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126TH YEAR ❘ ISSUE NO. 96
❘ DECEMBER 3, 2016 ❘ $1.00
A&E — INSIDE
SERVING WESTERN LANE COUNTY SINCE 1890
FLORENCE, OREGON
Community comes together in wake of student’s death
t’s a sobering fact that, according
to the American Foundation for
Suicide Prevention, suicide is the
second leading cause of death for peo-
ple between ages 10 and 34 in the state
of Oregon.
It isn’t a statistic limited to large
cities, urban areas, the wealthy or
poor. And early Thursday morning, it
was a statistic that unfortunately found
its way into Mapleton with the suicide
of high school student Brandon
Kimble — a good-humored freshman
who moved to the area two years ago
and played on the Sailors’ football
team as a wide receiver this past fall.
According to Lane County Sheriff’s
Office Lt. Billy Halverson, the call
came in at 3:21 a.m. from a family
member who had found Kimble.
Police arrived and determined that the
I
NED HICKSON/SIUSLAW NEWS
A symbol of strength stands outside the Mapleton gymnasium.
Chamber
adds fourth
underwriter
B Y N ED H ICKSON
Siuslaw News
15-year-old had taken his own life.
Sheriffs contacted the school to
allow faculty to prepare for the arrival
of students and initiate a crisis
response team, which arrived from
Siuslaw High School at about 10 a.m.
and opened a “Care Room” in the
school’s library, where the news was
given to the school’s students.
“It’s a conversation you never
expect to have,” said Mapleton School
District Superintendent Jodi O’Mara.
“The nice thing about Mapleton is the
amazing closeness of the community.
It also happens to be the hardest thing
when something like this happens.
“It effects everyone very deeply.”
O’Mara contacted Siuslaw School
District
Superintendent
Andy
Grzeskowski, who offered extra sup-
port from school counselors in addi-
tion to the crisis team headed up by
school psychologist Robyn Wallace-
Blanchard.
“Once everyone was here, we met,
determined those students who were
most at-risk emotionally, and then
tried to establish a sense of normalcy
for those who needed it, as well as spe-
cial help for those who needed some-
thing more,” said Wallace-Blanchard.
“That included staff members and par-
ents.”
While students were given the
option to return home with a parent’s
consent, most opted to stay on the
school grounds.
See
MAPLETON 11A
Filling up
E m p ty B ow l s
Driftwood Shores joins
Korando Dental, TR Hunter,
Three Rivers as supporters
F
lorence Area Chamber of Commerce now
has a fourth corporate underwriter in
Driftwood Shores Resort and Conference
Center.
B Y C HANTELLE M EYER
Chamber
Siuslaw News
Executive Dir-
ector
Bettina
Hannigan began pursuing additional corporate
sponsorship earlier this year during annual
chamber membership renewals. TR Hunter Real
Estate became a new underwriter in August and
Korando Dental Group became one in
September, joining longtime underwriter Three
Rivers Casino Resort.
Hannigan said that Driftwood Shores has a lot
to offer the local community, especially with its
Surfside Restaurant and Lounge, premium
rooms, suites and condos, indoor pool and per-
fect location to
watch the early
“Florence Area
winter sunsets.
Chamber of
“Driftwood
Shores
has
Commerce keeps us
always been a
involved with our
distinguished
sponsor,” she
local community.”
—T AMI C LARK , said. “Sales and
Marketing
D RIFTWOOD S HORES S ALES
Director Tami
AND MARKETING D IRECTOR
Clark
app-
roached
me
about increasing their membership. They know
the value of working with the chamber and saw
how much more bang for their buck they can get
from being an underwriter.”
The chamber’s four underwriters get premium
placement on the chamber’s website and publi-
cations, live leads from people requesting relo-
cation packets and Visitor Center information
and additional event advertising, public relations
and chamber resources.
Clark said, “Driftwood Shores Resort believes
in the Florence Area Chamber of Commerce and
wanted to support it at a higher level. We have
received tremendous value from our involve-
ment with the chamber over the years.”
She said that the chambers’ efforts to bring
new business and more visitors, host fundraisers
and workshops and connect local business own-
ers has helped grow her operation at Driftwood
Shores.
INSIDE
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UNDERWRITER 11A
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PHOTOS BY JACK DAVIS/SIUSLAW NEWS
Annual event helps fill Florence Food Share pantry
M
ore than 700 hand-crafted bowls and
ceramic ware are for sale through
Sunday at the Florence Events Center
during the annual Empty Bowls fundraiser.
Now in its 21st year, Empty Bowls dedicates
all proceeds to Florence Food Share. Local
artists and more than 75 Siuslaw High School
students created the handmade bowls.
Dozens of silent auction art items are also up
for bid with bowl prices starting at $5. Each
bowl comes with a certificate good for one free
bowl of soup at participating local restaurants.
Oregon homeless student numbers increase
Department of Education reports that area districts’ rates are higher than state average
B Y M ARK B RENNAN
Siuslaw News
A newly released report from
the Oregon Department of
Education (ODE) provides
unsettling new data regarding
the number of homeless K-12
students in local communities.
The new numbers, verified by
Siuslaw School District Super-
intendent Andy Grzeskowiak,
state that 61 students in the
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THIS WEEK ’ S
Siuslaw district currently self
identify as homeless.
The study also shows that the
Mapleton School District cur-
rently has 31 students that have
no permanent home or shelter.
These individuals amount to
approximately 4.3 percent of the
student body at Siuslaw, slightly
higher than the statewide aver-
age of 3.7percent.
According to the ODE study,
these numbers are similar to
those of the past few years and
indicate the ongoing need for
local schools to provide support
for students that goes beyond the
basics of books and instruction.
“These kids and families, that
self identify (as homeless) are
eligible for basic supply assis-
tance,” said Grzeskowski. “They
can get clothing and toiletries,
study materials and some addi-
tional support if needed.”
He believes that the district’s
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responsibility is more than sim-
ply teaching; it is also about pro-
viding a framework of accept-
ance and caring for all of his stu-
dents.
“Our goal is to be as inclusive
as we can be to every kid, and
especially to kids living in tough
situations,” Grzeskowski said.
“We want to reduce stress in
their lives, to make it easier to
S IUSLAW N EWS
2 S ECTIONS ❘ 22 P AGES
C OPYRIGHT 2016
See
RATES 11A
CYAN MAGENTA YELLOW BLACK
Mapleton High School freshman Brandon Kimble died Thursday