By Dixon Bledsoe
Robert Frost Elementary School fourth-grade students Ally LeBouef and Emily Candee were moved by the March 11 devastation in Japan, hit with a triple whammy of an earthquake, tsunami and nuclear disaster. They organized a coin drive at the school and collected a whopping $292. In kid-speak, that equates to giving up about 150 ice cream cones. About their humanity and thoughtfulness, it speaks volumes about the kids who lead and the kids who gave. Emily and Ally, you rock.
Gordon McNeilly, the consummate family doctor who took care of so many area folks for more than half a century, passed away April 28, 2011. The gentle and professional physician would have been at home in a Norman Rockwell poster. He had legions of fans and he will be missed.
Mark Twain Middle School Smile Group’s mission is putting smiles on faces around school and town. Darby Hector’s charges made May Day baskets for seniors at the Davenport House; put cheery posters up in the hallways for their classmates, and did origami tray liners for Silverton Hospital. Wanting to do something to make her students smile, Hector took them to Roth’s for its renowned donuts. What a loud group of gigglers and squealers when Orville Roth walked in and greeted them. Talk about respectful. “Hi, Mr. Roth.’ “Great donuts, Mr. Roth.” And the generous man who is Green Bowtie Service personified shook every hand, lit up like a kid himself. Talk about lots of smiles and even more reasons to shop local.
Speaking of shopping local – what a great thing to do. Look at gas prices hovering around $4 per gallon, a very good reason to shop local. Spending money locally is an investment in your community and it helps local folks. Mostly importantly – it makes a difference in your town.
Emily Santana is a rather diminutive young lady with a huge heart. She recently returned from a six-week humanitarian mission in Livingston, Zambia. Emily, the daughter of Silverton’s Lisa and Uriel Santana (a second cousin to the legendary Carlos Santana) is a 19-year-old Christian who went with the non-denominational Mandate Schools in Sheridan (affiliated with Silverton’s Oak Street Church) to help missionaries serve people in the impoverished African country. No doubt, she is the only Silverton person to be baptized in the Zambezi River and the only one to be baptized in the Zambezi River who lost a headband and had the baptismal participants mistake it for an alligator.
The Silver Falls YMCA is organizing the Homer Davenport Parade on Aug. 6. It’s looking for a few good military men and women – especially World War II veterans from Silverton, Mount Angel and Scotts Mills. The veterans would be honorees for the parade. If you know of a veteran or are one and want to participate, call me at 503-873-4602.
If you want to see who can still dribble, dunk and shoot, mark your calendar to attend May Madness, an alumni basketball tournament on 5 p.m. May 21 at Silverton High School. Watch Brent Satern, Brett Davisson, Katie Bothum Kuenzi, Scott Gragg, Mary Purdy, Elisa Stadeli and more local alumni ballers help raise money for Silverton Rotary. Tickets are $5 and kids under five are free. Questions or requests for tickets may be directed to Brett Davisson at [email protected], Beth Davisson at 503-873-2818 (or [email protected], or any Rotary member.
