Valley briefs

November 22, 2008 08:14 am

— Car slides into house
RIVERSIDE — A Danville area woman wasn’t hurt when her car slid on an icy road and struck a house.
Donna Kemberling, 49, of Snydertown Road, was driving a 2005 Subaru Impreza on Avenue G when it hit the brick front wall of the home of Camille Barilla Thursday morning.
The car went through the front yard at 1102 Ave. G before hitting the front wall, according to police.

Thanksgiving sleepout to raise money for homeless
SELINSGROVE — For 17 hours, the end of the parking lot of Alexander Toyota in Selinsgrove will become the new home to the youth of Wesley United Methodist Church as they sleep outside in cardboard boxes from 4 p.m. Nov. 26 to 9 a.m. Nov. 27.
The event is designed to raise money for those who are homeless, and will allow the teens to experience for a few hours what it might be like to have no home or place to celebrate the holidays. The youth and their leaders, as well as other church volunteers, will collect donations and food items from passing motorists.
This is the seventh annual Thanksgiving sleep out. Last year at the event, the youth raised $5,700. The goal for this year is $7,000 this year.
“Part of the way we give thanks is to give something back in return,” said Dale Long, youth director at Wesley Church. The money we raise will be used locally and in the inner city, when our youth group travels there in March of 2009 to work in homeless shelters and soup kitchens. All the funds we collect will go directly to shelters and soup kitchens to help meet their needs, and the food items we collect will be used to help our church serve a free meal on Christmas Day for anyone in the area.”
The group will not be bringing any food to eat or anything to drink, they will be totally dependent on handouts from passing motorists. “We are setting up a few burn barrels for warmth, but sleeping in the boxes will still be cold,” Long said.
“The kindness of people always amazes me — some people empty the change from their ash trays, some have given us a 50 and other people have handed us frozen turkeys or canned goods,” said Mary Kiel. This is meant as a way to raise awareness in the community of the plight of many people who have fallen on hard times. The event also serves to teach the young people about the importance of service and being thankful for what they have.
Any questions should be directed to Dale Long at 742-7596 or the church office at 374-8015.

Reducing the effects of consumer culture
LEWISBURG — “I Want! I Want! I Want!: Building Good Consumers” is the title of a workshop being presented by Penn State Cooperative Extension. All early childhood practitioners and interested parents can participate in the workshop 7 to 9 p.m. on Dec. 4 at the Union County Government Building, 155 North Fifteenth St.
Other area workshops will be at 6:30-8:30 p.m., Jan. 13, at the Penn State Cooperative Extension in Columbia County at 702 Sawmill Road, Suite 102, Bloomsburg; or Jan. 14, 2009, at the Penn State Cooperative Extension in Northumberland County at 443 Plum Creek Road, Sunbury.
According to Vicki Lewis, Penn State Cooperative Extension family living educator, “Adults often unknowingly aid advertisers, who reap payoffs in billions of dollars of annual spending by child consumers. This workshop will examine advertising and consumer culture and offer ways to reduce its negative effects on young children.”
According to Mary Mahoney-Ferster, Community Engagement Coordinator, “Children are constantly bombarded by TV and the Internet with advertising for high-sugar, high-fat foods, toys and clothing. The ads are cleverly created to make sure children will want to own whatever is being sold.”
Seating is limited. Please call the Penn State Cooperative Extension in Union County at 966-8194 or visit the PA Keys Web site and register online at www.pakeys.org. Visit the Better Kid Care Web site at www.betterkidcare.psu.edu.
The workshop is developed and funded through cooperative efforts of the Office of Child Development and Early Learning, a joint office of the Pennsylvania Departments of Education and Public Welfare, and the Pennsylvania State University, Better Kid Care Program.

Dog biscuits for sale
LAURELTON — Orders are being taken now for W.E.L.-made dog biscuits to benefit the West End Library. As they have been doing for several years, library trustees and other volunteers will bake the special treats as a fundraiser to support the library’s programs and services. The dog biscuits, which are available in small, medium, and large sizes, are packaged in 8-ounce bags for $3.50 per bag. They contain no trans-fats.
Orders will be accepted through Dec. 15 for the biscuits, which may be picked up at the library between Dec. 8 and Dec. 22. The library will not have a booth at Mifflinburg’s Christkindl Market this year. Visit the West End Library at 45 Ball Park Road in Laurelton or call 922-4773, 922-1342, or 922-4397 to order.
The West End Library is open from 1 to 8 p.m. Monday and Thursday, from 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Tuesday and Friday, and from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday. The library will be closed for Thanksgiving.