By Dixon Bledsoe
This is a beautiful time of year and the foliage is soon to be spectacular. The days have been comfortably warm and the mornings and evenings crisp and cool. I love it. It is also the time when we ramp up for winter activities, the holidays and fundraising for good causes. Here are a few near and dear to my heart.
Judy’s Party – A legacy of love is a Silverton Chamber of Commerce event to raise money for nonprofits which represents what the late and irreplaceable Judy Schmidt lived for – helping people. The event is 7 to 11 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 24 at the Mount Angel Festhalle. They will be things Judy loved and cherished including live music, camaraderie as well as great food from local restaurants and a silent and oral auction. Tickets are $35. Please come and toast this amazing woman. Call the chamber at 503-873-5615 to get tickets.
The Rotary Club of Silverton and Rotary International are all about “Service Above Self.” And when the Silverton Police Department asked for help, Rotary is delivering the goods. The department needs a trailer for a variety of uses, many focusing on safety and education. Forest River stepped up to the plate and is building the Silverton PD a custom-made trailer at its new Mill Street operations for a drastically reduced price. Les Schwab is donating a hitch. NAPA Auto Parts is helping out with batteries. Bledsoe Santana Team Realty is helping raise money to equip the trailer with things from awning, lights, chairs, traffic signs, traffic cones and more. The uses of the trailer are many – school safety education trainings, bike rodeos, Safety Town, carseat installation clinics, evidence collection for traffic and crime scenes, parades and more. To date, Rotary Club of Silverton is contributing $2,600, Rotary International has approved a grant of $2,000, and the independent fundraising is over $1,100 as of Oct. 9, with a goal of $2,500. Please call 503-602-4320 if you can help this terrific cause. Let’s show Silverton Police Chief Jeff Fossholm and his officers and staff that we appreciate the concept of “community policing,” their professionalism, and their quest to keep us safe.
I decided this week that in every future column, I am going to give a shout-out to great service, for a few good reasons – this column is about people, I am an optimist by nature, retail service can be thankless, and great service is welcome relief from a sea of dour faces who seem to be put-out that I intruded into the sanctity of their place of work.
Admittedly, I have some high expectations and am not shy about saying what those are.
To the young man who stared at me for what may have been an entire minute, without so much as a smile, nod, or kind word, I said simply, “Good morning. I hope I am not disturbing you.”
But when I went to the Silverton Verizon store for technical phone support, Faith Moen helped me.
I am not 100 percent sure, but I think she wanted to help me and enjoyed doing so. She smiled constantly, apologized when the phone technician was not lightening fast, laughed at my dumb jokes, and was pleasant from start to finish in a 30-minute interaction.
She solved my problem, was highly professional and was absolutely charming. I wish I had been an Army General and could grant her a battlefield promotion. It would have certainly increased her pay grade. Now when I shop local at Verizon rather than drive to Keizer Station, I have Faith.
