The Reach Center

Director Geni Morrow reports on new yoga and canning classes, taught by neighbors Astrid Wolf-O’Hern and Sherry Wellborn, respectively. The kitchen is available for potlucks and for food preserving and baking. There are more fitness classes than ever. The big change outside is the garden, at an early stage of laying down cardboard, manure, and leaves. The garden design includes pathways, seating, a green house, and attractive signing and planting along Harris Street. David Stucky and Sherry Wellborn are coordinating neighbor work parties and contributions of expertise and materials.

The Masonic Cemetery

Cemetery Board member Karen Seidel reports on the surprising discovery of a buried grave stone for Mary Lambert, d. 1891. David Lynch found a pitchfork and noticed nearby a corner of the monument. It has been cleaned and reset.

Tim Pierce and Donna Payne donated a weather vane for the garden shed. The one-hundred year old vane shows a galloping horse with flying mane.

John Rose installed six more stained glass windows in Hope Abbey.

The Cemetery Board plans to restore the camas prairie for the health of local grasses and the brilliant spring blossoming.

Temple Beth Israel

In keeping with the congregation’s stewardship of the environment, Temple Beth Israel’s Judaica Gift Shop offers a wide range of gift items based on fair trade, which “promotes economic partnerships based on equality, justice and sustainable agricultural practices. Workers are paid a fair price for their work, and the producers are encouraged to invest a part of their profits back into local communities.” Shop hours posted at www.tbieugene.org.

Camas Ridge Community School

Two hundred and seventy nine students came to school this fall to see footings for the new outdoor classroom, enlarged garden space to include a butterfly garden, and a line of evergreens providing a screen to separate the playground from the rush of traffic on 30th. To assist with the new construction or to garden with students: cawullenhotmail.com.