CC Newsletter - 08/18/05 - Laserfiche WebLink

Home Browse Search

their time so selflessly to the community. Volunteer participation has grown 24% over the last year, with almost 8,000 volunteers donating a record 95,000 hours. The support, stewardship, and advocacy gained through volunteerism are an integral and vital part of the quality services the City provides to the community, now more than ever. For many volunteers, giving back to their community provides a sense of purpose, an opportunity to stay active, and meaningful interactions with their neighbors. At this celebration one volunteer commented, “what else am I going to do with my free time, sit and watch TV?” Volunteer program coordinators throughout the organization are working hard to harness and mobilize this kind of energy effectively. The coordinators are proud of their volunteers and were honored to spend an evening enjoying their camaraderie. A volunteer brochure is available in the City Manager’s Office with more information about programs throughout the organization. For more information about the annual volunteer celebration, contact Carrie Peterson, Park Development Coordinator, at 682-4907. Stakeholders Convene to Study Improvements to River Avenue Representatives of various groups with a stake in the design of improvements to River Avenue will hold their initial meeting on Wednesday, August 24, at 7 p.m., at the regional Water Pollution Control Facility (treatment plant) at 410 River Avenue. Members of the stakeholder group are Gordon B. Howard, Clayton Austin, Greg Austin, Chuck Meeker, Paul Spain, and Daniel M. Hill, all representing property owners; Krista Rojas and Teresa Damron from the River Road Community Organization; Ann Vaughn and Mort Hyman from the Santa Clara Community Organization; and Yuri Samer of the Eugene Bicycle Coalition. City Public Works staff members Michelle Cahill and Chris Henry also will sit on the stakeholders panel. Paul Hoobyar, who works with David Reed on the River Road-Santa Clara transition team, will serve as facilitator in the process being used to look at design options and search for a preferred alternative. More information can be found on the City’s web site under Public Works/Projects/River Avenue, or by calling Michelle Cahill, Principal Engineer, at 682-6855. Summer Reading is HOT at Eugene Public Library Eugene Public Library’s (EPL) Summer Reading for All Ages program broke records this year, with more than 3200 kids and teens participating—an increase of more than 1000 over last year’s total! Also, in its first year, Summer Reading for Adults drew more than 500 participants and collected over 1200 book reviews. Summer Reading programs for youth are fun and much more. Research shows that for school-aged children, participation keeps reading skills up while school’s out. (In addition to the programs for school-aged kids, over 1150 young children, ages 5 and under, took part in the summer “read to me” program, including the annual Teddy Bear Picnic.) More than 1700 elementary-age kids signed up for Summer Reading, inspired by the theme Dragons, Dreams, and Daring Deeds. Creative workshops with activities spanning the globe attracted 900 kids to the Downtown Library, and Bethel and Sheldon branches. Kids also set goals, including telling Library staff about books they read. More than 500 of these one-on-one chats gave kids the chance to learn how to discuss books and choose what to read next. The program’s finale was a huge swim party in the “Castle Moat” (Amazon Pool)! More than 320 middle and high school youth enthusiastically took the challenge to Joust Read, with nearly 240 attending workshops—twice as many as last year! Teens explored new skills and activities ranging from storytelling and book discussions to speed chess and a make-your-own-catapult contest. Says Mary Ginnane, EPL Youth Services Manager, “We’re thrilled that thousands of local kids used and EUGENE CITY COUNCIL NEWSLETTER PAGE 2 August 30, 2005