With the turn of the calendar it’s time to look ahead to Entertainment Explosion’s Really Big Shoe Six, a variety show billed as, “A musical journey through the golden age of television (1948-1970).”
Money raised through the benefit concert will go directly into eight South Sound school districts to meet the needs of homeless children and at-risk youth.
The concert, staged in partnership with Community Youth Services, will be held at 2 p.m. on Feb. 26, at the Washington Center for the Performing Arts in downtown Olympia.
Just one performance is planned, with tickets selling for $16 and $13, which includes a $3 per-ticket fee for the performing arts center.
Tickets are available at the center box office by calling 360-753-8586 or at OlyTix.org. Mark your calendars now for this terrific event.
Founded in 2006, Entertainment Explosion is a nonprofit performing troupe, featuring seniors 55 and older. In the first five years of the Really Big Shoe benefit concert, more than $100,000 has been raised to benefit needy youngsters.
With a growing number of South Sound children who have no permanent roof over their heads, this is an extremely worthwhile cause that merits broad community support. Besides, Entertainment Explosion’s musical performances are always top notch.
Thumbs down: Suicide rates
Joint Base Lewis-McChord reached an unwelcome milestone in 2011. The joint base, just north of Olympia on Interstate 5, recorded more soldier suicides than in any previous year.
Twelve soldiers took their lives in 2011, up from nine in 2010 and nine in 2009, Army I Corps spokesman Lt. Col. Gary Dangerfield said. The total could grow as the Army completes investigations ahead of its annual suicide report this month.
The unsettling truth is that the suicide toll at Lewis-McChord rose at a time when the military brass have launched new efforts to counsel and serve soldiers when they return home from the war zone.
The base has created a suicide-prevention office aimed at helping soldiers transition back to routine life and help them cope with stresses at home and in their work. “We take suicide very seriously,” Dangerfield said. “We’re going to continue to push the envelope to make sure soldiers get the resiliency training they need.”
More than 18,000 soldiers from the base served in Iraq and Afghanistan in 2009-10. The base is also larger than ever, with 34,000 soldiers stationed at the Pierce County military base, up from 19,000 before the war in Iraq started.
Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash., has been a national leader on veteran issues. She said the record number of base suicides is “a stark reminder that despite the military’s recent strides, their work has just begun.” Former Staff Sgt. Andrew Byrnes served with a Lewis-McChord soldier who killed himself in October. Byrnes believes much of the suicide training he personally went through was cursory. He said the effort would have been better spent fighting the stigma of seeking behavioral health services and giving soldiers individual attention. “The lack of support in the ranks is what really makes guys feel secluded,” said Byrnes, 26. “They’re cut off.”
That’s an issue that base officials must rectify. There is no shame in asking for assistance to cope with the trauma of wartime experiences.
Thumbs up: Bonus
The Washington state Health Care Authority is going to receive nearly $17 million as a federal bonus payment for having enrolled children in subsidized health care coverage.
This follows similar awards of $20.6 million in 2010 and $7.8 million in 2009, based on the state’s enrollment in its Apple Health for Kids program. The grant was anticipated by the agency, which applied to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services and wrote the funds into its budget, according to HCA spokeswoman Sharon Michael.
The Children’s Alliance advocacy group in Seattle announced the award, saying in a news release: “Washington’s children are more likely to have health coverage than children in 39 other states because of Apple Health for Kids’ affordability and streamlined enrollment practices.” We agree with Jon Gould, deputy director of the Children’s Alliance, who said, “This is something to celebrate. In a few short years, advocates for kids and lawmakers have built Apple Health for Kids into a national model for children’s health coverage.
“This honor is richly deserved – and it’s another reason for legislators to protect Apple Health for Kids when they return to Olympia in January.” The state Legislature created Apple Health for Kids in 2007 for families with no other options for affordable coverage. It quickly became vital to ensuring family stability during the recession. Between 2006 and 2010, nearly 165,000 children lost health coverage via their families’ employers. During that time, Apple Health for Kids enrolled 208,000 more children. The program now covers more than four out of every 10 children in the state (733,000 children). It’s a great program and merits continued funding from state lawmakers.
