Wenatchee Valley Medical Group makes $25,000 CAA donation
CHERYL SCHWEIZER | Hagadone News Network | UPDATED 1 year, 7 months AGO
With students there to accept it, Dr. Luther Thompson, far right, presents a $25,000 check to the Community Athletics and Activities Association on behalf of the Wenatchee Valley Medical Group Monday.
CHERYL SCHWEIZER/COLUMBIA BASIN HERALD
Senior Reporter Cheryl Schweizer is a journalist with more than 30 years of experience serving small communities in the Pacific Northwest. She began her post-high-school education at Treasure Valley Community College and enerned her journalism degree at Oregon State University. After working for multiple publications, she has settled down at the Columbia Basin Herald and has been a staple of the newsroom for more than a decade. Schweizer’s dedication to her communities and profession has earned her the nickname “The Baroness of Bylines.” She covers a variety of beats including health, business and various municipalities. | August 13, 2024 1:00 AM
MOSES LAKE — A $25,000 donation from the Wenatchee Valley Medical Group helped push a fundraising effort for Moses Lake School District's extracurricular activities to the $450,000 mark.
The group leading the fundraising drive, Community Athletics and Activities, began raising money in late June, following the rejection of an educational programs and activities levy proposal. Typically all extracurricular activities are funded through the levy.
Luther Thompson, a family practice physician at the Confluence Health clinic in Moses Lake, said WVMG is the largest physician group in the Confluence Health system. Thompson is a member of the board, and said the initiative came from the physicians in Moses Lake.
“The doctors here asked our board to consider this,” he said. “This was important to our physicians.”
Monday’s total did include about $24,0000 raised through the “Bowlathon” fundraiser at the Lake Bowl Saturday. But it did not include money raised through a student fundraiser Aug. 5, so the six-week total may exceed $500,000.
“The community has been awesome,” said CAA secretary Eva Olson.
Extracurriculars are about activity, and activity promotes better health, but there are other health benefits, Thompson said. Social isolation is a challenge for many young people, he said, with the effects of school closures during the COVID-19 pandemic making the challenge even bigger. Extracurricular activities help to reduce that, he said.
“It’s important to reviving the health of our youth in our community,” Thompson said.
Jennifer Jorgensen, a gastroenterology and hepatology physician and WVMG president and CEO, said the request received unanimous support.
“(Wenatchee Valley Medical Group) believes in the importance of extracurricular activities for the mental and physical health of our youth,” Jorgensen wrote in a statement. “These programs provide essential opportunities for students to engage, grow and thrive both inside and outside the classroom.”
Donations to the CAA can be made at its website, listed below.
CONTACT:
Donation site: bit.ly/MLCAA
MANAGING BOARD:
Ryan Carpenter, President
Jeremy Huberdeau, Vice President
James Getzinger, Vice president
Eva Olson, Secretary
Cody Parrish, Treasurer
ARTICLES BY CHERYL SCHWEIZER
Road closures, roundabout, mean construction season underway
EPHRATA — The grass is starting to turn green, the trees are starting to leaf out, construction crews are starting to build roundabouts – hey, it’s spring. At least one roundabout project is in its final phase, held over from fall 2025. The intersection of State Route 282 and Nat Washington Way will be closed the week of April 6 to allow crews to install permanent lights. “This really is the final (closure),” wrote Grant County Administrator Tom Gaines in a media release. “The roundabout will close at 6 a.m. Monday, and we plan to reopen by Friday, possibly sooner if the work finishes early.”
Ybarra announces run for Washington Senate
QUINCY — State Representative Alex Ybarra, R-Quincy, has announced his candidacy for the Washington Senate. If he’s elected, he would replace Judy Warnick, R-Moses Lake, who announced her retirement in March.
Othello Community Museum to open April 25
OTHELLO — With a couple of new exhibits, a new heating-cooling system, rearranged displays and a thorough cleaning, the Othello Community Museum will open for the summer April 25. The goal, said Molly Popchock, museum board secretary, is to operate for a full season.