Camp Discovery Raffle

When you're facing a battle with cancer, moments of fun and respite can be like a breath of fresh air.

Camp Discovery provides such a breath of fresh air, as well as activities to help keep the heart pumping and the spirit soaring.

Based in Salmon, Camp Discovery provides free multiday river adventure programs to youth and adults with cancer. The educational outdoor experiences are designed by counselors and outdoor professionals to help build and restore physical, spiritual and emotional strength.

Camp Discovery is holding a statewide raffle to help provide scholarships for teen and young adult cancer survivors to attend adventure programs this summer on the Salmon River.

First prize is an AIRE Outfitter II, a two-person inflatable kayak ($1,379 value). Second prize is a one- day fall guided steelhead fishing trip with Idaho Adventures in Salmon ($350 value).

The raffle ends Saturday, June 27. Tickets are $10 each or 5 for $40 and are available at www.campdiscoveryidaho.org/upcoming-events.asp or(208) 303-0040.

BSU - Boise State Auction

A balance of academics and athletics helps create well-rounded individuals as well as vibrant universities. To that end, the Bronco Athletic Association and Boise State Alumni Association are teaming up to help raise money for academic and athletic scholarships with the Boise State Auction. The black-tie event will be held on Saturday, May 9 at the Boise Centre on The Grove.

The biennial event is Boise State’s largest fundraising event. This year’s theme is "Building a Lasting Legacy". In its 14th year, the Boise State Auction has raised millions of dollars to benefit student scholarships, both academic and athletic.

The special honorees for the 2009 Boise State Auction are Lyle and Eleanor Smith. Lyle Smith, who is considered to be the father of Boise State football, was Boise Junior College’s head football coach from 1947 to 1967 and served as the Bronco athletic director until his retirement in 1981. Korey Hall, a former Boise State Bronco who now plays with the Green Bay Packers, also will be a guest.

Tickets are $150 per person and are available at www.boisestateauction.com or by calling 426-2570.

Idaho Rivers United – Auction for the Rivers

In Idaho, our lives are guided by water.  From the rivers we enjoy for recreation to the water systems that provide our agricultural base, water has a dramatic impact on our economy, biodiversity and daily lives.

With such a vital force at stake, there are often competing interests on how to navigate the complexities of water use.  Idaho Rivers United helps to steer the course for current and future waves in river protection and the ecological integrity of our rivers.

They accomplish this through a variety of means, with an emphasis on citizen involvement.  Buoyed by over 3500 members, IRU involves their volunteers and members in the protection of our wild rivers, keeping our drinking water clean, defending at-risk populations of fish, establishment of instream flows, and minimizing the impacts of dams on Idaho's rivers.

You can help guide the future of Idaho’s rivers by participating in IRU’s 14th Annual Auction for the Rivers on Saturday, November 15th  at the Boise Train Depot.  The event will feature over 100 items including a wide array of outdoor gear from boats to fly fishing ties,artwork, spa care, river trips, ski weekends, and guided fishing trips. 

In addition to the silent auction bidding at the event, IRU is holding an online auction for a select group of items including a seat on a Costa Rica river trip, a variety of guided raft trips, and a ski weekend in Sun Valley.  A link to the online auction is available on www.idahorivers.org.  Bidding will close the night of the Auction for the Rivers event.

Tickets to the event are $10 for members and $15 for the general public.  Hors d’oeuvres will be provided and there will be no-host bar.  Free admission is offered to those who join Idaho Rivers United at the door.

For tickets and more information, call  343-7481 or visit www.idahorivers.org.

Bike MS - Road Sweat & Gears 2008

There are few activities more satisfying than a bicycle ride through the mountains on a summer day.  Add friends and festivities to the picture and you have the components for a perfect weekend.

The Idaho Division of the National Multiple Sclerosis (MS) Society has assembled all the workings for such a perfect weekend with its 2008 Bike MS: Road, Sweat and Gears Ride in McCall and Donnelly.  On Saturday, August 23 and Sunday, August 24th, more than 200 cyclists are expected to ride to raise support for this unpredictable, often disabling disease of the central nervous system.

Using Camp Pinewood in McCall as their base, participants can choose from 20, 40 and 60 mile routes offered on Saturday and 25 and 50 mile routes offered on Sunday.  There is also an intermediate mountain bike ride out of Jug Mountain Ranch being offered on Sunday.

After riding each day there will be entertainment offered at the finish line celebration.  Activities for participants and supporters at the camp throughout the weekend will include frisbee golf, miniature golf, river tubing, and volleyball.  Massage therapists will be on hand to offer relief for sore muscles.

Every rider is required to raise a minimum of $200.  Funds raised will support direct services for the more than 1,800 people with MS and their families in Idaho as well as to help fund national MS research.

Multiple sclerosis interrupts the flow of information from the brain to the body and stops people from moving.  MS affects more than 400,000 people in the U.S., and 2.5 million worldwide.

The Idaho Division of the National MS Society offers several programs including newly diagnosed support, educational programs, wellness programs, publications, self-help groups and financial assistance.

Entry fees for the ride are $20 team, $30 individual and $50 on the day of the ride. For more information, please call 388-1998 or visit www.msidaho.org

Regence Caring Foundation for Children – Golf Tournament

Most of us can recall going to the dentist as a child, wondering if our Halloween candy gave us cavities, and how long we would have to sit still in the chair.  Sometimes we might have dragged our feet wondering why our parents made us do this, not knowing how important healthy teeth and gums were for our overall wellbeing.

Studies have shown that a lack of proper dental care for children can lead to speech impediments, life-threatening infections, school absenteeism, and many other problems.  Having access to basic dental care now can help children avoid severe health problems when they are older, such as kidney, heart and liver disease. 

In 2007, the Regence Caring Foundation for Children provided 634 uninsured Idaho schoolchildren with dental care.  These exams, cleanings, and other treatments provided helped ensure a brighter, healthier future for all of these children. 

On Friday, August 15, you can enjoy a great day of golf and help the Foundation continue bringing much-needed dental care to Idaho’s uninsured children.  Think you can hit a hole-in-one?  Tee up for better dental health for our kids, and a chance to win a Lexus!

Registration at BanBury Golf Course opens at 7 a.m., with a golf clinic on the driving range at 8 a.m. and the start of the tournament at 9 a.m. 

Individuals can register for the tournament and clinic for $250, and teams of four can enter for $1,000. Registration includes green fees, use of a cart, barbecue lunch, beverages and prizes, which will be awarded to winning teams and also for men’s and women’s longest drive and men’s and women’s closest to the pin.  For more information, call (208) 395-7741.

BCIFH & Idaho Youth Ranch - Blue Cruise Wheels for Wellness

A summer bicycle ride with friends and family is a favorite summer activity for many Idahoans. Whether as a leisurely ride or a more strenuous one, it is a great way to get in shape while enjoying the outdoors.

You can promote wellness while helping Idaho families by participating in the 6th annual Blue Cruise Wheels for Wellness on Sunday, August 10. With routes that range for recreational riders to the ardent athlete, this is a fun event for all.

The ride benefits the health education programs of the Idaho Youth Ranch and the Blue Cross of Idaho Foundation for Health.

The Idaho Youth Ranch (www.youthranch.org) provides help to troubled children and families. They maintain six residential treatment homes throughout Idaho, assisting youth with issues such as alcohol or drug abuse; abuse or neglect (physical, emotional, sexual or mental); family conflicts; mental health issues; consistently in trouble—at home, at school, or with the law; runaway or homelessness.

Blue Cross of Idaho Foundation for Health, an independent licensee of the Blue Cross Blue Shield Association, promotes and encourages the health and wellness of all Idaho residents.

Event festivities include an after-ride party complete with live blues music. Each registered rider will receive a tshirt and will be entered into a drawing for great prizes. Lunch tickets for non-riders are $5 each.

The bike ride is a part of the Treasure Valley Charity Bike Series (http://www.tvcbs.org). The series of four bike events to raise money for various charities also includes the Cycle for Independence, the Bob LeBow Bike Tour, and Bike MS.

Riders can choose from routes of 100 miles, 50 miles, 30 miles, and 15 miles. All routes start and finish at the Blue Cross of Idaho campus at the corner of Eagle Road and East Pine Avenue in Meridian.

Registration for riders age 16 and above is $35; under the age of 16 is $25. There is a $5 credit if you sign up before August 8.

Registration is available at http://www.bcidahofoundation.org/Events/Blue_Cruise/bluecruise.asp

Twiga Fdn and Dress for Success - Wild and Wacky Women's Whitewater Adventure

Ladies, grab your sunscreen and your water shoes, and get ready to hit the river to help those in need.

Patricia Kempthorne and Twiga Foundation's annual Wild and Wacky Women's Whitewater Adventure is hitting the waves on Friday, Aug. 22. This fun event is designed to raise money for Dress for Success, an organization that helps low-income women make tailored transitions into the workforce.

Patricia Kempthorne and her Twiga Foundation have been supporting Dress for Success since it began. The program provides women with an interview outfit, shoes, hair tips and make-up, but most importantly, a very large shot of self-esteem.

"Our numbers are up, and our funding is down. Everyone is struggling with this economy," said Dress for Success Executive Director Debi Foster. "A lot of these women have to choose between putting food on the table or putting gas in their car. They need jobs.

"We don't just provide them with an outfit. For one hour we get to pamper them, encourage them and help them put their best foot forward for an interview," she said.

The women have to come through a referring agency and must be actively in the job market.

The idea for the raft trip, now in its eighth year, started when Kempthorne included a float trip with governors' wives in the Teapot Extravaganza auction. It was such a hit that she decided to create an annual rafting trip for women to help Dress for Success through her Twiga Foundation, a nonprofit corporation dedicated to promoting family-consciousness at home, in the workplace and in the community.

"It is great fun," said Foster. "Debbie and Tom Long of Cascade Raft and Kayak Company have been fantastic. They provide the boats, the guides and a fabulous lunch. Several years ago they offered to cover all of the costs of the event so that all proceeds go to Dress for Success."

The raft trip will be down the Cabarton Run, a fun and safe section of the the Payette River that includes some Class 3 rapids.

The event starts at 9 a.m. and will conclude at 3 p.m. at the Cascade Raft and Kayak Company. Cost is $75.

If you can't join the gang on the river that day, you can be a "phantom floater" by making a donation of any amount to Dress for Success through the Twiga Foundation at www.twigafoundation.org.

Dress for Success, www.dressforsuccess.org, is at the Capital Christian Center in Meridian. It is open from 1 to 3 p.m. Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays. Donations are gladly accepted during those times. Items must be gently worn and on hangers.

E-mail Debidfs@aol.com to reserve your tickets for this fun event with these self-proclaimed wacky and wild women.

Idaho Black History Museum - Meeting of the Minds: Legends of Idaho Basketball Classic

The squeak of the parquet. The swish of the net. The roar of the crowd. On Saturday, you can see many of Idaho's legends joining together for tip-off at half-court at the Meeting of the Minds: Legends of Idaho Basketball Classic to benefit the Idaho Black History Museum.

The Idaho Black History Museum is the only museum in the Pacific Northwest dedicated to presenting the history of African-Americans in the region. It is housed in the St. Paul Baptist Church building in Julia Davis Park, which was built in 1921 and placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1982.

The museum's exhibits and programs are vital to preserving and expanding Idaho's cultural diversity. From York, the slave who accompanied Lewis and Clark in 1905 (and who is said to be the first of that expedition to set foot in Idaho), to current legends such as Cherie Buckner-Webb and Gene Harris, the Idaho Black History Museum educates all of us on how African-Americans have played a vital part in building our state's moral and civic fabric.

Come together with your family for this incredible event featuring 30 of Idaho's top high school and collegiate players. Paul J. Schneider will give the play by play of the moves by Orlando Lightfoot (University of Idaho), Geoff Goss (Boise High, Gonzaga University), Danny Bower (Caldwell High, Brigham Young University), Brian Sperry (Wallace High, Boise State) and other legends of Idaho basketball.

Tickets are $8 for children 12 and under and seniors (55 and up), and $12 for adults. A family four-pack (two adult and two children's tickets) is $35. Tipoff is at 7:30 p.m. at Qwest Arena.

To reserve tickets, call 433-0017. For more information, visit www.ibhm.org.

World Sports Humanitarian Hall of Fame - Induction Ceremony

At a time when the majority of stories about sports stars seem to involve some form of lying or cheating, it is refreshing to hear that there are many sports figures who are committed to using their talents and fame to improve the world.  Right here in Idaho, we have the World Sports Humanitarian Hall of Fame, which recognizes the outstanding contributions so many sports figures make to their communities.

The Hall of Fame, at Bronco Stadium on Boise State’s campus, has honored over thirty-five amazing people, and this year it welcomes three more.  These three stars go the extra mile to apply their efforts in helping others to achieve their dreams.  What a treasure for our community to have these reminders of how to give back!

Three-time Pro Bowl running back Warrick Dunn works to assist single moms and their children realize the dream of home ownership.  Basketball star Vlade Divac focuses his efforts on aiding refugees fleeing the fighting in Yugoslavia.  Skiing sensation Jimmie Heuga has worked for years to help those with multiple sclerosis to continue to lead active, healthy lives.

If you need a little inspiration, or if you would like to show positive examples to your children of what true sportsmen are, attend the Induction Ceremony on Tuesday, June 24.  The ceremony will be held at the Morrison Center at Boise State, and starts at 7:30 p.m.  Tickets are $10 for adults, $5 for students (college age and younger).  For more information, visit www.sportshumanitarian.com.

Easter Seals-Goodwill – Ally & Brady’s Gift of Hope Golf Tournament

Play time is important for people of all ages. As children it is one of the ways that we learn social skills and is a way to bond with those around us. As adults, we use it to unwind and to enjoy time with loved ones.

On Friday, July 25th and Saturday, July 26th, you can support play time at a variety of levels by participating in the Ally & Brady’s Gift of Hope Golf Tournament benefitting Easter Seals-Goodwill PLAY Project.

The P.L.A.Y. Project (Play and Language for Autistic Youngsters) is a nationally recognized program that provides in-home training and support for families of children age 14 months to 8 years with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD).

Trained P.L.A.Y. Consultants work with families in the home teaching them play-based, individualized intervention techniques. Unlike many therapies for children with autism, P.L.A.Y., which is based on the intervention method called “floortime,” gets all of the family members involved.

Easter Seals-Goodwill is the only provider of P.L.A.Y. Project in Idaho.

The golf tournament is named for the sister and brother team of Ally and Brady. Brady was diagnosed with ASD at age 4. Over the past several years, older sister Ally has been an active participant, teacher and mentor during Brady’s P.L.A.Y. sessions. Their parents have seen tremendous progress for both children through their participation in the program. Brady has made substantial developmental progress, while Ally has gained assertiveness and self-worth skills.

The family wanted to do something positive in the name of autism support and so created the Ally & Brady’s Gift of Hope Golf Tournament two years ago to raise funds for families receiving Easter Seals-Goodwill PLAY Project autism services in Idaho.

The tournament will be held at the Lakeview Golf Course in Meridian. The event includes a family potluck dinner and Calcutta on Friday night at Tully Park and golf and dinner on Saturday. Tickets are $100 per golfer or $400 for a team.

For more information or to register, call 378-9924 or www.esgw-nrm.easterseals.com