Trade school scholarship auction coming Feb. 15 in Mattawa
JOEL MARTIN | Hagadone News Network | UPDATED 11 months AGO
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. | January 17, 2025 3:30 AM
MATTAWA — The Sven Legacy Foundation will hold a fundraiser silent auction Feb. 15 near Mattawa, complete with food, drinks, music and lots to bid on.
The foundation was formed in November in memory of its namesake, Sven Leland, a Mattawa farmer who passed away last year. The purpose is to help students who aren’t planning to go to college have career options.
“He was fighting brain cancer for years, and it really progressed at the end of 2023, and he passed in the end of April,” said Sven’s brother, Lars Leland, who’s one of the organizers of the foundation. “(His friends and I) always came out and took him to hospice, and trying to keep his hopes up. And we’d always ask him, ‘Is there anything you want to do in case things get bad?’ … He was like, ‘Yeah, make a nonprofit named after me and do scholarships for kids to go to trade schools.’ He couldn't move and couldn't walk, but he was still sharp and positive.”
Only about 10% of adults and 7% of teenagers in the U.S. are interested in attending a trade school, according to the National Center for Education Statistics. In Washington state, 36,082 non-degree-seeking students were enrolled at community and technical colleges in 2022-23, the latest year for which information was available, according to the Washington Student Achievement Council, a decrease of 44% from a decade earlier.
“Tons of kids apply for scholarships for academics,” said Josh Seanard, another of the foundation’s organizers and the president of the Mattawa-Desert Aire Lions Club, which offers a trade school scholarship. “But in the Lions Club, we have trouble getting any kids to apply for the trade school one. So, we really want to promote that.”
“My younger brother thought there was all sorts of scholarships, but nothing for like the trades and crafts,” Leland said. “He was really big into woodworking and distilling. When he was fighting cancer he lost his mobility, but anything he could do with his hands, he always tried to keep occupied. And he just thought there weren’t enough scholarships for kids looking at those careers. There's a big need for that as we go on; not enough people are going to the blue-collar world.”
The auction items haven’t been finalized yet, but they include fishing and hunting trips, baked goods and landscaping services.
Food will be a homegrown affair, Seanard said.
“One of the other board members (and his wife) wanted to put on a Mexican spread, so that’s what we’re doing” Seanard said.
The auction will be held in a potato shed at Leland’s family farm east of Mattawa, Leland said. Eventually, the foundation would like to use the building as an event venue, and possibly also a center where young people could learn from local mechanics, plumbers and other skilled tradespeople.
“But that’s still (down the road),” Leland said. “We’ve got aspirations, but we’re taking it slowly.”
Sven Legacy Foundation Silent Auction
5-10 p.m. Feb., 15
11582 Road 25 SW, Mattawa
Info: Josh Seanard, 253-606-9506
ARTICLES BY JOEL MARTIN
‘Our favorite time of year’
Shop with a Cop brings smiles to both children and officers
MOSES LAKE — The heavy police presence outside local stores recently wasn’t because of a crime wave. It was police officers engaging in their favorite annual event. “This is one of those times throughout the year that we don't have to go and ask for volunteers to help,” said Moses Lake Police Chief David Sands. “The first day we put it out, I think we got 20-some people say ‘Yeah, we’re in.’ That's just under half the department right away.“
BASIN EVENTS: Dec. 19-27
COLUMBIA BASIN — It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas, and a lot of people will be spending time at home with their families or at the church of their choice. Still, there are a few things happening around the Basin. Here are some ideas:
Chimney maintenance is essential for safety
MOSES LAKE — With Christmas just around the corner, lots of folks are using their fireplaces for warmth, roasting chestnuts or just a pleasant atmosphere. But before Santa pays your chimney a visit, you should make sure it’s in good working order. Chimney fires are responsible for more than three-fourths of residential building heating fires, according to the U.S. Fire Administration. Regular inspections and cleaning are the best way to prevent that, said Michael Harper, known as The Chimney Guy. “If they’re using (the fireplace) aesthetically – date night, Christmas, New Year’s, show-off times, something in the background here and there, (they should) have it inspected once a year for peace of mind,” Harper said. “If they’re using it two to three days a week religiously through the winter months, they need to have it cleaned once a year.”