Realtors step up with school supply drive
JOEL MARTIN | Hagadone News Network | UPDATED 1 year, 2 months AGO
Members of the Moses Lake-Othello Association of Realtors show the backpacks, notebooks, pencils and other school necessities they gathered to donate to the Moses Lake School District Aug. 7.
JOEL MARTIN/COLUMBIA BASIN HERALD
Moses Lake School District Public Relations Director Ryan Shannon addresses the monthly meeting of the Moses Lake-Othello Association of Realtors Aug. 7.
Joel Martin has been with the Columbia Basin Herald for more than 25 years in a variety of roles and is the most-tenured employee in the building. Martin is a married father of eight and enjoys spending time with his children and his wife, Christina. He is passionate about the paper’s mission of informing the people of the Columbia Basin because he knows it is important to record the history of the communities the publication serves. | August 15, 2025 12:10 AM
MOSES LAKE — We’re still a few weeks away from the beginning of the school year, but the Moses Lake-Othello Association of Realtors got a head start Aug. 7, handing over a heap of school supplies to the Moses Lake School District.
“I don’t think there’s any of us as parents who don’t remember what it was like to go out and acquire those supplies,” said Anne Fisher, branch manager for Guild Mortgage in Moses Lake and an affiliate member of the MLOAR. “It’s tough to make that fit in the budget, so it’s nice to be able to contribute.”
Fisher and her team went around to 15 member offices and dropped off plastic tote bins for the agents to fill. And the agents came through, with pens, pencils, crayons, notebooks, backpacks and more. No formal count had been done, but Fisher estimated they had gathered about $2,000 worth of educational necessities.
“We gave them a list of some things that were recommended to us, and some of the basics that kids use all the time,” Fisher said. “When you think about some of the things that you can pick up, it doesn't really cost a whole lot to help, but if you put everybody together, it sure makes a difference.”
The supplies were given to the district in the person of MLSD Public Relations Director Ryan Shannon at the end of the MLOAR’s monthly meeting at Pillar Rock Grill at the Moses Lake Golf and Country Club. The supplies were especially welcome, Shannon said, in a time when families’ budgets are stretched thin and school districts frequently aren’t in a financial position to be able to help.
“Having organizations like yours willing to step up and help our families is a big deal,” Shannon said, “because we want all of our kids to walk into school with that feeling of equality to the to the kid next to them that might be able to afford stuff. So having supplies on hand is very important to their education and their learning environments.”
Moses Lake School District Public Relations Director Ryan Shannon addresses the monthly meeting of the Moses Lake-Othello Association of Realtors Aug. 7.ARTICLES BY JOEL MARTIN
Endless battle
Noxious Weed Control Board works to keep invasive plants under control
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BASIN EVENTS: Oct. 16-24
COLUMBIA BASIN — Whether you feel like shopping, crafting, learning or seeing a show, there’s something happening for you this week in the Basin. Oct. 16 ‘My Family (Mi Familia)’ screening Spanning three generations, “My Family (Mi Familia)” is a heartfelt drama that follows the Sánchez family as they build their lives in East Los Angeles. Through love, hardship, triumph, and sacrifice, the film explores the immigrant experience, the strength of family bonds, and the traditions that connect one generation to the next. Lowrider show and taco truck before the screening. Sponsored by Columbia Basin Allied Arts, EDUBS C/S and the Moses Lake Creative District. $12 per person. Doors open at 6 p.m., film begins at 7 p.m. at the Moses Lake Civic Center Auditorium, 401 S. Balsam St. Tickets and info: www.cba-arts.org.
Moses Lake author encourages women to look beyond church culture norms
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