Community news
Honor society
Four Columbia Falls students at Flathead Valley Community College were recently inducted into the Alpha Iota Pi Chapter of the Phi Theta Kappa international honor society. Rita Brown, Aleta McNeely, Amanda Okamoto and Jon Raymond were inducted during the society’s fall induction ceremony. The students obtained at least 12 credit hours from FVCC while receiving minimum grade point averages of 3.4.
Jazz concert
Cocoa Martini, a top Pacific Northwest jazz ensemble made of Kay Bailey, Kimberly Reason and Nadine Shant, will perform in the Columbia Falls High School Little Theater on Friday, Nov. 30, at 7:30 p.m. with jazz, Latin and pop music. They will be accompanied by Bill Anschell on piano, Chuck Kistler on bass and Brian Kirk on drums. Tickets are $12 students, $15 seniors and $18 adults with festival seating available online at http://SandS.skytics.com.
Veterans Christmas
A Christmas Wish Tree has been set up at Kalispell Center Mall to provide gifts for residents of the Montana Veterans Home from Friday, Nov. 23, through Wednesday, Dec. 19. A gift distribution party will be held at the Home on the morning of Friday, Dec. 21. The Wish Tree will be decorated with a tag for each member of the home with a request for needs or wants compiled by elves at the Home. The Wish Tree is sponsored by local veterans organizations coordinated by Chief Elf Sue Haverfield. For more information, call Sue at 892-3783 or Bonnie Stutsman at 892-3256.
Free dinners
The Columbia Falls Community Kitchen will offer free dinners in the basement of the St. Richard’s Catholic Church from Nov. 17 through Nov. 30. Everyone is welcome.
Hospital board
Columbia Falls Junior High School principal and director of elementary education Dave Wick was recently named to the North Valley Hospital and Foundation board of directors. He was honored in 2011 with the Montana Distinguished Principal award and the 2012 National Distinguished Principal of Montana award.
Smith’s donations
Smith’s Food & Drug is inviting customers to donate $5, $10 or $15 to their grocery purchases through Dec. 29 as part of their “Bringing Hope to the Table for the Holidays” program. All contributions will be converted to Smith’s gift cards and given to local food banks for turkeys, hams and staple food items like peanut butter and tuna. Participating food banks Columbia Falls. Last year, Smith’s four Montana stores donated enough food to create 33,000 meals for the hungry, the great majority of whom are single women with children.
Bell ringers
The Salvation Army is looking for volunteers to ring bells at 19 locations across the Flathead this Christmas season. Money raised by bell ringers will stay in the Flathead. Last year in the Flathead, the Salvation Army provided 17,783 hot meals, 1,555 showers, 8,400 clothing articles and household items, and 783 gifts for children. For more information, call Bob Blake at 257-4357 ext. 236 or e-mail bob.blake@usw.salvationarmy.org.
Toys for Tots
Carey Dill, the U.S. Marine’s Toys for Tots coordinator for the Flathead Valley, says the group will be set up in the Stagecoach Room at the Outlaw Inn this year and have a new phone number, 257-1333. The group collects new, unwrapped toys and distributes them to less fortunate children. Give-away dates this year will be Dec. 21, 22 and 23 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.