The
INSIDE Energy Matters
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Sheriff’s Log
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Poison hemlock dangers
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VOLUME 35, NUMBER 26 • June 26, 2012
China – a year of growing, learning and teaching By Cali Bagby
Jessica Burton has hundreds of memories from her time in China, but one that sticks out is teaching a young blind girl to play basketball. As the girl shot and missed the net for nearly a half-hour, other students came to cheer her on. Finally, the ball went in. The crowd went wild. Another girl, who lived an extremely
Lopez Center
impoverished life, said to Burton, “It makes me so happy that someone that has so little can achieve something so amazing.” It made 17-year-old Burton look at the world differently – with new-found perspective. “I really grew,” Burton said about the year she spent in China teaching the blind and poor minor-
Save the Date
4th of July BBQ At the Lopez Center after the parade! Noon-2:30 pm or when the burgers run out. Misty Isle All Natural Beef Burger Or Vegetarian Burger w/Coleslaw by Vitas and Chips $9 Soda and Juice: $1 each Anacortes Brewery Beer: $4
ity Chinese students at the GuiZhou Forerunner College in a rural province of southern China. Her parents, Nigel and Anne Burton, have been volunteering for the China Red Cross for the Blind – Bright Angel Fund for years. In the last two years, they have worked to build the school and help fund tuition. Opened in 2011, GuiZhou is the first college in China that is not government operated, but has official degrees recognized by the ministry of education. Anne said it may be hard for blind students to get a job even if they graduate, but the Bright Angel Fund is working with international companies like Microsoft to set up work possibilities. “The biggest problem in
China for blind kids is that they basically get education up to middle school,” Anne said. “In poorer provinces, there are two problems: poor kids don’t go to high school and secondly for blind kids there is not a blind high school and exams there [similar to the American SAT] are not in Braille.” And for the crucial first year of the school, the whole Burton family, including 14-year-old Sophie, relocated to China to help. “More blind students need a lot of staff, part of the building was still under construction. Volunteers are needed to make sure the environment is safe,” Anne said. “It was complicated … we needed to be there for the first year.” See China, page 8
Lopez Artist Guild Art Show Featuring Members:
Contributed photo
Jessica Burton, left, Cher Wang, center, owner of HTC Corporation – she also provided funds for the capital building of the college and a student, right.
Nancy Edwards, Jules McLeland, Richard Singer and Joan Thomas
Opening Reception:
Friday, June 29th from 5:00 – 7:00pm
Lopez Community Fireworks
Lopez Center for Community & the Arts
Lopez Center
Live in Concert
Wednesday, July 3rd, 7 pm
will be presenting our fantastic 4th of July show soon!
We are supported solely by your donations! When you see our donation cans at your local stores, please give generously & show your Lopezian spirit! Thank you for your support & enthusiasm.
See you there!
Abbey Road Live! Outside weather permitting
Purchase tickets early! www.lopezcenter.org, PSR, Lopez Bookshop, Blossom Organic Grocery
Pick-Your-Own!
Tues. & Fri. 9–3 • For info, call 4748
C rowfoot farm