Wallowa County Chieftain
News
wallowa.com
November 22, 2017
A5
Schreiber heads to National 4-H Congress
By Paul Wahl
DID YOU KNOW?
Wallowa County Chieftain
While most of her peers will be sitting
down to a traditional Thanksgiving dinner
Nov. 23, Diedre Schreiber will be embark-
ing on the journey of a lifetime.
She will leave from the Portland airport
and fly to Atlanta to attend the National
4-H Congress, along with the remainder
of the Oregon delegation.
Being selected as a delegate is consid-
ered the penultimate achievement for a
4-H member. Those selected for the all-
expense-paid trip endure a rigorous appli-
cation process that stretches over several
months.
Among the questions Diedre was
asked: What will be your biggest difficulty
in attending Congress?
That was easy.
“Getting to Portland from Wal-
lowa County given our winter weather,”
responded Diedre, who is a junior at
Enterprise High School.
The application process also included
a 35-page dossier that listed everything
she has achieved thus far in 4-H and in the
community.
Among the 4-H accomplishments was
attending the Eastern National 4-H Horse
Roundup and competing in the Hippology
team competition.
She has also the first delegate from
Nonprofit
helps with
health care
signups
Northeast Oregon Net-
work, or NEON, a nonprofit,
will provide free help to peo-
ple signing up for health insur-
ance during HealthCare.gov’s
open enrollment period, which
runs through Dec. 15.
The six-week open enroll-
ment period is the time to
choose a health insurance plan
for those who do not have cov-
erage through a job or another
program. It does not apply to
the Oregon Health Plan, which
has no deadline.
“Especially after months of
political debates over health
care, anyone could be con-
fused about what’s available
and how to get covered,” said
Vixen Radford-Wecks, Out-
reach and Enrollment Spe-
cialist and Community Health
Worker for the network. “But
2018 plans –– and help paying
for them –– are available again
at HealthCare.gov, and we
can help people complete the
application, understand their
plan options and get covered.”
Many Oregonians qualify
for help paying for coverage.
For example, individuals mak-
ing less than $48,000 or fam-
ilies of four with income less
than $98,000 may be eligible
through HealthCare.gov.
Network staff have been
trained and certified by the
Oregon Health Insurance
Marketplace, a division of
the Department of Consumer
and Business Services. Staff-
ers can assist Wallowa County
consumers enrolling in any
health insurance program,
whether through HealthCare.
gov, the Oregon Health Plan or
Medicare.
Appointment:
541-398-
2539 or vradford@neonore-
gon.org .
Here is a partial list of
Wallowa County residents
who previously have attended
National 4-H Congress:
Anna Rinehart, Celeste Hillock
(Bauck), Relissa Wortman,
Riley Wortman, Katrina
Anderson (Rademacher),
Rayanna Mitchell, Jacinda
Mitchell, Matt Williams, Jennifer
Williams (Moffitt) and Brooke
Follett (Pace).
Deb Warnock, Oregon State
University, Wallowa County 4-H
and FCH Agent, is attempting
to complete the list. If you have
a name to add, contact her at
Deb.Warnock@oregonstate.
edu.
Wallowa County to attend the National
4-H Conference in Washington, D.C.
From there, the lists stretch on page
after page. Made cookies for Red Cross
Blood Drive. Worked in the food booth
at the county fair. Was part of the Elgin
Stampede Royalty Court.
Diedre is most looking forward to
meeting new people who have a common
interest in 4-H. Around 1,700 are expected
to attend Congress.
The five days are packed with speeches
–– including U.S. Secretary of Agricul-
ture Sonny Perdue –– and workshops,
ranging from drones to stem cell research
to Zumba.
Delegates will also get their hands
dirty performing community service in
the Atlanta area, including landscaping
in Piedmont Park and assisting in var-
ious tasks at elementary schools in the
area.
No one is more proud of Diedre’s
selection for the program than her
mother, Deb Warnock, long-time Wal-
lowa County 4-H Agent.
“I’m very excited for her to reach
this point,” said Warnock, who trav-
eled as a chaperon for the Oregon del-
egation to Congress 20 years ago.
“Winning the honor of the highest
honor a 4-H member in Oregon can
get is a pretty amazing payoff.”
Diedre is most excited at the
potential of warm weather in Atlanta
during her stay.
Upon her return, she will resume
her event-filled teenage schedule and
begin thinking about her future.
Diedre is anticipating a career in
agricultural education and is check-
ing out Auburn University in Ala- Diedre Schreiber
bama and Purdue in Indiana.
Submitted photo
Good Shepherd award in its second year
Family in need
can receive
help with pet
expenses
By Kathleen Ellyn
Wallowa County Chieftain
Last year, the family of a
very good dog won the first
Good Shepherd Honor given
by Double Arrow Veterinary
Clinic.
The Christmas-time award
goes to an individual who
may be having difficulty pay-
ing for veterinary services and
food for their pet.
The
award
winner
receives all recommended
annual vaccinations, annual
wellness exam, choice of a
spay, neuter or microchip-
ping, flea and tick preven-
tive, dewormer and a bag of
Purina Pro Plan food every
month for 12 months.
The award is being
offered again this year, and
anyone who wants to nom-
inate a pet owner is invited
to visit Double Arrow Vet-
erinary Clinic and complete
a questionnaire or email a
nomination to doublear-
rowvet@gmail.com.
Nominations are accepted
through Dec. 15, and the hon-
oree will be notified on Christ-
mas Day.
Every submission will be
anonymously placed on Dou-
ble Arrow’s “Tree of Giving”
to help the pets and people of
Wallowa County.
Anyone can make a dona-
tion to contribute to the cost of
the award.
The idea for the award
came about when Brooke
Pace of Double Arrow was
thinking of a way that the
clinic could do something
around the holidays when
vendors and locals are feeling
generous.
“We decided to do some-
thing for one person that
would have a big impact —
to give back to someone in a
meaningful way,” she said.
Many companies that
work with veterinary clin-
ics are very generous and
soon Purina, Zoetis and
Elanco were on board and
gave so generously that in
the end the clinic was able to
“spread the love” to every-
one who was nominated by
sharing a bag of food or an
inoculation.
The recipients of the gifts
are all anonymous, but last
year’s Good Shepherd hon-
oree agreed to tell her story.
Tonya and Craig Starmer
in Wallowa received help with
the medical and food bills for
the family dog, Sage.
Sage is a six-year-old
black lab who was given
to the Starmer’s daughter,
Brandy, by her brother Travis
in 2011. At the time, Brandy
was going through cancer
treatment after the removal
of a brain tumor the size of
an orange.
Sage was just a puppy, and
Travis thought she would be a
good companion for Brandy.
Travis was right. While
just a pup, Sage would curl
around Brandy’s bald head
and warm it with her tummy.
It all turned out well for
Brandy, the cancer is in remis-
sion and she graduated from
Wallowa High School with
her original classmates in
2014.
But the family is still play-
ing financial catch-up on
those medical bills.
And, Sage turned out
to have a rare allergy that
requires regular medication
and special food. The medica-
tion costs $60 per month and
the dog food another $50, plus
the usual veterinary bills a pet
owner accrues.
The Good Shepherd Honor
Introducing
the Newest
Newest Member
of the
ntroducing
the
Member
Winding
Waters
Provider
Team
of the Winding Waters Team
Kevin
Vandenheuvel, PA-C
PA-C
Kevin
Vandenheuval,
Accepting
new
patients
Accepting
new
patients
beginning October 31st
Call to schedule
call
schedule
an to
appointment!
an appointment
541-426-4502
vin Vandenheuvel is joining the Winding Waters team as a Physician Assistant in October.
vin is a Pacific NW native from Seattle, Washington, and received his undergraduate
• Annual
Well-Person
Exams
• Walk-In
Urgent
Care
ning from Western
Washington
University
in Disaster
Risk and
Reduction
and
Hazards
gation with a focus
community
health
and resiliency.
He has
worked
as a Paramedic
• Help on with
Chronic
Conditions
• Online
Health
Portal
oth Oregon and Michigan, as well as a clinical researcher for OHSU focusing on cardiac
• Discounts for qualifying patients
est and resuscitation.
vin received his Masters of Physician Assistant Studies from OHSU in 2017, and recently
mpleted his final clinical rotation at
Winding Waters Medical Clinic. He enjoyed his
www.windingwaters.org
erience at Winding Waters and quickly formed bonds with the staff and patients and is
led to become a permanent part of our clinic family. Extended
Kevin has Hours:
a special interest in
ole-person health, and believes good health comes
from
physical,
mental and spiritual
7 am
- 7 pm
weekdays
l-being. In his free time, Kevin enjoys running, backpacking,
climbing, skiing, cooking
9 am - 1 pm Saturday
541-426-4502
d playing music. Help us welcome Kevin to Wallowa County!
603 Medical Parkway, Enterprise, OR 97828
Extended Hours:
7 am - 7 pm weekdays
Kathleen Ellyn/Chieftain
Tonya Starmer of Wallowa kisses a very good dog, “Sage,” the family’s 6-year-old Labrador.
Starmer was the recipient of the Good Shepherd Honor, which paid for Sage’s food and vet-
erinary bills in 2016.
came as a big surprise to the
Starmers.
“I didn’t know anything
about it until I got a card in
the mail,” said Tonya.
“I asked, are you sure
you want to do this? The
county had done so much for
us I wanted others to expe-
rience that. But they said I
was nominated and selected
by the judges. It was really
heartwarming, because it
really helped.”
Last year the clinic
received 24 nominations for
the honor.
The Wallowa County
Humane Society selects the
honorees and donates the spay
or neuter.
This year, thanks to a
suggestion by Denise Clev-
enger and Carol Vencill of the
Humane Society, a reminder
of the “tree of giving” will
remain up all year so that cus-
tomers will remember they
can donate to the program at
any time.
For more information
email Brooke Pace at double-
arrowpm@gmail.com
Reading and Book Signing
by Mary Emerick for her new book
Fire in the Heart
A Memoir of Friendship,
Loss and Wildfire
Wednesday, November 29th at 7PM
T HE B OOKLOFT
Across from the courthouse in Enterprise
107 E. Main • 541.426.3351
always open at www.bookloftoregon.com • booklofteoni.com
Improve Your Quality of
Life with Therapy
•
•
•
Reduce arthtitis pain with
Aquatic Therapy
Improve daily living skills
with Occupational Therapy
Control pain and even avoid
surgery with Physical Therapy
Ask your physician today if you can improve your
quality of life with aquatic, physical or occupational
therapy & start feeling better now!
We treat you like family
601 Medical Parkway, Enterprise, OR 97828 • 541-426-3111 • www.wchcd.org
Wallowa Memorial Hospital is an equal opportunity employer and provider.