Fire fund paying out
The Community Foundation announced its plans to pay out the more than $500,000 that have been pledged or given to the Boulder Mountain Fire Relief Fund by Thanksgiving.
The first round of grants was expected to be distributed this week.
Individuals and families affected by the fire can apply for assistance from the fund by visiting mountain fire stations or the foundation’s website, www.commfound.org.
Completed applications are due to the foundation by Oct. 25.
About $140,000 has been given by almost 500 individuals and families, including two boys and their mother, who brought in the $44.96 they raised at a lemonade stand.
Another $300,000 has been raised by KBCO and concert promoters AEG LIVE in ticket sales from the Oct. 9 Fourmile Canyon Revival concert Other noteworthy contributions to the fund include $50,000 from the Amgen Foundation, $20,000 from Kaiser Permanente, $15,000 from Celestial Seasonings and $10,000 from the Greenlee Family Foundation.
For more information, call 303- 442-0436.
Fairview events on tap
Fairview High School is celebrating its 50th anniversary this weekend, starting with a homecoming tailgate party for alumni before the football game on Oct. 15.
On Saturday, Oct. 16, there will be an open house from 1 to 4 p.m., a faculty/staff reunion at 1 p.m., a choir reunion at 2 p.m., cake and music in the Student Center at 3 p.m., and a band reunion performance at 3:30 p.m. on the football field.
For more information, contact Jenny McCarthy at 720-561-5329.
In related news, the Fairview High School Speech and Debate team is hosting a pancake breakfast on Oct. 17 in an effort to raise money to support its travel throughout the state.
Participation in weekly speech and debate tournaments can cost upwards of $500 each weekend, so the team needs to raise about $15,000.
The breakfast will be held from 7:30 to 10 a.m. at Applebee’s Bar and Grill, at 1906 28th St. in Boulder.
The price is $7 for all-you-can-eat pancakes and eggs. For each ticket sold, the team receives $5.
Controversial doc to speak
Andrew Wakefield, the controversial United Kingdom physician who asserted there is a link between vaccines and autism, will be speaking in the Boulder Public Library Auditorium at 6 p.m. on Oct. 20. The event is free.
Once a rare occurrence, Autistic Spectrum Disorders (ASD) now affects more than 1 in 100 children. An association between childhood vaccinations, specifically the MMR (measles, mumps and rubella) vaccine and autism was suggested in 1998, when Wakefield and his colleagues at the Royal Free Hospital in London published a case study in a medical journal describing 12 children suffering from a combination of autistic regression and bowel symptoms.
The paper, and Wakefield’s subsequent recommendation that children be given single vaccines rather than combinations, created a national controversy in the U.K. Wakefield was hailed as a hero by parents of affected children, but at the same time came under attack by public health officials, the pharmaceutical industry and the General Medical Council in the U.K., which accused him of ethical violations.
His findings triggered a nationwide panic that saw a drastic decline in vaccination, which was followed by a measles outbreak that hospitalized more than a thousand children.
UCAR hosts veterans job fair
Veterans in the Boulder-Denver area will be the focus of a job fair being held Oct. 19 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.
The event, co-sponsored by the University Corporation for Atmospheric Research (UCAR) and Workforce Boulder County, will take place at UCAR’s Center Green campus at 3080 Center Green Dr. Area companies need to fill about 200 positions over the next six to 12 months in manufacturing, security, transportation, administration, food service, custodial, computing and retail, says Nancy Wade of UCAR human resources.
Representatives from Abound Solar, University of Colorado, Home Depot, G4S Wackenhut, Express Employment Professionals, National Ecological Observatory Network (NEON), Ball Aerospace and UCAR will be on site to talk with veterans about available and upcoming positions.
Workforce Boulder County Executive Director Tom Miller estimates that more than 600 veterans are unemployed in the area.
Meet the spirits
Historic Boulder’s biennial Meet the Spirits event will be held on Sunday, Oct. 17, from noon to 5 p.m. at Columbia Cemetery, at Ninth and Pleasant streets in Boulder.
This opportunity to meet some of Boulder’s most dearly departed will feature the “spirits” of Mary Rippon, Tom Horn, Eben Fine, “Rocky Mountain Joe” and Ladies of the Evening. Get into the Halloween spirit with Victorian mourners, funeral music and a vintage re-enactment of a solemn Masonic burial service by members of Columbia Lodge #14.
In the event of rain/snow, Meet the Spirits will be postponed until Sunday, Oct. 24, from noon to 5 p.m.
The event is sponsored by Historic Boulder Inc. and the City of Boulder Parks and Recreation Department, with proceeds to benefit Columbia Cemetery and Historic Boulder. Admission is $10 for adults and $5 for seniors and children 16 and younger. Tickets may be purchased in advance at the Historic Boulder office, 1123 Spruce St., or on the day of the tour at the Columbia Cemetery gate. For more information or to order tickets using a credit card, call 303-444-5192. More information is also online at historicboulder.org.
County needs male mentors
Boulder County is looking for volunteers — especially men — willing to dedicate their time on a weekly basis to help local teens achieve positive life changes.
The Boulder County Community Services Mentor Program is seeking adults who can work well with teens, be a positive role model and commit to three hours of mentoring per week. Volunteer time essentially consists of activities enjoyed by participants, whether it is going to a ball game, watching a movie or just grabbing a bite to eat.
Volunteers are required to complete training and commit to mentor a teen for one year. The training will be held the evenings of Oct. 19 and Oct. 21. Mentors will meet with their teens once a week for several hours according to a flexible schedule that meets their needs and the schedule of their mentees. Mentors can plan activities in line with their interests.
The deadline to apply for the program is Oct. 15. For more information or to sign up, contact Janice Allan of the Justice System Volunteer Program at 303-441-3718 or jallan@bouldercounty.org.
Respond: letters@boulderweekly.com
