For veterans

If you are a wartime veteran or the surviving spouse of a veteran and are in need of assisted living, The Bridge at Cherry Hill is holding a free and informative presentation on Jan. 22 at 4:30 p.m. Cherry Hill is located at One Cherry Hill Road in Johnston. Call 233-2880 to RSVP.

The Button Hole Kid

Rhode Island junior golfer Juliet Vongphoumy will be featured in the February/March edition of Sports Illustrated for Kids. The issue will feature Juliet as the "SportsKid of the Month," highlighting her golf success this past season.

"We are extremely proud of Juliet's accomplishments and are glad Button Hole could play a part in her learning the game of golf," said Button Hole Executive Director David Hanna.

During the golf season, Juliet became the first girl ever to win the Rhode Island Interscholastic Golf League Championship and won the Ocean State Women's Golf Association State Championship.

The Sports Illustrated for Kids issue featuring Juliet will be out mid-January.

At The Library

A food drive is continuing at the Mohr Library through Jan. 27. All collected food will directly benefit the Rhode Island Community Food Bank. Most needed items include tuna, peanut butter, canned foods (beans, soup, stews, chili, fruits, vegetables, juices), nutritious cereals, rice and pasta. The library requests no glass jars for safety reasons. Interested in making bookmarks? Go to the library on Jan. 29 from 3 through 4 p.m. to make a personalized bookmark with your own flair!

Did You Know?

The recent passing of Sen. Claiborne Pell has touched many of us as we mourn the loss of a great statesman and a man driven by improving the lives of others. Here are some facts about the legacy Pell left in Rhode Island and around the world. Senator Pell was the longest-serving senator in Rhode Island history. Claiborne de Borda Pell was born in New York City, the son of former United States Rep. Herbert Claiborne Pell Jr. He was the great great grandson of former Congressman John Francis Hamtramck Claiborne, great great grandnephew of former Sen. and Vice President of the United States George Mifflin Dallas and great great great grandnephew of former Sen. and Rep. William Charles Cole Claiborne and of former Congressman Nathaniel Herbert Claiborne. He was also a direct descendant of mathematician John Pell. Pell was one of the heirs to what started out as the Lorillard tobacco fortune. Pell enlisted in the U.S. Coast Guard four months before Pearl Harbor, serving as a ship’s cook. He eventually earned a commission. During the war he served on North Atlantic convoy duty and in Sicily and Italy. After the war he remained in the United States Coast Guard Reserve, and eventually retired with the rank of captain. From 1945 to 1952, he served in the State Department as a Foreign Service Officer in Czechoslovakia, Italy and Washington, D.C. Pell was largely responsible for the creation of Pell Grants in 1973 (originally known as "Basic Educational Opportunity Grants"), which provide financial aid funds to U.S. college students. He was also the main sponsor of the bill that created the National Endowment for the Arts and the National Endowment for the Humanities, and was active as an advocate for mass transportation initiatives and domestic legislation facilitating and conforming to the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea. (Source: Wikipedia.com) Our condolences go out to his family and friends.

If you would like to submit any items of interest, please e-mail Meri R. Kennedy directly at SunRiseScoops@aol.com. You may also address your items to Sun Rise Scoops, c/o Beacon Communications, 1944 Warwick Ave., Warwick, RI 02889. Photos are also welcome.