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About The Siuslaw news. (Florence, Lane County, Or.) 1960-current | View Entire Issue (Oct. 7, 2015)
SIUSLAW NEWS ❚ WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 7, 2015 Poetry Contest at FRAA Friday On Friday, Oct. 9, the FRAA sponsored quarterly Spoken Word Poetry Contest takes place at the FRAA Art Center, 120 Maple St., with poet registration is 5 p.m. The performance starts at 6 p.m. Anyone can register to read or perform their original poem within the three-minute time limit. Fee to register is $10 with all registration money going to the winner. In the past, win- ners have received up to $250, but it depends on how many poets register. This event has provided the largest prize of any poetry event in Oregon. The poetry committee feels this is an important part of this event. “After all,” said chair- woman Bettie Egerton, “if you can pay hundreds of dollars for a painting, isn’t a poem worth the same?” Sponsors are helping with this event and are still needed for future Quarterly Spoken Word Poetry contests. Past winners of the poetry contest include Eric Sprado with “Wait ‘till You Become a Man,” and Peter Coyne with “Good Woman Jazz Blue Pianist.” Audience members pay $5 to listen to poems that elicit laughter, as well as tears, inspiration and thoughtful reflection. Sponsors for the Quarterly Spoken Word Poetry Contest include: Organic Pest Control, Bettie Egerton, and Northwest Inspection Services. For more information, visit FRAAOregon.org, or call Egerton at 503-910-3625. )OH[LELOLW\ Sue Gilday Insurance Agcy Inc Sue Gilday, Agent 1275 Rhododendron Drive Florence, OR 97439 Bus: 541-997-7161 Therapy State Farm ® RǥHUVOLIHLQVXUDQFH WKDWDOORZVÁH[LELOLW\WRSURWHFW \RXUIDPLO\·VÀQDQFHVQRWRQO\LQ WKHIXWXUHEXWWRGD\ Call me now to see how I can help you and your family get better life coverage. State Farm Life Insurance Company (Not licensed in MA, NY or WI) - State Farm Life and Accident Assurance Company (Licensed in NY and WI) - Bloomington, IL 1505051 from 1A Shakti and Brillo provided comfort, distraction and hope to those who couldn’t leave an area filled with vivid reminders of the tragedy. “They looked so official in their little uniforms walking around the large room of the fairground,” Wallace- Blanchard said. “But what was wonderful is ... the kids played with Shakti, and ran with her back and forth. Brillo just wanted everybody to hold her and rub her tummy.” These skills are essential in the aftermath of a crisis, but also important in the pair’s work with Wallace-Blanchard at the schools. “The dogs were that incredi- ble little bit of reality, of nor- mal, of not damaged,” she said. At one point, all eyes were on Shakti. “We were waiting for the buses, and Shakti discovered the box of food that the Red Cross had left,” Wallace- Blanchard said. “Here comes Shakti, prancing across the front of the room, and she had this full bag of bagels in her mouth. And her tail was wag- ging. For that moment, every- body laughed.” Wallace-Blanchard is a leader with Lane ESD Tragedy Response Team and has 30 years of experience in responding to day-to-day counseling needs as well as large-scale crises. “I was at Thurston,” she said, about the May 1998 shooting at Thurston High School. “I’ve done several of these responses, but Thurston and this one were the biggest events.” The day of the UCC shoot- ing, Wallace-Blanchard began making phone calls at 11 a.m., less than 30 minutes after the incident began. “My job has been to gather resources,” she said. Her team consisted of CHANTELLE MEYER/SIUSLAW NEWS Brillo and Shakti sit with Siuslaw School District students and Siuslaw Elementary School Principal Mike Harklerode. The therapy dogs provide comfort to those who need it. trained members from Junction City and Cottage Grove schools, as well as a group from Options Counseling Services of Oregon. The four people from Junction City made it to Roseburg in an hour. The rest of the team was there within another hour and a half. By then, the UCC adminis- tration, Douglas County Sheriff’s Office and other organizers had created a gath- ering area at the Douglas County Fairgrounds. “I met with the liaison from UCC admin, Lynn Johnson, who heads up their HR depart- ment,” Wallace-Blanchard said. “We sat down, planned what the needs were and assessed where they were right then, which was totally in shock.” One of Wallace-Blanchard’s roles was to coordinate with the community mental health Family Owned BUSINESS SPOTLIGHT Darlings Marina & RV Resort – Rich and Lori Olson 4879 Darlings Loop – 541-997-2841 - darlingsresortrv.com A love of the great outdoors “We totally fell in love with combined with the desire to own a it,” said Lori, who has worked business drove Rich and Lori Olson in public relations. “It matched by Catherine J. Rourke from Yakima, Wash., to the shores of everything on our wish list for a Siltcoos Lake. campground resort: ocean, forest, Last year the couple began rivers, dunes and, of course, the looking for a recreational enterprise and found Darlings Marina lake. I pinch myself every day looking at that million-dollar view.” and RV Resort on the market. For generations the lakeside “Th ere’s something here for everyone,” said Rich, a former landmark has lured fi shermen, sportsmen and campers with its public works director who enjoys salmon fi shing. “Th is is the tranquil beauty and array of outdoor activities. ultimate outdoor playground with hiking, canoeing, kayaking, hunting and fi shing.” Th e Olsons opened their doors last spring with their two children, Cajun, 21, and Brooke, 12, who help keep things running seven days a week, from 6 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. Th e resort off ers tent camping, RV sites with full hookups, a boat launch and dockage, rental boats and canoes, a restaurant, camp store, free Wi-Fi and hot showers. Renovations include a craft pub open for breakfast, lunch and dinner with homemade soups, sandwiches and pizza, plus a selection of wines and Oregon brews. Th e family plans to keep Darlings Marina open year round, and it’s already booked for the next Fourth of July. Additional cabins and special events are all in the works along with weddings and family reunions. “It’s all about customer service,” Rich said. “We want to make folks comfortable and treat them the way people want to be treated. We’re in this for the lifestyle.” ‘Million Dollar View’ supports that were already in place. Those local responders arrived as soon as law enforce- ment let them in, and stayed even though Wallace- Blanchard’s team and others were there. “The following day, all the teams were there and we took the care room. There were people from the community mental health again. We said, ‘You had a devastating day yesterday,’ and they said, ‘But we still want to be here.’ We had amazing people there,” Wallace-Blanchard said. She was impressed by the law enforcement agencies, UCC administration and the support teams. “It was the perfect crisis team, in that the river is going this way, and then the river goes whoosh that way, and there’s no judgment, we’re not anxious — well, there’s stress — but it was OK. We were swimming this way, but now we’re swimming that way,” Wallace-Blanchard said. As for Shakti and Brillo, she said, “They never judge you. They have those amazing deep eyes. When people came into the rooms at the fairgrounds, there was so much anxiety and stress. The dogs were there. It was very respectful.” When Shakti and Brillo interact with students at school, they give students a chance to calm down during counseling, or offer a friendly ear so students can read out loud. One fourth-grader said, “I really like how they listen. These aren’t regular dogs.” Siuslaw Elementary School Principal Mike Harklerode said, “These dogs are awe- some, aren’t they? It’s a big reward for some of our kids to hang out with Dr. Robyn’s dogs.” Some students have grown up with Shakti, who is 5 years old, and have helped with Brillo’s training. Brillo will be 2 in December. Trinity, an eighth-grader at Siuslaw Middle School, spends time with both dogs and is teaching them com- mands using sign language. One motion is “walk with me,” which keeps the dogs in line with the person holding the leash. “They seem to be like another soul in a dog’s body, because they listen so intelli- gently,” Trinity said. Siuslaw School District Superintendent Ethel Angal encouraged Wallace-Blanchard and her team to go to Roseburg. “Ethel didn’t bat an eyelash about me going,” Wallace- Blanchard said. “She just has always been right there and wonderful. I have never found a school district that’s as won- derful as this. I love this dis- trict.” Moving forward, Wallace- Blanchard will continue to connect with UCC liaison Lynn Johnson. “Now that the event is over, we can plan things. We can really access the people with the resources,” Wallace- Blanchard said. In the meantime, she will continue to work with Shakti, Brillo, students and district staff to impart the message, “Walk with me.” __________ Follow Chantelle on Twitter @SNews_Chantelle. Email her a t cmeyer@thesiuslawnews.com. Please Join us for the nd a r G g of n i n e p Re-O Darlings Mari n a & R Th e Olsons invite everyone to join them at their Grand Re-Opening Celebration on es o rt THURSDAY, OCT. 8, FROM 4 TO 6 P.M., with a ribbon-cutting and samples from the menu. Come relax, sip some wine or coff ee beside the fi replace, and watch a spectacular Siltcoos sunset. 4879 Darlings Loop, (Dunes City) 541-997-2841 www.darlingsresortrv.com 7 A Call for details. Expires 11/1/2015.