Help Needy Families With School Supplies

Help send every child to school this fall with a new box of crayons.

The “Kids Helping Kids Back To School” campaign is Friday and Saturday at locations throughout the region.

In its third year, the service project collects back-to-school items for families needing help with the increasing costs of pencils, paper and binders. The two-day drive is sponsored by the Inland Empire Council of Camp Fire Boys and Girls and KHQ-TV.

To participate, shop at any Spokane Rosauers, Kmart or Wal-Mart store or the downtown Office Depot. Purchase new school supplies - crayons, lunch boxes, pencil boxes, facial tissue, erasers, markers - and drop them into a collection barrel near the front of the store.

“Some people donate bags full of supplies, some donate a few items. It all adds up,” says Melinda Norman, a Camp Fire club leader and event organizer. “At the distribution centers, they’ll load up a new backpack full of school supplies, and when kids get it, their eyes light up.”

Norman’s daughter, Christie, helps inventory the supplies and enjoys the feeling of helping kids her own age.

“It’s more fun to go back to school with new things,” says Christie, who is entering third grade at St. John Vianney. “I would especially like to get a new pencil box.”

Items from the collection barrels are sorted and delivered to distribution centers such as Valley Center, Crosswalk and the Salvation Army.

This year, school backpacks are especially needed, as well as supplies for junior and senior high students, including compasses, calculators, pocket dictionaries and Thesauruses.

Cash donations are also appreciated. A tax-deductible contribution can be dropped off at a collection barrel, or mailed to: Camp Fire Boys and Girls, 154 S. Stevens, Spokane, WA 99204.

All donations remain in the community where they are collected. For the location of a collection site in surrounding cities (Cheney, Lewiston, Moscow, Pullman), call the Camp Fire office at (800) 386-2324.

Rag wrapping for lasting curls

To save money in the quest for beautiful hair, consider the art of rag wrapping.

Rag wrapping has been around for centuries but it’s recently regaining popularity, said Jeannie Hyer of Kettle Falls.

After seeing rag-wrapped curls on other girls and becoming delighted with the results on her own daughter, Hyer shares her rag wrapping techniques in a new booklet, “Curls Made Easy.”

“Rags give you a perm-like curl without the commitment,” Hyer said during a telephone interview. “Rag wraps are easy and convenient because you don’t need electricity or storage space. Rags won’t damage your hair like a curling iron, and the curl tends to last longer on (both) thin and thick hair.”

The booklet offers step-by-step instructions, including how to make your own wraps (five wraps are included with the guide). Hyer gives tips for styling hair along with photos showing the impressive results possible with a few feet of fabric.

To order, send $8.03 (includes tax and shipping) with your name and address to: Curls Made Easy, 291 Horseshoe Drive, Kettle Falls, WA 99141.

, DataTimes ILLUSTRATION: Drawing of pencils

MEMO: The Family Track is a weekly column of notes and information for families. Send items to Lynn Gibson, Features Department, P.O. Box 2160, Spokane, WA 99210-1615, or fax (509) 459-5098.