Lawrence couple honored for volunteer work

Kansas Big Brothers Big Sisters, which oversees the agency’s programs statewide, named a Lawrence couple as “Bigs of the Year” for 2004.

Doug and Becky Eason serve as Big Brother and Big Sister to Steven Gonce. The husband-and-wife team has been spending time with Steven, who was 7 years old when they first met, for more than eight years.

The three were matched in 1996, when the Easons first began volunteering as part of the Couple’s Program with Big Brothers Big Sisters of Douglas County.

The Easons have been recognized before for their work with Steven. They were the county’s match of the month in September 1996 and received the United Way of Douglas County’s Wallace Galluzzi Award for volunteer of the year in 2000.

Education

Open houses to provide glimpse of virtual school

The Lawrence school district is offering residents the opportunity to learn more about its new virtual school.

Virtual school principal Gary Lewis will hold three open houses in Lawrence to provide information about the new charter school. The sessions will be from 1 p.m. to 2 p.m. July 28 and 1 p.m. to 2 p.m. and 7 p.m. to 8 p.m. on July 29 at the district office, 110 McDonald Drive.

Open houses also will be in Johnson County on Friday at the Sheraton Hotel, 6100 College Blvd., in Overland Park, and on July 26 and 27 at the Hyatt Regency Hotel, 400 W. Waterman, in Wichita.

People should contact Lewis at 832-5008 ext. 624 or at glewis@usd497.org to sign up for the open houses.

Sister city

Reception to welcome students from Japan

Host families, past student delegates and community members are invited to attend a reception welcoming the 2004 student delegation from Lawrence’s Sister City, Hiratsuka, Japan.

At 6 p.m. Wednesday, students and their chaperones will drive to the Lawrence Arts Center from the airport for the reception.

The annual arrival of the Hiratsuka delegation is an opportunity to reunite families who have experienced a student exchange.