Eastern Washington University and Yakima Valley Community College are conducting community forums. The purpose of the community forums is to gather ideas about higher education needs in the lower Yakima Valley. We would like to know the type of four-year degree programs that would benefit students and local businesses and how the programs could be delivered.

Eastern Washington University and Yakima Valley Community College are trying to determine whether or not there is a need to offer baccalaureate programs at the YVCC-Grandview Campus. This research grant is funded by College Spark. College Spark funds programs that help low-income students become college-ready and earn their degrees. They make grants to organizations and institutions throughout Washington State that are helping low-income students improve their academic achievement, prepare for college life, and graduate from college.

Community forums will be held:

April 8–Grandview at Grandview Activity/Senior Center

April 13– Sunnyside at Denny Blaine Building

April 20– Prosser at Prosser Heights Elementary

Time: 6-8:00 p.m.

Spanish translation will be available.

Employers may also take part in an online survey at http://tinyurl.com/ewu-yvcc

Please share this information with others and help us to gather as much information as possible.

For more information: YVCC- Grandview 509.882.7016

KCTS 9 television is producing a one hour special addressing the issue of escalating gang violence across the state. We are interested in having you attend because we recognize that you are one of the many people in the community concerned with this issue. Please join us as an active member of our audience.

This event will take place in a town hall style program at the Capitol Theatre (Robertson Room) in Yakima on October 20^th, 2009. The show will air one week later on October 29^th at 7:00 PM and then again at 10:00 PM. Enrique Cerna will host the event and moderate discussion between a distinguished group of panelists. We will also show a number of pre-produced topical stories about how some communities are dealing with the issue, highlighting prevention programs, and the societal framework that must change.

Please arrive at the Capitol Theater (19 S 3rd Street in Yakima, WA 98901-2715) between 6-6:30 PM for a taping beginning at 7 PM.

Please feel free to send out this invitation to anyone you think would be interested in attending.  Please call or email us if you have any questions.

Sincerely,

Naser Masry | Production Coordinator | TEL  206.728.6463 . Ext. 4293  | Cell 425-442-8423  | 206.443.6691 FAX | Nmasry@kcts9.org

Hello Grandview,

We are hopeful that our neighborhood watch groups will take advantage of the information sharing capability that this site offers. Please visit us often and become a member, start a group for your neighborhood at www.i-neighbors.org

We are hoping that this newly upgraded site will assist our neighborhoods in communicating on issues specific to each geographic area in the 98930 zip code.

The website allows us to create neighborhood groups within our 98930 zip code area on an actual map of the area. You can then invite your neighbors to the site where you have a number of ways to communicate with your neighbors.

We encourage you to visit the site and use it to manage your neighborhood block watch communication and just get to know your neighbors.

Yours for a Safer Community,

Brad

The “26th Annual National Night Out” (NNO), a unique crime/drug prevention event sponsored by the National Association of Town Watch (NATW), has been scheduled for Tuesday, August 4, 2009.

In Grandview  from 5:30-7:30 p.m., everyone is invited to Westside Park located at 601 W Second for free food and entertainment. Actvities include face painting and inflatable jumpers. Come learn about Block Watch Programs forming in your neighborhoods.

Last year’s National Night Out campaign involved citizens, law enforcement agencies, civic groups, businesses, neighborhood organizations and local officials from over 15,000 communities from all 50 states, U.S. territories, Canadian cities and military bases worldwide. In all, over 37 million people participated in National Night Out 2008.

NATIONAL NIGHT OUT is designed to:

• Heighten crime and drug prevention awareness;
• Generate support for, and participation in, local anticrime programs;
• Strengthen neighborhood spirit and police-community partnerships; and
• Send a message to criminals letting them know that neighborhoods are organized and fighting back.

Along with the traditional display of outdoor lights and front porch vigils, cities, towns and neighborhoods ‘celebrate’ NNO with a variety of events and activities such as:

• block parties,
• cookouts,
• visits from local police and sheriff departments
• parades, exhibits,
• flashlight walks,
• contests, and
• youth programs.

NNO has proven to be an effective, inexpensive and enjoyable program to promote neighborhood spirit and police-community partnerships in our fight for a safer nation. Plus, the benefits your community will derive from NNO will most certainly extend well beyond the one night.

Do our students feel safe in our schools? Do they feel safe walking to and from school? Are our students healthy? Are they overweight, under-weight? Are they using drugs? These are all questions that were presented to the Grandview students.

A presentation on the school safety survey results will be presented. The Healthy Youth Survey is taken by students to find out their perceptions, attitudes, and behaviors regarding a wide range of health-related issues and is a collaborative effort between OSPI, the Department of Health, the Office of Community Development, and the Division of Alcohol and Substance Abuse.

Grandview United is currently surveying the community about some of these same issues. Surveys are available online at www.grandviewunited.org. The community is invited to participate in this survey. The data will be used to develop a data bank of people interested in providing mentoring or other skills with the youth of Grandview. The surveys focus on safety and activities that youth of Grandview would like to see in our community.

Grandview United will be hosting a community meeting on May 5th at 5:00 p.m. at Compass High School/Administration Building. The results of the Healthy Youth Survey as well as look at the current responses from the survey underway by Grandview United will be presented. Parents, students, and community members are invited to attend.

The surveys have been finalized ready to go! A new page has been added, Surveys and links to the surveys are now active.

Currently the surveys are only available in English but will soon be available in Spanish.

If you or your group would like to participate in the survey but do not have access to the computer; please contact us and we will provide a written copy.

The surveys will be open for several weeks in order to allow as many people who would like to participate in this process.