CLUBS & ORGANIZATIONS

Caregivers get support

The Vashon Community Care Center hosts a monthly Caregivers Support Group meeting. The group meets on the second Thursday of every month at 7 p.m. This month, the date is July 10.

Call me for details or with questions at 567-6142.

— Julea Gardner

ACA group forms

Are you an adult who suffers from parental alcoholism or other family dysfunction? If so, Adult Children of Alcoholics (ACA) can help.

A new ACA group meets from 7 to 8 p.m. Mondays in Classroom B at the Vashon Presbyterian Church. Members share their experience, strength and hope for recovery from the lingering effects of family dysfunction and find freedom to heal and grow.

Anyone who believes ACA can help is welcome at the meetings. For more information, call

567-4834.

Amondson teaches art

Vashon Island artist Gene Amondson will teach the basics for creating beautiful paintings at the Vashon Senior Center on Bank Road from 1 to 3 p.m. today, July 9. The class is free, and no experience is necessary.

Students should wear painting clothes and bring some brushes, newspapers and a tube of black and a tube of white oil paint, but if they don’t have supplies, the senior center will have some to use.

Willow Eaton, senior center program coordinator, will show how to make window clings at 2:30 p.m. Wednesday, July 16. It’s fun and easy to do, she promises.

The clings will be yours to take home, or you can leave them for the senior center windows. The fee is $2. Call the senior center to sign up at 463-5173.

— Deirdre Petree

Ferrets need foster care

If anyone has ever thought of owning or fostering ferrets, now is the time to step forward. We are Ferret Shelter Northwest, and the ferret-rescuing community is in deep trouble.

Just a few months back, the only Seattle animal rescue operation accepting ferrets — Best Little Rabbit, Rodent and Ferret House on Lake City Way — stopped accepting ferrets. This left ours as the only Seattle-area shelter available, but there were at least a few other options in Burien, Auburn and Kirkland. Several months ago we, too, suspended accepting more ferrets because vet bills had left us in the red. Until we got caught up on vet bills we would take no more ferrets.

This week we got three calls from owners of a total of 15 ferrets asking us to take them. We were going to give them the names of remaining shelters but thought we should check with them first. What we found was very disappointing but not surprising.

Shelters, because of overcrowding, had suddenly become far fewer. Denise’s Delightful Dookers Rescue in Burien currently has 79 ferrets they are caring for. They will take no more. The number of ferrets being surrendered to shelters is staggering. And the financial support ferret shelters have available is all but nonexistent. Frankly, only ferret owners seem to care about ferrets. Dogs, cats, spaying and neutering. That’s about it. (Ferrets come spayed and neutered.) It is enormously discouraging, and there seems to be nothing that can be done. Our recent Sunday Seattle Times newspaper article (March 2) generated nearly zero interest and support. No one cares about ferrets.

The only thing I can think of is to put out the word that we will do all we can to help you with learning about ferrets if there is any chance you, or someone you know, might take one (or more). We are still not in a position financially to chance more vet bills, but we also know these ferrets need homes. It is a conundrum.

Ask your friends and co-workers. If anyone you know is up to the challenge, contact us as soon as possible.

In the meantime, please add ferret shelters to your prayer lists. We need all the help we can get.

— Michael and Miriam FitzPatrick

Vashon Guild looks to winter

Christmas in December? Never. But it is not too early to be thinking about it. Vashon Guild of Children’s Hospital is again sponsoring Holly Daze this December. On Saturday, Dec. 6, we will be set up in the Commons of Vashon High School.

This is an opportunity for Island Crafters and Cooks to sell their handicrafts and culinary products. The Guild will provide a decorated hall, tables for display, music and a raffle. There will be a selected lunch menu and beverages to purchase.

The registration fee for a table is $30, and we are taking reservations now. Registrar Betty Beymer will be mailing information to former vendors, and if you have not participated before and wish to do so, call Betty at 463-2683. All tables are assigned on a first-come, first-served basis.

The Vashon Guild will sell its Charm of Vashon coffee mugs at Strawberry Festival. The featured artist for 2008 is Ted Kutscher. The mug features a sailboat moving into the sunset. Mugs sell for $10 each, and all proceeds go to Children’s Hospital for uncompensated care. Look for us at the festival on the main street sharing a booth with the ladies of the Methodist Church who will have Vashon T-shirts for sale.

— Barbara Garrison

Kids learn to swim for free

According to a scientific study commissioned by USA Swim-ming, only 13 percent of children who come from a non-swimming household ever learn to swim.

Coupled with the fact that nine people drown every day in the United States and that drowning is the second leading cause of accidental death to children ages 1 to 14, the message is clear: Teaching your children to swim is not only good for their grades and their social habits, it’s a necessary life skill that far too many families neglect.

Fortunately for Islanders a breakthrough initiative of the USA Swimming Foundation is working to bring about changes and help teach every child to swim. Through its local partner Make a Splash Vashon, every third- and fourth-grade Vashon student can get free swim and water safety lessons.

For more details, see www.swimvashon.org, stop by the Vashon Pool or call the pool at 463-3787.

— Gary R. Gray

Class of ’83 holds reunion

Vashon High School Class of ’83 will hold a reunion Strawberry Festival weekend. The reunion will meet from 3 to 7 p.m. Saturday, July 12, at Dockton Park, and people will gather in the evening at Red Bicycle Bistro & Sushi.

We are still trying to locate the following classmates. Please contact Therese Gesch by e-mail at cosmoinstruct@yahoo.com if you know their whereabouts:

Peter Alton, Donna Alumbaugh, Sandra Beck, Micheal Bixby, Dale Calkins, Scott Calkins, Cliff Clyburn, Ron Copernoll, Jessica Eggers, Becky Ellis, Rachel Goering, Janice Green, Carol Green, Paul Hamilton, Dean Hodson, Randy Howell, Phet Huor Chang, Karla Jones, James Kidder, Martin Kubeja, Daniel Laur, Ron Lewis, Kari Luton, Michelle Manrow, Maria-Heddy Marino, Mark Miller, Stephanie Morgan, Dennis Morris, Colleen Ness, Diana Norton, Marissa Rivera, Miles Salyer, Penny Seeds, Euphoria Smith, Marjorie Smith, Lisa Steen, Mickey Sturza, Michael Syvurd, Katherine Taylor, Scott Taylor, Fred Thieme, Tammy Valentine, Doug White and Jody Winnebrenner.

— Therese Gesch

Quilt guild meets

The Vashon Quilt Guild will meet at 1 p.m. Tuesday, July 15, at the Presbyterian Church. Refreshments will be served, and guests are welcome.

The program will include new notions and instruction on reverse applique techniques.

For information, call Pam Dawdy at 463-3980.

— Jo Anne Bardeen

Fur Ball set for Aug. 2

The  Sixth Annual Fur Ball Auction will be held on Aug. 2 at the VFW Hall.

Enjoy great food, wine and music and bid on many fabulous items under the big tents. This year, we are featuring autographed rock memorabilia from some of the greats in the industry, including a rare autographed Telecaster electric guitar signed by Pearl Jam.

Proceeds from the Fur Ball make up half of Vashon Island Pet Protectors’ yearly operating expenses. Please come and support us. Get tickets at Pandora’s Box, Fair Isle, Vashon Bookshop or Books by the Way.

For information, contact me at 567-5485 or kateric@hotmail.com.

— Kate Dunagan