Blaine Family Service Center

The Holidays are Coming
If you are interested in participating in winter holiday giving that helps local families, contact Andrée before November 1st.

October 2002 Calendar
Oct. 7 -11 - Preventive Dental Program
Oct. 8 - “Raising Your Spirited Child” meets in Elementary School Library at 7 pm
Oct. 9 - Parent Discussion Group – Join us in an open discussion of parenting. 9-10 am, in the Annex.*
Oct. 9 - Blaine Family Service Center Advisory Board meeting. 12 noon.
Oct. 16 - Parent Discussion Group - Ask the Lawyer. Bring your legal questions to Jeff Arntzen and Roger Ellingson for some free advice. 9-10 am, in the Annex.*
Oct. 23 - Parent Discussion Group – Join us in an open discussion of parenting. 9-10 am, in the Annex.*
Oct. 30 - Parent Discussion Group – Join us in an open discussion of parenting. 9-10 am, in the Annex.*
Nov. 8 - Parent Discussion Group – Barbara Rofkar of Family Mediation and Counseling Services joins the group. 9-10 am, in the Annex.*
* Located at 765 H Street.

Ask the Lawyer
Back by popular demand, attorneys Jeff Arntzen and Roger Ellingson will join the Parent Discussion Group’s October 16th meeting. Roger Ellingson is a full service, hometown lawyer, specializing in serving the needs of a small community. Jeff Arntzen specializes in real estate, family law, and estate planning. Together, they can answer most any of your legal questions. Join our open legal discussion at the Service Center Annex, 765 H Street, from 9 -10 a.m. Childcare, pastries and mediocre coffee provided, as always.

Free Preventive Oral Health Care Program
The Blaine Family Service Center, in collaboration with the Blaine School District and Preventive Dental Services Inc., will again provide free preventive dental care to qualifying kindergarten through fifth-grade students. This service includes an oral health assessment, teeth cleaning, fluoride treatment, preventive education, sealant diagnosis and placement, parent follow-up, and referrals for treatment of dental problems to our local Medicaid/CHIP approved dentist Dr. Rooney.

Students who have Medicaid Coupons, Basic Health Plus, Healthy Options, CHIP, (or are eligible for these programs) and do not have dental care every six months are eligible to receive preventive dental services through this program. To find out if you qualify, call Andrée at the Service Center.

To get a dental appointment for your child, submit the permission slip your child brought home to your school office. If you cannot find the form, call the Service Center. Appointments are available October 7th-11th, in the mobile dental clinic. Parents are encouraged to accompany their child. Also, read about "Tough teeth to face the future" by clicking here.

Raising Your Spirited Child
FREE classes based on the best-selling book
“Raising Your Spirited Child,” by Mary Sheedy Kurcinka, is a guide for parents whose child is more: more intense, more sensitive, more perceptive, more persistent, more energetic. Living with these children is both a joy and a frustration. Using the book as a springboard, this course will help parents identify, understand, and cope with spirited children.
• Understand your child’s - and your own
temperament.
• Cope with tantrums and blowups when
they do occur.
• Develop strategies for handling mealtimes, bedtimes, holidays, school, and many other situations.
• Meet other parents of spirited children.
The course includes a FREE copy of the book, additional materials on emotion coaching, class discussions, and practice activities to build communication and coping skills. The first meeting takes place at the Elementary School Library at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, October 8th. Future meetings will be scheduled as a group.

Home Visits
The Service Center is piloting a new project aimed at introducing all Blaine-area families to our services. We’re sending two of our finest, Lila Salmonson and Lauren Koslowsky, out of the office and into area homes for short, informational chats. These home visits are meant to take the mystery out of what goes on in the “little house on the corner.” The Service Center is especially interested in getting the word out about our Parent Discussion Group, free parenting workshops, Free/Reduced Lunch and Medicaid eligibility and the upcoming dental screening program. The ladies have begun with families with Kindergarten-aged students, but will quickly add more grades and schools to their family call lists.

Lila is a long-time Blaine resident, a high-quality person and a product of the Blaine School District. Her own children now go to Blaine Primary and Elementary. Lauren is our second-year intern from WWU, who has admirably returned after a summer away.

So if you receive a call from the Family Service Center rest assured, agreeing to a visit will mean a plate of cookies, a children’s book, and a positive, casual and (hopefully) enlightening visit to your home (no cleaning required, please!). We look forward to talking with you.


Celebrity Letters
By Lauren Koslowsky
I have Bill Cosby’s autograph! Last spring, he sent the service center a signed children’s book. No, our fame hasn’t reached Hollywood yet. Last year I wrote a dozen letters, added children’s books and pre-paid return envelopes and sent the bundle to my favorite celebrities. We are intending to give the books away during enrichment programs or “Family Fun Nights.” I also sent out an extremely admiring letter in each package buttering up each celebrity to inspire empathy for our cause. My sentiments only seemed to work on Bill Cosby. Arnold Schwarzenegger did send a polite, yet firm, rejection letter.

This year, my focus has shifted to local major league sports teams. The Seattle Mariners, Sonics and Seahawks are my next prey in the name of charity. I’ve also gathered the official addresses of Governor Gary Locke and Senator Patty Murray.

It’s been rumored Wayne Gretzky owns a house in Blaine; he’s next on my list. It looks like I’m going to need some help, though, if I’m going to add to the lonely Cosby dedication. Do you have any first or second hand celebrity connection? Was your brother’s wife’s cousin Kevin Bacon’s college roommate? Everyone: call all of the celebrities you know, TONIGHT, and ask them to “sign on” with our celebrity book project. Gentle reminder: for those of you who know Brad Pitt and Whoopie Goldberg, I’ve already tried them.