COMMUNITY

EAGLES SUPPORTS COMMUNITIES IN SCHOOLS ORTING

By: Rich Carr August 20, 2008

On Friday August 15th, Orting Eagles Trustee Joe Stanifer and Secratary Dick Barnes present a check for $1040 to Comunuties in Schools Orting Board Chairperson Carol Mariano, (seated). The photographer is Kim Farnes, Executive Director of CISO.

The Eagles raised money by sponsoring the first annual Big O poker run On Jul 19 '08. Next years Big O event is set for the 3rd Saturday in July, Their stated goal is to double this years contribution. 'It went extremely well for the first year and we'll tweak it a bit and change some minor things for next year, the riders had a great time and we've had positive feedback from the community" said Stanifer, "one hundred twenty two riders took part in the ride this year, exceeding our goal of 100, I know someone lost a bet."

Communities in Schools of Orting was started in 2001. We work to provide fun, safe, enjoyable, affordable activities to local families. Currently we have three programs: 1) School Based Mentoring - we match kids who need some additional supports with caring mentors who spend one hour a week with them. They work on homework, play games, read together...teachers and parents are impressed with what a difference one hour a week makes for the kids! 2) After School Enrichment - we have several educational classes and sports camps for participants who range in age from 3 - adult. Some of the most popular classes are pee-wee soccer, volleyball, cake decorating, drama, woodshop, golf, sign language and japenese. 3) Communitiy Outreach - we offer support services to the communit y - that include a back to school supply drive, a resource fair and a youth forum. Our mission is to provide the resources needed in order to keep kids in school and help prepare them for life. We are a 501 (C) (3) and are a part of a network of CIS's that cross the United States. We operate, because we know that teachers and parents cant do it alone, so we are here to help!

With the help of caring organizations like the Eagles, we were able to serve approximately 1,000 youth and their families in 2007-2008! We are anticipating serving even more in the coming years!