ISSAQUAH | SAMMAMISH
Friday, September 16, 2011
www.issaquahreporter.com
9-11 Issaquah memorial recalls that tragic day BY NAT LEVY REPORTER NEWSPAPERS
Cycle the WAVE organizers, from left, Melody Scherting, volunteer director; Sharon Anderson, executive director; and Nancy Belur, development director, pose for a portrait on the start trail of the ride at Tibbetts Valley Park in Issaquah. CHAD COLEMAN, Issaquah & Sammamish Reporter
DOMESTIC VIOLENCE
DID YOU KNOW?
4 years ago, women bicyclists decided to make a statement, now they are making a difference
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BY GABRIELLE NOMURA ISSAQUAH REPORTER
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hink of four women right now. They could be coworkers, friends, acquaintances, neighbors or loved ones; wives, mothers, partners, daughters or sisters. Now, still thinking of those women, know this: One of them will be a victim of domestic violence in her lifetime. It was this staggering fact that helped inspire an annual Eastside event four years ago: Cycle the Wave (Women Against Violence Everywhere). This noncompetitive bicycle ride for women Sunday puts 100 percent of proceeds toward helping victims of domes-
tic violence. “So often, women put their families or careers first, but this is something they can do for themselves,� said Sharon Anderson, executive director of the event and an avid cyclist. Last year, Cycle the Wave brought in more than 800 riders, 100 volunteers and $80,000. This year, more than 1,000 women have registered. Anderson and her fellow organizers, the Lakemont Ladies Cycling Club and Rising Star Guild, aimed to create a program that would help women be more fit, while benefiting a great cause at the same time. But Anderson couldn’t anticipate what an empowering SEE DOMESTIC VIOLENCE, 5
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For millions of Americans waking up on Sept. 11, 2001, it was supposed to be just another Tuesday. They went about their routines and got ready for the day. Slowly news started trickling out that something had gone wrong, that the country had been attacked. “Is this a joke?� Issaquah resident Natalie Leach, then living in Plano, Texas, wondered after hearing of the attacks during a comedic morning radio show. Ten years later, that day remains entrenched in the collective mind of the country. Memorials across the nation, including a gathering outside Issaquah City Hall, served as a reminder of shared loss – and appreciation for those who fought to save the victims. Natalie and her husband, Tom, were among a crowd of approximately 100 people, including a number of military veterans and members of Eastside Fire and Rescue, in attendance for the tribute. Sunday’s memorial featured a speech by the mayor, and a first-hand account of the chaos at Ground Zero from Bill Lokey, who was with the Federal Emergency Management Agency at the time. Lokey was on site of the 1995 bombing of the Oklahoma City Federal building as well, but there could be no comparison to the destruction in New York and Washington D.C., that led to the deaths of 2,977 people. “One of the things that struck a lot of us was, as a difference from Oklahoma City, where in the rubble there were desks and SEE 9-11, 12