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August 8, 2012
community
SAMMAMISH REVIEW
Sammamish Days and Sammamish Nights offer fun By Ari Cetron
If you go
The morning and afternoon will belong to the children of Samammish Aug. 18 during the annual Sammamish Days festival. This year’s annual children’s parade kicks off at 9:45 a.m., said Dawn Sanders, volunteer coordinator for the city. Check-in and line up for the parade starts at 9 a.m., and children are encouraged to dress up as their favorite storybook character, Sanders said. Then at 10 a.m., the entertainment begins at the Sammamish Commons. A number of professional performers, some from the area, will put on a child-friendly show including music, dancing and more. Sanders said crowd favorites, including a steel drum band, and groups of Hawaiian, Indian and Irish dancers from past years will be on hand. Sammamish Days will also host some multi-cultural arts and crafts, such as having bookmarks printed with children’s names in Chinese, and henna tattoos. “We have so many different cultures in our community,“ Sanders said. “It really gives us a chance to see what our neighbor’s heritage is like.”
For more information about Sammamish Days, including parade registration information and volunteer opportunities visit www. ci.sammamish.wa.us/events/ Default.aspx?ID=2404. For more about Sammamish Nights, or to buy tickets, visit www. SammamishChamber.org.
File photo
A cowboy rides a giant chicken through last year’s Sammamish Days. This years event will feature entertainment along with food and arts and crafts. As the festival winds down, multi-cultural storytelling will begin at the Sammamish Library, starting at 2 p.m. with “Daring Dreams in Times of Magic.” Some familiar and some new food trucks will be providing refreshments for purchase,
Sanders said, but the event is free. Sammamish Nights Then, in a few hours time, the Sammamish Commons will be transformed from a children’s
playground to an adult’s playground. A team of volunteers will have to prepare the area for a night of food, wine and art under the stars at the annual Sammamish Nights starting at 6 p.m. “We have to be magicians,”
said Deb Sogge, executive director of the Sammamish Chamber of Commerce. The chamber is organizing the event and plans to increase the options from previous years, Sogge said. “We decided we needed to pull out all the stops and make it a bigger event,” she said. She expects to have 12 restaurants participating, some of which will serve dessert options, something lacking in years past. There will also be 16 wineries, each pouring samples. Unlike past years, wines by the glass will not be available; instead patrons will have to content themselves with 1-ounce samples. New this year, in a different area from the wines, will be a brewery — offering beer tastings, of course — and a vodka distillSee NIGHTS, Page 13
Eastside Friends of Seniors brings help and friendship By Katie Larsen
Eastside Friends of Seniors is a local organization that provides seniors with volunteers who help transport them to medical appointments, shop and run errands, complete household chores and jobs, and provide information and referrals. It began in 1998, then known as Faith in Action, and now services Sammamish, Issaquah and the Snoqualmie Valley. In Sammamish, there are currently 50 active clients and 55 active volunteers. According to Executive Director Clair Petersky, the median age of clients is 82 and the biggest age group is 85 to 90 years old. “It’s really heartwarming to see how much our volunteers get from helping seniors in our community,” Petersky said. “I think we are definitely friends. I think we benefit the entire community.” There are a variety of different ways to volunteer. To build a relationship with a client, volunteers are matched with someone
who needs consistent help. There are also opportunities for group projects that take a full or half day to complete, like cleaning up after storms or doing yardwork. There are also volunteers who are just on call to provide a service if they are available at a given time. Amanda Lin, senior at International Community School, is interning for the summer through Teens in Public Service (TIPS). TIPS allows teenagers the opportunity to do community service while also getting paid. Lin accompanies volunteers to meet with their clients and interview both to get an understanding of the people and the background of the relationship. The information is then compiled into anecdotes and shared either on the organization’s blog or in newsletters to sponsors and donors. “It’s just been really inspiring to work with such a great group of people who are all passionate about the organization,” Lin said. “Even though I’m only writing stories, talking with these people
“You get more back than you give.” – Lon Lindo, Volunteer – is something I will always treasure.” Lon Lindo has been volunteering with Eastside Friends for two and a half years. A regular service he provides is picking up Francis Takacs from kidney dialysis on Wednesdays and driving her to her home in Sammamish. “You get more back than you give,” Lindo said. “They wouldn’t be able to maintain their independence and this helps their pride.” Lindo also serves on the Board of Directors and said the biggest problem the organization has is fundraising. In November, Eastside Friends of Seniors will hold their annual fundraiser. The exact date has not been set. Takacs has been using the services since the beginning of the year and said all the volunteers are nice and dependable.
“Eastside Friends of Seniors does all these services that may seem insignificant to someone outside the organization, but it really does make a huge difference in a senior’s life,” Lin said. “They can live as they want and maintain their dignity and connection with society.” An example of a match pair, volunteer DeeAnn Maher and client Lucinda Cox, have been working together for over a year. Maher visits Cox every week, alternating between cleaning her apartment in Issaquah, and taking her on errands. Cox also has macular degeneration and often has a list of jobs for Maher to do once a week, like open her lipstick container. “I so look forward to her coming,” Cox said. “I wish young people were more exposed to volunteer things. There are so many things they could learn at a young age to encourage them as they grow up.” Maher said that part of the organization is pairing up people who click with each other, like her and Cox. “It opens up just a fantastic
friendship. They become an important part of your life,” Maher said. “I love what I do right now.” The women have been through a lot together, including Cox losing her significant other, who also used the services of Eastside Friends to get rides to the Seattle Cancer Care Alliance. “It’s just so nice to have this service available to us seniors,” Cox said. Recently, Puget Sound Energy donated a grant to purchase emergency disaster kits for all clients. The kits will be purchased and distributed in preparation for winter storms. Later this year, the organization will expand to Bellevue. “It’s the ability to keep people living independently and be in good shape being there,” Petersky said. “Sometimes, it’s that extra help with volunteers that helps them to flourish. Reach reporter Katie Larsen at 392-6434, ext. 236, or samrev@isspress.com To comment on this story, visit www. SammamishReview.com.
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sports
August 8, 2012
Max Levy wins national championship
SAMMAMISH REVIEW
Golf phenom Kevin Penner has dreams of turning professional By Alexis Myers
Photo by Mitchell Cantor
Max Levy twists in midair on his way to a national diving title. Levy, a Skyline student, took first place in the 3-meter springboard in the 17-year-old division and took third in the 1-meter springboard at the AAU championships July 25-30 in Huntersville, N.C.
Sammamish native and rising senior at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, Kevin Penner won the Sahalee Players Championship July 6 in a threeway sudden death playoff. During the final shots of the tournament, Kevin focused on his tee shot and approach shot to the green. He birdied the 18th hole to end regulation play tied with Chris Williams of Moscow, Idaho and Ben Geyer of Arbuckle, Calif. The game went into a playoff, and the trio had to play the 18th hole again. “I knew that Kevin was going to win — I could see the confidence in him build, he never once doubted himself,” said Trevor Smith, a friend of Penner’s who was caddying. All of them got on the green in regulation. Williams putted 25 feet from the hole and missed his birdie. Geyer was three-anda-half feet from the hole, and ended up missing his birdie putt as well. Penner’s putt went dead center between the other players’ shots, clinching the victory. “When Kevin and I realized that he had won after another player missed his putt, Kevin looked over at me, and we both hugged in celebration. It was a moment I will never forget,”
Lakeside preps for future By Matt Carstens
Frank Lawhead, head coach of the Lakeside Recovery 15U team, knows that baseball is a game of failure. After going 29-12 entering the Lee Johnson Tournament July 25-29, his team was ready for a challenge. “We were playing in an older tournament with some better competition,” Lawhead said. Lawhead’s team went 1-4, winning their last game in the tournament, 5-3, against Showtime. Despite the rough time over the weekend, Lawhead said he knows it was a good experience for his kids. “For them to see what they have to do next year is important,” he said. “We’ve done that several times this year, we played in a 16-17-year-old tournament and we did a little bit better there. We’re just trying to get them to understand that when they get to high school there is no age limit, they’re competing against 16-, 17- and 18-year-old kids. “It was a pretty positive experience
for the boys. I think they rose to the occasion a little bit.” The Lakeside 15U team was one of the strongest in the league this year and went on several torrid winning streaks that gave them the best record in the league. After the Viking Memorial Day Tournament in Kenmore on May 28, Lakeside went on a 10-1 stretch, routinely scoring more than 10 runs a game. Its lone loss in the streak came at the hands of the Woodinville Blue; the team lost by one run with a final score of 5-4. After going 1-4 at the Saxon Invitational in Salem, Ore., Lakeside Came home and continued to win going 13-3 including a 10-game winning streak. “In those periods of time the boys were really competitive at this level,” Lawhead said. “We won our league and then we had our district tournament, where we ran into a couple of hot teams. The team that put us out won the tournament and the other team that See LAKESIDE, Page 15
Photo by Aaron Lavinsky/The Seattle Times
Kevin Penner surveys the ball prior to a putt. Smith said. The win came during Penner’s fourth time competing in tournament. He now joins the list of past champions that include some top amateur players. More than a dozen tournament veterans have wound up on the PGA Tour, something Penner aspires to himself. “My goal in the future for golf is to play golf professionally on the PGA Tour. I am going to work really hard on my golf game over the next year, and play in some prestigious tournaments,” said Penner. Penner, and Eastlake High School grad, was in his element,
playing on his old home course. “The field was very strong at Sahalee, and I grew up playing on that golf course in high school, so to be able to beat the best amateurs in the world on a course I know so well, makes me feel very good,” Penner said. “I do not get to play in front of many people from back home that often, so when I make it up to Washington to play, it is nice they come out to watch.” The local venue also gave friends and family a chance to watch the rising star ”It was his biggest win of his See PENNER, Page 15
Tigers win 3 Earls of Everett
Contributed
Eastlake Tigers 11U Navy team went undefeated to win the 3 Earls of Everett Tournament July 21-22. The tigers went 4-0 in tournament play. Showing off their championship medals are (bottom row from left) Jack Titus, Reed Branson, Jack Rud, Peyton Bowers, Braxton Diaz, Nate Verboort, Dillon Gierok, (top row from left) Jack Carper, Ryan Sabbatani, Adam Carper, Henry Wiebke and coaches Glenn Bowers and Dave Gierok.