A tribute to greater Maple Valley’s generosity
Girl Scouts Troop 2321 would like to take this opportunity to thank the many volunteers and vendors who helped our Make a Difference Day project come to fruition.
In an effort to improve the landscaping at Rock Creek Elementary School, we put out a call for volunteer labor and financial assistance. The overwhelming response proved that Maple Valley is filled with community contributors who truly want to make a difference. We would like to thank Village Coffee, Rock Creek PTSA, Iddings in Covington and Lake Wilderness Arboretum for their generous donations. We would also like to thank the Youth Council at the Greater Maple Valley Community Center for the grant that provided the necessary financial help.
Special appreciation goes out to the many people who gave their time and effort on a sunny Saturday to help pull weeds, dig holes, transplant bushes, spread bark and plant bulbs. These volunteers included Maple Valley firefighters, Girl Scout troops 2864, 2853 and 1464, Boy Scouts Troop 945, former troop members and all of their families. We’d like to thank the Makela, Wiener and Beach families for digging up plants from their own yards and donating them to Rock Creek. We had so many enthusiastic volunteers that our project, which was expected to take most of the day, was finished by noon. We couldn’t have accomplished this venture without you.
Girl Scout leaders Ankie Stroes, Mary Cranstoun and Debbie Makela have devoted countless hours to this and many other Girl Scouts projects. Dedication from leaders like you is the reason that Scouting thrives in Maple Valley and around the world. We are honored to have you as our role models.
Our efforts will soon be rewarded with the Girl Scouts Bronze Award. This is the highest award a Junior Girl Scout can earn. It shows that we have made a promise to help others and improve our community. We will proudly wear the award on our uniforms as a tribute to the generous people who live in the greater Maple Valley area.
Black Diamond community comes through again
The Black Diamond Community Center celebrated its 16th annual dinner auction on Nov. 1. Over 100 people attended the auction, and many groups assisted in so many ways it would be impossible to list them all. I am always humbled when we have any event because of the amount of community members who show up to help.
Many thanks to the DeMolay youth and the Lucky 4-H Pony Club for serving the dinner.
As everyone is aware, we are in difficult times, and I am very pleased to say that we raised $16,000 which will be used to provide emergency assistance such as the food/clothing bank, Puget Sound Energy power assistance, rental assistance, motel vouchers, gas vouchers and referrals for those who live in Buckley, Enumclaw, Black Diamond, Maple Valley and Covington.
I would like to say a special thank you to our volunteer auctioneer, Ray Limbo, who with the help of Margaret Garrison did a great job. Thank you to volunteer caterer Jude Irish, who as always did a wonderful job with the food (it was scrumptious), to the board of directors (president Bob Chasse, vice president Becky Olness, treasurer Elsie Parkin, secretary Margaret Garrison, and directors Marlene Allen and Jean Boston). A special thank you to Black Diamond Mayor Howard Botts and wife Dorothy Botts for making the centerpieces and finishing up all of the ironing that needed to be done.
Thank you is never enough, I know, but this comes from the heart, and after 14 years of my directorship, I am still amazed at the willingness of others to give to those who are less fortunate.
