John Wimmer shares this photo gallery of South County 12A softball vs. Salem in the RAYSA tournament.

Do you have photos involving people or events from Southwest Roanoke County? You can share at news@swo-co.com.

John Wimmer shares this photo gallery of South County 10A softball vs. Glenvar.

Do you have photos involving people or events from Southwest Roanoke County? You can share at news@swo-co.com.

Kansas City, Mo. (Grassroots Newswire) June 28, 2010 — A student from Virginia high school and college technical education programs won the nation’s highest awards at the SkillsUSA National Leadership and Skills Conference. Industry leaders representing over 1,100 businesses, corporations, trade associations and unions recognized the students for their demonstrated excellence in 96 hands-on occupational and leadership contests, such as robotics, criminal justice, aviation maintenance and public speaking. All contests are designed, run and judged by industry using industry standards.

Top student winners received gold, silver and bronze medallions. Many also received prizes such as tools of their trade and/or scholarships to further their careers and education.  The SkillsUSA Championships is for high school and college-level students who are members of SkillsUSA.

In addition, for the fourth year, high scorers in the contests received Skill Point Certificates.  The Skill Point Certificate was awarded in 90 occupational and leadership areas to students who achieved a high score defined by industry. The SkillsUSA Championships have been a premier event since 1967. The Skill Point Certificates were introduced three years ago as a component of the SkillsUSA Work Force Ready System.

The following are Skill Point Certificate recipients from your area:

Team W (consisting of Ryan Mecca, Corey Hancock, Bryan McNulty, Patrick McSherry), from Burton Center for Arts & Technology (Salem), was awarded a Skill Point Certificate in TeamWorks.

“Over 5,600 students from every state in the nation came to compete in the SkillsUSA Championships this week,” said SkillsUSA executive director Tim Lawrence. “This is the SkillsUSA partnership at its best. Students, instructors and industries are working together to ensure America has a skilled work force and every student excels. These students prove that career and technical education expands opportunities.”

According to Lawrence, recent survey data says that 75 percent of these students will go on to higher education. Included in that number are 40 percent who will be attending college and working at the same time. Of those graduating from school, 76 percent plan to work in the field for which they’ve trained.

“They’re the employees industry wants to hire and promote,” Lawrence said.

Industry support of the SkillsUSA Championships is valued at over $35 million in donated time, equipment, cash and material. All contests are run and judged by industry experts using industry standards for employment. Contests assess hands-on, employability and academic skills.
Over 1,600 industry judges and technical committee members participated this year.

The SkillsUSA Work Force Ready System was developed as an extension of the SkillsUSA mission and supported by a grant from the W.K. Kellogg Foundation. The System recognizes students for excellence in occupational training; it assesses and documents the entry-level technical proficiency and cumulative experiences of candidates. For more information about the SkillsUSA Work Force Ready System, visit www.workforcereadysystem.com.

SkillsUSA is a partnership of students, teachers and industry working together to ensure America has a skilled work force. SkillsUSA serves more than 300,000 students and instructors annually and has served more than 10 million members since its founding in 1965. The organization has more than 17,000 sections and 54 state and territorial associations.

The CAVE SPRING LIONS CLUB has inducted the following officers:

President……………………………………………………………..Jim Cosby

1^st Vice-President…………………………………………………..Jim Bailey

2^nd Vice-President………………………………………………Frances Mills

Secretary………………………………………………………………Jane Nash

Treasurer…………………………………………………………..Jim Newman

Ass’t Treasurer………………………………………………..Dewey Monger

Tail Twister…………………………………………………………..Gabe Voss

Lion Tamer …………………………………………………………..Doug Law

Chaplain…………………………………………………Jane Ambrose-Cosby

Old Monarch……………………………………………… .. …Dick Decker

Immediate Past-President……………………………………….Larry Nash

1 Year Directors……..John Arbogast, Chuck Jordan, and Bob Morse

2 Year Directors…….Craig Camidge, Carlton Saul, Dharamdeo Sawh,

and Noel Cosby

Membership Director………………………………………………Larry Nash

The term of office is from July 1, 2010 to July 1, 2011. The induction was performed by Past District Governor Bates Killinger.

Bob Morse was presented the LION OF THE YEAR award.

Past President Larry Nash was presented a plaque for his outstanding service to the organization.

Submitted by: HENRY GLEIXNER

What: Wake Up To Business
Where: Hunting Hills Country Club
When: Tuesday, July 13, 2010 from 7:45 a.m. – 9:30 a.m.

To support the S. W. Virginia Second Harvest Food Bank we ask that all attendees donate a canned good. Reservations are required to attend. Please contact the chamber by July 8 at 540.387.0267 or info@s-rcchamber.org

Hosted By William Lawfield, Waddell & Reed.

Learn about “The More Things Change…” a brief Market Matters presentation, while enjoying breakfast and networking with local business leaders. With Special Guest Southwest Virgina Second Harvest Food Bank.

The lessons you learn from the past could potentially benefit your financial future. The Butterfly Effect. Black Swan Event. Modern Portfolio Theory. While not household terms, these long standing social and economic theories offer important insight into the factors that drive periodic fluctuations in the financial markets. Once you have a
better understanding of them, you’ll be better prepared to build your long-term investment strategy.

William Lawfield, Financial Advisor with Waddell & Reed, Inc., invites you to attend an investment seminar where he will present “The More Things Change…” and discuss investment ideas for the year ahead. Following, there will be ample time for questions.

There is no charge for attending this seminar, and you are welcome to bring guests.

Tuesday, July 13, 2010 7:45 a.m. registration

8:30 a.m. presentation
Buffet breakfast provided

Located at Hunting Hills Country Club
5220 Hunting Hills Drive
Roanoke, VA 24018

Past performance is not a guarantee of future results. Investment return and principal value will fluctuate, and it is possible to lose money by Investing. Investors should consider the investment objectives, risks, charges and
expenses of a fund carefully before investing. For a prospectus containing this and other information for the mutual funds offered by Waddell & Reed, call your financial advisor or visit us online at www.waddell.com. Please read the
prospectus carefully before investing.

Submitted by: Carla Curtis

Here is a message from Michael Meise at the Roanoke County Public Library:

“Our Summer Reading Program (SRP) is in full swing!  There are an unbelievable amount of activities for both children and teens.  Please see the calendar for all the SRP events that we have for the month of July.  As always, these events are free.”

Headquarters/419

Meet the Nook eBook Reader: presented by Barnes &Nobel Thursday, July 1 at 6 p.m.

Roanoke Scrabble Club: Tuesday, July 13 at 6:30 p.m.m bn/
Open to all. Registration Requested.

Find Your Answers Free monthly Forum: Exercise, Appetitle & aging with Jennie Schafer Thursday, July 15 from 10 to 11 a.m.

Chick-fil-A Spirit Night: Thursday July 22 from 4 to 8 p.m. at Valley View and Southern Hills

Computer Classes: $10 charge per class. Registration Deadline two days before class:

Search the Ancestry Website: Wednesday, July 28 from1L30 to 3:30 p.m.

Word I (2007) Monday, July 26 from 1:30 to 3:30 p.m.

Word II (2007) Tuesday, July 27 from 1:30 to 3:30 p.m

Book Clubs

Giver by Lois Lowry: Tuesday, July 6 at 7 p.m.

Black and Blue by Anna Quindlen: Thursday, July 22 at 10 a.m.

Eclipse Party: Friday, July 2 at 4 p.m.

Fish Printing: Monday, July 19 at 2 p.m.

Message in a Bottle: Thursday, July 8 at 4 p.m.

Spray Paint Art: Tuesday, July 27 at 2 p.m.

Family Movie: Percy Jackson and the Olympians: Lighting Theif: Thursday, July 8 at 6:30 p.m.

Tom Teasley: Drumming North, South, East & West Monday, July 12 at 7 p.m.

Ty-Rone’s World: Wednesday, July 14 at 2 p.m.

Fish the Magish: Tuesday, July 27 at 10 a.m.

*Registration required for Storytimes*

Preschool Storytime: June 21-July 22 Fishy Fun!

K-3 Storytime: Thursday, July 1 at 2:30 p.m.; Thursday, July 13 at 4 p.m.; Thursday, July 22 at 2:30 p.m.

Bent Mountain Branch

K-3 Storytime: Wednesday, July 7 at 2 p.m.

Book Club: Animal Vegetable Miracles by Barbara Kingsolver Friday, July 16 at 2:30 p.m.

Bent Mountain Branch (540) 929-4700
10148 Tinsley Ln. Bent Mountain, VA 24059
Monday, Friday 1:00 pm – 5:00 pm
Tuesday, Thursday 5:00 pm – 9:00 pm
Wednesday 9:00 am – 5:00 pm
Saturday 9:00 am – 1:00 pm
Sunday Closed

Headquarters/419 (540) 772-7507
3131 Electric Rd. Roanoke, VA 24018
Monday – Thursday 9:00 am – 9:00 pm
Friday 9:00 am – 6:00 pm
Saturday 9:00 am – 5:

Submitted by: Michael Meise

We told you awhile back that we now have a searchable database of where high school sports stars from the region have gone to play in college. If you missed it, here’s a link to data delivery editor Matt Chittum’s introduction of it.

Here’s the update: He’s now added a roster full of new names, including some from Southwest Roanoke County.

You can search the database here.

Athlete or otherwise, if you have an update on a college student from Southwest Roanoke County, you can always let us know the good things they’re up to at news@swo-co.com.

Roanoke, VA (June 29, 2010) – Eighty percent of students engaged with Roanoke’s West End Center graduate high school, despite being economically disadvantaged and at-greater-risk of academic failure, thanks to programs that foster academic success.  That statistic, which is significantly higher than the city-wide rate, was one of the reasons Foundation for Roanoke Valley has awarded two grants totaling $20,000 from its Unrestricted Funds to West End Center for its Reading Adventure Program.  The Center’s program, which works in partnership with Apple Ridge Farm, is designed to improve literacy skills among Roanoke’s at-risk youth.

According to Joy Parrish, West End Center’s Executive Director, results from the reading program show that 94 percent of students have increased their reading levels by one grade level or more, 11 percent have increased their reading levels by two grade levels, and 80 percent of students have demonstrated an enjoyment for reading by spontaneously choosing a book to read without prompting.

“Spontaneously choosing a book at the appropriate level is indicative of an enjoyment of reading. That enjoyment can unlock the entire world for a child,” says Parrish.

“The Foundation was impressed with the results of this program, and we wanted to help insure that many more youth would be able to benefit from it in the years ahead,” notes Alan Ronk, Executive Director of Foundation for Roanoke Valley.

The Reading Adventure Program utilizes proven success of the High Scope curriculum, based on listening, phonics, developing vocabulary, and writing to teach and improve basic literacy skills to children in kindergarten through the sixth grade. Students attend the program twice a week during the school year and daily during the summer months. Children in kindergarten through third grade focus on letter-sound correspondence, phonemes, spelling patterns, creative writing, sight vocabulary, and fluency. Fourth, fifth, and sixth graders continue practicing foundational skills, but also learn to integrate automatic word identification, comprehension, and writing skills.

“Making a critical difference in a child’s ability to read holds long-term positive ramifications for the community, and we are glad that some of our many endowment donors have provided unrestricted resources that enable us to significantly fund quality programs like the Reading Adventure Program, “ adds Ronk.

Foundation for Roanoke Valley, the region’s community foundation, has served the Roanoke Valley for more than 20 years. The Foundation currently administers over 240 named endowment funds on behalf of the community, and unrestricted endowments are particularly powerful as they provide the Foundation with the flexibility over time to seek out and fund highly-effective programs across a wide-range of community needs. Folks interested in establishing their own personal or family legacy through an unrestricted endowment or any of the many other types of endowment funds offered by the community foundation should visit www.foundationforroanokevalley.org. or call 985-0204.

Submitted by Rachel Spencer

Mary Kathryn Newton and Brock Newton are cousins and both led their schools to their first state title in tennis in 2010 and 2004 respectively. Photo by Kitty Newton

Cousins, Brock Newton and Mary Kathryn Newton both love tennis and although they attended different schools at different times, they both led their tennis teams to win their first state finals in school history.

Brock attended Patrick Henry High School and graduated in 2004. He remembers growing up and playing tennis with his family.

“I just remember playing with mom and dad, Richard and Priscilla Newton and at sports camp at Hunting Hills Country Club,” he said. “I just really enjoyed it and stuck with it.”

As he continued playing throughout his high school career, his tennis team made it to state finals three out of four years.

“It was something we worked towards,” Brock said.

His tennis partner, Tyler Early, made it all four years of his high school career in doubles. As for Brock, he made it to state finals his senior year and lost in doubles. Read more »

Roanoke County Fire & Rescue was dispatched to the 8400 block of Martins Creek Road around 9 p.m. for a reported structure fire.

When crews arrived they found a small fire in a bedroom. The adult male occupant improperly discarded his cigarette causing nearby combustibles to catch fire then spreading to the mattress. The occupant tried to douse the flames causing burns to his arm. He was transported to a local hospital and is expected to be okay.

The fire was contained to the bedroom and the home has minor smoke and water damage. Damage estimates are figured to be between $5,000 – $10,000.

Submitted by Roanoke County Fire & EMS