West news briefs

WEST METRO

Shooting fund-raiser for Miracles of Mitch The Miracles of Mitch Foundation will host its third annual Shoot for a Miracle sporting clays fundraiser beginning at 1 p.m. Saturday at the Minnesota Horse & Hunt Club in Prior Lake.

Proceeds will help fund the foundation's efforts to provide financial and quality-of-life assistance to Minnesota families of children with cancer.

Participants can register at www.shootforamiracle.org for a $150 fee. The cost of admission will cover warm-up rounds, a 75-target sporting clays competition, silent and live auctions and a pig roast.

Youth shooters age 13 to 17 may participate for $75 when presenting a Fire Arms Safety certificate. Two youth shooters may be added to a team, with a maximum of four total shooters allowed per team.

The Miracles of Mitch Foundation was inspired by 9-year-old Mitch Chepokas to help the families of children battling cancer in Minnesota. The foundation, founded in 2003, was created to honor Mitch's memory and his desire to support families during a stressful time in their lives. Assistance can take the form of making mortgage, rent or car payments, purchasing groceries, or taking part in events organized by the foundation.

For more information, go to www.miraclesofmitch.org.

The gala will help fund Opportunity Partners' work with the disabled.

Last year's fundraiser attracted more than 300 people and raised nearly $160,000 for Opportunity Partners' programs.

Tickets for the event, which begins at 5:30 p.m., are $100, with sponsorships starting at $1,250.

Guests are welcome to show up in whatever attire suits them, "from glitz and gems to their favorite pair of jeans," said Gala Committee co-chair Robyn Sitarz.

Details are available at www.opportunitypartners.org or by contacting Noel McCormick at 952-912-2494 or nmccormick@opportunities.org.

The district will hold its annual "Watershed Heroes" celebration beginning at 6:30 p.m. at BayView Events Center, 687 Excelsior Blvd., Excelsior.

Tickets are $35 and must be reserved by Sept. 24. For more information, go to www.minnehahacreek.org.

The voices of our vets An oral history project aimed at gathering the memories of the fast-vanishing World War II generation before it's too late will be on exhibit to the public beginning Sept. 23.

The Scott County Historical Society's exhibit, "Heroes Among Us: Veterans of the Second World War," includes the voices of local veterans, video of battles and a timeline of the war as viewed from right here.

This opening features a 7 p.m. presentation by author, former CNN journalist and Minnesota history specialist Dave Kenney, followed by questions and a book signing. Kenney, winner of the Minnesota Book Award in 2004 and 2010, is at work on a two-volume history of Gustavus Adolphus College.