Our Voice: Lots to give thanks for in our community

This time of year our thoughts turn to gratefulness as the Thanksgiving holiday approaches.

And as we look at news that was uplifting, some that brought us a bit of joy, hope or inspiration, we are thankful.

Manufacturer expands

One of the largest motor repair centers in the Pacific Northwest, as well as the western U.S., now has a Pasco home.

The Timken Company, an Ohio-based manufacturing giant has built a $7 million facility. Operated by H & N Electric, the company employs about 70 and hopes to add 35 more in the next five years.

Growing our manufacturing sector is good news and we’re grateful Timken has chosen the Tri-Cities.

Boys & Girls Club

Something extra special happened last week for 25 kids from the nonprofit Boys & Girls Clubs of Benton and Franklin Counties.

Gary Payton, the Seattle SuperSonics all-time leading scorer and two-time Olympic gold medalist, talked to them about the importance of listening to their parents and setting goals for their future.

The retired basketball star wants to help kids who don’t have the parental support he had growing up in Oakland, Calif.

Students also had the chance to catch a basketball thrown to them by Payton, but what he hopes they catch is how to be successful and how to move to the next level with their learning.

We’re grateful he was here to inspire not only young people, but also the 450 who attended the Dinner with Friends fundraiser.

Coyote Ridge

Inmates at Coyote Ridge Corrections Center in Connell are learning how to raise sagebrush as part of an effort to restore habitat for the greater sage-grouse.

The 20,000 plants they’ve grown under the tutelage of WSU Tri-Cities master’s student Gretchen Graber will be transported to a site near Wenatchee this month. The plants will help rebuild some of the bird’s shrub-steppe habitat burned by wildfires.

Graber, who was hired by the nonprofit Institute for Applied Ecology, has said it’s not just the plants that have grown.

She has seen personal growth among the inmates who feel they are doing something positive for the community and nature. We’re grateful for this project that betters inmates and the sage-grouse.

CBC scholarships

On Friday night, hundreds of Columbia Basin College students and their families met the donors who are supporting their education.

This year, the 568 scholarships was a record and totaled more than $1 million.

CBC president Rich Cummins said the ongoing and growing support for the college’s scholarships diminishes the financial burden that keeps so many from pursuing a degree.

We’re grateful for a community that believes in students and their futures.

This story was originally published November 4, 2015 at 5:18 PM with the headline "Our Voice: Lots to give thanks for in our community."