Thanks
for saving us
My husband and I were in a car accident on Feb. 17 on Highway 20.
This does not seem adequate to thank those of you who helped us, but we would not have survived our accident without the assistance of many people.
I especially would like to thank the person who helped cut me from the seat belt, as my car caught fire and they pulled my husband and I to safety. Thank you so much!
We will survive with some broken bones to mend, but we will make it.
Also, thanks to the police, EMTs, doctors, nurses, airlift and others who helped us with all the emergency medical care we needed.
I know I had a collapsed lung as well as a head wound, and we both had several broken bones.
Thank you so much for working to save us. You are my heroes, and we thank God for each of you being there at the time.
May God bless each of you as you continue your work.
Julie and Willie Wilhelm
Volunteers help
in taxing times
A huge thank you is due to the 25 AARP Tax Aide Volunteers who provided free tax assistance to 1,004 Whidbey Island residents this year.
The volunteer aides who gave over 1,578 hours are Tom Adams, Stan Alexander, Janell Baker, Tom Baxter, Karen Bishop, John Bolte, James Bruner, Winson Ewing, Roger Foley, Sharon Godfrey, George Haglund, Jim Hossfeld, John Howard, Edward Hueneke, Kurt Jaehning, Colleen Johnson, Kristy Knickrehm, Teddy Rees, Dustin Remick, Maddie Rose, Chuck Starkey, Steve Stradtman, Stella Tandecki, Ed Van Patten, Margaret Vasquez and Shelle Wolfman.
Thank you again to Sno-Isle libraries in Oak Harbor and Coupeville; Skagit Valley College, South Whidbey Senior Center in Bayview and Service Alternatives who provided support with rooms, storage, and coffee for the clients and workers.
Appreciated also is the support from the island media and all the sites that allowed posters. Thank you everyone.
Karen Bishop
Tax Aide coordinator
Prosecutor has happy employees
I feel the need to express my opinion regarding recent articles concerning Prosecuting Attorney Greg Banks. I’ve worked in the Prosecuting Attorney’s office for about four years and I was here during the election. It was a very difficult time to go through and extremely stressful.
Now, however, we have a terrific staff. Greg is doing a great job! Employees who work in this office are happy and are working well as a team under his leadership. It’s really sad that this turmoil has to continue reappearing and bringing back all the unpleasant memories from the past.
It would benefit the public more to focus on allowing Greg Banks and his staff to do their jobs serving the public instead of having to deal with all this negativity.
Susie Coleman
Greenbank
It’s our local
Red Cross
This question has come up frequently, leading me to believe the public doesn’t know that our local Island County Chapter of the American Red Cross is consistently busy.
In addition to offering classes in CPR, first aid, babysitting, disaster response, aquatics and more, our Oak Harbor chapter helps our community prepare for disasters by selling First Aid and disaster kits and maintaining a communications radio in the event traditional communication methods are lost. Your local Red Cross has volunteers trained and ready to respond to disasters such as earthquakes, tsunamis, etc.
The American Red Cross is not a government agency and does not receive government funding either from the government or from national headquarters of the American Red Cross. Instead, each chapter relies entirely on contributions of those in their community to keep operations going.
Many who donate to the Red Cross don’t realize that contributions they wish to stay in their local chapter must be marked as such or they will go directly to national headquarters and not directly benefit their chapter.
Our Island County Red Cross chapter fields calls and takes emergency messages for military personnel and provides volunteers to work in Naval Hospital Oak Harbor.
Island County Red Cross has over 100 volunteers currently working on Whidbey Island and these volunteers donate an average of 300 to 350 hours each month.
Many businesses in Oak Harbor rely on the Island County Red Cross to teach First Aid and CPR classes and many families enjoy our local swimming pool where instructors and lifeguards are certified by the American Red Cross.
Our local American Red Cross chapter has recently moved to the bright yellow building on Dock Street in downtown Oak Harbor. Please stop in and see how you can help your community.
Erika Miller
Oak Harbor
Fighting for
what I believe
I am writing this in regards to Mr. Oliver’s April 12 “Sound Off” concerning the youth football league here in Oak Harbor.
First off it is terrible to think that a child would play to please their parents! I know for a fact that my children play because they love the sport and because they want to be an asset to the team, not because they are above or better than any child they play with. My children will be loved more for doing and being who they are rather than being who I would choose them to be.
It greatly concerns me that he would keep referring to me as “the new transfer” or what I wouldn’t know because “this is only your first year here in Oak Harbor.” I’m hoping that more and more military people read this and realize how his comments are condescending to all of us
I will be the first to say I have not hid my feelings about what I saw to be unacceptable on my son’s football team, but to say he would no longer be coaching because of me . . . Wow! I must be a pretty powerful woman to be a “newly transfered person” and have immediate action taken on my word.
All I can say is for those of you who chose to stay behind your closed doors and not represent yourselves, thank you for allowing Mr. Oliver to give me all the credit for your hard work and your time. I am a mother of six and my spouse is attached to VAQ 131 and is deployed with the USS Abraham Lincoln. I am a single parent so yes, I often tend to be emotional when it comes to my children. I would never say that I am perfect in everything I do or say: but this I know, I’m hoping my children learn that it is better to stand for what you believe than be a coward and never fight for what you believe in fear of a community that has shown no respect for the people (military families) who help and play a major role in the making of this community.
Tonya Dye
Oak Harbor
Travels show Americans liked
Concerning Bonnie Abney’s April 9 letter, “Pundits wrong about my vote.”
This letter was fascinating until she wrote how the world views Americans. She testifies that people from other borders and across the seas regard us disappointingly. I disagree for the following reasons.
I have traveled the last four years to Austria, Berlin, Hamburg and Fusion, Germany, Paris, France, mainland China and Hong Kong. My wife and I have always been treated exceptional with the utmost respect and helped by the people of these countries. The only few that were rude for us being Americans were the immigrants in these countries and you all know who I’m writing about.
So, until you have traveled and had a firsthand experience with these folks don’t let the liberal media, television, and the bloated politicians influence how you speak of these countries and their people. There are more hatemongers in our own country. And please don’t tell me to move.
Regarding Barack Hussein Obama, I believe he is the most liberal and least experienced person in Washington. As long as the terrorist attacks stay on the East Coast people here in the West should sleep easily. As you are aware Washington state will help put your man in the general election.
William Ludlow
Oak Harbor
