SIUSLAW NEWS ❚ SATURDAY, DECEMBER 2, 2017
‘A Christmas Story’
raises funds for scholarship
The community is invited to
attend a fun evening to raise
scholarship money for a schol-
arship for Florence’s Future
First Citizens on Wednesday,
Dec. 6, at City Lights
Cinemas.
“This a great way to kick off
the holiday season, have a
glass of Christmas cheer with
Florence friends and support
this very important scholar-
ship,” said organizer Lisa
Walter Sedlacek.
The scholarship team and
Michael Falter, owner of City
Lights Cinemas, are hosting
the event, complete with beer,
As soon as the commercial
crabbing
season
opens,
Florence Food Share will
begin selling tickets for the
seventh annual Florence Crab
Crack.
“We expect this will be in
December, but please check
our website or facebook page
for updates,” said Crab Crack
organizers.
Happening at the Florence
Events Center, 715 Quince St.,
on Saturday, Feb. 3, from 4 to
7 p.m., attendees will enjoy
Oregon coast crab along with
pasta, coleslaw, garlic bread,
sodas, coffee and dessert by
BJ’s.
A no-host bar will be avail-
able.
There will also be a silent
auction held during the event
that will include a beautiful
selection of items.
Ticket price is $35 per per-
son.
Advance
purchase
is
required. Only 400 tickets will
be sold and the deadline to
purchase is Jan. 25.
The Crab Crack usually
sells out early, so people are
encouraged to purchase tickets
early once they become avail-
able.
Let me Showcase your property.
Desiree Clifton
Principal Broker
541 999-5223
4 TH ANNUAL F ESTIVAL OF T REES
wine and popcorn — plus the
classic holiday movie, “A
Christmas Story.”
The $2,500 scholarship,
named for Past First Citizen
Marteen Wick, is awarded
each year to Florence’s Future
First Citizen.
Tickets are for a tax-
deductible donation of $30 and
include a reception at 6 p.m.
with beverages, popcorn and
desserts. Tickets are available
at Oregon Pacific Bank and
Laurel Bay Gardens.
A drawing will be held at
the conclusion of the event for
a door prize.
Crab Crack tickets on hold
until start of the season
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3 A
Festive trees
provide
Winter
Wonderland
PHOTOS BY JARED ANDERSON AND
MARK BRENNAN/SIUSLAW NEWS
Florence Festival
of Trees featured
dozens of hand-
decorated wreaths
and small and
large Christmas
Trees Nov. 25 and
26 at Florence
Events Center.
Basset Hounds
took pictures with
Santa and Mrs.
Claus and guests.
he Festival of Trees returned for its
fourth year at the Florence Events
Center last weekend.
Produced by Cindy Wobbe and Lynn
Malaspino-Badel, the event is a fundraiser
for Oregon Coast
B Y C HANTELLE M EYER
M i l i t a r y
Siuslaw News
Museum.
On Saturday,
nearly 800 people visited the tree-filled
event center to “walk through a winter
wonderland.”
“Lisa was our boots on the ground,”
Wobbe said, saying that Malaspino-
Badel’s crew made the more than 80
wreaths and designed and decorated the
“Walking
Through
the
Winter
Wonderland” tree display.
“This was the first year where the pub-
T
lic could come in and purchase tabletop
trees and wreaths during the two-day
event,” she said.
In addition to touring the trees, visitors
were encouraged to take a picture with
Santa and Mrs. Claus, as well as other spe-
cial guests.
Florence Houndful, a local Basset
Hound rescue, brought “Dasher” and
“Dancer” to act as Santa’s helpers.
“They were huge hits,” Wobbe said. “I
noticed that children who were too fright-
ened to go see Santa would go up to see
the dogs. Mom and dad were able to take
the Christmas picture that way.”
On Sunday, 185 people attended the
sold-out Festival of Trees Dinner and
Auction, also at the Florence Events
Center.
All of the proceeds from the evening go
to the Oregon Coast Military Museum.
“We’re very pleased. It was a great
time,” Wobbe said.
The weekend netted more than $20,000
from the sale of wreaths, tabletop trees and
the many live and artificial trees auctioned
by Bob and Katie Sneddon. Many of the
trees were created by local sponsors.
Sue Gilday started the festival four
years ago and ran the event the first three
years. Organizers decided to take 2016 off,
but that allowed Wobbe and Malaspino-
Badel to step in with renewed interest, cre-
ativity and drive.
“We were a good team, and we’re tak-
ing notes for next year,” Wobbe said. “I
hope we drew a lot of attention to the mil-
itary museum.”
Patient-support volunteers ‘pay it forward’
“Pay it forward” is the
response many volunteers give
when asked why they got
involved in the Peace Harbor
Palliative Care program.
“I was drawn to this program
from my personal experience
caring for family members who
wanted to remain in their own
home during an illness,” said
Jane Conkling, a new volunteer.
“I was all nerves and emotions
and could not have navigated
those rough seas without the
compassionate help we received
from the program. Now it is my
turn to pay it back.”
The Peace Harbor Palliative
Care program is designed for
patients who want comfort and
treatment at any stage of a life-
limiting disease, whether termi-
nal or chronic.
The primary focus is on pain
and symptom management —
whether social, physical, emo-
tional or spiritual — with the
goal of improving quality of
life.
“Services offered by a com-
munity-based palliative care
program is a relatively new con-
cept here in Florence,” said
Stephen Kerner, DO, palliative
care physician. “We are now
able to provide support to the
most medically frail in their
own homes.”
However, the program
wouldn’t be successful without
patient-support volunteers.
“I remember how impactful
volunteers were when my loved
one was receiving palliative
care,” Conkling recalled. “They
provided much-needed com-
panionship and support to both
patient and family, and respite
care for caregivers so they could
take breaks. They even assisted
with errands and transportation.
They may seem like small
things, but they made a world of
difference for us.”
Patient-support volunteers
are provided with 21 hours of
training that include an intro-
duction to palliative care, the
role of the volunteer, communi-
cation and boundaries, spiritual-
ity and responding to loss and
grief.
Training for new volunteers
begins on Jan. 10, 2018, and
will continue through Feb. 14.
Sessions are 8:30 a.m. to
noon every Wednesday at Lane
Community College.
Said Conkling: “I know first-
hand how vital these volunteers
are. My hope is that by volun-
teering, I can provide the same
comfort and care to others who
need it just as much as I did.”
Anyone interested in volun-
teering or who has questions
can contact Donna Becker at
dbecker@peacehealth.org or
call 541-902-6734.
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4515 Hwy. 101 N., Florence
541- 997-5049
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