Community News - January 24, 2013

Cowlitz Extention offers opportunity for free raised garden bed

If you would like a free 4 x 8 foot raised bed for gardening to be placed at your home, then consider this opportunity. Those interested should submit an application. Started in 2012, the Home VEG (Vegetable Educational Garden) Program goal is to promote vegetable gardening in Cowlitz County.

Ten applicants will be selected to have a raised bed built for them that includes soil and seeds. Applications are due February 15, 2013.

Applications may be secured by contacting Gary Fredricks at 360-577-3014, Ext 3 or at garyf@wsu.edu. This program is sponsored by the Washington State University Master Gardeners of Cowlitz County. Those receiving a raised bed will also be assigned a mentor to answer their gardening questions. The raised beds will be placed at the home by May 1, 2013.

Fibre Federal Credit Union makes financial literacy program free for local classrooms

Local students are getting a free education in how to manage their money. Fibre Federal Credit Union is working with Banzai, a national award-winning financial literacy program, to make curriculum available to Wahkiakum County schools completely free.

“Banzai is a web-based financial literacy program. Kids get their own accounts, and they work through assignments that are based on real life,” Morgan Vandagriff, co-founder of Banzai, said. “But because Team One is sponsoring it, local schools get it for free. More than ever, it’s important that kids develop sound financial skills to prepare them for the real world, and Fibre Federal realizes that and they’re doing something about it.”

Banzai is an interactive, online program supplemented by printed workbooks which aligns with state curriculum requirements for personal finance education. In 2010, the Institute for Financial Literacy awarded Banzai the Curriculum of the Year award. It has become the largest program of its kind, servicing more than 5,000 schools in all 50 states.

Students using the program are exposed to real-life scenarios where they learn to pay bills and balance a budget--but it’s not always easy. Students must learn to manage unexpected expenses such as parking tickets, interest charges and overdraft fees. The educational program also introduces students to auto loans, bank statements, entertainment costs, savings and more.

“Too often students get out of school and they just aren’t ready for the financial roller coasters life can give us,” Vandagriff said. “Banzai teaches students to navigate those twists and turns and come out on top. We’re excited to work with Fibre Federal Credit Union to improve financial literacy in Wahkiakum County.”

January is Cervical Health Awareness Month

January is Cervical Health Awareness Month. Approximately 4,000 women die from cervical cancer each year in the United States, and screening tests and vaccines exist that can prevent nearly every case. Cervical cancer impacts low income and uninsured women at higher rates, and fewer than half of girls and young women who are eligible for vaccines have completed the three-dose series.

Wahkiakum Family Health Center offers cervical cancer screening tests and vaccines. For more information, visit http://www.cowlitzfamilyhealth.org or call 795-3201 to schedule an appointment.

TRSN to hold annual meeting February 8

Timberlands Regional Support Network’s governing and advisory boards will hold their combined annual meeting February 8 from 11 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. at TRSN’s office, 102 Main Street, Suite 25 in Cathlamet. Visitors planning to attend the meeting are asked to RSVP to 360 795-3118 or timberlandsrsn@trsn.org.