ANNOUNCEMENTS
Insurance company awards grants to Chesterfield clinic

Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Virginia has awarded $30,000 in grants to the Commonwealth Clinic to expand its services by offering a comprehensive diabetes care program for Chesterfield's uninsured and immigrant populations. Hispanic immigrants and refugees comprise 40 percent of the clinic's annual patient visits.

The grant allocates $20,000 to be used for chronic disease programs and $10,000 to help support the clinic's operational expenses. Commonwealth Clinic provides health care at no cost to uninsured persons who are at or below 200 percent of the Federal Poverty Level. Services provided include health maintenance exams, acute care for non-emergency conditions and ongoing care of chronic diseases, prescription medicines, laboratory and x-ray services, and specialist referrals.

"[It] will significantly increase the ability to deliver patient care, prescriptive remedies and education to our patients on a daily basis [and to] manage chronic care patients with diabetes and hypertension," said Executive Director Judith Pawlak.

For more information, call 674-7499.

W. Joseph Owen III, Mary Burkey Owens and Samuel J. Kaufman, formerly of the law firm of CowanOwen PC, have announced the formation of the law firm of Owen & Owens PLC, with offices at 1700 Huguenot Road. Corie E. Tillman, formerly of CowanOwen PC, will also join Owen & Owens PLC as an associate.

Comcast Cable is hiring an additional 2,800 employees on the east coast including an unknown number of employees at its Chesterfield office.

Highlight Reel has opened in the Village at Swift Creek. Owner Melissa Stanton uses professional video editing and authoring software, 3-D motion graphics and selected music to create video montages, often for family memories. Visit www.highlight-reel. com or call 267-9153.

Dr. Jeffery P. Frost, a local foot surgeon, has joined the Foot and Ankle Center. Frost earned his medical degree at the Ohio College of Podiatric Medicine and has practiced podiatry for more than 20 years. The Foot and Ankle Center is located on the Johnston Willis campus of CJW Medical Center. For more information, visit www.320-FOOT.com or call 320-FOOT.

Rick and Lindsay Alford celebrated the grand opening of Midlothian Minuteman Press with members of the Chesterfield County Chamber of Commerce and the Brandermill Community Association at a ribbon cutting ceremony on Jan. 5.

Shelia Dane Howard has retired as a social worker with the Chesterfield Department of Social Services. She had worked in child welfare, family and adult services for the past 20 years.

Tim Leaton of Midlothian, who is also a student at Virginia Tech, will show his award-winning one-minute film, "Orphans in Africa," at the Sundance Film Festival in Utah later this month.

Midlothian resident and Supercuts' customer Devon Beverly recently won a Jacuzzi G-470 hot tub as part of the salon chain's national Beach Bash promotion. Beverly will receive his prize from Hearth and Home West in Midlothian.

East Virginia Woodmen of the World recently presented 100 U.S. flags to Chesterfield County Public Schools for use in Cosby High School classrooms. The organization also is presenting a 5x8 foot U.S. flag to each school.

University of Richmond sophomore Naa- Koshie France of Midlothian has won a Philip Morris USA scholarship for $10,000 through the Virginia Foundation for Independent Colleges and has the opportunity for a paid summer internship with the company. Scholarships are provided to sophomores who have demonstrated academic promise, financial need and an interest in internship opportunities with a Fortune 500 company.

James River High senior Katlyn Allen and Bailey Bridge Middle eighth-grader Jeremy Jones have been selected to serve on the Virginia Board of Education's 2006-07 Student Advisory Committee. The committee was created to enable students to offer the board advice and raise issues affecting students.

Chesterfield County has recognized the following teenagers for attaining the rank of Eagle Scout: Michael Glenn Sepelyak, Andrew Blaine Toups, Kevin John Seafoorce and Travis Charles Mitchell of Troop 806; David Ben Zitzelberger of Troop 837; Tyler Prescott Parham of Troop 877; and Griffin Meade Drake and Charles Ryan Kessinger of Troop 876.

Fifth graders at Woolridge Elementary School raised $2,700 for local charities on Dec. 15 by hosting a charity Christmas dance. They contributed $1,500 to the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation and $1,200 to Virginia Special Olympics.