Daily Sitka Sentinel

January 7, 2014 Community Happenings

SCH Foundation
    Meeting on Tap
    Sitka Community Hospital Foundation will hold its quarterly meeting noon Jan. 13 in the hospital classroom. Lunch will be provided by the Basement Bistro.
    The agenda will include progress on grants for several projects and the upcoming capital campaign for expansion of Mountainside Family Healthcare.  Members and anyone interested in the foundation are invited. For more information, call Ann Wilkinson at 747-2707.

    Videoconference
    Slated at Library
    “Tour the Dena’ina Exhibition” is the subject of a videoconference originating from the Anchorage Museum 7 p.m. Jan. 8.
    Curator Aaron Leggett (Dena’ina) will share the first major exhibition at the Anchorage Museum devoted to the Dena’ina Athabascan culture, “Dina’inaq’ Huch’ulyeshi: The Dena’ina Way of Living.” Following Leggett’s tour will be time for audience questions and answers.

    FASD Support
    Group to Meet
    The FASD community support group will meet 6-7:30 p.m. Jan. 9 at Sitka the Pioneer Home manager’s house. The public is invited to attend any portion of the meeting.
    The discussion will center on the value of mental health support for the invisible disability.
    Anyone looking for information about fetal alcohol or wanting to network with others is invited to attend.  Older teens are also welcome.  Call 747-7978 for information.

    Lincoln Street
    Historic District
    Topic of Talk
    Rob Meinhardt, a consultant from Anchorage, will hold a public meeting 5:30-8 p.m. Jan. 14 at Centennial Hall to discuss establishing a historic district designation on Lincoln Street.
    The public is welcome. The event is hosted by the Sitka Downtown Revitalization group. Call 738-0794 for more information.

    Veterans Offered
    Health Care Info
    Local veterans are reminded that the Affordable Care Act was created to expand access to coverage and does not change VA health benefits or veterans out-of-pocket costs.
    ‘‘More than 900 veterans reside in Sitka and many are not enrolled into the VA Health Care System,’’ said George Bennett Sr., Rural Veteran Liaison, with the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Alaska VA Healthcare System. ‘‘I can help them and they may find by enrolling into the VA Healthcare System that they would not have to take out additional insurance under the Affordable Care Act.’’
    Veterans enrolled in the VA Health Care program do not need to take additional steps to meet the health care law coverage standards.
    To apply at any time or for more information contact Bennett at 747-8776. He is located at the SEARHC Community Health, room 104. His email address is This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. . Veterans may also call Suzan Brawlyn 966-8323, Cornelia Huebscher 503-453-3133, Nellie Kookesh 966-8814, Michael Lang 966-8488, Carol Lundy 747-3636, Ben Miyasato 752-0163 or Cliff Tincher 747-1718.

    Sitka High Grad
    On Dean’s List
    Raeanna Wood of Sitka has achieved a place on the University of Evansville dean’s list for academic achievements during the fall semester. Wood is majoring in archaeology.
    A student must earn at least a 3.5 grade point average on a 4.0 scale to be listed.
    The Sitka High graduate is the daughter of Jack and Katy Wood of Sitka.
    “At the University of Evansville, students such as Raeanna Wood thrive under personal guidance from faculty mentors,” said UE President Thomas A. Kazee. “Earning a place on the dean’s list shows a strong commitment to academic success, and students and their families should be very proud of this accomplishment.”

    Dragon Dance
    Practice on Tap
    The next dragon dance practice is slated 2-4 p.m. Jan. 11 at the UAS-Sitka Campus.
    Regular practices are slated 4:30-6 p.m. Wednesdays and 2-4 p.m. Saturdays Jan. 15-Feb. 15 at UAS-Sitka Campus.
    All are invited to participate. For more information contact Summer at 738-5092.

    Chinese Dance
    Practice to Begin
    Chinese dance class will be offered 11:15 to 11:45 a.m. Jan. 10 at Allen Hall on the SJ Campus.
    Kris Fulton and Summer will teach the Chinese dance for children. A donation of $20 per family is suggested. For more information contact Summer at 738-5092.

    Registration Opens
    For Alpine Run
    Registration opens 7 a.m. April 30 for the 21st Alpine Adventure Run.
    The race is scheduled for July 19. It is a challenging seven-mile mountain run starting at St. Gregory’s Catholic Church. The course goes up Gavan Hill, along the Harbor Mountain rim to the picnic area on Harbor Mountain.
    Runners must be able to complete the course in 2.5 hours. The run is limited to 75 participants. The registration fee is $40 and includes a T-shirt. For more information contact Chris Horan at 747-6471 or 752-0400 or e-mail This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .

    Community Theater
    Sets Auditions
    For Spring Play
    The Sitka Community Theater will hold auditions for the upcoming play “Parfumerie” 6 p.m. Monday, Jan. 27, and 7 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 29, at the Rasmuson Center on the SJ Campus.
    The comedy has seven parts for men and five for women, with all types of experience and ranges of talent. Parts range from five major roles to five or six lines, for those interested in taking on a smaller role or trying out for their first play. The play will be performed Easter weekend, April 18, 19 and 20.
    Originally written in 1937, “Parfumerie” was translated into “Shop Around the Corner” in Hollywood, and later into “You’ve Got Mail.” The play takes place in a perfume shop in Budapest, and revolves around two co-workers who outwardly dislike each other but have a different relationship through an anonymous lonely-hearts club post office box.
    Those with questions may call director Sotera Perez at 752-0634, or Shannon Haugland at 738-0602. The play is sponsored by the Greater Sitka Arts Council.


Personal Service Dining for
SEARHC Patients Introduced
    Last month, SEARHC presented its patients with the new, patient-centered program, Expressly For You Personal Service Dining SM.
    NMS Food Services collaborated closely with SEARHC support departments to develop a new menu, implement new software and participate in personalized host/hostess training.
    The program is based on the practice of fresh food and personal, table-side service in restaurants. The host/hostess will visit with each patient to discuss the menu and daily chef specials, talk about options specific to their physician-ordered diet and assist the patient with their custom order.
    The program is centered on patient satisfaction which is accomplished through personalized, frequent interaction during meal ordering and delivery by the same host/hostess throughout the day, SEARHC said.
    ‘‘David Thomas, a long-time culinary employee, was grinning from ear to ear,’’ said Becky Werber, dining services general manager. ‘‘He said ‘Did you see the trays! They ate everything!’’’
    ‘‘We are seeing trays come back to the kitchen with no food left on the plates because patients are loving the variety and ordering what they want to eat,” Weber said.
    ‘‘We look forward to the continued success of this program and providing our SEARHC patients with the best culinary experience in Sitka,’’ she said. ‘‘A lofty goal, but one this team has embraced with enthusiasm.’’

    C:ARE Luncheon
    Slated for Jan. 15
    Brave Heart Volunteers invites family caregivers, friends, health care providers and volunteers to a Caregiver Education and Support Service meeting noon Jan. 15 at the Pioneers Home Manager’s House.
    Cindy Gibson, from Waddell and Reed, will present the topic “Essentials of Legal and Financial Planning,’’ and will provide information on a spectrum of financial planning.
    Community members wishing to find support and learn more are being encouraged to drop by. Lunch will be provided. Call Brave Heart Volunteers at 747-4600 for more information.

    Fish and Game
    Advisory Meets
    The Sitka Fish and Game Advisory Committee will meet 6:30 p.m. Jan. 17 in the Sage Building first floor. Agenda items will include elections.
    For further information contact Frances Leach, 907-465-4046.
    Advisory committees are local groups that meet to discuss fishing and wildlife issues and to provide recommendations to Alaska Board of Fisheries and Alaska Board of Game. All meetings are open to the public. Advisory committees are intended to provide a local forum on fish and wildlife issues.

    Adult Grief
    Support Offered
    Brave Heart Volunteers offers Living with Loss, an adult grief support group 6-7 p.m. Jan. 13 at the Manager’s House of the Pioneers Home.
    Attendees will receive support in a comfortable, confidential environment from a professional counselor and peers who are also grieving.
    The support group is a safe place to discuss grief and ask questions. Those 18 and older are welcome, call 747-4600 or email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. for details.


    ‘The 100’ Ukes
    Gathering Jan. 15
    The first official Sitka gathering of ‘‘The 100 Ukuleles’’ is planned 6-7 p.m. Jan. 15 in the Centennial Hall Exhibit Room.
    All are invited to sign up to be counted and reserve their T-shirt numbered 1 to 100. The project’s aim is to invite Katy Perry to Sitka, said organizer Jeannie Jay of Youth Advocates of Sitka. The chords to ‘‘Firework’’ are G Am Em C.
    The event is sponsored by YAS, Inc. Text Jeannie Jay, 510-610-0075, for a free ukulele lesson.