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Washougal Pathways Conference: Career Focus on Hospitality, Tourism, Ag + More

Washougal WA – Washougal High School held their second annual Pathways Conference for students on Thursday, November 7.  This year’s focus was careers in Hospitality, Tourism, Human Services, Ag, Food and Natural Resources.  The event was designed to prepare students for the world of work while bringing a more personal approach to the standard “Career Day.”

“We’re really trying to provide students with exposure to a professional conference setting while giving them an ‘up close and personal’ learning experience from local business folks about career pathways that are of interest to them,” said Margaret Rice, Washougal School District Career and Technical Education Director.

Conference planning began last year in order to identify and recruit a wide variety of professionals to speak.

“We had representatives from Disney College to Agri business to event planning,” said Lisa Leonard, WSD Career Specialist and Work Site Learning Coordinator.  “We are so grateful to all of our speakers who took time out of their busy day and away from their businesses to share their expertise.  Many were either Washougal residents, alumni or own a business in Washougal.”

The conference keynote speaker was WHS Alumni Matthieu Grant, who spoke about opportunities and skills needed to work for Disney.  Other break session speakers included Drew Bergerson, Quest Events; Alex Yost, Our Bar; Mychal Dynes, Little Conejo; Michelle Weeks, Good Rain Farm; Robert Hensley, iFill Cup; Nathan Day, You Move Me; Beth Nelson, United Flight Attendant; Tera Yano, Sea Mar; Jayodin J. Mosher NIC-M, Interpreter for Sorenson; and LaDonna Davis, Cosmetology, Hairy Kari’s.

Pathways
www.MeuPilates.com

After a morning of speakers, students loaded buses to visit either Ilani Casino in Ridgefield or Skamania Lodge in Stevenson.   

“Both businesses went out of their way to show students a wide variety of career
opportunities,” Leonard said.

The Ilani Casino Human Resources representatives provided Pathways Conference students with a complete overview of career opportunities as well as a tour of their guest services.  

“They were very encouraging to the students,” said Leonard. “You could tell they are very passionate about what they do.”  

Students also heard about the company’s tuition reimbursement for full-time employees and how they promote from within.

“Students were able to hear about every aspect of guest services at Skamania Lodge,” said Leonard.  “The team there is great!  Our Culinary teacher would hope to build an apprenticeship program with Skamania for students interested in hospitality careers.”

“Our goal is to have a Pathway Conference each year covering all 16 Career Clusters over a 4-year period that way our students the opportunity to participate in a different conference each year of their high school
career,” said Rice.

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Camas Jets Pop Warner Football Team Preps for Regionals Event

Seattle, WA – The Camas Jets 12U Pop Warner football team has been invited to compete in a regional qualifying event with top teams moving onto the Pro Football Hall of Fame National Championship in Canton, Ohio. These top teams will compete to the world championship on December 10th-14th at the Johnson Controls Pro Football Hall of Fame Village and Tom Benson Stadium. Every championship game in Canton will be televised or streamed on CBS Sports Network.

The qualifying event will invite top teams from throughout the region to compete for exciting post-season football on Nov. 21st- Nov. 24th in the Northwest Regional in Seattle Washington. Regional qualifying events will take place in the following cities: New York/New Jersey, New Mexico, Richmond VA, Canton Ohio, Dallas Texas, Santa Clara CA, Valley Forge PA, Gulf Shores AL, and Wichita, KS.

Teams will be represented from seven unweighted divisions, four weighted divisions and three all-star divisions.

Teams that qualify for the national championship in Canton will take part in national media day, a red-carpet ceremony with Gold Jackets and the Game for Life program that will provide character development to all athletes and coaches. The program was created by the Pro Football Hall of Fame along with Hall of Famers.

The national selection process is headed by former NFL General Manager, Ray Farmer and National Collegiate Scout, Gary Howard. More than 2,500 top teams from across the country will be considered in 2019.

“We are thrilled to share the vision of the Pro Football Hall of Fame and LEGACY Global Sports with the next generation of promising athletes,” Pro Football Hall of Fame President David Baker said. “This youth championship series, the biggest in the history of youth football, will feature athletes and coaches competing in the most exciting post-season weekend in football with every team aiming for the championship. Just as important, all of these fine athletes, win or lose, will be immersed in the values of football through the Game for Life Program authored by the Pro Football Hall of Fame and its Gold Jacket members that teach life skills that serve athletes beyond the game of football.”

Football
Camas Jets Pop Warner 12U team.

The championship event is owned by Legacy Global Sports and directed by Richard McGuinness, who created the U.S. Army All-American Bowl on NBC, the Eastbay All- American Game and other top football properties over the past 15 years. McGuinness sold his interest in his previous company to re-imagine the nation’s top showcase events for youth, high school and soon to be NFL athletes through showcase events like the Championship series.

“This national showcase event will bring the nation’s top youth teams and youth athletes together like no other and it will serve as a cornerstone property for football in America. With regional play, a blue-ribbon selection team and a final championship weekend in Canton, this is the ultimate in youth football,” McGuinness said.

Football

By 2020, the championship event will be featured in the indoor football stadium at the village that will include 8,000 seats, a perfect place to celebrate the best in youth football.

“As the world of football recruiting continues to get younger, this event will also serve as the first phase of player identification in the nation. Through our extensive collection of game film from this event along with NFL style evaluations, we are provided a unique opportunity to identify nation’s best youth athletes like no one else,” said National Event Director, Marc Boldurian . “We are excited to invite elite teams such as the East County Camas Jets team to represent their state and compete for regional supremacy in the largest youth championship in the world.”

Team nominations for next year are currently hosted at www.youthfootballchampionship.com
Event sponsors include Xenith, Jet Fuel, Wilson and Shadowman.

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Camas Mayoral Write-in Candidate Barry McDonnell Wins Election

According to Tuesday’s results from the Clark County Elections Office, write-in Camas Mayoral candidate Barry McDonnell has won the election with 3,545 votes, or 52.74 percent of the vote.

Camas Mayor Shannon Turk received 2,757 votes, or 41.01 percent, and Camas City Councilor, Melissa Smith, also a write-in candidate received 420 votes, or 6.25 percent.

McDonnell, who works in Loss Prevention for Sephora, announced his write-in candidacy in early October and aligned himself to the No to Prop 2 movement (pool bond) accusing the city government of not being transparent enough in the process, and not communicating well with Camas voters.

The timing of the news caught the McDonnell family by surprise, said Barry’s wife, Anastasia.

“Barry is currently on a business trip in California, and we were expecting this news on Wednesday,” said Anastasia. “He’s currently meeting with his boss, and isn’t available for an interview right now. We’ve just been immersing ourselves in everything from planning to GMA. We are thrilled! We are so excited! This is everything we hoped for! It happened in 34 days! It was incredible the response we got from the community.”

Mayoral
wwww.MeuPilates.com

“We pushed but they responded, and that response is going to change the future of Camas, and it is thrilling to think about. The fact that we have someone new in office will be great. It will be advantageous, it will be exciting. It will be a whole new world.”

“The first thing he will do is meet with everyone, every head of every department and hear their concerns, and see what their ideas are for the future. Then he’ll sit down with the city councilors and hear their concerns. From there he will start doing round tables with community members, and that will be a lot of work. We will move forward in a positive way.”

This story will be updated.

The election will be certified on November 26, and McDonnell will be sworn in on December 2.

Photos by Nest and Love Photography.

McDonnell
Anastasia McDonnel, forefront, listens to her husband, Barry McDonnell, at the Camas Mayoral debate. Photo by Nest and Love Photography.
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Annual Downtown Camas Awards Show Highlights Tremendous Successes

It was a full house Monday at Journey Community Church for the annual Downtown Camas Association (DCA) Awards night.

In attendance were local merchants, business owners, DCA board members, city council representatives, and Camas Mayor Shannon Turk.

Emceed by DCA Executive Director, Carrie Schulstad, the evening began by reviewing statistics about the growth and successes of Downtown Camas.

Schulstad reported the following:

  • A 26 percent increase in First Friday attendance over 2018. 
  • First Fridays started in 2005, became more family friendly in 2014, and have steadily increased in popularity.
  • The annual Car Show, Girls Night Out, Boo Bash, Plant and Garden Fair all helped bring people into the downtown area.  
  • The first Camas Car Show started in 2006 with 10 cars as a First Friday event.  The Car Show moved to Saturdays, and in 2019 there were 250 cars with an attendance of 5,000+.  
  • It was the 10th anniversary of Girls Night Out. 
  • Boo Bash brought in 2,500+ kids with parents.
  • New events in 2019 were Little Art Camas and Picnic in Color.
  • The DCA has 175 volunteers.
  • There were 12 Downtown Camas ribbon cuttings in 2019.

“Little Art Camas was a huge success,” said Schulstad. “Picnic in Color happens on the Sunday of Camas Days, and it brought out 250 kids. It’s helping kids to find their inner artist. We do so many events so people have a compelling reason to come to downtown more often, but we really couldn’t do what we do in downtown if we didn’t have great merchants. They bring it every single day!”

Downtown Camas
Best DT Improvement-Exterior Award: Hidden River Roasters

Design

DCA President, Caroline Mercury also chairs the design committee, which focuses on the aesthetics and tone of Downtown Camas.

“We hear often from newcomers who say how cute Downtown Camas is,” said Mercury. “We are Mayberry with a paper mill, which we love. We fund the flower baskets through community donations. We have extended the flower baskets on 3rd and 5th. And we really want to extend the whole look of downtown.”

Vega, Salud and A Beer at a Time put the baskets on their buildings.

Mercury also highlighted these points:

  • The DCA repainted the Downtown Camas sign on 4th and Adams. 
  • The lights on the buildings are a DCA project through a grant from PUD. 
  • They replaced all the light strands with LED. 
  • The lights costs $300-$500 per building depending on the footage. 

“The lights add to the aesthetics of the downtown,” said Mercury. “It creates an ambiance when you’re downtown at night. Thank you to the building owners who participate in this. It was Ken Navidi’s idea to string up the lights.” 

Election

Mercury reported they have a public art grant to paint a mural at the US Bank parking lot, which will be a 10 x 20 collage.

“Work will be starting soon, and we hope to have that up the first part of 2020,” said Mercury. “It’s a tribute piece to the mill.”

Awards

Here are the award recipients:

  • Best DT Improvement-Exterior: Hidden River Roasters
  • Best DT Improvement-Interior: Attic Gallery
  • Outstanding Window Display: Natalia’s Cafe
  • Creative Local Marketing: Caps N’ Taps
  • Putting Camas on Map: Grains of Wrath
  • Change is Good: Camas Gallery
  • Something New in Camas: Cedar Street Bagel Company
  • Outstanding Customer Service: Hidden River Roasters
  • Exceptional Employee: Allie Baden of Caffe Piccolo
  • Downtown Spirit Award: Erica and Wendy of Natalia’s Cafe
  • Volunteers of the Year: Amanda Whitcombe and Lee Lapp
  • Student Volunteer of the Year: Emily Curry
  • Lighting Our Community Award: Ken Navidi, Greg Goforth, Doug Quinn, Craig Schulstad, Randy Curtis

To learn more, visit www.downtowncamas.com

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What Are Library Makerspaces? Washougal High School Explains What’s Happening

Washougal, WA — The role of high school libraries is evolving as technology changes the way information is accessed and researched. Washougal High School Librarian, Hillary Marshall, is helping to forward the new vision for how libraries interact with students by helping establish Makerspaces throughout Washington schools.

Makerspaces are collaborative work spaces devoted to using high tech and other tools and materials for creating, making, learning, exploring and sharing.  Marshall, who is the Washington Library Association, School Library Division Chair, worked over the summer with a team of nine other educators and librarians to develop the “Makerspace Your School Library” curriculum for teacher librarians.   The project was funded by a grant from the Institute for Museum and Library Services (IMLS) though the Library Services and Technology Act (LSTA) and written by Siri Hiltz, Youth Services Consultant, Library Development, Washington State Library, Office of the Secretary of State.  The group worked for two full days to develop the training for all grade levels that will be shared throughout the State of Washington.

“Libraries used to be the center for information, but now students have the internet,” explained Marshall. “The makerspace activities bring students back into libraries.  The concept is also effective when paired with school curriculum and can be used to move the challenge a student faces in that area of study up a notch.  We also provide students who may never have tried computer sciences a place to experiment and explore.  They find out that it may not be as hard as they had thought it might be.”

Sections in the Makerspace program training include Robotics (Computational Thinking), Design Challenge (Collaborative Problem Solving), Creation Station (Innovative Design), Circuitry (Computational Thinking) and Break & Make (Innovative Design).  “The Break & Make section focuses on taking parts of unrelated or broken items to design and create something brand new,” Marshall explained.  “The Circuitry section allows students to explore electricity and building circuits in fun ways like the MakeyMakey banana piano.  Students create a loop circuit through the conduit of a banana, alligator clips, and the programming found online through the MakeyMakey website.  Once it is properly set up students can play various
bananas that emit different sounds on their Banana Piano.”

Makerspaces
Fur Pom Beanies at LILY ATELIER in Downtown Camas. $78!! Get Yours Before They’re Gone!!

Other training will be available at various locations throughout the state of Washington.  However, Marshall and training partner, Craig Seasholes, Dearborn Park International Elementary Librarian, Seattle Public Schools, also have a training scheduled at Fort Vancouver Regional Library on Saturday, November 16.  They are paired to offer six different trainings up the I-5 corridor and the Olympic Peninsula throughout the school year.

“We have school librarians and teachers attending from a variety of instructional areas ranging from elementary to high school,” said Marshall. “All are interested in bringing makerspace ideas and more STEAM (Science, Technology Engineering, Art and Math) concepts into their curriculum, library or classroom.”

According to Marshall, the development of this type of educational experience for students is driven by best library practices, OSPI Educational Technology standards and industry job requirements.  “Our students need opportunities to be challenged and problem solve,” she explained.  “We don’t know exactly what jobs will be available to these kids, so we need to prepare them with a variety of 21st century skills.”

At the WHS Makerspace, students’ named the BETA Base, students are encouraged to come to the library to tinker and practice design principles as they explore computer science through monthly projects.  “They come in before school, at lunch, during Hop and Stop (study period) and after school,” explained Marshall.  “Each month I set up a new challenge for them to work out.”

The October challenge of programming with a Micro:bit was developed by a recent WHS graduate. The materials were purchased with funds raised through the WHS student Keepers of the Library social club through sports concessions and the proceeds from their entry into the Festival of the Trees.  The club members voted on what they wanted to support with the funds and chose both art supplies and computer coding robotic tools.  WHS also has a strong relationship with FVRL Washougal branch and regularly borrow maker materials to support dual programming offered after school, during Tween/Teen nights at the Washougal Community Library, or for special MakerSpaces programs for some of the activities.

WHS Junior, Maxwell Malcom, has made use of the library makerspaces to learn about 3D printing.  “I used to come to the library to do research,” he said.  “Now I come here to learn a new skill that I never even knew about. I really enjoy 3D printing.  It is a technology that wasn’t available to us a few years ago.”  

Malcom’s first project was a simple Christmas ornament and he most recently created an impressive six-piece Halloween lantern.

“Makerspaces provide opportunities for students to create, innovate, and collaborate,” Marshall explained. “They help to build a sense of community and allow students to make connections with students, staff, and community members as well as with technology.  I love that this work is not being graded so they may freely experiment and learn through trial and error.”

Maxwell Malcom with 3D printer.

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Washougal Appoints New Chief of Police — Wendi Steinbronn

Wendi Steinbronn, a 25-year veteran of the City of Portland, OR Police Bureau, has been appointed the City’s new Police Chief by City Manager David Scott. Steinbronn will replace Chief Ron Mitchell, who is retiring at the end of November, after serving the Washougal community for 23 years. In Washougal, she will oversee a department of 25 employees, including 21 commissioned officers and a $4.2M budget. Steinbronn will assume the Washougal Police Chief duties at the end of November.

“Wendi has strong law enforcement credentials. She impressed everyone involved in our selection process. As a Camas resident for some time, she is familiar with Washougal. I am confident Wendi has the right combination of experience and qualities that will make her a great fit for our community and a successful police chief,” stated Scott. 

Steinbronn comes to Washougal with over 25 years of experience with the Portland Police Bureau. She started in 1993 as an officer and rose through the ranks, including Sergeant, Lieutenant, Captain and Commander. She is currently the Commander of the Bureau’s North Precinct, serving a population of approximately 190,000 with 135 personnel and a $9.3M budget. Prior to her appointment as North Precinct Commander, Steinbronn served in various roles, including: supervising property crimes detectives and a Neighborhood Response Team, commanding officer of the records division, executive officer to the Assistant Chiefs, government relations liaison, managing the day to day operations of the Family Services Division, serving as a member of the Bureau’s Strategic Planning Committee and engaging with citizens and businesses via a number of committees.

 “I’m honored and excited to be your next Chief of Police,” said Steinbronn. “I look forward to getting to know my new co-workers, learning my job and meeting the community. I’m committed to maintaining the trust and confidence of the community as well as continuing to deliver the high level of service everyone expects.”

Steinbronn

The announcement follows a nationwide search and comprehensive selection process facilitated by the Washington Association of Sheriffs and Police Chiefs, and an extensive background review. 

“I want to thank the members of the Washougal community, the Mayor and City Council, and the men and women of the Washougal Police Department who provided input in the process,” said Scott, “as well as the members of the community leadership and City department heads who interviewed the four finalists. It was important that our process include broad input, and I am grateful for everyone’s participation.”

Steinbronn holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Business Administration from Portland State University. She and her husband reside in Camas and have one son, a student at Camas High School.

Steinbronn
Wendi Steinbronn.
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Clark County Elections: Camas Mayoral Race Results Coming Next Week

The Clark County Elections Office provided an update on the Camas Mayoral race today.

According to Greg Kimsey, the final results from the Camas Mayoral race won’t be known until the middle of next week due to the high volume of write-in ballots coming in from Camas and throughout Clark County. Other cities are taking a priority, as well.

Each ballot will be closely analyzed by elections personnel and members of both major political parties. They will confirm signatures, analyze hand-writing and then have each ballot counted and tallied.

If a name is misspelled, but it’s clear the intent of the voter, it will count. There are still 27,000 ballots countywide left to count.

At stake, is the manual count of more than 2,700 write-in ballots cast in the Camas Mayoral race. Voters cast votes for at least three candidates: Barry McDonnell, Melissa Smith, and Awna Underwood. Currently, the write-in votes account for about 60 percent of total votes cast for the Camas Mayor position.

You can see countywide results here: https://results.vote.wa.gov/results/current/clark/

Here’s an update of the voter data from throughout Clark County:

Number of Precincts303
Number of Registered Voters293,385
Total Ballots Counted78,696
Estimated Ballots Left to Count27,000
Next Ballot Count On11/07/2019 5:00 PM
Last Tabulated11/06/2019 4:57 PM
Voter Turnout26.82%
www.VixonCabinets.com
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Election 2019: Voters Sink Prop 2; Camas Mayoral Race Goes to Hand Count

The hotly contested 2019 election ended Tuesday as local residents cast their votes on a number of candidates and referendums — sinking the Camas Community Aquatics Center (Prop 2) by nearly 90-10 with write-in candidates possibly upsetting the Camas mayoral race, according to the first results from Clark County Elections Office.

The numbers will be updated each day by 4 pm, and write-in votes will be manually tabulated over the next several days.

With 22 percent voter turnout countywide, here are the vote results of the local Camas and Washougal elections:

Camas Mayor

  • Shannon Turk: 1,898 or 40.81%.
  • Write-in candidates (including Barry McDonnell, Melissa Smith and Awna Underwood): 2,753 or 59.19%.
  • Total votes cast to-date: 4,651.

It’s not clear how the 2,753 write-in votes split among the three write-in candidates, but McDonnell rode the wave of Prop 2, which sank by about 90-10. If he earns 90 percent of the write-in vote, he would earn 2,477 votes. Seventy percent of the write-in votes would put his vote total to 1,927 — still barely ahead of Mayor Turk.

It’s a race that can’t be called until all the write-in votes are tabulated — by hand.

“I think it’s exciting to hear about Prop 2 and that people came out to vote in such large numbers,” said McDonnell, whose mayoral campaign started in early October. “I’m really surprised by the 90-10 results. The Prop 2 issue shows the disconnect between the elected officials and the citizens. The results are not super clear right now but I’m looking forward to seeing the final results to see how this all plays out. I want to figure out first where we land but if this is a win we have a long road ahead. I’m not in this alone. I’m up for the challenge.“

Election
Supporters of write-in candidate Barry McDonnell came to celebrate the defeat of Prop 2.

Proposition 2: New Camas Community Aquatics Center

  • Yes: 594 or 10.41%.
  • No: 5,114 or 89.59%.

A total of 5,708 votes were cast on Prop 2. By contrast, 4,651 votes were cast for mayor — to date.

Community Aquatics Center
Aerial view of Camas Community Aquatics Center.

Camas City Council, Ward 1, Position 1

  • Shannon Roberts: 2,501 or 55.83%.
  • Deanna Rusch: 1,899 or 42.39%.
  • Write-in: 80 or 1.79%.
Election
Krista Harrington, Deanna Rusch, and Ann Matthews.

Camas City Council, Ward 3, Position 1

  • Greg Anderson: 2,594 or 71.7%.
  • Write-in: 1,024 or 28.3%.

Camas City Council, Ward 2, Position 1

  • Bonnie Carter: 3,105 or 92.44%.
  • Write-in: 254 or 7.56%.

Camas City Council — At Large

  • Don Chaney: 3,104 or 94.69%.
  • Write-in: 174 or 5.31%.

Camas City Council, Ward 3, Position 2

  • Ellen Burton: 3,012 or 91.19%.
  • Write-in: 291 or 8.81%.
Election

Camas School Board

Each of these candidates won their respective races:

  • Corey McEnry: 4,107 or 97.51%.
  • Connie Hennessey: 4,126 or 97.68%.
  • Erika Cox: 4,109 or 97.55%.
  • Doug Quinn: 4,188 or 97.53%.
  • Tracey Malone: 4,045 or 97.80%.

County Councilor, District 4

  • Gary Medvigy: 11,928 or 60.84%.
  • Adrian Cortes: 7,630 or 38.91%.

Port of Camas Washougal Commissioner, #2

  • Bill Ward: 3,969 or 49.05%.
  • Cassi Marshall: 4,063 or 50.21%.

“Currently I’m locked in a tight race with incumbent Bill Ward, but we are ahead,” said Marshall. “We will know more tomorrow at 4 pm.”

Washougal City Council, #7

  • Ernie Suggs: 1,490 or 96.63%.

Washougal City Council, #5

  • Denise Korhonen: 510 or 25.25%.
  • Ray Kutch: 1,495 or 74.01%.

Washougal City Council, #4

  • Alexandra Yost: 1,496 or 96.89%.

Washougal City Council, #2

  • Michelle Wagner: 1,547 or 97.48%.

Washougal School Director, #1

  • Jim Cooper: 1,633 or 64.19%.
  • Bill Durgan: 887 or 34.87%.

Washougal School Director, #4

  • Cory Chase: 1,852 or 98.09%.

Washougal School Director, #2

  • Angela Hancock: 1,858 or 97.84%.

Click here to read a previous Election 2019 article: https://lacamasmagazine.com/2019/10/camas-releases-community-aquatics-center-operations-analysis.html

Election 2019 campaign signs.
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Vancouver Laser Skin Care Clinic: Offering November Specials

Vancouver Laser Skin Care Clinic, located in the heart of Downtown Camas, is having some November specials — in time to pamper yourself before the holiday season.

Call today to schedule your complimentary consultation: 360.823.0795 

Here are the November specials:

Laser Genesis or IPL

Buy one laser genesis or IPL treatment get the second area free: Face, Neck, Chest or Hands. Laser Genesis Treatment for texture, pore size, fine lines, wrinkles, and scaring. IPL Limelight Treatment for brown spots and facial redness.

November
Laser Genesis or IPL.

VI Peel 

$50 off first 5 people! Come in for a free Consultation.

November
VI Peel.

Hair Removal Specials

Small Area $175 (for 6 sessions); Medium Area $275 (for 6 sessions); Large Area $375 (for 6 sessions).

November
Laser hair removal.

Botox $11 Per Unit

Botox.

Experience Matters

With over 30 years of aesthetic laser and skin care experience and expertise, Master Aesthetician, Lori Keller, knows that looking and feeling confident play a big part in our well-being.

“If you like how you look, you feel more positive and content in your daily life,” says Keller. “But environmental factors such as sun exposure, and physiological factors such as genetics and aging, all can play a role in changing your outward appearance. We help restore confidence by repairing some of the damage our environment and aging can cause.”

When Vancouver Laser Skin Care Clinic (VLSCC) decided to move its offices to Downtown Camas, they brought more than 30 years of aesthetic laser and skin care experience and an array of treatments and products that rejuvenate skin and restore your youthful glow. They feel good when you look great. 

Their office at 715 NE 5th Avenue is charming, and peaceful, and is part of the history and future of Camas, a quaint and successful town that many say is a city about wellness.

“We love being part of this wonderful and historic downtown scene,” said Keller, who owns VLSCC. “And, we invite you to come see what we’re all about. — from pre-teen/adult acne sufferers to mature patients.”

VLSCC offers many services, including: IPL, Chemical Peels, Microneedling, Ultherapy, Face and Leg Vein Removal, Botox, and more!

To learn more, visit www.VancouverLaserSkinCareClinic.com or read a previous article: https://lacamasmagazine.com/2019/08/vancouver-laser-answers-frequently-asked-laser-genesis-questions.html

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Annual Stuff the Bus Campaign Now in Full Swing — in Washougal & Camas

What started as a small business networking group 12 years ago has turned into an annual Camas and Washougal School District food drive to benefit Children’s Home Society, the C.A.R.O.L. program and the American Legion of Skamania County.

It’s called Stuff the Bus.

“Typically we raise on average 60,000 pounds of food,” said Tabitha Shaffer, a Stuff the Bus organizer. “A couple years ago we hit 80,000 pounds, and we literally stuff the buses. There are usually two or three buses from each high school. A total of four to six buses, and we drive around to all the local schools and pick up literally tons of food! It’s a great event!”

Beginning November 1, the area schools will begin collecting food in designated bins. 

“We pick up all the food on December 6 from the schools in Camas and Washougal,” said Angie Cherry, a Stuff the Bus organizer. “We collect from everyone who has participated, and all of the kids get a high five as they help us load the food in the bus.” 

Each bus is weighed before it’s filled so organizers know how many pounds have been collected. Last year, Washougal beat Camas — but it’s a friendly competition. The students bring in canned food from home and sometimes classrooms are even rewarded for their efforts. 

Beginning November 1, the Stuff the Bus organizers will rally the schools to start collecting food. Volunteers will stand out in front of Safeway (November 23, 24 and 27 from 10 am-6 pm) asking for food or money donations, and Grocery Outlet also runs a promotion for food bags that can be purchased, which helps Stuff the Bus get more food for their program. 

“Our goal is to provide enough food for the entire year so that our beneficiaries can give to people in need,” said Cherry.

The C.A.R.O.L. Program gathers and delivers toys for kids 18 and under, as well as family food boxes during the holiday season. The American Legion of Skamania County distributes food baskets to Veterans and Children’s Home Society distributes about 365 bags of food to families in need per month. 

Children’s Home Society also supplements the backpack program.

“Every year we count on our community to support the program with cash and food donations,” said Shaffer. “We usually raise about $7,000 per school district, which goes directly to the cause with the exception of our operating costs. Starbucks in Camas and Washougal also donates coffee and hot chocolate.”

And it all comes to a fun finish on December 6, kicking off with a meeting at each High School. They load kids on the buses and then they go to the schools and collect from the area middle schools — all with a fire and police department escort.

It’s literally stuffing the buses.

Once collected, the goods are delivered to the non-profits.

Stuff the Bus is looking for businesses or people to sponsor the event. Sponsors get their name on T-shirts and get advertising on their website — www.CWBusinessAlliance.com

Bus
Food donated to Children’s Home Society.
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