About Hood River County, OR

Big Brothers Big Sisters Bowl For Kids' Sake! Columbia Gorge Teams Forming Now

Bowl For Kids' Sake is Big Brothers Big Sisters biggest fundraiser and is coming soon to Orchard Lanes in Hood River. The event will be held on Saturday, March 10, 2012, but teams are forming now and captains will be accepting pledges.

Currently, in the Columbia Gorge, there are 69 youngsters who have a Big Brother or Big Sister and there are 28 more waiting for one. With your help, BBBS of the Gorge hopes to help 85 kids in 2012. I (Gretchen) personally know and work with four children who have Big Brothers and know what a huge difference the program has made in their lives. It's a cause that is well worth supporting.

How can you participate?

1. Become a team captain, recruit a team then gather pledges. Team Captain Info and Pledge Sheet

2. Become a local business sponsor. Call Kristin Reese at 541-436-0305

3. Challenge your team to support a match for 3 months=$325, 6 months=$650, or 12 months=$1,300

4. Make a pledge to a team

Contact Big Brothers Big Sisters at bbbs@nextdoorinc.org or 541-436-0305.

A Real Little Lady Looking For Love... Meet Emmie!

Little Emmie is just about as sweet as they come. This tiny little bundle of fun is a chihuahua mix who is about three years old and just can't seem to get enough attention. She can be a bit shy at first, but warms up quickly and ends up loving everyone around her. She's even great with kids, who she lets dress her up and she loves to get her long hair brushed. She's good on a leash and loves car rides. Squeaky toys are one of her favorite things and she gets so excited to get yummy treats.

Emmie has all her shots, is spayed, microchipped, housetrained and crate trained. You can't beat that. This girl has it all and will go fast! The fee to adopt her is $180, cash or check only, please. She's in a foster home, so please call ahead to meet Emmie in Odell at the Hukari Animal Shelter 3910 Heron Dr, Hood River OR 97031. Call the shelter for more information 541-354-1083. Adoption hours are Wed 5-7 & Sat 9-11. You can download an application at: www.hoodriveradoptadog.org. You can fax your application to 1-877-833-7166.

Wordless Wednesday - Pinned!

This is our son, Sam, at Monday's middle school wrestling match at Cedar Ridge Middle School in Sandy, Oregon. Sam wrestles for Wy'East Middle School and is having a killer season, pinning both his opponents at this match and two opponents at last week's competition. He wrestles again tomorrow at Wy'East. The wrestling program in the Hood River Valley is huge and a program to be proud of. The Hood River Wrestling Club starts kids out at the tender age of 5, grooming them through elementary school then into middle and high school. Sam's in blue.

Hood River Valley High School Ranks 7th Statewide On Graduation Rate!

Oregon State School Superintendent, Susan Castillo, announced on Jan. 27th the percentage of high school students who graduated in 2011 in 296 schools statewide. Hood River Valley High school graduated 86 percent of it's high school students, placing it squarely in 7th place and well above the state average of 67%.

Hood River principal, Karen Neitzel, attributes this accomplishment to several innovative programs and to great teachers, attracted to living and working in our gorgeous valley. Some of those programs include scheduled home visits when students show dips in grades or frequent absences, mental health counseling services, on-site day care for children of teen parents, bilingual attendance contacts and prevention outreach workers who establish helpful relationships with students.

And remediation isn't the only solution. HRVHS is noted for innovative and engaging community building through school-wide activities and events that give students a chance to connect.

Silent Saturday - Gorgeous Winter Morning On Mt. Hood

This is the view of Mt. Hood this morning, about 1/2 mile from our house in Parkdale, Oregon. I took this at about 8 a.m. this morning. on the way to our son, Ben's, basketball game. Today promises to be sunny and gorgeous. Is it any wonder why we love living here?