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Oracle helps Helensview
The Oracle Help Us Help Foundation has awarded “New Internet Computers” (NIC) to Multnomah Education Service District (MESD). The computers, along with six laser printers, will be used at MESD’s Helensview High School, 8678 N.E. Sumner St. The Helensview campus hosts several educational programs for about 160 at-risk students. These include the Phoenix Program for pregnant and parenting teens, the Trellis Program for students returning to the community from state custody and Re-entry to Successful Education (RISE) for students who have not been successful in their home schools.
These units will be placed in five classrooms at Helensview. The grant package includes 30 NICs with keyboard, mouse and stereo headphones, 30 monitors, NIC Setup Software on CD-ROM, student software on CD-ROM, 6 laser printers, 6 network hubs, 50 ethernet cables in various lengths, and 18 electrical power strips.
The significance of the grant is that the NIC is an Internet appliance that brings users easy access to the Internet and email, but it is not a PC. It has no hard drive and users do not have to install software. The system software is on a CD-ROM, which stays in the CD-ROM drive at all times. The software features the Netscape 4.76 browser, as well as a word processing application, teacher resources and sample Internet-based lesson plans. This “thin client technology” promises benefits for MESD schools and programs. It is an opportunity to demonstrate ways to contain technology costs for cash strapped public schools. MESD has previously used this technology approach in partnership with the Riverdale School District.
According to Oracle, the goal of the grant program is to provide youth with maximum access by installing equipment in classrooms or facilities where students can use it everyday, rather than in “computer labs” that are visited infrequently, and are expensive to maintain.
The vision behind the Oracle Help Us Help Foundation, launched in 2001, is to provide every student with access to the rich world of information and learning available on the Internet, and to provide teachers and other youth service professionals with the technology tools to enhance education.
This year, the Oracle Help Us Help Foundation will donate equipment to schools and youth organizations valued at more than six million dollars. The donations will include more than 10,000 computers, with the ultimate goal of making sure all students have access to Internet technology and learning opportunities that will enable them to succeed in the information age.
For more information, please call Mark Skolnick at 503-257-1516.
Senior Resources
Seniors - take advantage of free services
The Senior Services Program Office hosts many free informational clinics and health checks. Senior Services offers a free law clinic every Friday with half-hour consultations. Make your appointment for these free services today!
Medicare advice is available as well, through Senior Health Insurance Benefits Assistance (SHIBA). Volunteers help both seniors and people with disabilities to understand their rights, make informed choices on how to receive their benefits, and file claims and appeals. Appointments are required.
The Senior Services Program Office is located in the East Portland Community Center at 740 S.E. 106th Ave. For more information or to schedule an appointment with any of these programs, please call 503-988-6073.
Help a child and yourself
The Foster Grandparent Program is looking for seniors sixty years and up on a limited income to help at-risk children in Portland. These children need positive role models to help them with reading, developing social skills, and much more. Not only do the foster grandparents get to help a child, but they also receive two hundred dollars a month tax-free. The program offers other benefits, including meal and travel compensation, paid time off and sick leave. No experience is necessary, just the desire to better a child’s life. For more information, please call Randy Lucas 503-232-0007 ext. 202.
It’s never too late to make a difference
Elders in Action is seeking new members for its 31-member Elders in Action Commission. The commission is a leading advocacy group of volunteers. These people get to play an active role in helping shape the lives of seniors in Portland. From affordable housing to better transportation, the Commission works to raise awareness for important issues and fights for the rights of local senior citizens.
Commission members are involved in a wide range activities, including making presentations at Portland City Council meetings, testifying in front of legislative committees, holding public meetings about senior issues, meeting with state and local decision makers and conducting phone call and letter writing campaigns.
The Elders in Actions Commission members make a real change in the lives of local seniors. For example, Elders in Action helped to establish the Housing Emergency Fund in Multnomah County. This is a safety net for people about to lose housing due to failing health, sudden illness, or unexpected rent increase.
Seniors interested in volunteering for the Elders in Action Commission should call 503-823-5269 for more information.
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