Remembering a princess with Hope

There’s a very special event with a fairy-tale theme on Saturday in Kalispell.

The Fourth Annual Princess Ball could have as many as 1,500 participants at the Red Lion Hotel Kalispell.

The charity event is for a good cause. In memory of the late Valicity Lee Faith, the Princess Ball raises money for organizations that helped the young girl’s family while Valicity was fighting her battle with childhood cancer.

Valicity lost that battle when she was 5, but her legacy lives on in the Princess Ball, which is expected to raise more than $60,000. The beneficiary will be the Montana Hope Project, which grants wishes to sick children. Go to                                www.valicitysonceuponatime.org for more information.

Leaving lives brighter...

Speaking of legacies, just imagine making the lives of more than 10,000 people a little brighter in their last days on this earth. That’s the legacy Robin Riley leaves as she retires from 30 years as hospice director and a nurse at Home Options Hospice.

Riley’s kindness and gentle touch have brought peace to thousands of grieving families as she helps their loved ones through the process of dying. To say she’s a gifted care-taker may be an understatement. The real gift, Riley said, is being able to come into people’s lives “at such a poignant, special time ... to be part of their journey; that is just so personal, so heartfelt.

Being a hospice worker takes a special kind of person, and Riley is that special person who has brought unconditional grace and love into the lives of others.

Crosstown: Read all about it!

The Daily Inter Lake proudly presents a special section in today’s edition that puts the spotlight on the valley’s only “Crosstown” high school rivalry — old-timer Flathead vs. young pup Glacier!

Our “Crosstown” section features profiles of two coaches who have been at all 15 basketball games played thus far in the rivalry, and will go head to head tonight as the teams square off once again. Flathead’s Fred Febach and Glacier’s Mark Harkins share the insights about the series with Inter Lake sports editor David Lesnick.

In addition, Joe Terry provides a preview of tonight’s game, and Sam Campbell features two senior stars who probably are playing in their last game against each other at the prep level. Cassi Hashley of Glacier and Jenessa Heine of Flathead tell what it’s like to play in front of a hometown crowd with divided loyalties.

Editorials represent the majority opinion of the Daily Inter Lake’s editorial board.