It was a fun day at the park on Wednesday, June 12 for Bent Mountain and other area residents. The Bent Mountain branch of the library hosted a kick-off picnic to help usher in summer and to promote their summer reading program which goes from June 3 to August 9. The library provided hot dogs, drink and chips and not only that, but they offered face painting by Snookums the Clown and even had various games for the kids as well. The picnic took place outside of the Bent Mountain Public Library and was a big success. Kids and their parents played with bubbles, a parachute game, and they even got to use the playground too. The sun was shining and the air was clear up on the mountain that day… perfect for playing outdoors. You can read more about the county-wide library summer reading program here.

L to R: Alan Ronk, Foundation Executive Director; Jennifer Mundy, Care Services Coordinator with The ALS Association – DC/MD/VA Chapter; Krystal Thompson, Executive Director and Mae Johnson, Development and Marketing Director with Brain Injury Services of Southwest Virginia; Teresa Berry, Executive Director with SARA, Inc.; Erin Hildreth, Executive Director with Children’s Miracle Network

Foundation for Roanoke Valley announced today it has awarded more than $47,000 to local nonprofits from the Foundation’s Earl D. and Carrie Leigh Doran Fund. The Doran Fund, established through the estate of local barber Earl Doran, has a number of purposes, including supporting agencies that help individuals and families confronting catastrophic, life-altering circumstances and to agencies that provide support to battered women.

Brain Injury Services of Southwest Virginia was awarded a grant of $25,000 to expand its life skills training program for brain injury survivors. According to the Centers for Disease Control, at least 18,000 individuals living with long-term effects from brain injury reside in BISSWVA’s service area. Over the last decade, medical technology coupled with improved service delivery has increased the national brain injury survival rate. Mae Johnson, Director of Development and Marketing, noted, “With this grant, we will now be able to provide more brain injury survivors with individualized, intensive training sessions designed to enhance the quality of life and improve independent life skills. We are honored and grateful to receive this grant.”

Children’s Miracle Network was awarded a grant of $10,000 to support a “Good Samaritan Fund” to offer assistance to patients and families with expenses such as gas, food vouchers, and hotel accommodations. “Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals, supporting Carilion Clinic Children’s Hospital, is beyond grateful to accept this gift from the Earl D. & Carrie Leigh Doran Fund. This money will help ease the difficult conditions that unexpected hospitalizations can create.” adds Erin Hildreth, Executive Director of Children’s Miracle Network.

The ALS Association, Inc. was awarded a grant of $7,830 to purchase durable medical equipment for its loan closet located in Roanoke, VA. ALS is a progressive and fatal neuromuscular disease that causes the progressive loss of voluntary muscle control. Most health insurance plans do not cover the necessary equipment and services needed to allow ALS patients to maintain a comfortable quality of life and few resources are available to help those diagnosed with ALS and patients depend on our help. “With the cost of care and medical equipment for a person living with ALS topping $250,000 a year, the free care services our Chapter provides are crucial,” says Judy Taylor, Interim Executive Director, “One of the most important services for the Roanoke area is our free medical equipment loan closet which can help to make daily tasks easier and keep these individuals independent.”

Sexual Assault Response and Awareness, Inc. was awarded a grant of $5,000 to provide care and assistance to battered women. SARA, Inc. is the sexual assault crisis center for the Roanoke Valley and provides 24-hour crisis intervention, emotional support and advocacy to victims as they negotiate the medical and legal systems after experiencing the trauma of sexual violence. SARA provides free, on-going counseling as victims rebuild and move forward with their lives. “The grant award from the Doran Fund will enable SARA, Inc. to continue to provide services to victims of sexual violence and abuse through our 24-hour crisis hotline and will allow us to revamp and revitalize our volunteer programming and in the long run, strengthen our volunteer corps.

Foundation for Roanoke Valley is the community foundation serving this region. The Foundation has worked for more than two decades to administer and make grants from hundreds of named endowment funds on behalf of the community. For more information, visit Foundation for Roanoke Valley’s website at www.foundationforroanokevalley.org or call 985-0204.

Submitted by Michelle Eberly

Foundation for Roanoke Valley announces it has awarded close to $100,000 in educational scholarships during its annual scholarship reception, held at The Patrick Henry Ballroom on May 23.

The Foundation administers 48 endowed scholarship funds, and it received more than 900 applications for scholarships this year. Recipients were selected on a competitive basis using criteria established by donors at the creation of the scholarship endowment.

The Foundation’s largest scholarship, its “Holland Scholar Award,” is always at least $10,000 and is given annually to an outstanding graduating senior from the Roanoke Valley who shows exceptional promise in his or her future college career. For 2013, the scholarship was $10,000 and was presented to Annie L. McGowan, a senior at Northside High School. McGowan will attend University of Virginia in the fall.

Other scholarships awarded to Roanoke Valley students include: (Names of Southwest Roanoke County students in italics)

The Alphin Family Scholarship Fund: Mary K. Lawrence and Katherine R. Schwam, Rockbridge County High School.

Cave Spring Lions Club Scholarship Fund: McKenzie E. Prillaman, Cave Spring and Emily K. Warren, William Byrd.

CITY School Foundation Scholarship Fund: Grace M. Casola, Patrick Henry and Ollie M. B. Howie, William Fleming.

Christi Crutchfield Memorial Scholarship Fund: Taylor N. Medley, Northside.

Helen F. Dickson Scholarship Fund: Logan C. Chaudoin and Analea M. Deeds, Alleghany; Lauren E. Alban, Covington.

Lenna E. Etzler Scholarship Fund: Devin S. Hogue, Lord Botetourt. Franklin County High School Scholarship Fund: Christy M. Braziel and Rachel L. Lowe.

Gilbert-Thompson Memorial Award Fund: Patrick C. Burns and Analea M. Deeds, Alleghany.

Clarence M. Gillis Memorial Scholarship Fund: Ollie M. B. Howie, William Fleming.

Michael Dean Guilliams Memorial Scholarship Fund: Cara J. Griffith, Roanoke Valley Christian School.

Margaret Jones Irvin Scholarship Fund: McKenzie E. Prillaman, Cave Spring; Austin G. Peters, Salem; Tyler K. Williams, George Wythe.

Melva P. Jones Scholarship Fund: Taylor A. Zimmerman, William Byrd.

Grace Lovegrove Memorial Scholarship Fund: Alina E. Woodford, Patrick Henry.

Marion Senior High School Memorial Scholarship Fund for Music, Arts, and the Performing Arts: Leighia K. Null.

Ronald L. Mayfield, Jr. Scholarship Fund: Yadav Sapkota, Patrick Henry.

The Louise and Sam McGhee Scholarship Fund: Kelly A. Albert, Hannah R. Austin, and Morgan K. Rakes, James River.

Dorothy and Julien Meyer, Sr., M.D. Scholarship Fund: Ciara N. Craddock, Faith Christian School.

Clarissa Edwards Noland Memorial Scholarship Fund: Hannah R. Austin, James River.

The National Honor Society – Felton Pendleton Memorial Scholarship Fund: Christopher J. Kremm and Tyler K. Williams, George Wythe.

Jean L. Price Scholarship Fund: Lynsey N. Barker, North Cross School; Ollie M. B. Howie, William Fleming; Beatrice Ruth-Cooper, Franklin County; Olivia L. Williamson, James River.

Dr. Robert A. Pruner Memorial Scholarship Fund: Quincy T. Miller, Patrick Henry.

Phillip Charles “Flip” Reid Scholarship Fund: Jonathon L. Brown, Alleghany.

E. Price Ripley Memorial Foundation Fund: Bryan C. Daunt, Glenvar; Taylor N. Medley, Northside; Adrianna N. Wilson, Franklin County.

Frank W. (Bo) Rogers Scholarship Fund: Bryan C. Daunt and Sarah J. Thomsen, Glenvar.

David Roller Memorial Scholarship Fund: Hannah M. Graves, Patrick Henry.

Scholarship Fund for Craig County High School Students: Bridgett J. Oliver.

Michael David Scott Memorial Scholarship Fund in Honor of the James River High School Class of 2000: Storm Durham.

Frank D. “Bo” Shrader Memorial Scholarship Fund: Cheyenne N. Slawson, Bath County.

Eddie Simpson Scholarship Fund: Analea M. Deeds, Alleghany.

The Joyce and Shad Solomon Family Scholarship Fund: Katelyn M. Rice, Bath County.

Samuel “Bo” Terry Scholarship Fund: Sadie T. I. Elliotte, William Fleming; Hannah M. Graves, Patrick Henry.

Bryan William Thomas Scholarship Fund: Bryce S. Mallette, Glenvar.

H.B. and E.B. Wharton Scholarship Fund: Ciara N. Craddock, Faith Christian School; Grant A. Plunkett, William Byrd; Suhaib Tahir, Hidden Valley.

Dianne E.H. Wilcox Scholarship Fund: Analea M. Deeds, Alleghany; Ethan H. Richardson, Marion Senior.

The Wings Scholarship Fund: Brittany K. MacPherson; Franklin County.

Melva Dulaney Wright Memorial Scholarship Fund: McKenzie E. Prillaman, Cave Spring.

Foundation for Roanoke Valley is the community foundation serving this region. The Foundation has worked for more than two decades to administer and make grants from hundreds of named endowment funds on behalf of the community. For more information, visit Foundation for Roanoke Valley’s website at www.foundationforroanokevalley.org or call 985-0204.

Submitted by Michelle Eberly

Donna Coffman shares these upcoming Missions In Action events. Missions In Action is located at Grandin Court Baptist Church, 2660 Brambleton Ave., Roanoke. For more information about you can help with these mission projects, call 774-1684.

Oklahoma Disaster Relief

You are invited to attend a fundraiser luncheon at Grandin Court Baptist Church, 2660 Brambleton Ave at noon in the Ministry Activities Center. As we continue to remember residents of the Midwest, Virginia Baptist Disaster Relief is monitoring the needs of tornado ravaged Oklahoma. Right now, our units are on standby and awaiting specific requests. The response to the tornados in Oklahoma has been overwhelming from the many nearby state Baptist Conventions, national organizations, as well as unsolicited volunteers. Funds are needed to provide direct aid to those that were under/uninsured or as new needs are identified. Virginia Baptists expect to play a significant role in future rebuilding efforts. Many have asked about how you can respond. On Sunday, June 23, immediately following the 11:00 a.m. worship service, a spaghetti lunch will be held in the Ministry Activities Center. All donations to this event will go directly to the Virginia Baptist Disaster Relief fund. You can learn more about this and other disaster response by visiting the VBDR facebook page.

Church-wide rummage sale

A church wide rummage sale will be held in the Ministry Activities Center of Grandin Court Baptist Church on Saturday, August 3^rd from 8:00am – 4:00pm.  Our church rummage sale is back and has a new date! This unique event allows our church to raise funds to assist those in immediate need right here in our community.  Please plan to attend!

Minuteman Press of Roanoke, 3214 Electric Road in Springwood Park.

On June 13, Minuteman Press of Roanoke is looking to raise funds and hair for the American Cancer Society through a campaign for Locks of Love during their Grand Opening celebration throughout the day. For every person who participates in Locks of Love on June 13 at Salon Associates, a salon next door to Minuteman Press, Minuteman Press will donate $20 to the American Cancer Society in Roanoke. “It’s an opportunity to help two wonderful organizations and give back to our community that has already begun to support us as new business owners in the Valley.” says Bill Kyle, owner of Minuteman Press of Roanoke.

To donate hair to Locks of Love, a non-profit organization that provides hairpieces to children suffering from long-term medical hair loss, it is recommended that ponytails be 10″ in length. Anyone who wishes to participate in Locks of Love on June 13, please contact Salon Associates at 989-6811.

The Grand Opening will also feature other specials throughout the day including 10 cent color copies, cupcakes from Bubblecake throughout the day, refreshments from Pino Gellato from 4:00-6:00 p.m., and a ribbon cutting ceremony with the Salem-Roanoke County Chamber of Commerce at 5:00 p.m. with celebration to follow.

Minuteman Press of Roanoke is located at 3214 Electric Road in Springwood Park at the corner of Electric Road and Brambleton. As a full service printer and copy service, Minuteman Press has a variety of products and services for business communication, including 15 cent copies every day, on-demand printing, and free delivery.

For more information about Minuteman Press, visit them at their new location or online at www.roanoke-va.minutemanpress.com, on Facebook at www.Facebook.com/mmpRoanoke, or follow them on Twitter for updates and promotions at @mmpRoanoke.

– Submitted by Jen K. Ward, Blue Filly Productions

Bent Mountain Kick-Off Picnic

We have the hot dogs, drinks and chips, just bring a dish to share and have some fun. Face painting by Shnookums the Clown, bubbles, games and more.

Date: Wednesday, June 12

Time: 12:00pm to 2pm

Where: Bent Mountain Library

This event is free, but please bring a covered dish to share.

Information from the Roanoke County Website

Star City Roller Girls help fellow derby skaters in Oklahoma

With the recent disaster in Moore, Oklahoma, Star City Roller Girls wanted to help. We are teaming up with Oklahoma City Metro Area Roller Derby Leagues’ Fundraiser to help raise money for those affected by the tornado.

The roller derby leagues in the Oklahoma City metro area thank the derby community for reaching out. In an effort to assist those affected by the recent tragedies in their area, they have started a fundraising campaign through Crowd Rise to benefit Feeding America. Feeding America will deliver truckloads of food, water and supplies to impacted areas through its network of more than 200 food banks and 61,000 agencies. The organization’s food banks will also set up additional drop-off sites.

Star City Roller Girls president Cathy Cockrell started a team that is part of this campaign through CrowdRise. Star City Roller Girls’ goal is to get $1 for each of the “likes” on our Facebook page – currently 3,627. Be awesome and help us help them!

The website for our fundraising efforts is:

http://www.crowdrise.com/FeedingAmericaOKLA/fundraiser/cathycockrell

Also for Star City’s next home bout on June 15th our team will be donating 10% of the ticket sales to the OKC campaign. Come out to support local roller derby while also supporting a great campaign.

NEXT BOUT

June 15th, 2013

Icimani Adventure Center

5488 Yellow Mountain Road

Doors open at 5:30 bout starts at 6pm

Tickets are $6 pre-sale and $8 at the door.

MARK YOUR CALENDARS! AUGUST 24th SCRG will hold a double-header in the SALEM CIVIC CENTER!

FOR MORE INFORMATION, CONTACT:

Christina Rouse, a.k.a. FizzGig

Officer of Public Relations and Marketing

ccardilloster@gmail.com

540-989-7292

Star City Roller Girls

www.starcityrollergirls.com

Submitted by Christina Rouse

Safety Rules at “Share the Road” Event, Saturday June 8

Roanoke County Parks, Recreation & Tourism, QRide, RIDE Solutions, and the Prevention Council of Roanoke County are dedicated to promoting bicycle safety this summer. These organizations and other are coming together present “Share the Road,” a family event with the goal of making people more aware of bicycle safety laws how to stay safe on the road.

The event will take place Saturday, June 8, from 10:00 a.m to 2:00 p.m. at Tanglewood Mall, in the parking lot beside Firestone. The free and family-friendly community event will teach kids and adults about bicycle safety laws and give each a chance to practice what they learn in a bike rodeo challenge. Attendees can also enter for a chance to win a free bicycle and other giveaways.

Staff and volunteers will be on hand to educate the public about QRide’s advanced emergency ids, RIDE Solution’s explanation on different bike safety laws, and brain health and helmet safety from the Prevention Council of Roanoke County.

Additional interactive activities will include a bike rodeo, a safety quiz and be giveaways throughout the event. Participants can also enter for a chance to win a children’s bicycle from East Coasters Bicycle Shop.

The bike rodeo is a great learning experience for children of any age. The rodeo will feature five different stations that illustrate the different laws and techniques to riding a bike. Children will weave through cones and other obstacles as well as learn proper hand signals while riding bikes.

Participants are strongly encouraged to bring their own bicycle and helmet to the event. Come join Roanoke County Parks, Recreation & Tourism, QRide, RIDE Solutions, the Prevention Council of Roanoke County, Roanoke County Police Dept., East Coasters Bicycle Shop, and others for a day filled with fun and informative activities.

For more information please call (540) 777-6326.

Information from the Roanoke County Website

The scent of honeysuckle wafted through the air as the public made its way down the newly built wetland trail system behind the South County Library. The trail is about 900 feet and connects the area behind the South County Library to Penn Forest Elementary School and Starkey Park. The wetland trail system has been open for about two months, but on Tuesday, June 4, the official ribbon cutting took place behind the South County Library. The ribbon was officially cut by a group of 5th grade students from Penn Forest Elementary School.

Lon Williams, the landscape architect for Roanoke County Parks, Recreation and Tourism, said, “The trail within the wetland itself centers on an education add-on to the library. It’s really an outdoor classroom. The unique thing about this is that there are not a lot of wetlands in this area, because it’s so mountainous. It’s really a unique environmental opportunity with a minimal environmental impact. We hope in the future this will help kids and adults appreciate nature.”

The ribbon cutting ceremony began with a welcome and introduction by Doug Blount, the Director of Roanoke County Department of Parks, Recreation and Tourism. He said, “we’re taking a piece of environment and creating a safe harbor for people to enjoy it in. It creates a mini transportation system. Whether its fitness or environmental… there are so many ways to use it.”

After Doug gave his welcome, several other city officials spoke to the gathered group. The officials included: Charlotte Moore, the Vice Chairman of the Cave Spring Magisterial District, Diana Rosapepe, the Director of the Roanoke County Department of Library Services, Dr. Lorraine Lange, the Superintendent of Roanoke County Public Schools, and B. Clayton Goodman III, the County Administrator for Roanoke County.

Dr. Lorraine Lange was especially excited about the educational opportunities present within the wetland trail. She said, “I really think that the board had a lot of foresight to preserve this for education. It’s truly an outdoor classroom.” The speakers had many positive things to say about the new trail system, but the most common theme was that this trail was only the beginning and will hopefully lead to even more trail systems around the Roanoke Valley in addition to the Greenway System. Clay Goodman said, “this is not the end, it’s the beginning. Our quality of life is enhanced by these trails and greenways.”

Children’s Trust Roanoke Valley is pleased to announce the following promotions and additions to the staff:

Nancy Fralin joins the Children’s Trust to fill a newly created operations coordinator position. She brings with her 14 years of related non-profit experience as the former annual fund coordinator at the Child Health Investment Partnership of Roanoke Valley (CHIP).

The following staff members have been promoted to direct their respective programs. Christina Rouse is the director of the Children’s Advocacy Center, and Judi Jacobsen is the director of CASA.

– Submitted by Lynette Mutter