All candidates for state Legislative office have been invited to a job issues forum from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Monday, Oct. 11 at the BIA of Clark County, 103 E. 29th Street in Vancouver. RSVPS are requested via e-mail at gopep2010@gmail.com.

Tim and Lee Welch

For the next two weeks, Tim Welch and his wife, Lee Hutton-Welch of Woodland, are offering to match donations to the Longview-based Lower Columbia Community Action Program Foundation, up to $35,000. The goal is to help the nonprofit organization build its endowment.

Also known as CAP, the charity provides safety net services, such as food assistance, as well as self-sufficiency programs such as job training.

Last year, the Welch family made a $350,000 bequest to the CAP Foundation, the largest single contribution CAP or its Foundation had ever received in the organization’s 46-year history.

The bequest was to be delivered at the time of their deaths. Rather than waiting, the Welches wanted their gift to be working for CAP and the community now.  They have pledged $35,000 for the CAP Foundation to be matched by the community, each year for the next ten years.

“This is a gift for the here and now instead of the hereafter,” says Tim Welch. “We want to see our money having an impact now. We want to be part of the dream.”

Between Oct. 1 and Oct. 15, any gift to the CAP Foundation will be matched by the Welch family.

Donations can be sent to 1526 Commerce Avenue, Longview, WA 98632, or  online at www.lowercolumbiacap.org.

Piano school graduate Lisa Quackenbush and Director of Instruction Don Mitchell.

The School of Piano Technology for the Blind, also known as the Piano Hospital,  has been named a School of Distinction by the Accrediting Commission of Career Schools and Colleges (ACCSC). A recognition event is planned for Oct. 25 at the ACCSC Professional Development Conference in Philadelphia, PA.

The school completed a rigorous re-accreditation process in June 2010. During the process, the ACCSC on-site evaluation team noted the high levels of student-teacher interactions as “exemplary.”

The School of Piano Technology for the Blind is a private, nonprofit, accredited vocational school providing specialized training in piano technology to blind and visually impaired individuals. The school, the only one of its kind in the world, has attracted students from 36 states and 14 countries to Vancouver.

Tours are offered at 2 p.m. every Tuesday at the school. More information is available at www.pianotuningschool.org.

Through Nov. 19, DuckTales Kitchen, 612 N. Devine Road, Vancouver, is featuring the glass artwork of Bob Meyer and the paintings of the late Trudy Loveall. Food is the theme of the exhibit and also features the work of artists Leslie Blount, Glennda Field, Bobby Forbes, Judith Howard, Sue Moore, Catherine Post and Joan Turley. A reception is planned for 6 to 8 p.m. on Thursday, Oct. 14. Light appetizers and a no-host bar will be available. More information about the restaurant is available at http://ducktaleskitchen.com.