SIUSLAW NEWS ❚ SATURDAY, JUNE 25, 2016
Volunteer drivers needed
Friends of Florence is in
need of volunteer drivers to
transport individuals who are
undergoing radiation treatment
in Eugene and Springfield.
Drivers are needed Mondays
through Fridays, leaving Peace
Harbor Medical Center at 8 a.m.,
and returning at 12:30 p.m.
IGA
from 1A
makes it plain. ... We really
don’t have any risk as far as
anybody has been able to
come up with.”
Siuslaw Valley unanimously
approved the IGA at its June
15 board meeting.
Board
member
John
Carnahan advised Langborg to
keep an eye on his time and
responsibilities.
“Make sure your plate does-
n’t get too full, for we really
need a fire chief,” he said.
Western Lane’s board met
June 23. The IGA was
approved with a vote in favor
3 to 1, with Director Anne
Stonelake against. Director
Cindy Russell was absent.
Art
Volunteers are usually asked
to drive one day a month. The
only requirement is that driv-
ers are less than 80 years old
with a clean driving record.
Anyone interested can con-
tact Bart Mealer at 541-997-
8663 or Dan Clements at 541-
902-0883.
from 1A
Selected artists will be com-
pensated for their time. Current
rates for similar LAC programs
are just over $30 per hour.
“Because Lane Arts Council
has done this for some period
Lunch
“We’re very protective of this
agency, especially the crew and
employees,” said Director Bob
Sneddon. “We want what is best
for our patients and our crew,
and I think we can do that with
this IGA.”
Webb referred to the IGA as
a “living document” that could
change as needed. It also
includes ways for either
agency to leave the agreement.
Langborg said, “I ask for the
support of the boards that
when occasionally things get
rough, we work through it and
try to find a solution.”
“When the board commits
to go this direction,” Webb
said, “I know we will be 100
percent behind it and apply the
efforts and resources we have
to make this work.”
“We have been serving food
to 1,400 kids all year and we
are just continuing to serve
them in the summer,” added
Bitner, who was hired to run
the district’s in-school food
service program at the begin-
ning of the 2015-16 school
year.
“This is a banner year for
the Siuslaw School District in
food service,” he said. “Not
only did we become self-oper-
ating in our school year pro-
gram, but now we are adding
on a summer food service pro-
gram.”
Currently the lunch van
schedule is 12 to 12:15 p.m. at
the Miller Park parking lot,
1651 18th St.; 12:20 to 12:35
p.m. at the Siuslaw Public
Library west parking lot, 1460
Ninth St.; and 12:40 to 12:55
p.m. at the Florence Food
Share/Lutheran Church park-
ing lot, 2190 Spruce St.
Free lunches are also avail-
able at the Siuslaw Elementary
School breezeway at 2221 Oak
St., from 11:30 to 11:45 a.m.
The program also serves free
breakfasts at this location at 8
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of time, they have a pretty good
system in terms of making sure
artists are comfortable in the
classroom,” Springer said.
“Plus, many of our FRAA
artists are former teachers.”
Grzeskowiak, who will be
the 2016-17 Siuslaw School
District superintendent when
the program is enacted, said,
“As far as I’m concerned, the
more art the better. Straight
academics is not for everybody.
There is value in this.”
Harklerode said, “Our goal
at the elementary school is for
art instruction to become sys-
temic. Both art for the sake of
art and art in support of other
instruction and learning.”
The principals said they
would like to see the Arts in
Schools program begin in the
elementary school in January
and February and in the middle
school in February and March
of 2017.
a.m.
The meals all meet strict
federal guidelines of food
group and portion requirement
and the program is under the
jurisdiction of the Oregon
Department of Education.
The cost of the meals is
reimbursed by the federal gov-
ernment.
Siuslaw School District
qualifies for the free lunch pro-
gram because of the high per-
centage of low-income fami-
lies with children living within
the district.
In addition to the mobile
van lunch service, the program
provides about 175 lunches
daily to children attending the
Twilight and the Boys and
Girls Club summer programs.
The mobile van lunch pro-
gram is off to a slow start with
about 16 to 18 youths currently
taking advantage of the pro-
gram. Bitner believes that this
is because not many people are
fully aware of the program.
For the time being, the low
mobile lunch numbers do not
pose a concern, but Bitner sees
a potential problem looming if
the van numbers don’t pick up.
Unlike the Boys and Girls
Club summer program that
runs to Aug. 19, the Twilight
summer program ends July 19.
After that there will be
between 50 to 60 children in
the Boys and Girls Club pro-
gram.
“I need a minimum number
of participation to get the reim-
bursement money that allows
me to pay for my staff and pay
for the food,” Bitner said. “For
me that number is 100.”
There is more at stake than
just not serving free lunches to
community children if Bitner
can’t sustain the 100 lunches
per day minimum.
“The program has great
advantages for us as a district
and for me as their food man-
ager because it allows me to
keep my employees working,”
Bitner said. “Most of these
employees would need to get a
summer job. This allows me to
keep them working in the sum-
mer time and keep our pro-
gram rolling.”
Shutting down the kitchen
for a few months also would
make starting back up in the
fall more difficult.
“I don’t have to clean out all
my coolers and then restock
them. Instead, I just keep that
inventory rolling. It has a lot of
advantages for us and for the
community,” Bitner added.
The idea of the lunch van
driving through neighbor-
hoods, similar to the old ice
cream truck concept was con-
sidered, but then rejected.
“Oregon Department of
Education mandates that we
have specified serving sites
and times,” Bitner said. “That
is why we are where we are
when we are.
“The hope is that those
numbers at the library, Miller
Park the Food Share and possi-
bly other locations will grow
to 50 or more per day. If that
doesn’t happen, we will do
everything we can to keep the
program operational through
the summer. But getting to 100
meals a day after July 19
solves all our problems,” he
added.
Bitner is looking for volun-
teers to help get the message
out about the free summer
lunch program.
“Any child 18 years or
under gets a free meal. There
are no restrictions. It doesn’t
matter where they are from,”
Bitner said.
For more information, call
Dave Bitner at 541-933-0911.
Schloss, one of the developers
of Cowbuckers.
“We make the world’s first
cowboy hat and trucker hat
combination,” Schloss said.
He and his University of
Oregon classmates Chris
Watkins and Whitney
Alexander saw a niche in
sports fan apparel and now sell
their unique, licensed hats in
50 schools across the United
States, including at the Duck
Store. The Cowbucker team is
ramping up to raise more capi-
tal to grow, and going through
the RAIN Eugene Accelerator
was a big start.
Brown used to own five
Eugene-area restaurants, but
the downturn in the economy
led her away from the food
industry and into fashion.
“Katie is a serial entrepre-
neur, in that she goes out to
kill the market again and
again,” Cummings said. “It’s
the classic entrepreneur — we
never stop developing our next
thing.”
Brown started her new ven-
ture using many of the ideas
she developed in her restau-
rants: the idea of locally
sourced, quality products.
“At Katie Brown L.A., we
do slow fashion, the opposite
of fast fashion. It’s consuming
less but knowing what you’re
supporting. It all wraps into
what KBLA is about,” Brown
said.
Her women’s classic-cut
clothing focuses on basics.
Every stitch is American made
in Los Angeles, Calif.
“I wear her fashions all the
time. No, really,” Cummings
said.
Brown was just accepted
into RAIN’s next Accelerator.
The last speaker was
Edman, founder of Waitrainer,
a software that simplifies
training and increases staff and
customer retention in the
restaurant industry.
“It’s a really cool piece of
software that helps retain
employees and increase cus-
tomer retention,” Cummings
said.
Edman said, “It’s really hard
to find good training in any
industry. We’re trying to solve
the piece of the puzzle to get
small, independent restaurants
on the same training schedule
and format.”
Like the other founders, he
found a niche and worked to
fill it.
His background with Lunar
Logic, a software development
firm in Eugene, history with
other start-ups and fine-tuning
his market through the RAIN
Accelerator helped him find
early and continued success.
The founders answered
questions from the audience
about preparing for a future
Accelerator, finding mentors,
regional strengths and moving
forward.
Cummings reminded the
audience about City of
Florence’s economic develop-
ment coordinator — City
Recorder Kelli Weese — and
the chamber’s continued sup-
port of RAIN.
“RAIN can’t do what we do
to support the entrepreneurial
ecosystem without the local
governments and economic
development folks,” she said.
“We also could not do it with-
out the existing entrepreneurs
who step up and help us.”
Weese said, “If you have
any questions about your role
and how the city can help get
you where you need to go, I’m
the one to talk to.”
She can be reached at
www.ci.florence.or.us.
RAIN will return on
Thursday, June 30, to talk
about the next stages for start-
ups: how to attract your first
customers.
“If you build it, will they
come? I’ll talk about startup
sales and marketing techniques
that have worked for me and
many others,” Cummings said.
The presentation will
include lessons on market val-
idation, building a brand, tar-
geting a market, listening to
customers and stepping out of
one’s comfort zone in order to
sell faster, better and smarter.
Light food and beverages
will be provided.
“This is what’s awesome
about being part of an entre-
preneurial ecosystem and
building a culture,” Cummings
said. “We are testing doing
events at different locations,
times of day and times of year.
It’s great that you are all here
so we can learn from you and
you can learn from us.”
The event will be at the
Florence Events Center, 715
Quince St., from 4:30 to 6
p.m.
People can sign up ahead at
meetup.com/Startup-Florence-
Oregon-Coast/events/
231725007/.
HAVE A QUESTION WE SHOULD ASK?
E MAIL : E DITOR @T HE S IUSLAW N EWS . COM
What is your favorite summer activity?
Specialty
Salads
for a healthy &
delicious meal!
“Going swimming”
“ I like to go swimming at the beach”
—C AMERON , 6
—A ALIA , 7
The above youth are members of the local Boys and Girls Club.
“Going camping. We go to this huge camp-
ing spot up the Umpqua. It’s a really fun place.
We follow this trail down to the river.”
—O LIVIA , 7
DISCLAIMER: The opinions expressed above are solely those of the contributors and do not necessarily reflect those of the Siuslaw News or its advertisers.
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