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Go Green! This Is The Theme For Tonight’s Downtown Camas First Friday

Camas, WA — Go Green is the theme for Camas First Friday! Art shows, after-hours shopping, activities, prizes, and more will all be a part of the First Friday event in Downtown Camas tonight beginning at 5 pm. 

Virtual activities started on Monday, March 1st and in-person First Friday activities kick in this evening. Downtown businesses will be open and have special offerings, as well.

The “Find the Leprechaun” in-person passport has been happening all week and continues during First Friday. When you find the leprechaun in the shops, you get entered to win a great “green” prize from that location.

Plus, participants may post completed in-person passports by on the Downtown Camas First Friday page post by Saturday, March 6 at noon and be entered to win a fabulous “green” prize basket from downtown. The more locations you visit, the more chances you have to win.

Passport lists will be available here and in stores on First Friday. Go Green with us!

Camas
www.acreativetwistcorp.com

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Parenting Disputes During A Pandemic: Helping Your Children Cope With Stress

By Erica Aquadro

If we didn’t know it before, we know it now: kids are resilient. Since COVID-19 reared its ugly head about a year ago, most of us have been challenged in ways we never could have anticipated and that includes our children. As parents, we do our best to shield our kids from the fear and uncertainty that accompanies a global pandemic, but it’s not always possible to keep them in the dark. Our children have had to adapt to remote-learning models, degrees of isolation, and—in some cases—shifting family dynamics. If you have a shared custody arrangement, it’s also possible that your family has experienced some new form of parenting dispute in the past year. Parenting disputes can be especially trying during this time because we’re encountering situations that have never arisen before and our family’s health and wellness are at stake. 

While we can’t completely insulate our kids from the reality of the (sometimes dire) situation, we can do our best to stay positive and set a good example for them. So much of their ability to thrive in this ‘new normal’ depends on our ability to support them and give them grace. It’s their first pandemic, after all. We should go easy on them. 

As we navigate this ever-changing post-COVID world, here are some ways you can help your kids manage stress in the midst of changing family dynamics and novel parenting conflicts. 

Present a United Front:

Ideally both parents will be on the same page about any adjustments to the schedule or parenting plan before it reaches the children. Involving the children in discussions or planning before any changes are concrete or agreed puts them in a very difficult position.  It can be extremely confusing and stressful for children to hear one thing from one parent and something else entirely from the other. Unless and until a plan or change is final or agreed, it’s in your children’s best interests for them to be uninvolved and unaware.    

Consistency and Quality Time:

It may seem far-fetched to maintain a consistent schedule at a time like this, but even the little things can help reinforce their routine and give them some semblance of stability.  This goes hand in hand with spending quality time together. Something as simple as having breakfast together every day or reading a book to your kids before bed can give them a chance to regroup and relax. Even if you can’t do the same thing at the same time together every day, just spending five minutes doing something they want to do can have a huge impact. It can also be especially grounding for us as parents; it puts things into perspective. 

Don’t Burden Them with Adult Information:

In some ways, it can be healthy for kids to see that their parents are human and get sad sometimes because we can show them it’s normal to experience emotions. It also gives us the opportunity to demonstrate appropriate ways to express themselves and, most importantly, pick themselves up and move forward. That said, when you’re in the midst of a parenting dispute (especially during a pandemic), you’re going to be dealing with a lot of emotional and financial stresses. If you find yourself needing support, lean on your family and friends or mental health professionals to help you get through it – not your children. Chances are there will be times when you’re upset with your ex-spouse or co-parent and the last thing you want to do is burden your children with irritations about their other parent. That parent is always going to be your children’s mother or father and you want to support that relationship because that’s what’s best for your children and, by extension, your relationship with your children. 

Seek Extra Support for Your Children:

Even if your child is happy and healthy, parenting disputes (with or without a pandemic) can be very stressful and challenging. Enrolling your child with a child psychologist or counselor is a great way to allow your child to get the support he or she needs. Even if your child only meets with a professional once or twice, it’s important to give your child the opportunity to have a safe place to share his or her feelings. You may also learn some valuable tools and information from your child’s psychologist or counselor that will help you better support your child.  Keep in mind, however, you should involve your co-parent in the decision to seek support for your child and choose the right provider together.  

Take Care of Yourself: 

Remember to give yourself a break from time to time. We, as parents, are only human and sometimes the best thing we can do for our kids is to take care of ourselves. Our kids feed off our energy and, if we run ourselves ragged, we are not setting a good example for how to manage our needs and wellbeing. We have the awesome gift and responsibility of shaping our children’s lives. Let’s take the opportunity to give them the best of ourselves and forgive ourselves when we make a misstep. Tomorrow is a new day. 

Authored by Vancouver family law attorney, Erica Aquadro. Erica is a mom of three and member of both the Oregon & Washington State Bar(s). She focuses her practice exclusively on family law issues such as divorce, parenting and custody issues, child and spousal support.

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BIA of Clark County: 35,000+ Families Will Be Priced Out of Homes This Year

Vancouver, WA – The Building Industry Association of Clark County (BIA) estimates that 35,605 Clark County families will be priced-out of purchasing a home in 2021.

This estimate comes from the newest version of a study conducted by the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB). The study states that for each $1,000 increase in the cost of median-priced newly built homes in Clark County, 985 prospective buyers will be pushed out of the market, up from 781 prospective buyers in 2020.

“This study illustrates how even a relatively small increase in housing prices can dramatically impact housing affordability and accessibility for our neighbors,” said BIA’s Executive Director Avaly Scarpelli. “Unfortunately, with lumber prices on the rise again and the recent implementation of the Washington State Energy Code, housing affordability will continue to worsen in 2021.”

Between mid-April and mid-September 2020, the cost of framing lumber climbed more than 170%. According to NAHB analysis, this resulted in an increase of more than $16,148 in the price of a new single-family home. Lumber price increases will result in an additional 15,905 buyers being priced-out of homeownership, up from our estimate of 12,612 in 2020.

If the estimates provided by the Building Industry Association of Washington are correct, the price of a newly constructed home will rise as much as $20,000 due to the implementation of a stricter Energy Code, effectively pricing-out another 19,700 families.

When considering the increase in lumber prices and the cost of energy code compliance, a total of 35,605 buyers will be priced-out of purchasing a home in 2021.

This estimate does not take into consideration the other variables that can increase home prices: additional regulatory barriers, labor shortages, and the looming rise of interest rates as soon as 2022. All of these factors work together to prevent families from achieving their dreams of homeownership.

“Our elected leaders need to recognize and take accountability for the consequences of their policy decisions. We cannot complain about a housing affordability crisis and then pass policies negating any efforts made to make housing more attainable. The homebuilding industry agrees with the notion of increasing energy efficiency and working towards more sustainable structures. However, when the families in our county and state cannot afford to have a roof over their heads, it’s time for our elected officials to consider postponing expensive mandates,” added Scarpelli.

Camas
www.clarkcountyrelocations.com

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Building A Stronger Community: New Camas App Launches Today

Camas, WA — After six weeks of successful testing, the brand-new Camas App is now available to the public.

What started as a local business directory and news aggregator, evolved to focus on connecting residents and visitors with local businesses and events. Its designers call it “collaborative commerce.”

“The Camas App was built for, in, and by community members – designed to help regenerate our economy and make it more resilient. We want to make it easy for residents and visitors to learn about local businesses and discover new ones they may not be aware of,” said Joseph Graves, Co-creator of the Camas App.

The app was created locally and operated with a focus on supporting the Camas community without global tech companies filtering results or optimizing for their own financial interests.

To get the app, go to camas.info from your smartphone, tablet, or computer.

Background — How did this come about?

Graves and Lacamas Magazine shared several clients and were discussing ways to help more businesses when the idea for a Camas App came up in conversation.

“I had an idea for a cool local business directory app, and Joe said he was already working on it with Tyler Kaye,” said Ernie Geigenmiller, Editor & Publisher of Lacamas Magazine. “So, the three of us have been working like crazy to get it launched.”

“It’s a perfect fit for the Lacamas Magazine audience and a great way to strengthen our local economy” said Graves. “Buying from local businesses is the most powerful method I can think of to protect our community.”

Camas App
www.lilyatelier.com
Camas App
The Daily Deal in the Camas App.

“I have always wanted to find a way to connect a community to local businesses. In the ever-connected world of high speed connections, local businesses can still thrive with the right tools,” said Kaye. “The Camas App is a tool for the community as much as it is for the businesses in Camas.”

To make the app sustainable over the long term, there are several in app marketing opportunities including Premium listings, Daily Deals, Special Offers, Real Estate Listing, with more planned for the future. 

A portion of the revenue generated will be shared with three local nonprofits — The Camas-Washougal Community Chest, Camas-Washougal Chamber of Commerce, and the Downtown Camas Association.

Camas App
The Camas App has many categories.
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Building Futures Foundation Seeking Scholarship and Tool Grant Applicants

Vancouver, WA – The Building Futures Foundation (the 501c3 charitable arm of the Building Industry Association of Clark County) is seeking applicants for scholarships and tool grants. The deadline to apply is July 1.

Scholarship applicants should be Clark County residents pursuing education for a career within or directly related to the building industry. Scholarships are awarded to support those attending a college, university, and/or a trade/technical school. Tool grants are awarded to first-year and second-year electrical apprentices.

Both applications should include two letters of recommendation and information regarding career pathway, financial need, academic performance, and extracurricular activities. Full details on how to apply for the scholarship and tool grant can be found online at http://biaofclarkcounty.org/get-involved/building-futures-foundation/.

Additionally, the Building Industry Association of Washington is offering scholarships and grants. The deadline to apply is May 14. For complete information, visit https://www.biaw.com/program/education/.

 The Building Futures Foundation is a 501(c)3 nonprofit educational foundation, which raises money via donations and event contributions, to award scholarships and tool grants to local students pursuing a career in the building industry.

The Building Industry Association (BIA) of Clark County is a nonprofit trade association representing the interests of all businesses involved with real estate, land development, homebuilding, and construction.

Building
www.clarkcountyrelocations.com
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BIA of Clark County: Local Builder Wins National Competition

Vancouver, WA – The Building Industry Association of Clark County (BIA) is excited to announce member Chuck Neibert of Affinity Homes LLC has won national recognition from the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) as a top recruiter for the home building industry.

As part of a NAHB’s national membership recruitment effort, builders compete against other builders from associations across the country for an experience of a lifetime. Because the BIA has more than 500 members, we are recognized as a large association. As such, Chuck has won the grand prize in the large association category for recruiting the most members in the country.

As a thank you for Chuck’s hard work in building the power of the association through member recruitment, he will receive an all-inclusive trip to the Signature Kitchen Suite Experience and Design Center (an exclusive, 23,000-square-foot facility showcasing the intersection between technology and culinary passion) in Napa Valley, California, courtesy of the official NAHB membership sponsor, Signature Kitchen Suite.

2021 BIA Board President, Dave Myllymaki said, “Chuck has been instrumental in assisting our Membership Director in growing the membership of the BIA by attracting new members from Clark, Skamania, and Wahkiakum counties. We cannot thank him enough for the dozens of members he’s recruited to ensure that the construction community is aware of the many benefits offered by the BIA: cost-saving programs, business development tools, and advocacy at the local, state, and national levels of government.”

BIA
www.clarkcountyrelocations.com

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Clark County Permit Activity for Townhomes Up 66% Over A Year Ago

Vancouver, WA — The Building Industry Association of Clark County (BIA) reports an increase of 66 percent in townhome permit issuance from 2019 to 2020 in Clark County. In 2019, the total number of permits issued was 62 whereas in 2020 the number of townhome permits was 103. While townhome permits rose, single-family home permit activity saw a slight dip of about 12.8 percent between 2019 and 2020.

This could signal an emphasis on building to meet the “missing middle” (a range of multi-unit or clustered housing types, compatible in scale with detached single-family homes) and tackle the crisis of housing affordability. According to the National Association of Home Builders, it is called the “missing middle” for two reasons: 1) due to its scalability; and 2) its ability to deliver affordable housing options to middle-income households.

While an increase in rents charged remain unchanged for a majority of 2020 due to the COVID-19 Eviction Moratorium, no protections are offered for those moving into the area or switching housing options. Though landlords cannot raise rents on existing tenants, they can raise the price per unit when advertising a vacancy. With the current state of interest rates, mortgages are often in-line with, or less than the cost of renting. The BIA commends the builders building to meet the “missing middle” so that homeownership can become a reality for more Clark County residents.

While the BIA is ecstatic to report the great news on the housing affordability front, seeing a slight decline in the number of permits issued in the single-family segment of the home building market is disappointing considering the demand for such dwellings. Clark County is experiencing a housing inventory shortage across price-points, with less than a one month supply available. It is not surprising that home prices increase with a historically low supply and high demand. Therefore, the BIA recommends an emphasis on building homes at all price-points in 2021 so as not to contradict the efforts made on the housing affordability front.

Clark County
www.clarkcountyrelocations.com

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Vancouver Experiencing Boom in Permit Activity For Single Family Residences

Vancouver, WA  –The Building Industry Association of Clark County (BIA) reports that the City of Vancouver is experiencing a boom in permit activity. In November, 41 Single Family Residence (SFR) permits were issued – compared to the 15 SFR permits issued in November 2019 – representing an increase of 173 percent in permits issued.

After examining the data, the BIA anticipates 2020’s permit activity in the City of Vancouver will surpass 2019’s by more than 50 percent. This is likely due to the pent-up demand for housing as a consequence of low inventory and lifestyle changes related to the pandemic, as well as historically low interest rates.

“Home is more important than ever,” said Andrea Smith, of the BIA of Clark County. ”It used to be that homes were a landing zone for family dinners, relaxation, and sleep. Now houses are doubling as offices and playgrounds. Due to housing’s essential nature, the BIA of Clark County and Building Industry Association of Washington fought to get the industry back to work from the statewide work stoppage in March, during the first round of government mandated COVID closures. Because of these advocacy efforts, the industry was able to get back to work five weeks earlier than other industries.“ 

“Contractors have proven that the industry can build and remodel safely and we will continue to do so effectively,” said Dave Myllymaki, the BIA’s President and Owner of ReNew Creations.

Permit
www.clarkcountyrelocations.com
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Questions and Answers With Educator Jamie Holmes, of A Creative Twist

Camas, WA — This is a question and answer session longtime educator, Jamie Holmes, owner of the new learning studio, A Creative Twist, which is located in downtown Camas.

What is A Creative Twist all about?

A Creative Twist is all about Common Sense in education.  It is a creative twist in today’s education style.  Students need hands-on experiences that focus on the building blocks of mathematics and BASIC FACTS so they can apply them in their lives and make meaning out of today’s jargon.  Common Core is full of analytical language that is hard for the common person to understand.  

At A Creative Twist we use many techniques, and we focus on basic foundational building blocks in mathematics, i.e., basic facts (add, subtract,multiply, divide)

What we do differently is:

  • We listen with our hearts to hear the struggles, we heal with caring opportunities.
  • We create success before going on.
  • We laugh, we enjoy, we relax into math and learn how to have fun with math. 
  • We look and listen for ideas that draw you in (perhaps MineCraft, rectangular arrays galore). 
  • We believe in you and create successful interactions.
  • We collaborate and create projects, games, and inquiry that engage BASIC FACTS.
  • We have similar style problems with a project or a set of manipulatives so the student can master BASIC FACTS. 
  • Interactive and engaging projects and games that build BASIC FACTS, so they can feel SUCCESS and apply it on a regular basis.
  • Explain with words and pictures, and manipulatives what the problem is asking.
  • How to decode the language to set up and understand the problem.
  • Draw conclusions, look for patterns, and convey knowledge in a safe collaborative environment.
  • We create, design, and have fun utilizing basic facts.
  • We use art, design, science, social studies, and writing — all that encompass BASIC FACTS.
  • We observe and listen and work with you to assess your learning style and your confidence (no fancy testing, no computerized results).

What age group is your primary focus?

Our target age range is 2nd through middle school.  The pandemic has set students up for teaching themselves through the virtual classroom. That is a tall order to ask anyone of any school age. They don’t know to teach themselves, they don’t understand how their brain accesses information with ease. Kids usually label themselves “dumb” when they don’t understand. Once a child has declared they are “dumb” or “can’t learn” because the system failed them, we all sufer and it takes YEARS to recover from that self doubting thought. Your brain starts to look for evidence to validate your self destructive belief. Self doubt is dangerous, especially at a young age.

What is your background as an educator?

I think out of the box, I understand the wounded math warrior, I have taught math for 30 years in Portland, I am “Highly Qualified in Math”, I have a sense of humor and laugh and have fun, I have high expectations that are attainable, I believe in the student’s ability to “Get it”, I get results, I have taught BRIDGES math curriculum and know what they are expecting of students and where the program is weak.  

I now work in downtown Camas, an I am open during COVID just like Kumon or Sylvan Learning Centers. Kids like me, but most of all I MAKE A DIFFERENCE in how your child will perceive themselves and learning.

To you, what is Common Core, and why do people react negatively when Common Core is mentioned?

Kids often don’t understand the language of the problem nor do they understand the format of math problems. It just dives deep and dives in too quickly, and continues whether the children understand the concept or not.  The kids who “don’t get it”  need someone (ME) or some place (HERE) to explain what the system is asking the student to do. 

Then the student needs to be exposed to that same style of experiences to grasp the concept so they can master it and apply in different situations.  The hardest part of the Common Core Problem Solving is it doesn’t focus on building a strong foundation of successful experiences before going further into the next set of ideas and concepts..  It skims the surface and then plunges deep, and continues whether the children understand the concept or not.   That said, students do not have the basic foundation to build their house of mathematics on, a strong foundation is a solid place to grow in any direction.

What is Project Based Learning?

Project Based Learning (PBL)uses a concept/idea that you can apply to a project.  This project can take various shapes and forms. Traditional school has replaced this style for standardized instruction.  

PBL is an inquiry lead approach wherein students ask questions about ideas or concepts and inquiry leads them to a project. At A Creative Twist we introduce the projects so that students can catch onto the idea of PBL. Sometimes the projects are 3D and sometimes they are field research. The projects that are done here are 3D.  

Students may create a replica of the subject they are studying, for instance, they are studying erosion. They can make miniature streams, deltas, rivers, gorges to demonstrate how the erosion takes place. They may make a salt dough map of Washington and have elevation of the Cascade range. This is where science comes alive and students are eager to read, write and learn.  The text leads them to their next creative thought and through collaboration ideas of projects are explored. This is the excitement that fuels education. 

For the reluctant reader, we read together for information, for the reluctant writer we write for an authentic reason or for a specific audience.  It is my dream to have this learning center as a showpiece for the downtown with demonstrations on First Friday or Parent night so the kids can present their ideas to a genuine audience that wants to see them excel in confidence, public speaking, and creativity.  We, as a society have to take education in a different direction and apply it in part of our social structure in order to give it contextual meaning.  It is up to the leaders, the adults of the communities to encourage these activities through social engagement. Often parents and the community are so busy they invest more face time in the screen of their phone rather than the faces of the children. We need to lead in a different way, they are following our examples.  So let the screen be a video of the children showcasing their work outside the traditional confluence of school.

Contact Information

Phone: 503.319.6498

Email: acreativetwistcorp@gmail.com

Website: www.acreativetwistcorp.com

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Local Band Creates Ultimate Expression of Love For Holidays in Lockdown

Folk duo Fox and Bones offers custom songwriting services for the perfect contact-free gift

Camas, WA — With lockdowns and quarantines affecting many long-standing holiday traditions this year, local band Fox and Bones has come up with the perfect contact-less gift that allows people to express their love from a distance. The duo, who previously made their living touring internationally but moved home to Camas when the first wave of lockdowns hit, put their minds together to create “Our Custom Song”, a boutique personalized songwriting service where they are commissioned to write what they call “the ultimate expression of love” —  a highly personalized, radio quality song.

Though Fox and Bones, aka Sarah Vitort and Scott Gilmore, launched this new service in the wake of COVID-19 shutdowns, the idea for Our Custom Song initially came to the real life couple three Christmases ago, when Gilmore wrote Vitort a song and gave it to her as a Christmas present. 

“To this day it’s the best gift I’ve ever received, truly a gift that keeps on giving. There is nothing quite like the feeling of being someone’s muse,” said Vitort. 

Vitort realized that equipped with 20+ combined years of songwriting experience that feeling was one they could offer to others and became more valuable than ever when COVID changed everyone’s lives.

The custom songwriting process begins with an hour-long ZOOM consultation, where Vitort and Gilmore ask thought provoking questions in order to step into their customers’ shoes before writing the song. In addition to the initial consultation, customers get two rounds of edits between the first and final drafts to ensure the song is exactly what they want. Customers also get to choose the genre, feel and instrumentation of the song, and are offered add-ons like their own photo slideshow music video, an engraved lyric plaque, or a CD of the song.

“It didn’t feel somebody created this song just because it was purchased, it felt like you guys really could understand how we felt, and took all the stories and things that we talked about and made them come to life,” said Shelby Cinnamon, who, with her siblings, commissioned a song for her mom for Mother’s Day. 

BAND
www.champpizza.com

Her sister Carley, a Camas resident, added, “I wish I had the words to convey to people how special and how meaningful the entire process was. It’s such a priceless song that we will treasure forever.”

In addition to custom songs, Our Custom Song also offers a more budget-friendly option in the form of “Song-Grams,” where clients can choose any song for the duo to cover with a special dedication to the recipient, a nostalgic cross between a singing telegram and a radio song dedication. 

Our Custom Song was created by Vitort and Gilmore as a way for people to commission personalized songs for the people they love most. Vitort and Gilmore use their 20 years of combined songwriting and music industry experience and their deep ability to empathize to create heartfelt, radio quality songs for their customers. The pair has been lauded for their songwriting in outlets such as Parade Magazine, No Depression, and Pop Matters since they formed in 2016.

Interested parties are encouraged to learn more and book their song at www.ourcustomsong.com

 

Band
Sarah Vitort and Scott Gilmore of Fox and Bones.
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