You can! Following a major disaster, first responders who provide fire and medical services may not be able to meet the demand for these services. Factors such as number of victims, communication failures, and road blockages will prevent people from accessing emergency services they have come to expect at a moment’s notice through 911. People will have to rely on each other for help in order to meet their immediate life saving and life sustaining needs.

Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) training is about readiness, people helping people, rescuer safety, and doing the greatest good for the greatest number. CERT is a positive and realistic approach to emergency and disaster situations where citizens will be initially on their own and their actions can make a difference. Through Basic CERT training, citizens can organize themselves and use spontaneous volunteers to manage utilities, put out small fires, provide basic medical first aid, search for and rescue victims calmly, safely, and efficiently.

Clark County Fire District 6 will begin CERT training classes on Thursday, February 16, 2012. The classes will be held at Clark County Fire District 6, Hazel Dell  (8800 NE Hazel Dell Avenue).  Cost to participate is $30; knowledge gained, priceless.

For more information, contact Dave Sinclair at 360-576-1195.

This post: “When Disaster Strikes Your Community” was originally featured at Salmon Creek Live!

For more detailed neighborhood coverage of the People, Places, Activities and Events in your Salmon Creek neighborhood, please visit Salmon Creek Live!

The Vancouver Symphony Orchestra, the largest performing arts organization in Southwest Washington, is now in its 33rd season offering Classical Concerts and Special Events through Spring 2012.

It’s a “Bold New Beginning” for the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra this year. Still providing world-renowned classical music and promoting young artists, this year they will also offer a Chamber Music Series and Music Alive!

“For the first time ever, we are excited to launch Music Alive!, a performance collaborative for Southwest Washington. This new initiative will elevate the arts and music through key partnerships with organizations such as Vancouver Children’s Opera, the Vancouver School of Arts and Academics, Columbia Dance and others, while providing an array of opportunities for involvement through outreach, education, entertainment and community. As a part of Music Alive! The Vancouver Symphony Orchestra launches a Chamber Music Series with more exciting plans in the works. More than ever before, The VSO is making music heard well beyond Skyview!” ~Vancouver Symphony Orchestra Concert Guide

Classical Concerts, held in the Skyview Concert Hall, will take place January 28 and 29, April 14 and 15, and May 26 and 27, 2012. The VSO Chamber Group Special Events will take place on February 3 and March 23, 2012 at Trinity Lutheran Church (309 W 39th St, Vancouver); and February 5 and March 25, 2012m at Zion Lutheran Church (824 NE 4th Ave, Camas). The 18th Annual Young Artists Concerto Competition will take place on February 19, 2012 at Trinity Lutheran Church.

For more information on upcoming events, including tickets, please visit the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra.

Cold, wet, rainy, snowy…must be time for Baseball! Well, time to get signed up for baseball or softball!

Registration for the Spring 2012 Baseball and Softball season are currently underway. In person registrations will take place Wednesday, January 18, 2012 between 5pm and 8pm, and Tuesday, January 24, 2012 between 5 pm and 8 pm at the Salmon Creek Round Table Pizza (13009 NE Hwy 99). You can also register online at Salmon Creek Little League. All players must be 5 years old by April 30, 2012; a Birth Certificate will be required for all new players.

Opening Day Ceremonies and Games will take place at the new Luke Jensen Sports Park on Saturday, March 17, 2012!

For more information, visit Salmon Creek Little League online.

This post: “Salmon Creek Little League Sign Ups” was originally featured at Salmon Creek Live!

For more detailed neighborhood coverage of the People, Places, Activities and Events in your Salmon Creek neighborhood, please visit Salmon Creek Live!

The Goddard School, located at 13201 NE 27th Avenue in the Salmon Creek area of Vancouver, is scheduled to open summer 2012; offering early childhood education, and childcare, for children ages six weeks to six years old.

“The new state-of-the-art 8,000 square foot building is conveniently situated between Legacy Salmon Creek Hospital and Washington State University Vancouver, near the junctions of both Interstate 5 and Interstate 205; it has been designed to accommodate approximately 130 children from six weeks to six years old. The new school will offer flexible schedules for children Monday through Friday, from 7:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. The Goddard School offers a year-round program where children are encouraged to develop at their own pace in a warm environment supported by a team of dedicated teachers. The Goddard School FLEX™ Learning Program is based on a unique learning continuum that encompasses developmental guidelines, formative assessments and child-focused lesson plans that are delivered in a creative and fun environment with a child-centered approach to meet each child’s individual needs.”

Michelle Solari, owner of the Goddard School in Salmon Creek, says the school will provide the community with approximately 25 new job opportunities for full- and part-time faculty members. “I am eager to welcome children into this nurturing environment with dedicated professional teachers,” says Michelle. “Along with our core curriculum, we include several enrichment programs such as foreign language and yoga which are specifically designed to encourage children’s lifelong love of learning.”

For an opportunity to meet the School owner and learn more about The Goddard School program, all are invited to visit The Goddard School table at the MOMS Club Preschool Fair on Saturday, January 21st, from 11am to 3pm at the Vancouver Community Library (901 C Street, Vancouver).

For more information call Michelle at 360-573-2466.

While Christmas 2011 is over, I still haven’t had the heart to take down our Christmas Tree. It’s a live tree (well, it used to be) and the needles are drying out a bit, so most likely it will come down on January 2, 2012. That gives me a whole 5 days before the Cub Scouts will be out looking for Christmas Trees to pick up.

This year Cub Scout Pack 494 will be out picking up Christmas Trees on Saturday, January 7, 2012. If you would like the scouts to recycle your tree, please leave it at the curb by 8:45 am; making sure that all ornaments, lights, tinsel, and tree stand ( ) have been removed.

A $5 per tree (or more if you want) donation is greatly appreciated. Please make checks payable to Pack 494 and place in an envelope taped to your front door, or call 360-571-9084 for mailing address.

I you have any questions, or if your tree has not been picked up by 3 pm, please call the phone number above.

This post: “Scouts are Out Picking Up Christmas Trees” was originally featured at Salmon Creek Live!

For more detailed neighborhood coverage of the People, Places, Activities and Events in your Salmon Creek neighborhood, please visit Salmon Creek Live!

The November 15, 2011 general meeting for the North Salmon Creek Neighborhood Association (NSCNA) is the time to elect your 2012 NSCNA Board. The meeting begins at 7pm at Riverview Community Bank in the Fred Meyer Shopping Center (next to Three Creeks Library).

Arrive a few minutes early to pick up your ballot and raffle ticket, and enjoy some light refreshments, Peet’s Coffee and of course have time to visit with your neighbors!

This post: “Time for NSCNA Elections” was originally featured at Salmon Creek Live!

For more detailed neighborhood coverage of the People, Places, Activities and Events in your Salmon Creek neighborhood, please visit Salmon Creek Live!

Pancakes for breakfast sounds good, right? Well, then pancakes for breakfast that raises funds for a local neighborhood holiday celebration sounds even better!

The Salmon Creek Applebee’s (13006 NE Hwy 99) will be hosting a Pancake Breakfast Fundraiser on Saturday, November 19, 2011 between 8am and 10am. You can also bid on items during the silent auction between 8-9:30am.

Tickets are $7 each, and the funds raised will go towards hosting a holiday celebration for local kids that might not otherwise have one. Tickets can be purchased at Riverview Community Bank in Salmon Creek (800 NE Tenney Rd) or Riverview Community Bank in Hazel Dell (1220 NE 88th St).

A Book and Toy Barrel will also be on site, so please bring in a donation if you can.

This post: “Salmon Creek Applebees Pancakes for Kids” was originally featured at Salmon Creek Live!

For more detailed neighborhood coverage of the People, Places, Activities and Events in your Salmon Creek neighborhood, please visit Salmon Creek Live!

Bats have a bad reputation…many people think all bats carry rabies, bats are pests, bats will attack people and suck your blood, and, if bitten by a bat, you will turn into a vampire! While bats are unusual animals, they are also very useful, known as “nature’s bug zappers”!

“Christine Portfors, associate professor of biology at Washington State University Vancouver, and Peter Ritson, seventh grade science teacher at Catlin Gabel, will host their annual “Bat Talk” from 3 – 5 p.m. Oct. 29 in the Dengerink Administration building, room 110. This event is an especially fun fall activity for families with children ages 4 – 12 and is free and open to the public.

While the season often calls for depicting bats as blood-sucking, vicious creatures, now families have an opportunity to see live bats up close and learn why these animals are largely misunderstood. In addition to teaching guests about bats, Portfors will offer fun children’s activities including arts and crafts.

“Many people want to get rid of bats and consequently, certain species are becoming endangered,” said Portfors. “These animals need to be understood in order to protect them. My role as a scientist is to help educate the public about their importance. Kids especially have a lot of fun coming to see the live bats.”

In her presentation, Portfors dispels popular folklore and teaches guests about the beneficial role bats play in nature managing insect pests, pollinating plants and dispersing seeds. She will showcase different bat species and introduce guests to a few of her captive tropical fruit bats.

Portfors is a biologist and neurobiologist who has studied bats in the wild and in the lab for more than 17 years. For more information about Portfors’ research, visit her website, “The Bat Lab,” at http://research.vancouver.wsu.edu/hearing-and-communication-lab.

WSU Vancouver is located at 14204 N.E. Salmon Creek Avenue off the 134th Street exit form either I-5 or I-205. Parking is free on weekends.” ~Washington State University Vancouver

Time for dinner? Need an excuse to eat out?

Eat at KC Teriyaki on Wednesday, October 5, 2011 anytime between 11am and 9pm and 15% of sales will go to the North Salmon Creek Neighborhood Association to help fund amenities at the new Chinook Park.

Just cut out the coupon from the North Salmon Creek Neighborhood Association (NSCNA) Newsletter and bring it in with you. Thanks, Michael Choe for you support, donations, and great food!

KC Teriyaki Salmon Creek is located in the Salmon Creek Fred Meyer Shopping Center, 800 NE Tenney Rd, Building B, Suite 207.

This post: “Salmon Creek KC Teriyaki Fundraiser Night” was originally featured at Salmon Creek Live!

For more detailed neighborhood coverage of the People, Places, Activities and Events in your Salmon Creek neighborhood, please visit Salmon Creek Live!

The Salmon Creek Burgerville (13309 NE Hwy 99) is partnering with the North Salmon Creek Neighborhood Association and the Felida Neighborhood Association to raise funds for the annual Children’s Holiday Celebration.

Print out and bring THIS flier with you when you eat at Salmon Creek Burgerville (dates listed below) and 10% will go back to the neighborhood associations!

Sunday, September 25, 2011 between 7 am and 11 pm
Thursday, October 13, 2011 between 7 am and 11 pm
Sunday, October 23, 2011 between 7 am and 11 pm

A donation barrel will be available to accept  new, unwrapped toys. Thank you for your support!

This post: “Salmon Creek Burgerville Fundraiser Night” was originally featured at Salmon Creek Live!
For more detailed neighborhood coverage of the People, Places, Activities and Events in your Salmon Creek neighborhood, please visit Salmon Creek Live!