Legacy International invites you to host Indonesian students or Indonesian English teachers in your home this summer, June 7-17. Contact Innocentia Afa at 540-871-0882 and visit www.legacyintl.org for more information on this unique and exciting educational opportunity!

– Submitted by Innocentia Afa, Global Youth Village, Outreach Coordinator

Roanoke County is seeking interested citizens to join a new committee to help develop the next stage of the stormwater management programs for the County and the Town of Vinton. Due to regulatory requirements, the County anticipates significant changes in its stormwater programs and associated costs over the next several years.

Roanoke County hopes the Roanoke County Stormwater Advisory Committee (RCSWAC) will represent a wide range of interests, including individual citizens, home owner associations and civic leagues, developers, agricultural interests, local businesses, non-profit and religious organizations, large-acreage land owners and other groups impacted by the regulations. The ideal committee will represent a balanced and broad spectrum of viewpoints from across the County and Town of Vinton.

A more complete list of the many groups and organizations sought for the committee can be found on the county’s website at www.roanokecountyva.gov/swm.

Committee members will be educated about the County’s existing stormwater programs, regulatory requirements, and anticipated costs. The committee members will develop recommendations for the Board of Supervisors on the desired levels of stormwater services with associated costs, and also recommend possible funding strategies. The intent is to identify the fairest, most equitable, source of reliable revenue to operate the County’s stormwater programs. Funding strategies will have differing costs for different parts of the community, including homeowners, businesses, non-profits, religious organizations, and others.

Committee members will be expected to review briefing packets prior to meetings, attend approximately seven monthly meetings beginning in July, provide honest opinions, respect the viewpoints of other committee members, and work to develop consensus recommendations for the Board of Supervisors.

Interested citizens and organizations are encouraged to visit www.roanokecountyva.gov/swm for additional information and to complete and submit the application form for committee membership by June 8, 2013. County staff will review the applications and make recommendations to the Board of Supervisors for final approval. For additional information, contact David Henderson at (540) 772-2083 or email dhenderson@roanokecountyva.gov.

– Submitted by Gray Craig

HSH Insurance will be holding a CPR, AED and First Aid certification class on May 18 at 9 a.m. at the HSH Training Center. The class usually takes between 4-5 hours. It costs $65 per person, but group discounts for 3 or more are available. This training center is authorized by the American Safety and Health Institute (ASHI). Please visit www.hshi.com for more information or call our office at 540-389-2327 to register.

– Submitted by Tiffany Gibson

Here is a picture of my daughter’s 18th birthday present. Matching tattoos. Daughter’s name is Tabitha (tattoo on back). Got them at Blue Lotus Tattoo in Salem. Thanks Christinia.

– Submitted by Tim Chewning

National Study: Teen Misuse and Abuse of Prescription Drugs Up 33 Percent Since 2008

New, nationally projectable survey results released by The Partnership at Drugfree.org and MetLife Foundation confirmed that one in four teens has misused or abused a prescription drug at least once in their lifetime, a 33 percent increase over the past five years. The Partnership Attitude Tracking Study also found troubling data on teen misuse or abuse of prescription stimulants. One in eight teens (13 percent) now reports that they have taken the stimulants Ritalin or Adderall when it was not prescribed for them, at least once in their lifetime. The new PATS data confirm that misuse and abuse of prescription drugs is now a normalized behavior among teens:

• One in four teens (24 percent) reports having misused or abused a prescription drug at least once in their lifetime (up from 18 percent in 2008 to 24 percent in 2012), which translates to about 5 million teens. That is a 33 percent increase over a five-year period.
• Almost one in four teens (23 percent) say their parents don’t care as much if they are caught using Rx drugs without a doctor’s prescription, compared to getting caught with illegal drugs. Of those teens who said they abused Rx medications, one in five (20 percent) has done so before age 14.
• More than a quarter of teens (27 percent) mistakenly believe that misusing and abusing prescription drugs is safer than using street drugs.
• One-third of teens (33 percent) say they believe “it’s okay to use prescription drugs that were not prescribed to them to deal with an injury, illness or physical pain.” Teens are more likely to use prescription drugs if they believe that their parents are more lenient toward prescription drug misuse or abuse compared to illegal drug abuse, and if their parents use drugs themselves.
• One in five parents (20 percent) report that they have given their teen a prescription drug that was not prescribed for them.

The PATS survey also found that 17 percent of parents do not throw away expired medications, and 14 percent of parents say that they themselves have misused or abused prescription drugs within the past year.

“Parents need to be very clear in the messages they send their kids about the misuse and abuse of prescription medications,” said Dennis White, President and CEO of MetLife Foundation. “It is important for parents and caregivers to set a good example in their own families. This includes using their own medicines properly, safeguarding medications in their own homes and properly disposing of unused medicines so teens won’t have easy access to them.”

– Submitted by Kathy Graham Sullivan, RAYSAC Director

Virginia Cooperative Extension and the Virginia Household Water Quality Program will host the “Roanoke Valley Drinking Water Clinic” for citizens whose water supply comes from wells, springs or cisterns.

The “Kick-Off” meeting is on Monday, May 20 at 6:00 p.m., at the South County Library, 6303 Merriman Road, where participants will receive instructions and the water sample kit.

The sample “Drop-Off” day is Wednesday, May 22, between 7:30 and 10 a.m. At this collection point, the samples will be iced in coolers and taken to the Biological Systems Engineering Water Quality Lab in Blacksburg for analysis. The analysis and creating the water test reports takes about four weeks.

The “Interpretation Meeting” will be on Monday, June 17 from 6 to 7:30 p.m., where participants get their confidential results along with an educational program explaining the results and possible treatment options.

The water will be tested for: iron, sodium, fluoride, coliform bacteria, manganese, copper, pH, E. coli bacteria, sulfate, nitrate, total dissolved solids, lead, hardness and arsenic. The $49 fee covers the cost of one sampling kit and analysis (a $200 value).

Please register by May 10. Forms are available at our office, 3738 Brambleton Ave. S.W., Roanoke, VA 24018 or on our website at http://offices.ext.vt.edu/roanoke. Payment can be cash, check or charge. Either drop off the registration form and cash or a check made payable to “VCE Roanoke” at our office, or mail in the registration and check. You can also pay with credit card only at our website and then email or mail a copy of your receipt to ksturgil@vt.edu along with your registration form.

Registrants will receive confirmation email containing directions prior to the Kick-Off. Please help us manage postal costs by accepting email from Virginia Cooperative Extension.

The goal of the Virginia Household Water Quality Program is to improve the water quality and health of Virginians with private water supplies, such as wells, springs and cisterns. Drinking water clinics are being held in counties across the state to give people with private water systems access to affordable water testing, help interpreting their water test results, and information about possible treatment options.

– Submitted by Chuck Lionberger

Sally Miller took these photos of the Monkey Rodeo at the Salem Red Sox game on Friday, April 26.

Submitted by Suzanne Miller

Tamim Younos, President of the Cabell Brand Center and Cabell Brand, Chairman, are happy to announce the 2013  winners for the Cabell Brand Center’s Scholarship Awards.  The significance of these scholarships is not just the money, but the commitment the students have made to spend part of their life, in the late Dr. Charles “Hap” Fisher’s words “working towards the common good”.  This year we were able to give $11,000 to 6 students who have made just such a commitment. The future of the country soon will pass into the hands of our young people. Their success and our common destiny will depend upon how well-prepared they are to assume the responsibilities before them. This scholarship program encourages young people to accept the challenges of diminishing poverty, promoting the environment, and advancing peace and justice. The Cabell Brand Center for Global Poverty and Resource Sustainability Studies is a non-profit organization founded in 1987, and has been giving fellowships and scholarships for 25 years.

First Place Winner for the $5000
Glenna and Jack Burress Scholarship by The Cabell Brand Center
To Promote the Common Good is:

Cadet Thomas C. Irvine of Lexington, VA attending
Virginia Military Institute

Second Place Winner for the $2000
Dr. Charles “Hap” Fisher by The Cabell Brand Center
To Promote the Common Good is:

Cadet Michelle C. McCusker of Baltimore, MD attending
Virginia Military Institute

This scholarship program was funded by generous donations  of the Burress Family, the late Dr. Charles “Hap” Fisher, Shelia and Ken Garren, Debby & Harlan Beckley, Freedom First Credit Union and from the proceeds from the sale of Cabell Brand’s book “If not me, Then Who?” and other contributions to our Center.  Our center has been able to help young people advance both their education and dedication to public spiritedness,” said Cabell Brand, chairman of the center. “We hope to continue the legacy of Hap, who kept giving back to society until his death in 2011 at age 104.”

Student applications were required to write an essay on what they planned to do with their studies and  life “For the Common Good.” A complete listing of all the winners and their awards are listed is below.

“Helping college students financially through such scholarships not only gives them some individual support, but we also convey to them a sense that we’re all in this world together,” Brand said. “That’s the essence of democracy. By encouraging them to study our common problems and challenges, we can help them come to understand that only through our shared endeavors can we achieve our common aspirations.” – Cabell Brand

More information about our competitive Annual Scholarship program and our inspirational donors can be found on our web pages.
•    http://www.cabellbrandcenter.org/Scholarships.html
•    http://www.ifnotmethenwho.org/Scholarship.html

Awards    Scholarship  Received    School    Title    First    Last    Hometown
1st
Place    Glenna and Jack Burress $5000    Virginia Military Institute    Cadet    Thomas C.     Irvine    Lexington, VA
2nd
Place    Dr. Charles “Hap” Fisher $2000    Virginia Military Institute    Miss.    Michelle C.    McCusker    Baltimore, MD
Freedom First Credit Union $1000    Virginia Tech    Miss.    Tammy E.    Parece    Blacksburg, VA
Harlan and Debby Beckley $1000    Washington & Lee University    Miss.    Beth J.    Kennedy    Blacksburg, VA
Shirley Hurt Brand $1000    Berea College    Miss.    Rachael E.    Brown    Jackson, OH
Sheila and Ken Garren $1000    Washington & Lee University    Miss.    Ellyn T.     Kirtley    Wauwatosa, WI

The goals of center focus on Poverty, Environment, and Peace; One, poverty issues focus on helping people be self-reliant, Two, environment issues focus on sustainability with particular emphasis on fresh water resources, Three, peace issues favor conflict resolution of all disputes, global, and local.

Mission Statement:
The center will strive to eliminate global poverty and attain world peace by enhancing the quality of human life through excellence in research and education, technological innovation, and more widespread economic productivity.  The center will focus especially on the sustainability of water resources and renewable energy at the local level.

Submitted by Cabell Brand

Bill Arnold shares this photo and writes, “Maybe it’s too late, but here is bunny I found in my popcorn on Easter Sunday.”

Thanks, Bill!

Do you have photos to share? You can send them to news@sosalem.com or use our “share” tool to upload 10 at a time.

Roanoke College is losing one of its historic icons, a tulip poplar tree thought to be more than 150 years old, that has been coined “Bittle Tree” in honor of the College’s founding president who planted it, Rev. David Bittle. The Bittle Tree is scheduled to be removed later this week because it has been identified as a significant safety risk by professional arborists.

Unfortunately, after sustaining significant damage from being struck by lightning several years ago, the Bittle Tree has become a safety risk for the College community. Before Roanoke’s Board of Trustees came to the difficult decision of removing the Bittle Tree, several attempts were made to preserve the tree, including deep soil aeration area around the tree.

On Wednesday, April 24, there will be a brief ceremony at 3:30 p.m. in honor of the Bittle Tree. The ceremony will include remarks by President Michael Maxey and a brief history from Dr. Mark Miller, Roanoke’s David F. Bittle College Historian and Professor of History. One of the “baby Bittle” seedlings, planted last year, will be unveiled. The Bittle Tree ceremony will recorded and posted to the Bittle Tree web page after the event: http://bit.ly/11hmFXp.

The Bittle Tree symbolically represents more than 150 years of Roanoke’s commitment to an ethic of tree planting. Last year alone, more than 100 trees were planted on Roanoke’s main campus. Additionally, a group of Roanoke students, faculty and staff planted several, carefully-selected trees on Roanoke’s Elizabeth Campus earlier in April. This tree planting effort was organized by students in the environmental studies program and students from two Roanoke organizations — RC Sustain and Earthbound.

Elizabeth Campus is also the home of a small fruit orchard, which includes two celebrity apple varieties, the Johnny Appleseed tree and Isaac Newton’s Gravity apple trees.

Even though the original Bittle Tree will soon be gone, its legacy will live on at Roanoke. More than a decade ago, Dr. Jon Cawley, an environmental science professor at Roanoke, hand collected and planted about 350 seeds from the Bittle Tree, which resulted in the growth of 15 new seedlings or “Baby Bittles.” Three of these Baby Bittles were planted on Roanoke’s campus and two were donated to the Christiansburg Arboretum in 2001. Cawley’s tree planting efforts were highlighted in an article in The New York Times in 2003.

The Bittle Tree is the last of a series of trees that Roanoke’s founding president planted in 1855. Three recent college presidents have planted seedlings grown from the Bittle Tree. Dr. David Gring planted the first in 2001, Dr. Sabine O’Hara planted the second and President Michael Maxey planted one last year.

Many Roanoke alumni have graduated beneath the canopy of the Bittle Tree and other large trees on Roanoke’s majestic John R. Turbyfill Quadrangle. If you have pictures of yourself at the Bittle Tree, your wedding picture or other family picture featuring the Bittle Tree, please send it to rcnews@roanoke.edu for the Bittle photo gallery.

The College has already received a number of suggestions for use of the wood once the tree is removed. Once the wood is recovered, the college will evaluate the ideas and suggestions to determine how to use the wood available. If you have ideas for a way to use the Bittle Tree wood in a symbolic way, please email your suggestion to rcnews@roanoke.edu.

“The [Baby Bittles] will serve as reminders of our majestic, sheltering Bittle, and how we are part of a tradition and an institution that has a rich history and a growing future,” said President Michael Maxey in a recent email to the campus community. “I look forward to watching its three seedlings grow into tall, mature trees much in the same way that we watch our students grow into alumni who influence the world.”

Submitted by Roanoke College