News in the ‘Noke

in the

‘Noke

Regional Center for Animal Care & Protection is FULL!

One of our local shelters that takes care of missing, lost and abandoned pets is at 100% capacity. If you are missing your furry companion, please make an appointment to see if your dog is at the shelter located at 1510 Baldwin Avenue, NE, Roanoke.

The Regional Center for Animal

Care and Protection never turns a stray animal away. During the summer, the center sees stray animals enter their facility daily. With the Fourth of July holiday coming up, where they often see a large number of intake dogs that are scared by the firework celebrations, the shelter needs the community’s help to reunite lost pets with their rightful owners and new owners to adopt the adorable strays. If you are interested in adopting a dog or a cat, please contact the shelter at mail@rcacp.org or call 540-344-4922 to start the adoption process so that kennel space will be available for the dogs and cats that have been owner relinquished and the unclaimed strays that are waiting on vetting to be made available.

The RCACP is your local, tax-funded intake shelter. Dogs and cats that are brought into the shelter as strays must be kept by law for the required stray hold time, which is either 5 or 10 days depending on the information that is brought in with the animal. If you are missing your pet, now is the time to come to the shelter to ensure that your pet is safely reunited with you.

This production will take place in Elmwood Park on the Mainstage. Please bring a chair or a blanket for the performance.

Friday, July 30, at 6 pm

Saturday, July 31, at 11 am & 3 pm

Sunday, August 1, at 3 pm

Come join Virginia Children’s Theatre in Elmwood Park for an end-of-summer musical splash! This production will be a fully staged and choreographed concert with a LIVE band featuring songs from popular Broadway musicals including The Wizard of Oz, Wicked, and The Wiz. At last night’s School Board meeting, the new Principal of Highland Park Elementary and the new Executive Director of Special Education were named.

Congratulations to Kelly Rooney, who will lead Highland Park, and to Ben Lewis, who will be our new Executive Director of Special Education. Mrs. Rooney and Dr. Lewis will officially step into their new roles on July 1.

Kelly Rooney was recommended for and has accepted the position of Principal of Highland Park Elementary School. She will start on July 1, 2021. She currently serves as Highland Park’s assistant principal and was previously assistant principal at Fallon Park Elementary.

Mrs. Rooney has established longlasting relationships with the students, staff, and parents of Highland Park. Serving as assistant principal has provided Mrs. Rooney

New Leadership at Roanoke City Public Schools

with elementary school administrative leadership experience, which makes her a great fit for this position.

She has 18 years of extensive educational experience and has served Roanoke City Public Schools for five years.

Benjamin Lewis was

recommended for and has accepted the position of Executive Director of Special Education. He will start on July 1, 2021. He most recently served as the Special Education & Section 504 Compliance Specialist with Chesterfield County Public Schools.

Dr. Lewis has worked in the field of special education, or exceptional education, since 2004. This experience and his other educational experiences will align nicely with his new role.

Dr. Lewis has 22 years of extensive educational experience, 17 of which have been dedicated to the special education population.

Pledge for safer streets

Street safety is more important than ever.

Slower driving leads to fewer crashes, fewer injuries, and fewer deaths. To help reduce speeding and decrease speed-related crashes, the City of Roanoke is launching a pedestrian safety campaign called No Need to Speed that will run from June 21 to August 15.

Learn more about the campaign at PlanRoanoke.org/ PedestrianSafety, and be part of the campaign by taking the pledge!

By taking the pledge, you are entered to win a $20 Downtown Roanoke, Inc as well!

In the CommUNITY

by Sandra Pratt

Urgent Need - Severe Blood Shortage

Happy summer! I hope everyone is enjoying it so far. As many people return to pre-pandemic activities and resume travel to visit loved ones, one organization is asking the public to remember the needs of others this summer. Seasons may change but the need for blood, platelet and plasma donations is constant. The American Red Cross is experiencing a severe blood shortage as the number of trauma cases, organ transplants and elective surgeries rise – and deplete the nation’s blood inventory. Blood is perishable and cannot be stockpiled. The Red Cross is working around the clock to meet the extraordinary blood needs of hospitals and patients but cannot do it alone.

All blood types are needed at this time but especially type O, as well as platelets. Type O negative is the universal blood type which means

JULY 23-25

it can be transfused to anyone who needs blood regardless of their blood type. It is especially important that people with type O blood donate as frequently as they can, which is every 56 days. If you don’t know your type, go give and then you will know!

According to a recent survey conducted on behalf of the Red Cross, more than a third of people have never considered that blood may not

It’s Your Game. PLAY IT!

CommonwealthGames.org

be available when they or a loved one need it. Several years ago, one of my nephews had a lengthy hospital stay and needed several transfusions while he was there. I reminded my husband this is exactly WHY I give. Some day we will all know someone who needs life-saving blood, and it could be you. It only takes about an hour and remember you get to eat snacks afterwards (the Oreo cookie bites are my fav!) and have some juice.

There is always a need for blood, as only three out of 100 people in the United States donate. The need for blood is even higher in the summer months as donations drop off while the need does not. There simply are not enough people donating blood to help patients in need. Every two seconds somebody needs blood - accident victims, cancer patients, surgical candidates, individuals with sickle cell disease and others. The Red Cross urges more individuals to roll up a sleeve and give to help ensure that lifesaving blood products are available for patients when and where they are I give regularly with a couple of my dear friends. We make a day of it –

have brunch first (it is important to eat well and be hydrated before giving) and then we go give together. We have a competition to see who can fill their pint bag the fastest. Thank you to all the Red Cross phlebotomists for the wonderful work they do and the volunteers and staff who organize each blood drive – it takes a team to make this successful (full disclosure: I am a proud member of the board of directors for the Southwest Virginia Chapter). Healthy individuals are needed to donate NOW and throughout the summer to help patients counting on lifesaving blood - a single blood donation can potentially save up to three lives. So, as you are gear up for summer barbeques, camps, and vacations please consider making a donation – a donation of life by giving blood at your local American Red Cross. Call 1-800-REDCROSS or visit them online at www.redcrossblood.org to schedule an appointment or find a blood drive or see how you can host a blood drive.

The need is constant. The gratification is instant. Give blood.

Soccer for All!

Valley United provides exceptional soccer training to develop the player in a supportive environment for the player to be successful on and off the field. Register online at www.valleyunited.us

Backyard Olympics

By Pam Molnar

The Olympic Games is the premier multi-sporting event watched by the world. This year’s 2020 Summer Olympics starts July 23, 2021 in Tokyo with over 11,000 athletes competing in 33 different sports. Five new sports will be added this year – baseball, softball, karate, sport climbing and skateboarding and surfing.

Get into the spirit of the games by hosting family friendly events in your own backyard. Check out a few of our ideas for games, crafts, decorations, food and goody bags.

Archery

Start by creating your own bow and arrows with small branches. Add a string to complete your bow and for the arrows, glue on a cotton ball to one end. For a fun game, dip the cotton ball tip into paint and try out your skills on a paper target.

Volleyball

Challenge yourself with a pint sized version of volleyball. Players will get into crabwalk position and only touch the ball with their feet. Lower the net to just above the players head or use a rope or pool noodles in place of a net. For a lighter ball, use a balloon or beach ball.

Golf

If it is a warm day, challenge the golfers to a putting obstacle course. Make round golf balls in a circle ice cube tray. Players must get their ball through the obstacle course before the ball melts. If the game takes place indoors, blindfold the golfer and have his partner give him directions to get his ball through the obstacle course. Use mini cones, boxes or croquet hoops to make the course more challenging.

Basketball

The outdoor version of this game requires water balloon basketballs and a kitchen colander net. One player will wear the colander on his head while another player tries to get the water

balloon in the basket. Points to the team with the most baskets and bonus points for the balloons that don’t break. The inside version of this game is played the same way – just without water. The balloons will be more difficult to sink when they are filled with air.

Sailing

This game can be played with a kids’ pool. Players will use sailboats made of pool noodles and a paper sail. Each opponent will float their boats one at a time and try to get them across the pool by waving a paper fan to create a breeze. Time the boaters to see who can get their boats across the fastest. Another version of this game can be played if you have a running stream. All boats can be sailed at once to see who makes it to the destination first.

Shooting

For this game, fill water guns with colored water. Players aim their water guns at a white cloth target to see who the best shot is. To cool off, you can use human targets wearing white t-shirts. The indoor version of this game is to use Nerf guns and plastic cups. Players try to knock over the paper cups to reveal the prize inside.

Decorations

Inexpensive decorations can be found at the dollar store. Use colored tissue paper to create flames inside vases. Colored plastic tablecloths can be draped on walls. Wrap Olympic colored yarns around foam wreaths to create Olympic rings. Use construction paper to create paper garland flags to hang at points of interest.

Food Menu

Make it a simple buffet of Olympic colored fruits, veggies and Jello. You can also do food from around the world. Expand your menu to include more open minded eaters or use kid friendly versions of international foods such as Vienna sausages and French fries or a taco or pasta bar. will complete your Olympic themed bags.

Metals or Trophies:

Simple Trophies can be made by painting plastic wine classes in silver and gold and gluing to a cardboard base. You can create your own metals by attaching a ribbon to a silver or gold candy, cookies sprayed with Wilton Color Mist, Perler beads or felt.

Pam Molnar is a freelance writer and mother of three. See more of her party ideas on Etsy at Pam’s Party Printables.

Goody Bags

Fill reusable water bottles with Goldfish crackers, gold coins or other gold wrapped candy. Oriental Trading. com has a wide variety of international games buttons, flags and jewelry that

6PM • SATURDAY OCT 16TH

TAUBMAN MUSEUM

PRESENTED BY: