hoodrivernews.com
Wednesday, March 4, 2020 B3
HOOD RIVER NEWS | Hood River, Ore.
HAPPENINGS
Happenings is a free service
of the Hood River News and
may be edited for length. List-
ings may also be found online
at hoodrivernews.com; click
the Events tab. Send items to
twalker@hoodrivernews.com.
PICK OF THE WEEK
ON STAGE
• March 6-7 & March 13-14
— Radium Girls, 7 p.m. at
the Hood River Valley High
School Bowe Theater. Matinee
March 8 at 2 p.m. Tickets $12
adults, $9 students at Wauco-
ma, HRVHS.booktix.com or at
the door.
• March 6-7 — The Little
Mermaid, 7 p.m. March 6 and
2 p.m. and 7 p.m. March 7 at
Hood River Middle School.
Tickets $7 adults, $5 students
at the door.
• March 6-7 — Suessi-
cal, 6:30 p.m. March 6 and 2
p.m. and 6:30 p.m. March 7 at
Horizon Christian. Tickets $10
adults, $7.50 students.
• March 6-7, March 13-14
& March 20-21 — West Side
Story, 7 p.m. at the Wy’east
Performing Arts Center. Mat-
inee performances March 8,
March 15 & March 22 at 2 p.m.
Tickets $20 general, $15 CGOA
members, $5 ages 10-17 and
free under 10. More at www.
gorgeorchestra.org.
COMMUNITY EVENTS
• March 4 — Wellness
Wednesday at Rite Aid. For
seniors; free BMI and blood
pressure checks, free samples,
walk-in vaccinations, more.
• March 4 — Tobac-
co Education and Support
Group, 4-5:30 p.m. at Provi-
dence Hood River Memorial
Hospital. More at 541-387-
1353 or 541-993-2210.
• March 5 — Hood River
Art Club, 10-1 p.m. at the FISH
Food Bank meeting room,
Tucker Road. See Gatherings,
B4, for more information.
• March 5 — Hood River
Soil & Water Conservation
District Board Meeting, 4-6
p.m. at OSU Extension. All wel-
come. More at hoodriverswcd.
org/meetings.
• March 5 — Harmony
of the Gorge Women’s Cho-
rus, 6:30-9 p.m. at Valley Chris-
tian. See Gatherings, B4, for
more information.
Submitted photo
NEVAEH with mentor Katie Woodruff during an outing together.
GYM: Making a difference
“I always had adults in my
life who believed in me. I
wanted to be that person for
someone else.” This sense of
commitment is what inspired
Katie Woodruff of The Dalles
to become a mentor. Nearly
eight years ago, Woodruff
submitted her application
and began feeling excited,
though admittedly nervous,
about the step she was about
to take.
Meanwhile, 9-year-old Ne-
vaeh had been on the wait list
to be matched with a mentor
for quite some time. Nevaeh’s
mom worked a lot, so she and
her sister spent a lot of time at
home with nothing to do. See-
ing that the girls could benefit
from other adult role models
and more activities, their
grandmother referred them
to Big Brothers Big Sisters of
the Columbia Gorge, now
called Gorge Youth Mentor-
ing (GYM), at The Next Door.
The connection they felt
was no accident. Through
the application and interview
process both Woodruff and
Nevaeh went through with
The Next Door’s staff, they
talked about their likes, their
dislikes, their hopes, dreams,
and fears. Their family and
friends were asked to de-
scribe Woodruff and Nevaeh’s
personalities and the kinds of
people they enjoy spending
time with. By the time the pair
was introduced, staff had a
good feeling they would have
things in common and would
get along well.
“I never thought the match
would be so spot-on,” Wood-
ruff said.
From those early days,
deep conversations were
a regular occurrence. Ne-
vaeh recalls a time in middle
school when she really ap-
preciated Katie’s listening ear
and supportive words. “I was
having trouble with someone
during a group project. I felt
like I was doing all the work
and not getting any credit,”
Nevaeh said. “There was lots
of bullying and drama.”
Now entering their eighth
year as a GYM match, 16-year-
old Nevaeh has high hopes
for her future and wants to
be a detective. As a victim’s
advocate, Woodruff has been
instrumental in cultivating
Nevaeh’s interest in the crim-
inal justice field, including
arranging a visit to the local
precinct for a tour and to
meet with detectives.
Currently, GYM has 30 chil-
dren and teens like Nevaeh
on the wait list, some have
been waiting longer than a
year. All of these youth look
forward to the day when they
will have a mentor of their
own. What can you do?
■ Apply to be a mentor. If
you’re age 21 or older, submit
your application to become
a friend and role model to a
local youth who needs you.
■ Come bowl with us.
GYM’s largest annual fund-
raiser, Buddy Bowl, is Sat-
urday, March 7 at Orchard
Lanes. Register yourself or
a team of five bowlers, ask
friends and family to sponsor
you, and join GYM for bowl-
ing, wacky team photos, food,
prizes, and more.
■ Make a gift. GYM is of-
fered at no cost to the men-
tors, mentees, and families
who participate. The program
relies on grants and dona-
tions to support local youth
toward brighter futures.
For more information, visit
nextdoorinc.org, email gym@
nextdoorinc.org, or call 541-
296-8118.
Buddy Bowl
Gorge Youth Mentoring’s largest fundraiser of the year, Buddy
Bowl, happens Saturday, March 7 at Orchard Lanes in Hood River.
For more information, email gym@nextdoorinc.org, or call 541-296-
8118.
Green Home
Design + Build now
offers gutter services!
• March 5 — Wind-Masters
Men’s Chorus, 6:30-9 p.m. at
Valley Christian, 975 Indian
Creek Road. See Gatherings,
B4, for more information.
• March 6 — Downsize
or Rightsize: Is It Time to
Start Planning?, 2 p.m. at
Hawks Ridge Senior Living,
1795 Eighth St. Free; how to
break down the job of dealing
with a lifetime of stuff, more.
• March 6 — AACC’s Anni-
versary Silent Auction Fund-
raiser, 6:30-8 p.m. at Marcessi
Vineyards & Winery, 3955 Bel-
mont Drive. All Animal Care
Clinic’s fifth anniversary; ben-
efits the Angel Fund. $35 at the
door; includes wine and hors
d’oeuvres.
• March 6-7 — Amateur
Radio Technician Exam Re-
view Class, 5:30-9 p.m. Friday
and 9-4 p.m. Saturday at the
Hood River Fire Department
Training Room, 1785 Meyer
Parkway. RSVP required to
kevin.widener@gmail.com or
509-528-9565.
• March 7 — Lyle Lions
Pancake Breakfast, 7-10 a.m.
at the Lyle Lions Community
Center on the corner of Fifth
and Hwy 14. Adults $7, chil-
dren 6-12 $3, 5 and under free.
• March 7 — Vertebrate
Pest Management, 9-noon at
Valley Christian Church. Spon-
sored by Central Gorge Master
Gardeners. Presented by OSU
Associate Professor Chip Bubl.
$10 drop-in fee, cash or check
only. More at 541-386-3343
ext. 38257.
• March 7 — Hood River
Indoor Farmers’ Market, 10-1
p.m. at May Street Elementary
cafeteria/commons.
• March 7 — Hood River
County Reads Kickoff, 2-3:30
p.m. at the Hood River Li-
brary. Free distribution of “The
Highest Tide,” more. More at
hoodriverlibrary.org.
• March 7 — Seventh An-
nual Seed Share, 2-5 p.m. at
the Rockford Grange, 4262
Barrett Drive. $5 suggested
donation; bring seeds to share.
• March 7 — Cohousing
Info Open House, 3-4 p.m. at
1419 Sherman Ave. Kids wel-
come, snacks provided. RSVP
to Friends@AdamsCreekCo-
housing.com; more at adam-
screekcohousing.com.
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