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The INDEPENDENT, June 16, 2011
OCF announces education grants
Between the Bookends
by Nancy Burch, Librarian
Vernonia Public Library
The
“good
ol’ sum-
m e r -
time”
has fi-
nally ar-
rived,
bringing
with it memories of delightful
experiences of past summers
— running through sprinklers,
roasting marshmallows over a
campfire, playing flashlight tag,
jumping into a chilly river or
lake, listening for the bell of the
ice cream man, or watching
“shooting stars” on a cloudless
night. Depending on our age,
the locale in which we grew up,
or in which we vacationed, the
images conjured in our minds
will vary but, as the days grow
warm, the cloudless skies be-
come filled with stars, and the
smell of newly mown hay wafts
through the air we seem to be
rejuvenated as we think on past
summers and look forward to
making the most of the one that
is now at hand.
Your local library offers
many activities and materials to
help you enjoy the summer to
the utmost. Programs for
youngsters and adults, includ-
ing movies, a juggler, a presen-
tation of live reptiles, crafts and
stories, visits to local places of
interest, and a scavenger hunt
are just some of the activities
that will be offered free to the
public this summer. (A full
schedule of activities is avail-
able in the library and on the
city website.)
The library has a total of 214
items pertaining to summer for
your reading, listening or view-
ing pleasure. Current maga-
zines including Reminisce,
Family Fun, simple & delicious,
Northwest Travel, and Country
offer ideas to add to your enjoy-
ment of summer.
If you are gardening, you
might wish to check out two
new arrivals — Fresh Food
from Small Spaces and Small-
Plot, High-Yield Gardening, or
if you are in the mood to create
while relaxing, we have a new
knitting book containing pat-
terns for 20 hats, 20 scarves,
and 20 mittens. Other new ac-
quisitions include Trader of Se-
crets by Steve Martini, Miles to
Go by Richard Paul Evans,
Children and Fire by Ursula
Hegi, The Jefferson Key by
Steve Berry, Hell is Empty by
Craig Johnson, and Misery Bay
sby Steve Hamilton.
Now is the perfect time to
look through the books you
own but no longer read, and
donate them to the Friends of
the Library for their upcoming
book sale. Donations will be ac-
cepted any time the library is
open. Please do not leave them
outside, and please do NOT
donate encyclopedias, Read-
er’s Digest Condensed Books,
textbooks, or books in poor
condition.
Book discussion will take
place Monday, June 27 at 5:30
p.m., with satirist George Or-
well’s novel of an imaginary fu-
ture totalitarian world—1984,
being the topic.
Be sure to look at the sched-
ule of summer events offered
through the library, and take
advantage of those that are of
interest and will allow you to
take full advantage of this up-
coming summer.
As James Dent said, “A per-
fect summer day is when the
sun is shining, the breeze is
blowing, the birds are singing
and the lawn mower is broken.”
Enjoy! Summer is truly a
special time.
Vernonia Public Library: 701 Weed Avenue
Hours: Mon., Wed., Fri. 10 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.
Tues., Thu. 1:00 p.m. - 7:00 p.m. Sat. 10 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.
Preschool Story Time: Mondays, 10:30 a.m. when school is
in session.
Phone: 503-429-1818
Vernonia
Veterinary
Clinic
Formerly Midway Veterinary Clinic
Monday, Wednesday & Saturday
Action Ads
INEXPENSIVE – EFFECTIVE
503-429-9410
$4.50 for the first
10 words, then just
700 Weed Avenue
Vernonia
10¢ for each
additional word
The Oregon Community
Foundation (OCF), on June 1,
announced $1.4 million in
grants through the Oregon Par-
enting Education Collaborative,
a multi-year initiative to en-
hance parenting education pro-
grams across Oregon. The
Parenting Education Collabora-
tive helps communities build
stronger, more coordinated
parenting education services.
Community Action Team,
Inc. is leading development of
a Northwest Oregon Regional
Parenting Education and Sup-
port Hub, along with a diverse
group of collaborators including
school districts in both Clatsop
and Columbia counties, family
courts, state and county social
service agencies, Head Start,
child care centers, libraries, the
Columbia County Women’s
Resource Center, and United
Way. Grant funds will support a
parenting education coordina-
tor, training for facilitators,
home visits, and delivery of
classes and workshops in a va-
riety of settings and locations.
“Research continues to
show that support for parenting
education is one of the most
important investments we can
make in our children’s futures
as well as our society’s longer-
term economic health,” said
Mary
Louise
McClintock,
OCF’s Early Childhood Pro-
gram Director.
A recent report by Oregon
State University found that un-
stable funding undermines the
availability and consistency of
Oregon’s parenting programs
and that rural areas are fre-
quently underserved. The Par-
enting Education Collaborative
takes aim at these issues, pro-
viding grants of $80,000 to
$90,000 per year to support re-
gional parenting education
“hubs.”
In addition to the Colum-
bia/Clatsop hub, four other
hubs will be launched in July
with the help of initiative grant
support. They will serve Lane,
Lincoln, Polk, and Umatilla/
Morrow counties. Hubs serving
Coos/Curry, Deschutes/Crook/
Jefferson, Douglas, Hood Riv-
er/Wasco, Linn/Benton and
Wallowa/Baker counties re-
ceived second-year renewal
grants. The hubs will be funded
for at least three years.
This initiative is a partner-
ship of several of the state’s
largest foundations, including
OCF, the Meyer Memorial
Trust, The Ford Family Foun-
dation and the Collins Founda-
tion. The Whipple Fund and
Crane Creek Fund of The Ore-
gon Community Foundation
are contributing to the initiative,
and Oregon State University is
also a partner.
For a full listing of grants,
please visit www.oregoncf.org.
Host a foreign exchange student
Be part of the solution!
World Heritage International is
now looking for American fami-
lies to host high school stu-
dents from Eurasia. All these
students have received schol-
arships through the U.S. State
Department sponsored Future
Leaders Exchange Program
(FLEX) Program and will spend
an academic year in the U.S.
This historic program seeks to
foster democracy and values
inherent in a free market econ-
omy. Your support of these stu-
dents and this program rein-
forces the United States’ com-
mitment to education and op-
portunity.
World Heritage International
is currently seeking host fami-
lies for well-qualified, bright,
motivated and well-screened
students coming from Russia,
Ukraine, Moldova, Armenia,
Azerbaijan, Georgia, Kaza-
khstan, Kyrgyzstan, Turk-
menistan, Uzbekistan, and
Tajikistan. By living with local
host families and attending lo-
cal high schools, FLEX schol-
arship students acquire an un-
derstanding of American val-
ues and build on leadership
skills. From the beginning of
this program, FLEX scholar-
ship students work together af-
ter returning home to share
what they have learned while in
America and are making a sig-
nificant difference in their home
countries!
If you, or someone you
know, are interested in learn-
ing more about our programs
and how to become involved,
please call 1(800) 888-9040 or
go online at www.world-her
itage.org.