August 22, 2014 Community Happenings

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Category: News

Created on Friday, 22 August 2014 13:35

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    Brave Heart Sets
    Volunteer Training
    Individuals are invited to join the Brave Heart Volunteers by attending the companion orientation training 9 a.m.-3 p.m. Sept. 13 at the Pioneers Home Manager’s House.
    Sitkans living alone, living with a chronic illness, or living with grief are looking for friends to spend an hour or two a week with.
    Participants who complete the training earn their companionship certification from Brave Heart Volunteers and are provided with support, ongoing training opportunities, and social connections with other volunteers.
    Time commitments vary and are matched with an individual’s availability. Individuals and families are needed.
    The orientation meets requirements for volunteering at the Sitka Pioneers Home and Brave Heart Volunteers. For further details, call 747-4600, email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. , or stop by the Pioneers Home Manager’s House between 9 a.m. and 4 p.m.

    Youth Football
    Events on Tap
    Sitka Youth Football has announced the following upcoming events at Krueger.
    Registration is set for the NFL Punt, Pass and Kick event at www.nflppk.com/competitions/register/ index/18614. Details about the competition are at this site. The NFL-sponsored event is free to all participants. Both boys and girls, ages 6-15, will meet 1-3 p.m. Sept. 13.
    A free training camp will be 3-5 p.m. Sept. 6. Volunteers are needed.
    Registration is open for the Youth Flag Football League at the Community Schools office. An organizational meeting is 6-7 p.m. Sept. 15.
    Practice begins 6-7 p.m. Sept. 16. Games will be on Saturdays, 1-3 p.m., and run Sept. 20-Oct. 18. Volunteers needed include four coaches and two referees.
    Those with questions may call Travis Vaughan at 747-5636.

    STA Transportation
    Committee to Meet
    The Sitka Tribe of Alaska Transportation Committee will meet noon Aug. 25 at the STA administration building, 456 Katlian Street, conference room.
    Topics will include: the Alaska DOT/PF Draft Southeast Alaska Transportation Plan; update on the bus maintenance facility project; tribal transit funding; and the Alaska Marine Highway System’s service to Sitka.
    Tribal citizens and the  public are being encouraged to attend.  For more information contact Gerry Hope, transportation director, at 747-5910.



rasmuson foundation grants
Rasmuson Foundation 2014 Artist Residency Program Selections Announced
Anchorage, AK – The Rasmuson Foundation today announced the selection of four artists coming to Alaska for the 2014-15 Artist Residency Program. Residencies are a growing trend in the global art world, allowing creative people time and space away from their familiar environments to explore their art in new communities. The following artists will be coming to Alaska from the Lower 48:
Elizabeth Emery, a printmaker and sculptor in Cleveland, OH, will be in residence at Bunnell Street Arts Center in Homer. Her goal is to finish a drawing a day and create a community print project. (Nominated by Zygote Press in Cleveland, OH)
John W. Love, Jr., an interdisciplinary artist in Charlotte, NC, will be at the Anchorage Museum. His plans include, “no plan–just unpredictable connections and unabashed exploration minus any preconceived outcome.” (Nominated by McColl Center for Art + Innovation in Charlotte, NC)
Ati Maier, a visual artist and sculptor in Brooklyn, NY, will go to the Native Art Center at the University of Alaska Fairbanks. Her work will involve Alaska Native artists and their culture. (Nominated by Santa Fe Art Institute in Santa Fe, NM, in partnership with Institute of American Indian Arts.)
Dipika Guha, a playwright in New York City, will be in residence at the Island Institute in Sitka. She plans to use the silence and nature of Sitka to continue writing a play, as well as begin a book for a musical. (Nominated by Djerassi Resident Artists Program in Woodside, CA)
Please join us in congratulating these artists and welcoming them to Alaska. They arrive for these two-month residencies in mid-September.
Rasmuson Foundation honors the merit and significance of a life dedicated to serious artistic exploration and growth. We believe that an artist’s energy, ideas and creative drive cannot bear fruit without periods of time devoted to experimentation, education and personal reflection.
With these guiding principles in mind, Rasmuson Foundation launched the Artist Residency Program last year, which brings four Lower 48 artists to Alaska and sends four Alaska artists to the Lower 48 for 60-day residencies.
The goals of the Artist Residency Program include: supporting the creative growth of Alaska’s artists and arts organizations, exposing Alaskans to new work and creative processes of Lower 48 artists, and introducing Lower 48 communities to unique Alaska perspectives through extended engagements with artists.
About the Foundation
Rasmuson Foundation was created in May 1955 by Jenny Rasmuson to honor her late husband, “E.A.” Rasmuson. The Foundation is a catalyst to promote a better life for all Alaskans.

    Veggies For Kids
    Videoconference Set
    A videoconference ‘‘Veggies For Kids’’ will be 5:30 p.m. Aug. 25 at Kettleson Memorial Library.
    ‘‘When vegetables, even crazy looking ones like kohlrabi, are introduced to a child in simple and fun ways, their eating habits can be changed for a lifetime,’’ said UAF Extension Agent for Southeast Alaska Sarah Lewis.
    The presenter of the program will explain the biology, psychology and flavor-ology of getting kids to accept – and even love – vegetables.
    The presentation – part of the Alaska OWL Project -- will include the current research, helpful tips and recipes to cook for and with kids. 
 
    Boys Run Program
    Applications Ready
    Boys Run I toowú klatseen: Strengthen Your Spirit will host its pilot program this fall at Keet Gooshi Heen Elementary School.
    ‘‘Boys Run is a life-changing empowerment program for boys that combines running with fun activities and discussions related to healthy life skills while honoring Southeast Alaska Native culture and traditional values,’’ Sitkans Against Family Violence, organizers of the event, said.
    Boys Run envisions boys growing up into confident, compassionate men who will help create a culture of respect and nonviolence, SAFV said.
    The season starts Sept. 9 and runs for nine weeks with practices from 2:30-4 p.m. on Tuesdays and Thursdays.
    For more information about the program, contact Elena at SAFV at 747-3370. For applications, visit the Keet Gooshi Heen front office or call 747-8395. Registration is open to boys in third through fifth grades, and will be accepted on a first-come, first-served, basis. Applications are due Sept. 3.

    Happy Health Hour
    At Kettleson Library
    UAF Extension Agent Sarah Lewis will explain the biology and psychology of getting kids to accept (and even love) vegetables, in a talk that includes current research, recipes and cooking tips at a video-conference presentation 5:30 p.m. Aug. 25 at Kettleson Memorial Library’s interim location at Stratton Library.
    The presentation is part of Cooperative Extension’s Happy Health Hour series. Call 747-9440 for more information.

    Domestic Violence
    Topic of Training
    Sitkans Against Family Violence is offering training to community members who want to understand the reasons and dynamics surrounding domestic and sexual violence.
    Training will be held Sept. 6-22, at 9 a.m.-4 p.m. Saturdays and 6-9 p.m. Mondays at the Unitarian Fellowship Hall at 408 Marine Street. A detailed schedule is available on SAFV’s website at www.safv.org.
    ‘‘What do you think when you read in the Police Blotter about domestic incidents and disturbances?’’ SAFV said.  ‘‘Do you feel helpless, overwhelmed, and wish it would never happen close to you? Or do you want to intervene and help the parties involved? In this training you can learn what to do so that you can start advocating for your family members, friends, and co-workers who suffer from domestic violence and sexual assault.’’
    According to a 2012 survey about every other woman in Sitka has experienced interpersonal violence, and many children and men are victims.
    Individuals can attend the entire program or choose the sessions of interest. Presenters will be SAFV staff and local professionals. Call SAFV at 747-3370 for the schedule or to ask questions. Sign up by calling or sending an email to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .


Jeff Comer. (Photo provided)

    Sitka Community Hospital
    Names New Chief Executive

    Jeff Comer, a veteran healthcare executive with more than 20 years of  experience, has been named chief executive officer at Sitka Community Hospital. He will begin his post Sept. 15.
    Comer replaces Hugh Hallgren, who retiredin December after 4-1/2 years.
    “We are very excited that Mr. Comer is joining the Sitka Community Hospital team as our new chief executive officer,’’ said Celeste Tydingco, president of the Sitka Community Hospital Board. ‘‘The hospital board worked with B.E. Smith to conduct a nationwide search and valued the input from the employees of the hospital and the community to make this selection. It is our expectation that the skills and experience Mr. Comer brings to Sitka Community Hospital will enable us to continue the compassionate and competent care we have all come to expect.’’
    Comer served as chief executive officer of Arizona General Hospitals and The Surgical Hospital of Phoenix in Phoenix, Ariz., providing leadership and strategic direction for multiple hospitals, freestanding emergency rooms and surgical hospital management companies.
    Comer was senior vice president of operations at Nueterra Healthcare in Kansas City, Kan., where he was responsible for more than 30 hospitals and ambulatory surgery centers. He also served as chief executive officer for two Tenet Health Hospitals, Tenet Whittier Hospital Medical Center in Whittier, Calif., and Tenet Lake Mead Medical Center in Las Vegas, Nev.
    “Sitka Community Hospital was seeking an experienced senior healthcare executive to provide strategic direction and vision to position the organization for continued growth in the new healthcare reform environment,” said Kathy Noland, vice president of senior executive search for B. E. Smith, the healthcare executive search firm who conducted the nationwide CEO search for Sitka Community Hospital. “Jeff’s experience and leadership style were the perfect fit.”
    Comer earned a master of health care administration from Washington University in St. Louis, Mo., and a bachelor in psychology from Arizona State University in Phoenix. He is a certified healthcare executive through the American College of Healthcare Executives.
    He and his wife Mariah, a personal fitness trainer and non-profit manager, are planning to become active members of the Sitka community.



    Back-to-School
    Sale at White E
    The children’s store at the White Elephant Shop will have a back-to-school special.
    All items are half-price, except boutique, will be noon-3 p.m. Saturday and 6-8 p.m. Monday.
    The sale is only in the children’s store.

    Sustainability
    Topic of Art
    Show Aug. 28
    Sitka Local Foods Network will host a free Alaska premiere of the ‘‘Lexicon of Sustainability’’ pop-up gallery art show 6:30-8:30 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 28, at the Back Door Café.
    Samples of a kale feta salad featuring kale grown in Sitka at St. Peter’s Fellowship Farm will be available, and the Back Door Café will be selling drinks and food during the show.
    “‘The Lexicon of Sustainability’ is based on the simple premise: People will live more sustainably if they understand the basic terms and principles that will define the next economy,” the website said.
    The ‘‘Lexicon of Sustainability’’ features dozens of large photos of food and farming systems, water and energy, with a variety of topics defined on each photo, such as food security, sustainable fisheries, farm to table and permaculture.
    “‘The Lexicon of Sustainability’ illuminates the vocabulary of sustainable agriculture, and with it, the conversation about America’s rapidly evolving food culture,’’ the Sitka Local Food Network said. ‘‘The Lexicon of Sustainability educates, engages and activates people to pay closer attention to how they eat, what they buy, and where their responsibility begins for creating a healthier, safer food system in America.”
    In addition to the photos, the ‘‘Lexicon of Sustainability’’ includes a book, “Local: The New Face of Food and Farming in America,” by Douglas Gayeton. The project also was featured in a “Know Your Food” series of short films on PBS. Copies have been ordered by Old Harbor Books and will be available for purchase soon.
    “I had the good fortune to view the ‘Lexicon of Sustainability’ art show at the Food Justice Conference in Oakland in 2012,” Sitka Local Foods Network Board President Lisa Sadleir-Hart said. “As conference attendees gathered around the posters, amazing conversations sprung up and started us thinking collaboratively about solutions and make connections with each other. I couldn’t wait to use art this way to stimulate social change conversations in Sitka around food.”
    This will be the first of several ‘‘Lexicon of Sustainability’’ shows in Sitka, before the photos move north to Anchorage and the rest of the state. The batch of photos will remain in Anchorage with the Alaska Food Policy Council for future shows around the state. The photos from this first show will be on display through Saturday, Sept. 13, at the Back Door Café.
    Future Sitka shows include a Sitka Local Foods Network fundraiser in late October at the Sitka Fine Arts Camp/Sheldon Jackson Campus, and possibly a show at the University of Alaska Southeast Sitka Campus.
    To learn more about the project, contact  Sadleir-Hart at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .

    Fellowship to Meet
    The Fellowship will meet 1:30 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 24, at the Yaw Chapel on the SJ Campus.
    All are invited to share in song, scripture and prayer.

    Presbyterians
    Seeking Pianist
    Sitka First Presbyterian Church is seeking a pianist to lead in the singing of hymns during worship services held 11 a.m.-noon each Sunday.
    Call 747-3356 and leave a message with name and phone number, or call Ruth at 747-8043.
    Brave Heart Sets
    Volunteer Potluck
    Brave Heart Volunteers will gather for a potluck 5:30 p.m. Sept. 13 at the Pioneers Home Manager’s House.
    Volunteers past and present are gathering to welcome the newest members of the BHV family and savor a meal together. Individuals can take a favorite dish, connect with each other, and enjoy an evening out ‘‘with some amazing folks who are making Sitka a more loving and connected community one hour at a time,’’ BHV said.
    ‘‘We welcome anyone who has volunteered for BHV in any way, for any time, past or current,’’ a spokeswoman said. ‘‘If you are not yet a BHV volunteer but are interested in becoming one, please call us to learn more about our Volunteer Orientation and Training.’’
    To RSVP, learn more, or claim a dish, call Krisanne Rice at 747-4600, email her at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. , or stop by the Pioneer Home Manager’s House weekdays between 9 a.m. and 4 p.m.

    Little League
    Games Slated
    Sitka Little League players ages 13-16 are being called to play baseball this weekend.
    ‘‘The sun is out,’’ organizers said. ‘‘Let’s play baseball!’’
    Games are planned at 6 p.m. Friday, and 2 p.m. and 5 p.m. Saturday.
    To get an idea of how many players will be participating, they are being asked to sign up by text or phone call to 738-6603, or email to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .
    Players must be registered with Sitka Little League for the 2014 season in order to play.

    Reduced Hours
    The Sitka DMV office will have reduced office hours from Friday, Aug. 22, through Thursday, Aug. 28, due to staff leave.
    The office will be open to the public from 1 to 4:30 p.m.
    For further information or assistance  contact Gina at 269-5564 or Janice at 269-5185 or log onto www.alaska.gov/dmv.

    Raven Radio
    Panel to Meet
    The Raven Radio Community Advisory Board meeting will be held 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, Aug. 26, at the Cable House.
    The agenda will include continued conversations about community outreach, as well as current programming changes.
    The public is welcome to attend. Contact Program Director Rebecca LaGuire with any questions.

    Retirement Party
    For Luchinettis Set
    Friends of Dave and Gloria Luchinetti are invited to celebrate their retirement 6-10 p.m. Monday, Sept. 1, at the Coast Guard Gazebo.
    Attendees should take a food item or beverage to share, along with good wishes for new adventures, organizers said. Contact 752-1313 with any questions.

    Story-Telling
    Event Sept. 20
    An upcoming story-telling event sponsored by the Greater Sitka Arts Council and Artchange will ask the question ‘‘Have you ever made a poor choice that turned out good?’’
    Five stories about bad choices will be shared 6:30-7:30 p.m. Sept. 20 at Yaw Chapel, on SJ Campus.
    Those who wish to participate can contact Sarah at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or 738-5234, or Ellen at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .

    SAFV Board Meets
    The board of Sitkans Against Family Violence will meet 5:30 p.m. Aug. 25 at the shelter. The meeting is open to the public. For directions and more information,  call 747-3370.

    Keet School
    Dates Given
    Keet Gooshi Heen will offer an open house for all students and parents 2:30-3:30 p.m. Aug. 26. Parents and students may proceed to the child’s classroom and meet the teacher.
    School pictures for KGH will be taken Sept. 19 in the morning. Teachers will hand out picture packets for students to take home.
    Community photos will be 5-7 p.m. Sept. 18 at KGH.
    New student registration packets and information are available 8 a.m.-3:30 p.m. weekdays at the office.
    Those with questions may call 747-8395.

    Ocean Wave
    Quilters Meet
    Ocean Wave Quilt Guild will hold its first meeting of the year Sept. 2 at Grace Harbor Church.
    Doors open at 6:45 p.m. and the meeting will begin at 7 p.m., with a business meeting, show-and-tell, and refreshments.
    Yearly dues of $25 may be paid at the meeting. The guild meets the first Tuesday of the month, September to May, and is open to all interested quilters.
    Call Jan Lovett, president, at 747-3653 for more information.


SSD Child Find
Program on Tap
    The first Child Find preschool screening of the school year is slated Sept. 5 at the Rasmuson Building on the SJ Campus. An appointment is required.
    Child Find screenings are a component of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act that requires districts to identify, locate, and evaluate all children with disabilities, ages birth to 21, who are in need of early intervention or special education services.
    Sitka School District conducts specific activities for students ages 3 to 21 with suspected disabilities who reside within the district’s boundaries.
    Parents may have concerns about their child’s development in the areas of hearing, vision, speech/language skills, motor skills, thinking skills, emotional or social skills.
    A screening is a series of short tests and professional observations in various developmental areas. It is free of charge. Children who are unable to pass one or more areas of the screening may have a developmental delay in those areas. The screening, however, is not enough to determine that a child is delayed; it is only designed to indicate whether further investigation into a child’s developmental progress is necessary, the school district said.
    An appointment is required for a screening. For general questions regarding early childhood special education, call Mandy Evans, special education director, at 966-1253.
    If a child is in school and believed to have a disability that may impair his or her educational performance, contact the principal at the child’s school, or the special education department at 966-1253.

Reduced-Price
Lunches Noted
    Applications for free/reduced price meals for students attending the Sitka School District this fall are available at all school offices and the district office.
    Parents are being encouraged to apply early to ensure all paperwork is completed prior to the first day of school.
    For example, a family of four making less than $55,167 a year is eligible for reduced-price meals. That same family making $38,766 yearly or less can receive free meals. All income eligibility guidelines are available at school offices.

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