Washougal, WA — The Camas Athletics Boosters Club is busy preparing for this Saturday’s Black & Red Rendezvous event, which is a major fundraiser for local athletics programs.
Beginning this Saturday, May 20 at 5:30 pm the Westlie Ford dealership showroom will transform into a casino night with festivities presented by Wild Bill’s Casino. Ticket buyers (21 and older) will get to enjoy a night of blackjack, craps, roulette and Texas hold ‘em poker.
“It will be a lot of fun,” said Amy Stoller, of the Camas Athletics Booster Club. “We hope to meet our financial goals for this event.”
Attendees may dress formal, casual or crazy creative, but it must be black and red. There will be bragging rights and prizes for the best dressed. The event also includes a silent auction, as well as a live auction at 9 pm.
Tickets cost $75 a person or $125 per couple. To purchase tickets, visit www.camasboosters.org
The Camas Athletics Boosters Club fills in funding gaps to support Camas athletics programs. Over a five year period the organization has raised $500,000, and those funds are dispersed to local teams through an official grant process. Examples of grants given include Camas High School scoreboards, girls wrestling uniforms, cheer uniforms, trainer’s cart for all sports, boys basketball travel gear, swim team travel gear, basketball and volleyball lockers, girls soccer warm ups, and much more. Grants are given to both Camas High School, as well as middle schools.
The board consists of 10-15 volunteer members and four officers. Money is raised through major fundraising events like the casino night, the annual golf tournament, concession sales, apparel sales at home football games, and general donations.
https://cdn.lacamasmagazine.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/16164408/Pix-Baseball-Stadium-e1684280918690.jpg403828Ernest Geigenmillerhttps://cdn.lacamasmagazine.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/07074147/lacamas_white_2-300x300.pngErnest Geigenmiller2023-05-16 17:07:132023-05-16 17:07:22Camas Athletics Boosters Preparing for Black & Red Rendezvous Fundraiser Event
Camas-Washougal, WA – The development of Parker’s Landing Historical Park at the Port of Camas-Washougal has been and continues to be a collaborative, community effort which includes a history of special events and dedications. Currently it is the site of the annual Parkersville Day held on the first Saturday in June, from 12:00 pm to 3:00 pm celebrating local history.
The Parkersville Site in Washougal was placed on the National Register of Historic Places on August 11, 1976. Nearly 10 years later, a 25.4-ton rock was moved there for a Department of the Interior plaque to be mounted upon. The plaque was unveiled at the opening of Parker’s Landing Historical Park and Archaeological Site on June 1, 1986.
John Buchholz, and E. Snoey landscaped an arrowhead design planter framing the boulder plaque display. Jeff Buchholz, grandson of John, attended the park opening. “All I remember about the opening was standing next to Grandma Ester,” Jeff Buchholz recalls. “She told me how proud she was that Grandpa worked so hard on the landscaping of the park. I didn’t notice that the planter was shaped like an arrowhead until she pointed it out to me. At that time, I was only 10.”
Jeff Buchholz now serves on the Parkersville National Historic Site Advisory Committee to the Port (PAC) and the Parkersville Heritage Foundation (PHF). His grandfather served on the initial Parkersville Site Development Committee (PSDC). The PSDC, now operating as PAC, is a permanent committee established under the authority of the Camas-Washougal Port Commission to protect and preserve the Parkersville National Historic Site and to design and continue to develop the 3.88-acre site known as the Parker’s Landing Historical Park.
Washington became a state on November 11, 1889, the only state named after a U.S. president. A Centennial Commission was established in 1982 by a state law act to organize, fund, and coordinate events, artwork, and publications.
Big news for the park arrived on December 13, 1988, in the Camas-Washougal Post Record which read, “The Washington State Centennial Committee and the Washington Centennial Committee of Clark County have certified and approved four centennial projects to be constructed upon the historical site.”
Soroptimist International Club of Camas-Washougal implemented the plans for Centennial Project #1, the Old Silo Base, on September 14, 1988. A bronze plaque with the State Centennial logo engraved on it was donated by the Soroptimists and mounted on a rock in the center of the Old Silo Base planter. The planter continues to host beautiful flowers and is managed by the local Soroptimists.
A groundbreaking ceremony was held for Centennial Project #2, the Rose Arbor, on November 11, 1989, and was completed in January 1990 by members of the PUD and Kiwanis. They were led by Michael O’Hearne. A new wooden sign for the historical park, visible from the highway, was erected in September 1998, made possible by Port and PHF shared funding.
The third centennial project was the marking of the VanVleet homestead structure. The Van Vleet Plaza, where the 100-year-old historic home once stood, was dedicated in 2002.
Long-term PAC Member and Secretary/Treasurer, David Parker, continues to advocate for the fourth centennial project, a view structure, which has not been completed. Over the years, the PAC has discussed adding a replica of the Parker’s Landing maritime light, a project once pursued by park founder, and former PAC member, Rosalee Macrae.
Eight new historic interpretive panels inside a wood kiosk were dedicated in 1997 and in 1999, the Community Garden Club (CGC) planted a pink dogwood tree near the west side of the park. They placed a granite plaque in the grass nearby honoring decades of volunteer gardening in the park by members.
When the Chinook Plaza was dedicated in 2009, long-term president of the PAC, Bruce Fuerstenberg, engraved the stone Chinook Chiefs Tayi, and provided the transportation of it. His family company, Vancouver Granite Works, Inc. was owned by his parents before him, and now by his son. The company engraved all the bricks that are throughout Van Vleet Plaza and waterfall area. The first bricks placed in the plaza tell local history with names of Chinook chiefs, Donation Land Claim and later Homestead owners and the year they arrived in the area.
In 2022 a new annual Parkersville Day was launched, to be held annually on the first Saturday in June. It will be held June 3, 2023 from 12 pm to 3 pm. This free, family friendly event celebrates local history, with a look back at the historic town of Parkersville in 1854, and the grand events there in 1878-1880. The event features a Chinook blessing, storytellers, historic displays, 1800s games and prizes, ice cream, a park-themed art contest, band music from the 1800s, and, in 2023, a new Parkersville Day song played by Washougal High School Band with band teacher, Dave Duarte, conducting. Mark your calendars now.
Washougal, WA — Washougal High School drama presents “Mean Girls the Musical” on May 12, 13, 19, and 20 at 7 pm and on May 13 and 20 at 2 pm. The nostalgic musical was written by Tina Fey and is an adaptation of the 2004 movie by the same name. Tickets are $10 per attendee and are available at the door. Students who qualify for HB1660 can come to the ASB office the week before the performance to get tickets.
“This is a fun, wild ride through the world of classic movie high school,” said Kelly Gregersen, drama teacher at Washougal High School.
The plot follows sixteen year old homeschooled student Cady Heron who moves to the United States from Africa and navigates difficult social dynamics at her new school. Claire Zakovics, 11th grade student at Washougal High School, plays the lead role of Cady Heron.
The cast of 47 student actors have worked diligently since March to prepare the production for the stage. Twenty student members in the technical and musical crews support the production.
“The most exciting part of being a part of the Mean Girls cast is realizing that everything is student made, from the pit playing the songs live to the set and posters being made by students. It shows how hard our community works and cares about each other,” said Daisha Paz-Mondoza, senior at Washougal High School. Paz-Mendoza plays the role of Janis Sarkisian, one of Heron’s first friends at the new high school.
On April 25, Washougal community passed two levies supporting student-centered programs for the next three years. Performing arts productions like “Mean Girls the Musical” are levy-funded.
“Everyone’s really welcoming and nice,” Washougal High School student Shelby Rappe said of the Washougal High School drama department. “I’ve never felt like I didn’t belong.”
More information about “Mean Girls the Musical” at Washougal High School is available on the Washougal High School website.
https://cdn.lacamasmagazine.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/05184844/Mean_Girls1.Still002.jpg10801920Ernest Geigenmillerhttps://cdn.lacamasmagazine.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/07074147/lacamas_white_2-300x300.pngErnest Geigenmiller2023-05-05 18:57:052023-05-05 18:57:13Washougal High School Brings ‘Mean Girls The Musical’ to the Stage
Camas, WA– The Camas-Washougal Fire Department will soon team up with American Medical Response (AMR) to offer a new program. Starting May 16, Camas and Washougal residents dialing 911 will have the option of using a new program, Nurse Navigation, which will provide options for quickly reaching the appropriate level of medical care for non-life-threatening emergencies when calling 911.
Those who do call 911 for urgent, life-threatening, or potentially life-threatening emergencies will not see a change in service. However, if a condition is determined not to be an urgent medical emergency, callers will be transferred to a Nurse Navigator to determine the next appropriate steps for coordinating care.
The Clark Regional Emergency Services Agency, or CRESA, handles all 911 calls in Clark County. Out of the 58,000 thousand 911 calls they receive each year, around 14,000 calls are considered non-emergent. Typically, calls like this could be handled by a person’s primary care provider for non-emergency medical advice, appointments and prescription refills.
The new Nurse Navigators program will feature Washington state licensed nurses with professional experience in emergency nursing and telephone triage. After determining the level of service needed, the nurses can connect callers with clinics in Clark County, arrange transportation to and from appointments and notify a clinic when a patient is arriving. Nurse Navigators can also connect callers directly to telehealth physicians who can provide care and prescribe medication if necessary. The service does not require the caller to have medical insurance to access this service.
In addition to Clark County, 10 states have integrated the Nurse Navigation program into 911 systems to alleviate strain on EMS and healthcare systems while ensuring that all calls reach the most appropriate level of care.
https://cdn.lacamasmagazine.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/26150936/87C2A0FB-8A14-4B69-B9BD-01016171DF41-e1682547049246.jpg6731202Ernest Geigenmillerhttps://cdn.lacamasmagazine.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/07074147/lacamas_white_2-300x300.pngErnest Geigenmiller2023-04-26 15:13:292023-04-26 15:13:38New 911 Feature to Provide Additional Support for Local Residents
The fertile lands and proximity of Parker’s Landing for transporting milk and butter by steamboat to Portland, Oregon, made Parkersville and Washougal key locations for dairy farms. The dairy legacy at Parkersville and nearby is celebrated with ice cream at the annual Parkersville Day event held at Parker’s Landing Historical Park. Ice Cream Renaissance will be serving this year on Saturday, June 3, 2023, from 12 pm to 3 pm.
There were several well-known, historic locals who operated dairies.
SHEPHERD – According to the 1880 census, David Shepherd, a 57-year-old dairyman, was a naturalized citizen and married to Helen. Both Helen and David were born in Scotland, David around 1823. They lived and farmed on a donation land claim adjacent to the Ough land claim. David Shepherd and his sons also operated and maintained the earliest graves in the Pioneer Cemetery, now Section A at Washougal Memorial Cemetery.
GOOT – Albert Goot, Sr., born in Switzerland in 1857, milked 35 cows at his Goot Swiss Dairy in Washougal after his arrival around 1889. His dairy was located on part of the original Parker and Ough land claims. On his farm, he also raised potatoes, oats, and hay. A portion of his land is now Goot Park, 303 SE Zenith Street in Camas, near the Washougal River Waterway.
WEBBER – Washougal’s first mayor, Morris Webber, was a pioneer and dairy farmer. A few weeks after Washougal’s incorporation in 1908, Morris Webber and Albert Goot, Sr. opened the Columbia Condensed Milk Company. The company put in a deep well with a storage tank and gained the franchise rights to provide the town’s water. Water rates were 1.25/household/month. By 1910, Morris owned a 600-acre dairy farm on Lady Island.
YINGER – The Yinger Family, noted in the newspaper for their fifteen children, started the Steigerwald Dairy in 1913. They operated a dairy herd in the Steigerwald Lake floodplain, keeping cattle in a large barn located at the present-day Bi-Mart store.
Steigerwald Dairy barn
WRIGHT – David William (D.W.) Wright, a dairy farmer and son of pioneers Emily Durgan and Stephen Wright, Sr., came across the plains in a covered wagon, drawn by a team of oxen when he was three years old. He also served on the first Washougal City Council in 1908. Stephen Grover Wright, David’s nephew, and Nina May Wright Chevron’s brother, was also a dairyman living in Washougal.
CHEVRON – Nina and Lou C. Chevron moved into the VanVleet home at Parker’s Landing in 1931, and established Parker’s Landing Dairy, also called Chevron & Sons. Their dairy truck read, Grade A Milk, L. C. Chevron, Parker’s Landing Dairy. Nina May Wright, born on April 22, 1895, married Louis Charles Chevron on December 25, 1911. The dairy sold raw milk before pasteurization started. In 1942, Lou and Nina Chevron sold their prize-winning dairy herd due to wartime gas rationing. After the cows and equipment were sold, Nina and Lou renovated and moved into the “little green milk house,” adding a kitchen and bathroom to it. Their son, Vernon, and his family remained in the bigger house. Nina lived in Washougal until age 95.
Daily milking, separating the cream, and churning butter, initially done by hand was a lengthy process. Visit Two Rivers Museum, Washougal, to see the equipment used during hand milking.
In the 1940s, milking machines allowed farmers to milk multiple cows simultaneously and grow their herds. At one time, Clark County boasted about nearly 200 dairy farms. Only one remains.
Learn more about local dairy history at Parkersville Day!
https://cdn.lacamasmagazine.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/18145027/steigerwalds-Dairy-Truck.jpg9811791Ernest Geigenmillerhttps://cdn.lacamasmagazine.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/07074147/lacamas_white_2-300x300.pngErnest Geigenmiller2023-04-18 15:07:142023-04-18 15:07:23Did You Know? There’s a Rich Dairy History in the Parkersville Area
Camas-Washougal, WA — Historic “kit houses” built before 1935 throughout Camas and Washougal will be the topic of the next Camas-Washougal Historical Society (CWHS) presentation on Saturday, April 22 at 2 pm at the Washougal Community Center, 1661 C Street, Washougal. The community is welcome!
Madeline Mesplay, lead researcher at the Two Rivers Historical Museum (TRHM), will present “Home Sweet Home,” and share her knowledge of local kit houses.
“These buildings were pre-cut and ordered by mail for delivery to the customer to assemble,” she explained. “I will also share brief information on some of the first owners of these residences and some pictures of some that were constructed in our area.”
These buildings were also known as mill-cut, catalog, or ready-cut houses.
Mesplay has been a volunteer at the TRHM for five years. She graduated from New Mexico Highlands University in Art and Education, completed a Counseling Psychology degree from Lewis and Clark University and has lived in Vancouver since 1989. Since retiring she has focused on her interest in research and finds her work at the museum very rewarding.
“What better way to learn how to appreciate the character and charm of an old house and your community by getting to know its history,” she said.
Also at the presentation will be the introduction of the publication “Historic Downtown Washougal,” a walking map taking people past pre-1940s homes and buildings and featuring short introductions of the people who lived and worked there. The project was made possible thanks to information from Mesplay’s extensive property research which fills five large binders. The map was created by Mesplay and museum volunteers Gretchen Hoyt and Rene Carroll. It was designed by Lori Reed Creative and supported by City of Washougal lodging tax funds. Copies will soon be available at the museum, City of Washougal, Washougal library and the Camas-Washougal Chamber of Commerce.
The Two Rivers Heritage Museum, 1 Durgan Street in Washougal, is now open for general admission on Saturdays from 11am-3pm through the end of October. Prices are $5 for adults, $4 for seniors and just $2 for students. Camas-Washougal Historical Society members can visit the museum for free.
Join the CWHS to help support additional historic presentations and preservation of local history. Membership information will be available at the presentation. For more information about the museum and volunteer and membership opportunities, visit www.2rhm.com and follow them on Facebook.
https://cdn.lacamasmagazine.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/12153624/House-scaled-e1681339013315.jpeg13442560Ernest Geigenmillerhttps://cdn.lacamasmagazine.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/07074147/lacamas_white_2-300x300.pngErnest Geigenmiller2023-04-12 15:41:222023-04-12 15:41:31Local Historical Society Presentation Features Area Kit Houses
Camas-Washougal, WA – Join volunteers and service club members in a fun and rewarding annual park beautification at Parker’s Landing Historical Park (west of Westlie Ford, Washougal), at the Camas-Washougal Port Marina.
The Annual Park Beautification Days take place this year on Tuesday, April 18 and Tuesday, May 16. It officially runs from 3 pm to 5 pm, however, anyone who needs to come before or afterwards is welcome. Enjoy the camaraderie and the “before” and “after” satisfaction of caring for this park gem – a national, state, and country registered historic site. And help prepare the park to look its best for the second annual Parkersville Day on Saturday, June 3 from 12 pm to 3 pm.
“We are asking volunteers to bring their own gardening tools, brooms, power washers, rags and water buckets,” said Susan Tripp, a Parkersville National Historic Site Advisory Committee Member. “The committee organizes and participates in these events. Bring your expertise in roses and other plant pruning and fertilization. The park depends on volunteers to clean out the winter stages and cut back the rapid spring growth and spouting weeds.”
Jeff Carlson, the newest member of the Parkersville National Historic Site Advisory Committee (PAC) to the Port, will contribute his expertise by power washing the aggregate Kiosk and Rose Arbor flooring and park benches, then sealing them. Last year, PAC Member Jeff Buchholz added a shelf to the volunteers’ garden shed, while others helped clear and clean it in preparation for summer watering.
The Lions Club weeded the rose arbor, brought rakes and brooms along with shears and muscle power. They pulled out bulb plants that had multiplied from one planter to covering part of the walking path. The Soroptimists replaced dead winter plants with new spring color in the Silo Planter and power washed its brick border. Other volunteers beautified planters, cleared out old vegetation, cut back overgrowth, and removed new weeds.
Since the park’s dedication on June 1, 1986, volunteers have been active partners in park preservation and beautification. With summers warming up over the last seven years, the historical park as an archeological site relies on volunteers, service clubs, and scouts to deep water the heritage trees, roses, and more in the main section of the park that is not irrigated.
“You’ll enjoy the outdoor camaraderie and the before and after feeling of accomplishment for just a couple of hours of handywork,” said Port Commissioner Cassi Marshall who has participated along with Port Executive Director, David Ripp. Commissioner Marshall is an active member of the PAC.
https://cdn.lacamasmagazine.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/27151926/Annual-April-and-May-Park-Beautification-Commissioner-Cassi-Marshall-e1679955613203.jpg424960Ernest Geigenmillerhttps://cdn.lacamasmagazine.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/07074147/lacamas_white_2-300x300.pngErnest Geigenmiller2023-03-27 15:29:022023-03-27 15:29:12Help Spruce Up Parker’s Landing Historical Park in April, May
Washougal, WA — Three generations of the Van Vleet family lived at Parkersville, a township established in 1854 by David C. Parker along the shores of the Columbia River and now a national, state and county registered historic site.
The second annual Parkersville Day June 3, 2023, from 12 pm to 3 pm at Parker’s Landing Historical Park, at the Port of Camas-Washougal will celebrate the rich history of the site and families such as the Van Fleet’s who helped shape the communities of Camas and Washougal.
In 1855, Lewis Van Vleet, Sr. traveled the treacherous Oregon Trail from Missouri and took up a residence on a donation land claim in Fern Prairie three miles north of Camas. A dairy farmer, he later brought milk to Parker’s Landing where it traveled by steamship to Portland. On January 16, 1877, the editor of The Independent wrote in a column title Parkersville, “Parkersville is situated on the Columbia River, about sixteen miles from Vancouver. We have at present two steamboats running opposites – the Gazelle and Caliope. They make two trips per week — Tuesdays and Wednesdays.”
In 1858, when Parker died, Lewis Van Vleet, Sr. accepted part of the Parkersville property for his services as the estate administrator. Lewis Van Vleet, Sr. and lived there briefly. Parker’s widow, Ann, retained ownership and lived on the west side of the 581.97-acre donation land claim with her married daughter Mrs. Eliza Wiley.
Louisa, “Lutie”, daughter of Lewis and Ann Van Vleet, became one of the first woman doctors in the Camas and Washougal area, and in Washington State to hold both a medical degree and a license to practice. She treated settlers and indigenous people, covering miles riding side saddle or traveling by horse and buggy. Louisa married William Spicer, a pharmacist and had three children, Cecil, Lewis, and Edith, before the marriage ended.
In July 1880, Louisa purchased 10 acres in Parkersville from her parents that her son, Cecil, would eventually inherit. In 1901, she married James W. Wright, son of Washougal pioneers Emily Durgan and Stephen Wright, Sr. She continued her medical practice, served on the Camas School Board for 12 years, and reluctantly ran for mayor. Without campaigning she lost by one vote. In February 1904, she bought 35 acres in Parkersville and retired to a quiet and mostly deserted Parkersville.
Dr. Louisa Wright died instantly on May 30, 1913, from a horse kick to the chin while hooking up a buggy. Her funeral, held at her home, was well attended by many, some arriving by boat and others by Chinookan canoes.
On June 18, 1917, Cecil changed his name by petition from Spicer to Cecil Van Vleet in admiration of his mother and grandfather. On July 21, 1917, he married Elsie Virginia Moore. They were both teachers. Cecil and Elsie lived at Parker’s Landing during the 1920s. After Elsie died on January 2, 1950, Cecil met his second wife, Mary Roberts, while playing bridge. They lived at Parker’s Landing until he died on December 4, 1977. Cecil was the last of the three generations of Van Vleet families to live there.
The VanVleet home stood in Section B of today’s Parker’s Landing Historical Park until 1978 when it was burned to the ground by an arsonist. The following Monday, a Camas-Washougal Historical Society was formed and pledged a $1000 reward to anyone uncovering the culprit. The society was formed by promoters of the house becoming a museum. The house was thought to have been built in 1878 in Fern Prairie and moved to its waterfront site and had been added to the National Register of Historic Places.
The new historical society named interim officers and historical advisors designating a Monday night meeting at 7 pm in the home of Mrs. Bernice Pluchos to discuss bylaws. Membership in the society was $4 per year for individuals and $7 for a family.
Meet members of today’s Camas-Washougal Historical Society, Washougal’s Two Rivers Heritage Museum, Clark County Museum, and Parkersville Heritage Foundation at the second Annual Parkersville Day at Parker’s Landing Historical Park at the Camas-Washougal Port. Learn about our rich local history in a fun, free, educational experience for all ages, on Saturday, June 3, 2023, from 12 pm to 3 pm.
https://cdn.lacamasmagazine.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/22100425/Parkers-Landing-drawing-scaled.jpg18932560Ernest Geigenmillerhttps://cdn.lacamasmagazine.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/07074147/lacamas_white_2-300x300.pngErnest Geigenmiller2023-03-27 14:49:092023-03-27 14:49:19Local History: Three Generations of Van Vleet Family Lived at Parkersville
The Camas-Washougal Community Chest and its partners, the Camas-Washougal Rotary Foundation and the Camas Lions Foundation, are pleased to announce the award of 31 grants totaling $140,000 to non-profit organizations delivering services, exclusively, to children and families in Camas and Washougal. The Rotary commitment to Service above Self also adds volunteers to the mix as they work to make a difference for many families.
The grants will fund such diverse services as emergency food assistance, aid to families in crisis or needing emergency services, safe temporary shelter for at-risk youth, a Safe Stay overnight car park program at St. Anne’s Episcopal Church, a homeless family day center located at Saint Thomas Aquinas in Camas and water quality monitoring in the Lacamas Creek watershed.
New organizations receiving grants for the first time are offering services such as financial help to cover registration and transportation costs for members of the Camas robotics team, help purchase supplies and maintain equipment for local children attending preschool, help purchase supplies and uniforms for students attending local technical academy, help fund planting of pollinator habitat and beautification along SR14 near Washougal, help fund basic living expenses for individuals in need who are transitioning out of foster care and help fund emergency financial assistance to normally self-supporting people who are unable to work and pay all their bills during cancer treatments.
Some of the non-profit organizations being funded in 2023 include Inter-Faith Treasure House, Children Home Society’s East County Family Resource Center, Janus Youth Program, Pink Lemonade, Family Promise of Clark County and Lower Columbia Estuary Partnership. First-time grantees include Camas Robotics Booster Club, Camas – Washougal Parents Co-op Preschool, Cascadia Technical Academy.
Journey Theatre.
Foundation, East County Citizens’ Alliance, Komak and YWCA Clark County. For a complete listing of the grant awards see the grant summary below.
Thanks to CWRF, CLF and major donations from the GP Foundation, GP employees, Camas School District employees, City of Camas and Washougal employees, Port of Camas-Washougal employees, Windermere Foundation, and Watercare Industrial Services, CWCC is well on the way to funding these grants.
To reach its 2023 fundraising goal, however, the CWCC needs additional donations from individuals and businesses in Camas and Washougal. More information and donation forms can be found on the CWCC’s website at www.CamasWashougalCommunityChest.org
The CWCC, CWRF and CLF are registered 501 (c) (3) non-profit organizations for federal charitable tax deduction purposes.
2023 Grant Program Summary
Total number of grants awarded – 31 Total value of grants awarded – $140,000 Estimated number of individual services funded by grants – more than 30,500
Community Programs/Projects Funded in 2023
Boy Scouts of America – Cascade Pacific Council
Helps fund Campership Awards so that Camas and Washougal families in need can send their scouts to summer camp.
Camas Farmers Market
Helps fund “Produce Pals”, a weekly activities program to educate children about where and how food is produced. Kids completing weekly program receive a $2 token to spend at Camas Farmers Market for locally grown fruits and vegetables.
Camas Robotics Booster Club
Helps fund registration and transportation costs for students in financial need to participate in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) classes and activities. Will also help fund STEM education and outreach activities in the Camas and Washougal area.
Camas Washougal Parent Co-op Preschool
Helps fund operating budget, including buying classroom supplies and helps with maintaining and upkeeping the preschool in order to provide a safe place for the preschoolers to learn and play.
Cascadia Technical Academy Foundation (aka Clark County Vocational Skills Foundation)
Helps students to purchase required uniforms and supplies such as chef jacket for Culinary, scrubs for Applied Medical Science, tools and tool bag for Construction and textbooks. Also helps student’s family to meet emergency needs such as a gas card so parents can get to work, paying for a few nights lodging while temporary housing is found and buying food from CTA’s food pantry.
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Children’s Home Society – East County Family Resource Center
Helps fund operations at Resource Center. Helps fund parent education groups, youth support groups, emergency basic assistance, behavioral health services and health care services provided by ECFRC or by a partner agency.
East County Citizens’ Alliance
Helps fund a native pollinator habitat by planting native wildflowers in a state highway plot 200 feet long and twenty feet wide east of the Washougal River Road / SR – 14 roundabout. This is a first of its kind project in Washington and WSDOT is providing a landscape designer as a coordinator/ advisor.
Family Promise of Clark County
Helps fund an expansion of FPCares program that proactively assists families with services that will prevent them from losing their homes and entering the shelter system. Services may include rental assistance, payments for rent in arrears, security deposits, landlord mediation, locating housing and filling out applications.
Fort Vancouver Regional Library Foundation – Washougal Branch
Supports the Washougal Community Library’s summer reading program for kids and adults.
Friends and Foundation of the Camas Library
Helps fund several 100-year centennial projects including four special exhibit displays in the Second Story Gallery, six speaking engagements in a History Speaks! speaker series and the library will be collecting oral histories throughout the year and posting those stories to a hosted website.
Friends of the Columbia Gorge
Helps fund the Explore the Gorge classroom lessons and outdoor environmental education program for sixth graders in Jemtegaard and Canyon Creek Middle schools in Washougal School District.
General Federation of Women’s Clubs
Helps General Federation of Woman’s Clubs with purchasing books for all children in Pre-K programs in the Camas and Washougal School Districts. The program is aimed at all Pre-schoolers to grow their reading skills.
Impact CW – St. Matthew Lutheran Church
Helps buy food and grocery gift cards for families in need in the Camas and Washougal School Districts.
Inter-Faith Treasure House
Helps pay utilities (electricity, water, sewer, garbage and natural gas) so IFTH can continue to operate the east county food bank.
Janus Youth Programs
Provides funding for outreach efforts and overnight facility stays for Camas and Washougal runaway youth at risk for abuse and neglect. Re-introduces kids to safe housing. Provide case managers to help youth access community services to help them achieve stability.
Journey Theater Arts Group
Helps fund a portion of the Washburn Performing Arts Center rental fee to present the March production of Junie B. Jones, the Musical.
Kawanis Camp Wa-Ri-Ki
Helps fund their Outdoor Environmental Education Program by offering campers meaningful outdoor activities that support fun, healthy living, nurturing personal growth plus leadership and nature-based skills. Goals include better physical and mental health, increased self-esteem, respect and kindness for others, ability to lead, community participation and stewardship of natural resources.
Komak
Helps fund emergency financial assistance to normally self-supporting people who are unable to work and pay all their bills during cancer treatments.
Lacamas Watershed Council
Helps pay for volunteer training and buying water quality monitoring equipment and supplies. Water quality samples will be collected in the Lacamas watershed, including Lacamas, Round and Fallen Leaf lakes and Lacamas Creek.
Lifeline Connections
Helps fund youth activities, field trips and transportation costs to Camp Mariposa (they use Kiwanis Camp Wa-Ri-Ki’s facility) for children of families in need or suffering from substance abuse.
Lower Columbia Estuary Partnership
Provides classroom lessons and outdoor applied learning programs for youth, including habitat enhancement projects adjacent to Gibbons Creek in the Steigerwald Lake National Wildlife Refuge and Campen Creek in Mable Kerr Park.
Meals on Wheels People
Helps fund an expansion of the Medically Tailored Meals Program, an evidenced-based nutritional intervention tailored to clients needs. These meals include higher quality food and provide more diversity and variety of foods.
Pink Lemonade Project
Helps fund Pink Practicalities, a financial aid and assistance program. Covers costs that health insurance doesn’t, such as groceries, transportation services, lymphedema sleeves, lost wages, rent/mortgage payments, etc.
REACH Community Development
Helps buy groceries, baby essentials, cleaning supplies, hygiene products and similar basic household needs. Buys school supplies and holiday food baskets. Serves Gateway Gardens and Towne Square communities in Washougal.
ReFuel Washougal
Helps buy supplies such as sturdy clamshells, lidded bowls and heavy duty plastic forks and spoons to provide to-go meals during Friday meal nights. Also helps buy heavy duty raincoats for homeless or low income people in need.
St. Anne’s (Episcopal Church) Safe Stay Program
Helps fund a portion of St. Anne’s Safe Stay program including cleaning of the port-a-potty, use of outdoor electrical outlets, use of the Internet WiFi and use of showers, laundry and church kitchen.
TreeSong Nature Awareness and Retreat Center
Helps fund a ductless wall heater and the electrical wiring to complete its installation in the recently completed 30-foot yurt.
Unite! Washougal Community Coalition
Helps fund Sources of Strength Suicide Prevention Program at Washougal High School; Positive Community Norms Campaign “Love Your Life” in the Washougal Community; the Support Our Guiding Good Choices Parenting classes and the Support our Ambassador Youth Program.
Washougal School District – Principal’s Checkbook
Helps Washougal school principals provide for basic student needs to give low income or homeless students equal opportunities at school. Funds a portion of Adult Transition Program which trains students with disabilities for transition into appropriate work placement. Funds supplies such as shoes, clothes, hygiene products and food for Panther Den. Funds mobile laptop cart for families without access to technology and internet services. Funds Martin Luther King Jr. commemorative activities on all Washougal District school campuses.
West Columbia Gorge Humane Society
Helps fund the following programs and services designed to keep pets and people together during hardship, crisis or emergency: pet food pantry, temporary pet boarding, impound/owner surrender fee relief and veterinary assistance. Also funds a portion of the cost to supply ReFuel Washougal with pet food to distribute to the pets of homeless and low-income people using ReFuel’s other services.
YWCA Clark County
Helps fund a portion of the YWCA’s Independent Living Skills Program. The ILS program helps youth transition out of foster care to independent living by providing physical things such as clothes for job interviews, rental assistance, and furniture for new living spaces. The ILS program also provides education and training opportunities to help participants with their transition to independence.
Washougal, WA — Citing low voter turnout on the February 14 special election, and with 100 positions at risk, the Washougal Board of Directors has proposed re-balloting two failed levies — the replacement EP&O, and Capital — for a special April 25 election.
Levies fill a 20 percent funding gap in the Washougal School District (WSD) budget.
The replacement Educational Programs and Operations (EPO) levy, or Proposition 10, failed 51%-48% (more “no” votes) while Proposition 11, the replacement capital facilities and technology levy, failed 51.5%-48.4% (more “no” votes).
For the second special election, the levies are known as Propositions 11 and 12.
“Schools would not look the same without levy funds,” said Superintendent Dr. Mary Templeton. “Without this levy funding, Washougal School District would be unable to fund school extracurriculars, athletics, performing arts, classroom teachers to maintain smaller class sizes, technology devices, and more.
“Levies pay the people on the ground at schools, teaching and supporting Washougal youth. The reality is that without levy funding, significant cuts would need to be made to school staffing, which is 85 percent of the budget. A list of cuts that would be needed in the event of a double levy failure was reviewed with the board at their February 28, 2023 meeting. The list is available on the district website, and includes 40 teaching positions, 44 classified staff positions, five administrative positions, and 155 coaches and club advisors.”
Templeton added that “levies are important to strong schools and a strong community.”
The Washougal School Board has scheduled listening tours to gather feedback from voters about the recent levy results, and has shared a survey with district parents, staff, and community members.
WSD said “reintroducing the measures on the April ballot provides opportunities for the district to correct misconceptions and misunderstandings of the proposed levies that have surfaced in conversations with voters and in the survey results.”
The cost to run a special election varies by the size of the jurisdiction, but according Washington state RCW 29A.04.410: “Every city, town, and district is liable for its proportionate share of the costs. Special election costs must be borne by the city, town, or district concerned.”
February 2020’s special election cost $44,000, as a reference point.
In their statement, WSD said The board has highlighted the need to clearly communicate that the levies are not new taxes, and plans talk directly about the impact on student programs should the levies fail again, and ensure voters understand value of the programs and staff supported directly by the levies.
“Our youth need opportunities to engage in positive after-school activities,” said Jim Cooper, WSD Board Member. “The local levy is the way school districts in Washington state fund the sports and clubs that engage kids .Can you imagine what the Washougal community would be like with 1,000 teenagers hanging out after school with nothing positive to do?”
WSD said these levies are not new taxes, but rather they replace the EP&O Levy and Tech Levy expiring at the end of 2023. Combined, the proposed EP&O and Capital levy rates are lower than school levy rates approved by Washougal voters in 2020. The EP&O levy is proposed at a rate of $1.99 per thousand of assessed valuation, which is lower than the previously approved $2.14 rate. The EP&O and Capital levies work in tandem to fund student programs, staffing, and keep schools in good repair.
Voters are invited to Listening Tours hosted by the Washougal School Board to gather feedback from voters about the recent levy results. At these events, citizens may sit and chat with a board member, ask questions, and share ideas about Washougal schools.
The public may also provide feedback to the school board via a survey. Listening tours are scheduled for March 16 & 28, and April 11 and 21. Time and location information is available on the Washougal School District website.
If the second levy fails, the school board would need to take action to determine next steps. Most reductions would occur after the end of the current school year. The impacts of these significant cuts would be visible starting in the 2023-24 school year.
https://cdn.lacamasmagazine.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/07182914/FD4176F2-CF1C-4749-9240-50CBA2982512-1030x714-1.jpeg7141030Ernest Geigenmillerhttps://cdn.lacamasmagazine.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/07074147/lacamas_white_2-300x300.pngErnest Geigenmiller2023-03-07 18:39:112023-03-07 19:02:58Washougal’s Failed Levies Head Back to Voters in April Special Elections
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