Roanoke-area parliamentarians to celebrate group's 50th year

The Roanoke Valley Unit of the National Association of Parliamentarians will mark 50 years of promoting orderly meetings and good decision-making at 10 a.m. Sept. 13 in the fellowship hall of the First United Methodist Church in Salem.

The Roanoke Valley group is Virginia's only recognized unit of the National Association of Parliamentarians west of Charlottesville.

The public is welcome at the celebration, where members of the Roanoke Valley Women's Club, which chartered the unit in 1963, will be recognized.

Ethel Born, unit historian and archivist, will lead the celebration program, "Fifty Years of the NAP-RV Unit - Don't be Caught Napping."

Unit meetings are held at First United Methodist Church on the second Friday of each month at 10 a.m.

Those interested in the celebration or attending unit meetings should contact Jennie Sue Murdock at jswfmurd@verizon.net or call 389-6733.

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The Roanoke Rescue Mission has received grants to help buy medical supplies for its free clinic and food for the food service division.

Elbyrne G. Gill Eye & Ear Foundation awarded a $2,000 grant to purchase prescription and over-the-counter eye and ear drops for the Rescue Mission's G. Wayne Fralin Free Clinic for the Homeless.

Last year, the clinic provided $2.7 million in clinical care to those who might not have otherwise received it.

The Elbyrne G. Gill foundation was started in December 1957 under the auspices of the Lions Clubs of District 24-C, E & F.

Volunteers staff the eye clinic at the Rescue Mission. To volunteer ,contact Leslie Littlefield at 777-7651 or leslie.littlefield@rescuemission.net.

The Wal-Mart Foundation, through its Local Giving Program, awarded a $1,500 grant to provide meals to residents at the mission and to the homeless in the community.

The mission provided 331,486 meals last year. It has served as a Christian crisis intervention center since 1948. It receives no government funding and is supported by donations.

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The SunTrust Foundation gave Apple Ridge Farm a $5,000 scholarship grant that allowed 10 youth to attend an academic camp this summer at the Copper Hill facility.

More than 70,000 inner-city and public housing youth have attended camp and after-school programs at Apple Ridge Farm, which is celebrating its silver anniversary this year.

President and founder Peter Lewis said he "feels so blessed to have the wonderful support from community partners like the SunTrust Foundation.''

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The Grayson County Board of Supervisors has awarded Feeding America Southwest Virginia a $20,000 appropriation for its Mobile Food Pantry, a food distribution pantry that serves the county.

"We're grateful for the support of partner localities like Grayson County. Without their help, the Mobile Food Pantry program wouldn't be able to provide food for residents of the county who live in remote locations," said Pamela Irvine, president and CEO of Feeding America Southwest Virginia.

The Mobile Food Pantry was established in 2012 with a gift from the United Company Charitable Foundation of Bristol and currently serves the counties of Buchanan, Grayson and Dickenson. Food deliveries are made to eight designated sites once a month. On average, 10,000 pounds of food, enough to feed approximately 200 families, is distributed at each location.

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