A4 • HERMISTONHERALD.COM
WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 8, 2017
Our Community
E-mail your community news items to:
community@hermistonherald.com
IN BRIEF
Elks wrap up
donations for
speech camp
Me and My Prince
Ball seeks sponsors
A gift-wrapping station
set up during the busy hol-
iday season at the Herm-
iston Liquor Store helped
raise money for Camp
Meadowood Springs.
Cindy Griffi th, a vol-
unteer with the Hermiston
Elks Lodge, said business
owner Trudie Seadorf was
gracious to provide the
space for the fundrais-
er. Griffi th wrapped gifts
and accepted donations
to benefi t Meadowood,
which provides a unique
summer camp experience
for children/teenagers and
their families impacted by
communication and/or so-
cial learning challenges.
Camp Meadowood is a
major charitable project of
the Oregon State Elks As-
sociation and its subordi-
nate lodges. Each year the
Oregon State Elks sponsor
children to attend summer
residential camps or clin-
ics.
For more about the
camp, visit www.mead-
owoodsprings.org.
Safe Communities
cancels Feb. 8
meeting
The Safe Communi-
ties February meeting has
been canceled.
The group focuses on
many areas of person-
al safety and awareness,
including domestic vio-
lence, child abuse, teen
violence, bullying, home-
lessness and safety regard-
ing guns, fi re, computer
use, traffi c and water. It
meets the second Wednes-
day of each month at noon
at Good Shepherd Medical
Center, 610 N.W. 11th St.,
Hermiston.
For more information,
contact Juli Gregory at
541-667-3506 or jgrego-
ry@gshealth.org.
Organizers are busy
planning the 13th annual
Me and My Prince Ball,
which is Saturday, May
20 in Hermiston.
The formal/semi-for-
mal event is coordinated
by Girl Scouts of Oregon
and Southwest Washing-
ton Service Unit 22. It
provides an opportunity
to build special memories
for fathers and daughters.
Tickets, which are $15
per person, will be avail-
able in mid-April
Different levels of
sponsorship provide ev-
erything from multiple
admissions and table
reservations to inclusion
in promotional materi-
als and logo/sponsor an-
nouncements at the event.
People are encouraged to
register as a sponsor by
March 14.
In-kind
donations
are also being accepted.
Items that can be used as
door prizes or placed in a
goody bag are needed
All
donations
are
tax-deductible.
Checks
should be made out “Girl
Scouts” and mailed to:
Michelle Kane, Me and
My Prince Ball, 520 W.
Hemlock Ave., Hermiston
OR 97838.
For more information,
call Kane at 541-564-
5985.
Inland orchestra
announces weekend
Calling all artists
performances
Numerous musicians
from
Hermiston
and
across the region will per-
form a pair of free con-
certs this weekend.
The Inland Northwest
Orchestra, under the di-
rection of R. Lee Friese,
will perform “Marionet-
ten-Trauermarsch”
by
Charles Gounod. Also
known as “Funeral March
of a Marionette,” people
Printed on
recycled
newsprint
VOLUME 111 ● NUMBER 5
Gary L. West | Editor • gwest@hermistonherald.com • 541-564-4532
Tammy Malgesini | Community Editor • tmalgesini@eastoregonian.com • 541-564-4539
Jayati Ramakrishnan | Reporter • jramakrishnan@hermistonherald.com • 541-564-4534
Jade McDowell | Reporter • jmcdowell@eastoregonian.com • 541-564-4536
Jeanne Jewett | Multi-Media consultant • jjewett@hermistonherald.com • 541-564-4531
Shannon Paxton | Offi ce coordinator • spaxton@hermistonherald.com • 541-564-4530
Audra Workman | Multi-Media consultant • aworkman@eastoregonian.com • 541-564-4538
To contact the Hermiston Herald for news,
advertising or subscription information:
• call 541-567-6457
• e-mail info@hermistonherald.com
• stop by our offi ces at 333 E. Main St.
• visit us online at: hermistonherald.com
The Hermiston Herald (USPS 242220, ISSN
8750-4782) is published weekly at Hermiston
Herald, 333 E. Main St., Hermiston, OR
97838, (541) 567-6457.
may remember it from
the Alfred Hitchcock
TV series.
The free concerts
are Saturday at 4 p.m.
at the Enterprise Chris-
tian Church and Sun-
day at 4 p.m. at Co-
lumbia High School in
Burbank, Washington.
Donations are accept-
ed. Audience members
are invited to recep-
tions following each
performance.
The program also
features
“Western
Suite” by Elie Sieg-
meister. The piece,
which was premiered
by
Toscanini
and
the NBC Symphony
Orchestra during a
broadcast concert Nov.
25, 1945, features
five parts — Prai-
rie Morning, Round-
up,
Night-Herding,
Buckaroo and Riding
Home.
Formed in 1999 by
classical music enthu-
siasts, ensembles of
the Inland Northwest
Musicians present free
performances through-
out the region. The
organization’s mission
is to provide an atmo-
sphere to support mu-
sicians in developing
their talent — audi-
tions aren’t required.
For more informa-
tion, contact 541-289-
4696, inwm@machme-
dia.net or visit www.
inlandnorthwestmusi-
cians.com.
ANNUAL SUBSCRIPTION RATES
Delivered by carrier and mail Wednesdays
Inside Umatilla/Morrow counties .......... $42.65
Outside Umatilla/Morrow counties ....... $53.90
Periodical postage paid at Hermiston, OR.
Postmaster, send address changes to
Hermiston Herald, 333 E. Main St.,
Hermiston, OR 97838.
Member of EO Media Group Copyright ©2017
TOOTH WISDOM
Whether pou have pour own teeth or dentures, this class
will help improve oral health and increase pour knowledge
about its importance to health and well-being. FREE!
Includes goodie bag
Attend one of these classes:
Feb. 7, 14, 21 or 28 • 10-11am
GS Medical Office Plaza - Meeting room 2
Contact Facilitator Helena Wolfe at 541-561-5443
HEART-TO-HEART
Join us for this FREE class about heart health. Bring pour
lunch and questions to learn simple changes that lead to a
heart healthp life
Feb. 15 • 11am-1pm
45 minute presentation, repeated
GS Conference Center 2
HEALTHY FRIDAYS
FREE health screenings & health coaching: Blood
pressure checks, weigh-ins, bodp mass
index, cholesterol and glucose.
First Friday of every month
8am-11am
GSMC Conference Center 7 (by Education Dept)
Information or to register
call (541) 667-3509
or email
healthinfo@gshealth.org
www.gshealth.org
The Irrigon Water-
melon Festival is hold-
ing a contest for an
event logo for its 33rd
annual event.
The creator of the
winning logo will re-
ceive a $25 gift cer-
tifi cate. Entries must
include the name, “Ir-
rigon Watermelon Fes-
tival,” the date July 29,
2017 and “Bellinger
Farms.”
Entries must be
submitted by Wednes-
day, March 1 to Dave
Cooley at dlcooley61@
gmail.com or Irrigon
Watermelon Festival,
P.O. Box 386, Irrigon,
OR 97844.
STAFF PHOTO BY TAMMY MALGESINI
Laurie Ball-Kiser, center, coordinates the twice-yearly Community Fellowship Dinner during
Thanksgiving and Christmas. Benefi t accounts have been set up to help the Hermiston
woman with recent medical expenses not covered by insurance.
Benefi t funds to help longtime
Hermiston volunteer recover
Health issues
bury Ball-Kiser in
medical bills
By TAMMY MALGESINI
Community Editor
For more than 40 years,
Laurie Ball-Kiser has giv-
en of her time, talents and
resources to the communi-
ty — now the Hermiston
woman is in need of help
from others.
A couple of strokes and
other health problems have
resulted in a pile of medi-
cal bills, said Karen Sny-
der, who met Ball-Kiser
more than a decade ago
while volunteering at the
Community
Fellowship
Dinner. Snyder, who helped
set up a benefi t account for
Ball-Kiser, said insurance
paid a portion of the costs,
but Ball-Kiser and her hus-
band, Joe, are facing more
than $20,000 in medical
debt.
“She has been a huge
part of the community,”
Snyder said. “We are hop-
ing people will step up and
help her.”
Cathy Stolz, owner of
the Chuckwagon Cafe,
agreed. From kids needing
a voice through the Court
Appointed Special Advo-
cate program to the hungry
and lonely during the hol-
iday season — Ball-Kiser
gives of herself to help oth-
ers, Stolz said.
“She has her hands on
the pulse of the commu-
nity,” Stolz said. “She
knows where the needs
are and does her best to
see that those needs are
met. Now it’s her turn, she
could use a lift from the
community.
Ball-Kiser has been a
substitute teacher in Herm-
iston and Umatilla schools
for more than 30 years.
However, she is best known
as the driving force behind
the twice-yearly Commu-
nity Fellowship Dinner in
Hermiston. Coordinating
the free meals on Thanks-
giving and Christmas,
Ball-Kiser is a fi rm believer
that people should be able
to share a nice holiday meal
with others.
Over the years, Ball-Kis-
er has been recognized for
her efforts — in 2014,
she received the Christ-
mas Spirit Award from the
Good Shepherd Communi-
ty Health Foundation and
then-mayor Bob Severson
recognized Ball-Kiser with
the Mayor’s Award during
the 2009 Hermiston Cham-
ber Distinguished Citizens
Awards Banquet.
Ball-Kiser is always
quick to point out that the
twice-yearly meals are
the result of a lot of peo-
ple pitching in. While she
coordinates the effort, it
wouldn’t be possible about
the hundreds of volunteers
that help.
“Without the community
involvement, we couldn’t
continue to provide a place
for people to share a meal
with others,” she said in
a past interview with the
East Oregonian. “It’s truly
a blessing to be able to do
this.”
Stolz, who recently
showed Ball-Kiser com-
ments on Facebook, is
touched by the outpouring
of support. Though she’s
having diffi culty speaking,
Stolz said Ball-Kiser’s re-
sponse said plenty.
“Her eyes fi lled with
tears,” Stolz said. “All
she can manage to say is,
‘Thank you.’ I know her
heart is fi lled with gratitude
and humbleness.”
People can provide fi -
nancial support to Ball-Kis-
er in three ways:
•A GoFundMe link at
www.gofundme.com/lau-
rie-ballkiser-benefi t-fund
•Make a donation by
check or cash via the Lau-
rie Ball-Kiser Benefi t Fund
at Columbia River Bank,
1033 S. Highway 395,
Hermiston.
•Drop off cash or checks
made out to the Laurie
Ball-Kiser Benefi t Fund
at the Chuckwagon Cafe,
81027 N. Highway 395,
Hermiston.
For more information,
contact Snyder at karen-
jeansnyder@charter.net or
Stolz at 541-567-6329.