News Next Door

Bunco party for Eatonville Relay for Life

Relay for Life of Eatonville will host a fund-raising bunco party for 100 players on April 29 at the Eagles Hall at 100 Weyerhaeuser Road in Eatonville.
The festivities will start at 5 p.m. with a baked-potato and salad bar. Also planned are a dessert and silent auction tables, as well as door prizes.
The cost is $20 dollars. Tickets are available at Gypsy Wagon Espresso and Holly Hut. Additional information is available from Christine Blackett at 253-318-8638.  
Eatonville's Relay for Life, an annual benefit for the American Cancer Society, is slated for June 3-4. Teams can register to participate at relayforlife.org/eatonville.

Blood drives in Graham and Eatonville

Cascade Regional Blood Services has scheduled two blood drives in the south Pierce County area in May:
• May 9 from 3:30 to 7:30 p.m. at the Safeway store in Graham, 10105 224th St. E.    
• May 13, 12 to 4 at CenterPoint Church in Eatonville, 351 Madison Ave. S.
Bloodmobiles will be stationed at both locations.
Information on the procedures for blood donors is available at crbs.net and 1-877-24-BLOOD.
Cascade Regional Blood Services supplies hospitals in Pierce County and the south King County area.

Book sale benefits library events

Friends of the Eatonville Library will host a used-book sale May 5 from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. and May 6 from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.
All proceeds will support free family events at the library, which is a branch of Pierce County Library System.
The library is at 205 Center St. W.

Graham, Ohop treks part of habitat training

Habitat steward training organized by the National Wildlife Federation and Tahoma Audubon Society includes two field trips in south Pierce County.
The first excursion will be at Morse Wildlife Preserve in Graham to learn about bird identification and conservation. The second field trip, in partnership with Northwest Trek, will include hands-on nature mapping of Ohop Creek.
The trips are a supplement to training that will be held on Mondays in May from 6 to 9 p.m. at the Adriana Hess Audubon Center in University Place. The training is focused on creating and restoring wildlife habitat in back yards, school yards, and other community areas. Speakers from then University of Washington, Pierce Conservation District, Woodbrook Nursery, Washington State University's Pierce County Master Gardener program, and Tacoma-Pierce County Health Department and will present on topics such as rain gardens, native plants, habitat restoration, pollinators and birds, and mushrooms and fungi.
The cost of the training is $30 for classroom materials. Scholarships are available. Registration is at http://nwftacoma.brownpapertickets.com or by contacting Sarah Bruemmer at WAHabitatCoordinator@nwf.org and 206-577-7809.

Independence Day event seeks vendors, parade entries

Organizers of the annual Independence Day celebration in Eatonville are looking for vendors for the July 3 fireworks show and entries for the July 4 parade.
Applications are available through Eatonville Chamber of Commerce and at Eatonville Community Center. Additional information is available at 360-219-5879.
Organizers say the celebration draws more than 4,000 people to Eatonville and has significant economic impact for local businesses.

Go online to get Community Day apparel

Commemorative t-shirts and hoodies for the 103rd annual Community Day festivities in Eatonville can be ordered and purchased online at hotoffthepress.us.      Event organizers said the shopping closes April 26 and orders will be delivered by May 2.
Community Day, to be held May 5 at Eatonville High School, symbolizes bonding between schools and the community in general.

Second Sunday nature walk at Morse Preserve

May 14 is the date of Morse Wildlife Preserve's Second Sunday program for exploring the boardwalk and foot trails of the natural area in Graham that includes forest, prairie and wetland settings.
The free event, scheduled for 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., is geared for ages 2 and up. Pets aren't allowed.
Second Sunday events are held monthly between April and October. The preserve is located at 25415 70th Ave E. Additional information, including directions, is available from Tahoma Audubon at 253-565-9278 and tahomaaudubon.org and morsewildlifepreserve.org.
The preserve is managed by Forterra, a non-profit conservation organization.

ECEAP program in Eatonville is enrolling

Pierce County Human Services' Eatonville ECEAP (Early Childhood Education and Assistance Program) is enrolling children who will be 3 or 4 years old by Aug. 31.
Priority will be given to children in foster care or the care of relatives, TANF or SSI recipients, homeless families, children on individual education plans, and families that are living on limited income (based on federal poverty guidelines).
Applications are available at 360-832-4892 and at United Methodist Church at 185 Mashell Ave. N. in Eatonville.
ECEAP is funded with the help of the state Department of Early Learning and Puget Sound Educational Service District.

County seeking advocates for foster children

Pierce County is launching a campaign to recruit 253 new CASAs (court-appointed special advocates) to serve as volunteers who ensure that children in the foster care system are heard and that their best interests are served.
“CASA 253” features social media, speakers, flyers and the annual “Pinwheels for Prevention” effort in which pinwheels are planted around the county during April (National Child Abuse Prevention Month) to symbolize fun and carefree childhoods.
The CASA program was founded in Washington in 1977. Now there are CASA programs operating in 49 states.
CASAs receive 30 hours of pre-service training, as well as ongoing training, and serve under the supervision of a coordinator/coach. There are 250 CASAs in Pierce County’s CASA program, and "we need about 250 more" to help represent the 1,600 children in foster care countywide, said a program spokeswoman. "Each one of those children needs an advocate looking out for them to make sure they are doing well and that their case is moving along on a child’s timeline."
Pierce County CASA will hold two information sessions at an open house on April 26 from 2 to 3 p.m. and 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. at Pierce County Juvenile Court at 5501 Sixth Ave. in Tacoma.
Additional information is available at piercecasa.org and 253-798-3837.

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