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EDITOR'S NOTES Editor's Notes: Rooting for Eliza Schaaf in The Arc dance competition Comment By Bert Etling Ashland Daily Tidings DailyTidings.com By Bert Etling Ashland Daily Tidings Posted Mar. 12, 2015 at 12:01 AM Updated Mar 12, 2015 at 1:02 PM By Bert Etling Ashland Daily Tidings Posted Mar. 12, 2015 at 12:01 AM Updated Mar 12, 2015 at 1:02 PM » Social News Ashland has a rooting interest in the dance competition coming up Saturday at the fifth annual “Live to Dance with the Arc Stars” fundraiser Saturday. Ashland resident Eliza Schaaf, 24, grew up in the Greensprings area. “In case you don’t know, I happen to have Down syndrome,” she said in a speech she gave recently. Down syndrome, according to the Mayo Clinic, is a genetic disorder that varies in severity and causes lifelong intellectual disability and developmental delays. Down syndrome is the most common genetic chromosomal disorder and cause of learning disabilities in children. In spite of that, Eliza is getting on with her life, including dancing in a reggae pop routine with partner David Miles of the Jackson County Sheriff’s office at Saturday’s event. At the dinner and dance, nine teams of dancers compete in what organizers call “a Special Olympics of dance” for prices in a number of categories, including Best Performance, Most Inspirational, Most Original, Most Enthusiastic and more. Proceeds support The Arc Jackson County, which, among other things, serves people with intellectual and developmental disabilities, including autism, cerebral palsy, epilepsy and Down syndrome, and provides respite care services for families in need of a break from caring for loved ones with special needs. Eliza is one of those helped by The Arc, and she’s “paying forward” with her own good works. A graduate of Highline Community College in Washington, she now lives in an Ashland apartment and works as the event planner for the Down Syndrome Association of Southern Oregon. “I like to hang out with friends, do ceramics, cook and feed the homeless,” she said. “I’m also interested in writing books for kids. It’s fun!” She also serves food to the homeless at the Methodist Church and volunteers at the Ashland Emergency Food Bank on Wednesdays. “I like being helpful to other people who need it. And I also like it when people help me,” she said. “Community to me means doing things with other people and being kind and helpful to each other. I believe that every person needs to be included in their own community ... We all learn from each other. I think that is what community is all about.” Well said, Eliza. Event organizers Larry and Joy Marshall are also from Ashland, as is Claudia Alick, one of the dance judges and an associate producer for the Oregon Shakespeare Festival. The evening of entertainment (by The Randall Theatre), dining and dancing starts at 6 p.m. Dinner is served at 6:30 p.m. The dancing competition begins at 7:30 p.m. It all takes place at the Cascade Pavilion at 855 Chevy Way in Medford. Tickets are $50 for the evening, or $15 for just the dancing competition. Call 541-779-4520 or go to www.thearcjackson.org. Joy said by the end of the evening, “we predict there won’t be a dry eye in the house.” If Eliza is any indication, Joy is absolutely right. • • • Community coffee time: We continue our tour of Ashland java joints next week Thursday, March 19, from 8 to 9 a.m. at Noble Coffee Roasting, 281 Fourth St., Ashland. We don’t have any particular agenda for these informal meetings on the third Thursday of each month. It’s just an opportunity for you to offer suggestions and observations about Ashland in general and the Tidings in particular. We hope you can make it. Reach Daily Tidings editor Bert Etling at [email protected] or 541-631-1313. Follow him on Twitter at www.twitter.com/betling . By Bert Etling Ashland Daily Tidings DailyTidings.com By Bert Etling Ashland Daily Tidings Posted Mar. 12, 2015 at 12:01 AM Updated Mar 12, 2015 at 1:02 PM » Comment or view comments Reader Reaction » STAY INFORMED Email NewsLetter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. Southern Oregon Directory Featured Businesses Loading... 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