VOICE OF THE COMMUNITY

INTELLIGENT, BUT SO IGNORANT

Editor:

When I read Chuck Muth’s column in the April 10 LVN, I wondered how someone who appears to be reasonably intelligent could be so ignorant of some very basic facts.

Mr. Muth makes fun of the idea of solar and wind energy because, he says, this type of energy is unreliable because it can’t be stored. He says it’s useless if the sun isn’t shining or if the wind isn’t blowing. Even a few minutes of research would have shown him that there are several ways to store solar and wind energy, so it is available at night or on a calm day.

Molten salt is just one example of this type of energy storage. Several countries are doing research on how to make this type of energy storage even more efficient, so they can get off of fossil fuels and nuclear energy. If other countries are capable of producing, storing, and using alternative energy efficiently, how come Mr. Muth thinks America can’t? Aren’t we as smart as those other countries?

It has been said that Republicans seem to be allergic to science and to facts. Mr. Muth’s column seems to prove this claim is true.

Carol Colip

Fallon

OPEN LETTER TO THE COMMUNITY

The Community Service Thrift Shop was organized in March, 1987 and opened for business April 14, 1987.

The purpose of organizing the new Thrift Shop was to help those in need in this community. We also provide scholarships for colleges and trade schools in Nevada. In the last 26 years we have awarded 30 scholarships to High School Graduates and 18 scholarships to the WNC nursing program. Business has been good and we have been able to help a lot of people.

We have an average of 15 volunteers working throughout the week. A different crew works each day of the week. Most of our volunteers are seniors and we even have a retired policeman working with us. We contribute an average of 500 hours per month to effectively run the shop. We have wonderful volunteers and it seems like there is a job to fit everyone. Our staff donated 5,635 hours of their time during this past year. During the past 26 years we have helped more than 3,300 families with financial assistance and many families with warm clothing and shoes.

During 2012 by recycling and selling donated items, we assisted approximately 124 families with emergency needs and 8 organizations with financial assistance. We operate on a very lean budget and any profit we do make goes towards our scholarship fund and overhead costs. We currently donate four $1,000 scholarships to CCHS, and possibly a $1,000 scholarship to WNC nursing program in memory of Vinita Gedney, a CSTS founder. This scholarship started in 2004 and since then we have donated $16,000.00 to support nursing students.

We ask people to bring their clean reusable donations during the hours that our shop is open as donations left by the back of the building are often stolen or ruined. Because we are in a smaller building we do not have room for large furniture, large appliances, or bicycles.

The amount of stuff that people give us is incredible and it’s a good feeling to be able to recycle the usable items. As donations from the community have grown so has the amount of financial help we have been able to give back to the community. We generally give limited financial assistance on a one-time only basis after County or State Social Services, Tribal Social Services, or other organizations that we work with have referred them to the Community Service Thrift Shop.

We are constantly for reliable volunteers as some of our members are gone do to poor health or relocation. Because our insurance is through the County Senior Volunteer program, our volunteers must be at least 60 years of age or provide their own insurance. We have a very flexible work schedule and often trade days if the need arises.

We thank you for your support and patronage these past 26 years.