COTTAGE GROVE SENTINEL MAY 30, 2018
3A
Hospital auxiliary
earns $3,000
Kiwanis' wood pile funds local scholarships
By Caitlyn May
cmay@cgsentinel.com
CAITLYN MAY/COTTAGE GROVE SENTINEL
SPLITTING WOOD—Gene O'Neil spends Friday morning splitting wood for the Bohemia Sunrisers Kiwanis club.
The wood is sold in cords to fund scholarships for local students. The equipment was purchased by the Kiwanis
club while the lot was donated by Brad's Chevy car dealership in Cottage Grove.
By Caitlyn May
cmay@cgsentinel.com
E
very Wednesday, Friday and
Saturday morning, Gene O’Neil
pulls in behind Brad’s Chevy car
dealership in Cottage Grove and gets to
work.
He’s been doing it for 15 years — some-
times with help and sometimes without.
Since he’s retired, he’s been doing it more
but the goal has been the same: collect
and split enough wood to sell 40 cords
to fund scholarships for local students at
Cottage Grove High School and Kennedy
High School.
The gated space behind Brad’s was
donated to the Cottage Grove Bohemia
Sunrisers Kiwanis Club by the car lot and
most of the wood piled and waiting to be
split has been too. O’Neil hasn’t always
been the brawn behind the project but he
has been part of the Kiwanis organization
for years.
The Bohemia Sunrisers Kiwanis Club
supports both local scholarships and Spe-
cial Olympics in Cottage Grove and Cre-
swell.
On an early morning last week, he was
hard at work splitting and loading a five-
load order with another five-load order
waiting right behind it.
“Our goal is to sell 40 cords and give
10 cords to Community Sharing,” O’Neil
said of the local food pantry that helps
low-income and homeless individuals
with basic needs. “About half of the cords
are committed before I even start in the
spring.”
By Labor Day, O’Neil likes to have all
the wood for the coming winter split and
delivered; a feat that takes months to
achieve.
One cord of wood takes 12 hours of la-
bor from collection to delivery. The new
trailer Kiwanis purchased has made the
job easier — it tilts, eliminating the need
to bend over the sides to unload the cords
of wood.
The latest pile waiting to be split is
made up of remnants from a tree Smith
Lund Mills Funeral Chapel cut down in
its parking lot. Kiwanis members collect-
ed the tree and now, O’Neil will split it.
It’s how it works most of the time. Peo-
ple call Kiwanis and offer the group the
opportunity to cut up and haul away a
tree that has fallen in their yard. It counts
as a tax deduction and eliminates the
need for Kiwanis to cut trees down which
cuts the group’s liability.
Cords range between $160 and $200
including delivery, with the money go-
ing to fund scholarships ranging between
$250 and $1,000.
While Kiwanis is always happy to have
customers, according to O’Neil, his hands
are full at the wood lot now and what’s
needed are volunteer hours.
To volunteer at the wood lot, contact
O’Neil at 541-520-2818.
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Cottage-Grove-Sentinel
The Cottage Grove Hospital Auxiliary holds a luncheon once
a month but on May 23, there was something different about
the meeting.
“They came and presented us with a check,” said president
Gene Brown.
They check was 90 percent of the proceeds from a joint yard
sale held in conjunction with the Cottage Grove Lutheran
Church that chooses a non-profit from the community to take
part in the sale. This month, the auxiliary was that non-profit
and earned $3,380 by selling furniture for $30 to $40 a piece to
$1 tomato plant starts.
“It’s a good chunk of money for us,” Brown said.
The auxiliary, part of the hospital’s foundation, fundraises for
hospital equipment and usually does so by manning the front
desk at the hospital and selling cookies it bakes itself. The group
also sells used purses and cookbooks. During the summer, aux-
iliary members can be seen at Concerts in the Park at Bohemia
Park once a week raising funds as well.
While the group raises money for standard items such as
wheelchairs and physical therapy equipment, it also helps find
the money for larger and more abstract needs. One year, it
bought a ride-on carpet cleaner and last year it helped raise
funds to purchase a new mammography machine after the
manufacturer of the existing machine notified the hospital that
it would no longer be able to repair the dated equipment. The
new 3D machine offers a clearer image and helps cut down
drive time for patients whose doctors requested a 3D imagine,
available only in Eugene before the arrival of the new mam-
mography machine in Cottage Grove.
The auxiliary currently has 40 active volunteers who pay
$10 in dues per year but is looking to add to its ranks. Vol-
unteers must be able to pass a background and TB test due to
the amount of time spent at the hospital. Once individuals are
cleared, they’re asked to spend half a day at the hospital on
cookie duty and eventually will lend a hand to other fundrais-
ers the group does throughout the year including Concerts in
the Park cookie sales.
For more information, or to volunteer, contact Jeanne Wund-
row at 541-674-9250 or wundrowwoman@msn.com.
Final week to be busy for
Crow High School seniors
Crow High School Seniors are in full swing for their last
week of school. The count down begins tonight, May 30, with
the school's annual Senior Recognition Night. The ceremony
begins at at 7 p.m. at CHS. The community is welcome to at-
tend and hear about all the students' accomplishments over
the past four years, as well as their plans for the future.
Then on Thursday, May 31, come listen to the CHS Spring
Band and Choir Concert at the Crow Grange. Music begins at
7 p.m. Both the choir and band musicians have worked hard
to offer an outstanding performance.
The public is invited to attend this free concert.
This Sunday, June 3, come to the CHS Baccalaureate at
Crow/Applegate Church (Turn on Crow Road off of Territori-
al Highway, then take the first drive on the left.)
The Baccalaureate tradition is a special one and begins at
6 p.m.
The offficial Crow High School graduation ceremony is Fri-
day, June 8, at 7 p.m. in the CHS gym.
Again, all are welcome to attend and share in the occasion.
The deadline to purchase 2017-18 CHS yearbooks is June 1.
Also happening this week:
• Cougar Mat Club Goodwill Trailer Donation Drive Fund-
raiser is Friday, June 1; Saturday, June 2; and Sunday, June 3 by
the CHS baseball field. Hours to drop off are 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.
For more information, call 541-520-9275 for an optimal
time. This is a great way to clean out closets, get rid of unwant-
ed items and help the Cougar Mat Club program.
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