Are you looking for a summer program for your middle school teen who is 11 to 14 years old? Camp Fire USA is offering a fun summer day program called Lead Up. Lead Up is a trip-based program, geared towards team-building, outdoor fun, community service, local career/college exploration, and of course, fun, adventure filled fieldtrips all over King County!

Each day up to 10 youth and two Team Leaders will hit the road in search of fun, adventure and self-discovery. Register for weekly sessions each focused around a theme, such as Law and Order, Top Chef, Road Rules, Water Warriors, and We Like Your Style. Small friendly groups, transportation from convenient pick up/drop off sites near your home, all entry fees, snacks, awards, and supervision are covered by the all-inclusive $210 weekly fee.

Camp Fire USA operates Lead Up using caring, well-trained, responsible Team Leaders (Staff) and the program is accredited by the American Camp Association. Sign up for one or more sessions, and make this summer your best summer ever!

See 2011 Lead Up Schedule with dates & rates or contact Marjean McCraw at 206 826 8930 or via email for more information.

Visit the website for more information and ONLINE registration.

Camp Registration now OPEN!

Make this a summer your kids will never forget! Sign up for Day Camps & Summer Camps around the Puget Sound and at Camp Sealth on Vashon Island. Open to boys and girls ages 5 to 18. Learn more at www.campfire-usa.org.

Realtor® Marti Reeder of John L. Scott has been awarded the CRS designation – Certified Residential Specialist – by the Council of Residential Specialists, an affiliate of the National Association of Realtors®.  Reeder adds this designation to three others:  Accredited Buyers Representative (ABR), Accredited Sellers Representative (ASR) and Certified Foreclosure Specialist (CFS).

The CRS designation is earned by exhibiting the highest standard of ethics, achieving a high level of professional experience and sales, managing residential transactions and maintaining strong technical skills to keep up with today’s ever-changing real estate market. Fewer than 4% of Realtors® have earned the CRS designation. Reeder qualified for the designation by executing more than the minimum requirement of 75 transactions in the last five years plus the completion of numerous hours of continuing education courses in the field of residential real estate. As a Certified Residential Specialist, Reeder has specific training and expertise to help clients buy and sell their homes.

“I want my clients to know that I take my job – and their homes – very seriously,” Reeder said. “This is one more credential that exhibits my commitment to learning all I can to help them with their purchase or sale.”

Reeder is a broker/real estate agent with John L. Scott in Kent-Covington. She is an award-winning Realtor®, earning presidential honors from John L. Scott the last four years and “Best in Kent” in 2008, 2009 and 2010. Last December, Reeder also received the “Five Star Real Estate Agent, Best in Client Satisfaction” award from Seattle Magazine.  In addition to her work, Reeder is active in the Kent community as a member of the Kent Chamber of Commerce, Kent Downtown Partnership and Noon Kiwanis Club. This summer she is sponsoring a Relay for Life team called Friends 4 Life to earn money for cancer research.

For more information about Reeder, visit http://www.marti-realtor.com or http://johnlscott.com/martireeder. You can also find Reeder on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Biznik and YouTube.

The Third Annual Kent International Festival is set for Sat., June 18 from
10 am to 6 pm at Town Square Plaza, at the corner of 2nd and Smith Streets in downtown Kent. Offered in conjunction with the weekly Kent Farmer’s Market, this popular event is a celebration of Kent’s cultural diversity and will feature native attire, musical performances, ethnic dance, delicious authentic cuisine and a Kent student art display.

For more information, contact Harpreet Gill at (253) 856-4968 or Dave Mortenson at (206) 818-8304.

Want a poster to display at your workplace, school or organization? Click here to download –> 2011 KIF Poster Final-2

Kent, Washington, April 13, 2011 – With the help of Kent Station customers, March’s Moolah for Schoolah scholarship fundraiser raised enough money to provide four scholarships for Green River Community College students. The scholarships will be awarded to local Kent students who have achieved excellent academic standing and are in financial need. Some of the past recipients have said that they would not have been able to attend higher education classes without the scholarship.  Since Moolah for Schoolah began in 2007, Kent Station has provided 19 scholarships totaling nearly $25,000.

Following the conclusion of Moolah for Schoolah, Kent Station awarded prizes to participating customers in the March promotion. Prizes included Kent Station gift cards, a $500 Kent Station shopping spree and an iPad.

“Kent Station customers are the best! With their support we are able to provide GRCC scholarships to Kent residents,” said Sommer Ueda, Kent Station Marketing Manager. “We are excited to be able to provide scholarships to help GRCC students fulfill their dreams.”

Beth Gatzke of the GRCC Foundation said, “This program is really a win-win for everyone. The GRCC Foundation is thrilled to partner with Kent Station to support educational opportunities for youth in our community.”

In addition to Moolah for Schoolah, Kent Station regularly hosts family-friendly events including a summer concert series, trick-or-treating, pet events, Santa photos and more. Kent Station’s next event – an Easter Egg Hunt – is scheduled for Saturday, April 23 from 10 am to noon. Families are invited to participate in an all ages scavenger hunt starting at 10 am, and a traditional Easter egg hunt for ages six and under. The Easter eggs are filled with chocolates, temporary tattoos and special offers from merchants.

For more information about Moolah for Schoolah or Kent Station’s upcoming events, please visit Kent Station online at http://www.kentstation.com or call Sommer Ueda at 253-856-2301.

Located on 18 acres in the heart of downtown Kent, Kent Station is an urban shopping village developed by Seattle-based Tarragon. The 470,000 sq. ft., mixed-use development features locally-owned and national retail stores, dining and entertainment, including a 14-screen AMC Theatre, professional office space, a branch campus of Green River Community College and the offices for Social Security Administration.

For more information, please contact:

Sommer Ueda
Kent Station
417 Ramsay Way, Suite 110
Kent, WA 98032
253-856-2301
www.KentStation.com

Contributed by Book It Northwest

Free Poetry Writing Workshop with Author Erik Korhel
Event date: April 12, 2011
Location:  Covington Regional Library

Write a poem (or more) with help from King County poet Erik Korhel who will lead a Poetry Workshop for ages 7 and up April 12 at 7 p.m. at the Covington Branch of the King County Libraries, 27100 164th Ave. S.E., (253) 630-8761. Free.

More information at http://tinyurl.com/3u75g6v

ADDITIONAL FREE PERFORMANCES

April 9th at 3 p.m. – Sammamish Regional Library

May 14th at 2 p.m. – Kenmore Regional Library

Contributed by the Kent Police Department

Are you interested in starting a neighborhood blockwatch?

The Kent Police Department is hosting a city wide informational meeting on the benefits of starting and maintaining a neighborhood block watch.

Neighborhood Block Watch 101
Wednesday, April 13, 2011
6:30 pm – 8:00 pm
Kent City Hall Council Chambers

Why Attend?

• interested in starting a neighborhood block watch
• interested in re-starting an already formed block watch
• needing a refresher on maintaining a neighborhood block watch
• interested in hearing from other block watch captains and what has worked and what hasn’t
• interested in hearing about Kent crime trends and what residents can do to help prevent crime in their neighborhoods

What You Can Do Ahead of Time:

• find a neighbor or two to attend with you
• notify neighbors that you will be attending and bringing back information
• start mapping the neighborhood and forming a phone tree for each block watch (a block watch is 10-20 homes)

Please RSVP by April 8th to your Neighborhood Sector contact:

East Hill/Panther Lake Area: Stacy Judd at (253) 856-5883

Valley Area/West Hill: Sara Wood at (253) 856-5851

*This format is replacing individual neighborhood meetings. However, public education specialists will continue to visit block watches when crime trend concerns occur.

Photo by Victoria Andrews

Volunteers met throughout Kent on Saturday, March 19, 2011 to rid the city of unwanted graffiti. Seventy volunteers showed up for the event to remove graffiti from 40 different locations throughout Kent. The event was a huge success. The City of Kent would like to give a special thanks to the downtown Starbucks who donated cocoa, coffee, and pastry goodies for all the volunteers.

Supplies were provided by a grant from The Home Depot Foundation and the six 5-gallon buckets of paint used were donated by Ski’s Painting Inc. Volunteers included  people around the Kent area, several Rotary Club members and students from Kent high schools.

For more information, visit the City of Kent’s Graffiti website.

Starting March 1, Kent Station will launch the “Moolah for Schoolah” pgrogram, its newly titled annual March scholarship fundraiser. “Moolah for Schoolah” provides scholarships for Kent area high school graduates attending Green River Community College (GRCC). Since 2007, Kent Station has held the annual fundraiser, providing 15 scholarships and more than $20,000 in college funding to students who might not be able to attend school otherwise. During the month of March, shoppers can participate in the scholarship fundraiser by picking up a postcard at any one of Kent Station’s 56 participating merchants.

For each postcard completed, Kent Station will donate $1 to the GRCC scholarship fund and provide the shopper with a chance to win a $500 Kent Station gift card and other prizes. The prize winners will be selected in a  random drawing to be held on April 5,2011; winners will be notified via email or phone.  For further questions, please contact Sommer Ueda at Kent Station at 253-856-2301.

Update, April 8, 2011 – The 23rd annual dinner auction netted $190,000 to be used to help children with special needs. The dinner auction served as the official kickoff of CTC’s capital campaign to raise $4 million to purchase and remodel its third therapy center in Burien. The auction fund-an-item brought in cash donations to go toward that campaign. Donations up to $50,000 were MATCHED by Cascade DAFO, Inc., the company that manufactures CTC’s orthotics.

Thank you to our volunteers, as well as our sponsors:  premier sponsor Kent Station, Cascade DAFO, Quota International of Kent VAlley, Belfor USA, Brantley Janson Yost & Ellison CPAs, Charter Private Bank, Curran Law Firm, Edward Jones (Tim Scheuffele), Emerald Downs, FamilyCare of Kent, Haeger Orthodontics, Live Oak Audio Visual, Miller Hayashi Architects LLC, Mountain Construction, Hentschell & Assoc., Inc., Shannon & Associates, SPIO Compression Garments, Sprague Israel Giles Insurance, Stephen and Barbara Glass, The Creative Office, The Hunt Family, Rock Wood Fired Pizza and Spirits, Univar USA and Wesley Homes.

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Children’s Therapy Center

23rd Annual Fun for Funds Dinner Auction
March 26, 20111 @ Emerald Downs
6:00 – 10:00 pm

Register for this event using our secure online form! This year we are honored to receive a matching gift from Cascade DAFO for expanding the orthotics program in our new therapy center! All fund-an-item donations will be matched dollar for dollar up to $50,000!

Individual Tickets are only65.00.

Unlocking Potential…One Child At A Time

There are so many questions when a parent discovers that their child has special needs, the most pressing of which is “Where do I go for services for my child?”  We have been empowering children with special needs and their families in King and Pierce County since 1979 through the provision of quality, individualized physical, occupational, and speech therapy; early intervention; specialized education; family resource coordination; parent education; custom orthotics; and compression garments:

https://dynamicfamilies.org/Page.aspx?hid=513

Save the date…April 27th from 7-8:30 at the Hilton Seattle Airport and Conference Center. You are invited to come hear uplifting stories about the dramatic impact made in people’s lives through DAWN’s programs and services.

You will be treated to a hearty breakfast and an opportunity to win Great prizes!

Wednesday, April 27, 2011
Hilton Seattle Airport & Conference Center
17620 Pacific Highway South, Seattle
7:00-7:30 a.m.: Check-in, Social, Coffee
7:30-8:30 a.m.: Breakfast & Program

DAWN-domestic abuse woman’s network

Would you like to captain a table of 10 guests? Contact Annual Giving Coordinator Sharon Yamada-Heidner at 425-656-4305 x 261.

Kent residents are invited to learn more about their Police Department starting on April 20, 2011. The Community Police Academy is delivered in a series of classes that offer straightforward, candid information regarding daily and specialized operations of the Police Department, while defing the agency’s role in the community. Classes are held on Wednesday evenings from 7:00 p.m to 9:00p.m and are instructed by department members and civilian experts. There is a one Saturday session which will include tours of the City of Kent Corrections Center and the 9-1-1 facilities at Valley communications Center. After attending the first three classes, participants are also eligible for a ride-along with a Kent Police Officer. Classes are held at the Kent Police/Fire Training Center, 24611 116th Ave. SE in Kent.  A wide range of topics will be discussed to include patrol and traffic enforcement, detective and special investigations, SWAT, canine and other specialized Police functions. Thee will also be instruction on recruitment, hiring and training of Kent Police Officers. There is no cost for participating in the Community Police Academy. It is open to Adults 18 and over and you will need to pass a background check. Applications are available at the Kent Police Department, 220 4th Ave. S or the Kent Police Website at: www.ci.kent.wa.us/communitypoliceacademy. For general questions Please contact Cesi Velez at 253-856-5884.

Valley Medical Center of Renton is offering the following free seminars to promote wellness. For more information about these events, call 425-656-4636 or visit http://valleymed.org/events.

Thurs., Feb. 24 (6 to 7 pm)
Aging Eyes
Todd Johnston, MD, The Eye Center
Medical Arts Center Auditorium

Sun., Feb. 27 (2 to 4 pm)
GLOW:  Red Dress Tea and Activewear Fashion Show
Featuring Belinda Fu, MD, Family Practice and Susan Hollinsworth, DDS
The Tea Palace, 2828 Sunset Lane, Renton
Reservations are required.

Tues., Mar. 15 (6 to 7 pm)
Lower Back Conditions
Mark Remington, MD, Orthopedic Surgery
Medical Arts Center Auditorium

Thurs., Mar. 24 (6 to 7 pm)
Hip and Knee Replacement
William Barrett, MD, Orthopedic Surgery
Medical Arts Center Auditorium

Valley Medical Center
Medical Arts Center, 1st Floor
400 S. 43rd St.
Renton, WA  98055
425-656-4636

Already this week, Kent has experienced a bit of unusual activity.

Starting with the ammonia leak downtown that caused street closures between 6:30 and 10 am yesterday, the week has evolved into a strange snow-rain mix amid speculation that today’s commute will be a bear. Rather than rehash what’s already been said, here are links to the area’s top stories:

Ammonia Leak – Kent Reporter

Ammonia Leak – Seattle Times

Cheaper Garbage Rates beginning April 1

Drive Kent – Driving Conditions

Kent Weather @ Weather.com

KING5 Area Weather

KING5 Closings & Delays

KIRO News Live (video)

KIRO Weather Forecast (video)

Washington DOT Seattle Area Traffic Map (check frequently for blockages and other delays)

Note:  As of 5:11 am, Jan. 12, Kent School District is operating on its planned schedule which includes an early start for KSD elementary school students and a late arrival for middle and high school students.

Allegro Precision Dance Company’s annual fundraising dance showcase, ‘Burn the Floor!’

Sunday January 16, 2011
Auburn Performing Arts Center
700 E. Main St., Auburn, WA  98002
Tickets $10
11am, 2:30pm and 6pm

Allegro Performing Arts Academy’s premiere performing and competition team debut their new numbers for the year – solos, duos, trios and group numbers.

It’s a show you don’t want to miss! Superb dancing by local youth ages 4 through 18 years.

Ticket sales benefit the performers and their families to help offset yearly costume and competition costs.

Three shows in one day: 11am, 2:30pm and 6pm

In Kent PD’s crime stats for the week of 11/16 – 11/22/10, vehicle prowls and thefts are increasing. Along with the list of incidents, they also issue this warning to car owners:

“Vehicle Prowl Prevention – There is a recent trend of vehicle prowls of cars that are parked in driveways. The suspects then use the garage door openers that are in the cars and use those to gain access to the garage and sometimes the home. Items have been stolen from the garages, as well as cars that are parked inside the garage. If you can, park in the garage. If not, EVERY TIME, remove the garage door opener and valuables from cars parked outside.”

Other safety tips:

• Do not leave a running car unattended, even if it is locked.
• Stay with your car while it is warming up.
• Do not leave any valuables of any kind in your vehicle.
• Always keep your car locked.
• Report any suspicious activity to 9-1-1.
  • Unfamiliar people wandering through neighborhoods or around schools
  • Door to door “salesmen”
  • Looking in house or car windows
  • Walking around to the back of the house
  • Peeking into vehicles
  • Parked or occupied unfamiliar vehicles.
• Report any vehicle vandalism to 9-1-1.

Protect your vehicle, valuables and home by being aware of your surroundings and reporting suspicious activity.

Thanks to Sara Wood and Kent PD for providing this information.

Looking for a fun way to keep your child active during the winter months? No matter what your child’s skill level is, consider creative movement classes as Kent’s Allegro Performing Arts Academy. On Saturday, December 11, the Academy is offering free creative movement classes for kids ages 1 to 3 so you can try them out. The Creative Movement classes are great for building motor skills, improving brain dendrite connections and they’re fun! No obligation, just fun creative movement.

Saturday, December 11
Allegro Performing Arts Academy
1209 Central Ave. S, #101
Kent, WA  98032
253-813-9630

3:00 – 3:45 p.m.

Tiny Tots on the Move – Creative movement for boys and girls 2 to 3 years of age.

4:00 – 4:45 p.m.

Me and My Shadow – Creative movement for the parent and child together (boys & girls 1 to 3 years of age).

Support Kentwood choir students by attending the Kentwood Madrigal Feast on Fri., Dec. 10 and Sat., Dec. 11 (beginning at 6 p.m.). The annual Madrigal Feast will be held at Kent Covenant Church (12010 SE 240th St., Kent, WA 98031). You’ll enjoy an evening of feasting, drama and music.

Tickets:  $25 adults, $15 for seniors, active military, and children under 12

Visit Kentwood Choir Boosters online for more info. or email Daisy Emans.

Spaghetti Dinner! Covington’s non-profit Rainier Youth Choirs is fundraising to cover operating expenses and keep tuition costs affordable.

Bring family and friends on Friday, November 12 to Cedar Heights Middle School, 19640 SE 272nd, Kent, WA, anytime between 5:30 and 7:30pm. Enjoy a pasta dinner with your choice of sauce (Pesto, Tomato, and a meat sauce with meatballs), salad, garlic bread, mozzarella Puffins and dessert. Ice water, coffee, and tea are included in the meal, but there will be pop and bottled water for sale as well.

Children 1-5 years old are $1 per year of age age. Everyone else is $7 pre-paid through an RYC member, or $8 at the door.

Please pre-order tickets via email and pay at the door!

On the first Saturday of each month at 10 a.m., AMC Theatres around the country - in collaboration with the Autism Society – offer a sensory friendly movie where lights are dimmed but not turned off, sound is lowered to kid-friendly levels and kids and adults are free to move about the theatre. This is ideal for families with small children, children with special needs and older adults.

AMC Theatres at Kent Station is a participating theatre. Upcoming movies include:

October 2 (10 a.m.):  Legend of the Guardians:  The Owls of Ga”Hoole

November 6 (10 a.m.):  Megamind

There has been a steady trend of vehicle prowls and thefts in Kent as of late. Many of these thefts involved vehicles used by businesses. Remember, if you operate vans, trucks, or cars as part of your business, it is just as important to secure these vehicles as it is your personal vehicle.

The City of Kent crime stats for the week of Oct. 19th through Oct. 25th had 13 vehicle prowls – 7 in the Valley, 3 in the Panther Lake area, 3 in the East Hill area. During that week there were also 25 vehicle thefts – 4 on the West Hill (park and rides especially!), 10 in the Valley, 2 in the Panther Lake area, 9 in the East Hill area.

The best advice that can be given regarding this subject is to always, always, always remove all your valuables every time you park or else you and your car may end up being another crime statistic.