Charity raises money, awareness

Call it sole-ful fundraising. Terry Colella of Kirkland cleaned her closet and raised money for her favorite charity — the Friends of FSH Research.

Terry and her husband, Rich Colella, founded the group in 2004. Their son, Brian, had received a diagnosis of facioscapulohumeral disease (FSHD), a nonfatal form of muscular dystrophy that affects the face, shoulders and arm muscles.

Friends of FSH holds an annual auction, but that's not enough for this dynamo mom.

"Nike had donated a bunch of new shoes for our auction. We didn't sell them all, so I listed a pair on eBay, included a blurb about FSH, and they sold," Terry Colella said.

When the new shoes were gone, she listed shoes and purses she rarely used. Friends have given her things to sell and with eBay, Amazon and Craigslist, she's made $1,500.

"That's not a lot of money, but everyone who looks at an item learns about FSH," she said. "When I sell something, I send a brochure in the package. There's no other way to reach someone in Texas or New Hampshire."

Brian, 20, attends the University of Wisconsin at Madison. Having FSH/MDA limits his physical activity.

"He just loves sports," Colella said. "He protects us sometimes but recently he mentioned that he had trouble playing basketball because it was too painful to hold his arms up long enough to rebound, and baseball was a problem because holding the bat tires his shoulders.

"As a parent, I have to do something."

The "something" included raising $500,000 in three years of auctions. The Friends of FSH Research has funded three studies at the University of Washington, and helped with research in California and Belgium. The group's next auction will be in January 2008. For more information, go to www.fshfriends.org.

On air

When Ann Oxrieder volunteered to form a group for Spanish-speaking parents in the Bellevue School District, she didn't realize it would lead to a radio gig. Oxrieder, an assistant to Superintendent Mike Riley, oversees community relations and parent outreach.

Learning Spanish has been an active hobby for the Eastside resident. She and her husband regularly vacation in Mexico, where they take intensive Spanish classes.

Oxrieder discovered that immigrant parents struggled to understand what was happening in their children's classrooms. She recruited a few parents and started Impulso Escolar Latino de Bellevue.

Word has spread. On Monday, Oxrieder, three parents and a counselor from Consejo Counseling Services were guests on the Mexican consul's weekly show on the Spanish-language Radio Sol (1360 AM).

The theme was depression and stress that new arrivals face when they come to this country.

"The counselor said the best thing for depression was to volunteer and get involved," said Oxrieder. "I loved it."

That's exactly what Impulso Escolar Latino parents have been doing. They're working in the community, encouraging other parents to get more involved in Bellevue school activities.

Sherry Grindeland: 206-515-5633 or sgrindeland@seattletimes.com