of the decline in
timber harvests. The
2017 transportation
bill is a shot in the
arm for transportation
statewide, not just at
the state level, but at
the county and local
levels as well, and
we’re beginning to see those efforts pay
off.”
One of those projects is the
bridge replacement on Highway 47
which will directly impact Vernonians
who commute and also local businesses.
“Vernonia will see the bridge replace-
ment on Highway 47, which I know
was seen as an impediment to business
continued on page 8