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Luncheon nets $171,000 for Meals-On-Wheels
The success of this year’s annual luncheon helped raise more than $171,000 for Loaves & Fishes Centers, The Meals-On-Wheels People.
About 800 business and community leaders attended the May 26 event. The luncheon gave people the opportunity to learn more about how they can support the agency’s vision that no senior will go hungry or experience social isolation.
Guest speakers included Brian Rohter, president of New Seasons Market, and George Passadore, retired chairman of Wells Fargo Northwest Region. Peter and Julie Stott, Safeway, Maybelle Clark Macdonald Fund, DeJarnett Sales Inc., Invesco, Legacy Health System, Trailblazer Food Products, Western Family Foods and Weyerhaeuser sponsored the luncheon.
Since 1970, Loaves & Fishes has provided a nutritional and social lifeline for seniors through on-site dining at 14 centers in Multnomah and eastern Washington counties and Meals-On-Wheels delivery to homebound seniors. With the help of more than 5,000 volunteers, the non-profit agency now serves nearly 1 million meals each year.
Lions Clubs recognize banker
MBank would like to congratulate Leslie Radke, Assistant Vice President and Branch Manager, in her recent designation as a Melvin Jones Fellow by the Lions Club International Foundation. This is the organization’s highest form of recognition for its members.
Radke has volunteered with the Lions Club for over 15 years, in which time she has served 12 years as Club Treasurer as well as past positions including President, Zone Chairman, Region Chairman and District 36-0 Cabinet Treasurer.
Her involvement with the Lions has included such work as being an eye courier for Oregon Lions Sight and Hearing Foundation - which provides college scholarships, glasses and hearing aids for children and adults, providing firewood for seniors and low-income families, providing funding to support Guide Dogs for the Blind and other like organizations, supporting Oral Hull Park for the Blind and providing funds to supplement expenses for Gresham Police programs (Explorers, police dogs, etc.).
“Leslie’s commitment to the Lions Club directly reflects her commitment to her community as well as her banking customers,” said Rex Brittle, President and CEO. “She has a great understanding of what “service” is and we are proud that she has been recognized for her achievements.”
Gateway budget gets revisions
Last month the Portland Development Commission, or PDC made some, though not all, changes to the proposed Gateway urban renewal budget requested by the district’s Program Advisory Committee.
PDC added $50,000 to the district’s development budget (for new infrastructure) and $150,000 for economic development. Both were made possible by higher than expected revenues.
PDC did not reduce the district’s housing budget, as the PAC had recommended. In Gateway as elsewhere, the agency puts a high value on housing development.
Urban renewal district reaches debt maximum
The Airport Way Urban Renewal District reached its maximum indebtedness last month, bringing it closer to the end of its life.
In urban renewal districts, all property taxes collected in the district above the level in place go into a special tax increment fund, which are used for capital improvements in the district. Until this added revenue can be generated by increased property values, the district borrows against the expected revenue increase. The maximum that can be borrowed in this way is set by law when the district is created, as is the term of the district’s life.
In Airport Way, the maximum indebtedness was $72,638,268. It will expire in the year 2011.
From now on, tax increment funds will be used to retire the debt, which is expected to happen in about the year 2020. The Portland Development Commission can continue to use revenue from the sale of property or reimbursement for loans on district programs. This fiscal year, that will amount to $10 million.
Tax increment funds from the district were used to help pay for the Airport Max light rail line, the expansion and extension of Northeast Airport Way, and a variety of natural resource preservation projects. It paid for infrastructure for Cascade Station, a 125-acre mixed-use development project by the Bechtel and Trammell Crow corporations, whose progress has been severely hampered by the effects of the 9/11 tragedy.
Proposed cell tower concerns Hazelwood
Members of the Hazelwood Neighborhood Association expressed concern last month about plans to install cell equipment on an abandoned city water tower.
The Voice Stream Wireless Corporation is seeking a conditional use and design approval to mount nine cell antennae at the 92-foot level of the 104-foot tank located at Southeast 127th Avenue south of Burnside Street. They would receive a long-term lease from the Portland Water Bureau.
Planner Mark Walhood will make a decision on the issue. This decision could be appealed to the Portland Design Commission, which would hold a hearing on the issue.
Hazelwood chair Arlene Kimura warned those present that the city was not likely to deny the request based upon the effect of cell phone facilities on the health of neighbors. Other concerns raised were plans to install a propane tank on site to feed an emergency generator, and chronic poor maintenance of the grounds currently.
Adult care program honored
Volunteers of America Oregon, or VOAOR, has received confirmation that their three Adult Day Services centers have just received a renewal of their Commission on Accreditation of Rehabilitation Facilities, or CARF, accreditation and in fact have received CARF’s highest award - a three-year accreditation. CARF gives this award for exemplary services in adult day programs.
The agency operates three Adult Day Service centers in the Portland area. Lambert House East, 2600 S.E. 170th Ave., serves Mid-County and East Portland residents. As of today, the VOAOR facilities are the only programs in the state of Oregon to be CARF accredited.
“We are extremely proud to be the first agency in the state to receive CARF accreditation,” notes Kay Toran, Volunteers of America Oregon President and CEO. “This action positions our Adult Day Services programs as role models for the industry. It also provides assurance to families and individuals that our programs and services have met national standards of performance. Plus it means that people with long-term health care insurance may now have an easier time utilizing this insurance to cover some or all of the cost of participation in our Adult Day Services program”, she stressed.
“Without accreditation, many insurance companies have been reluctant to cover costs for Adult Day Services and this creates a financial hardship for families and individuals who need respite during the day” said Toran. “ “Unfortunately, Adult Day Services may also be one of the best-kept secrets in long-term care. We need more people to understand that it is affordable and accessible. When you look at the activities and operations of our Adult Day Services programs, it is clear that our participants and families benefit from participation. Adult Day Services supports individual choice and family caregivers. Adult Day Services is a vital part of the continuum of care for seniors and the disabled that Oregon has created,” she added.
Seniors are the primary users of VOAOR’s Adults Day Services programs, but younger individuals with disabilities can also benefit from this type of program, according to Lynn Schemmer-Valleau, VOAOR’s Director of Senior Services. VOAOR currently serves approximately 220 individuals, about 72 participants a day through three sites. The population being served is approximately 80% over the age of 65, with 34% of this group being over the age of 85. Approximately 20% of the participants are under the age of 65.
“People come to us for a variety of reasons ranging from socialization and reduction of isolation to respite and working caregivers needing a safe place for their loved one’s during the day,” said Schemmer-Valleau. All participants receive loving, comprehensive care planning to meet their individual needs, a wide range of activities, daily exercise, socialization, nutritious lunches and snacks, nursing services, personal care assistance and opportunities to contribute to their community.
For more information, check out the agency web page at www.VOAOR.org For more information on CARF go to www.carf.org To contact Lambert House East, call 503-760-2075.
Marathon training program set to start
Get fit, have fun, and save lives. Train To End Stroke, a team marathon-training program and fundraiser for the American Stroke Association.
Train To End Stroke helps participants accomplish their goals of completing a full or half marathon while helping to save lives by raising funds for stroke research and education. The American Stroke Association provides training and participants who meet the fundraising goal fly to an exciting location to participate in a full or half marathon. No prior marathon experience needed.
Information sessions about Train To End Stroke are scheduled on Saturday, July 10 at 10 a.m. at TriSport Running & Walking, 11919 N.E. Halsey St. or Tuesday, July 20 at 6:30 p.m. at Adventist Medical Center, 10123 S.E. Market St.
Oregon has the fifth highest death rate from stroke in the nation. Stroke is the third leading cause of death in the United States and a major cause of serious, long-term disability. Funds raised through Train To End Stroke support the American Stroke Association’s efforts of stroke-related research, educational programs and advocacy efforts by providing effective, credible information to prevent and treat stroke with specific emphasis on those at high risk.
For more information about Train To End Stroke, please call 503-233-0100 or visit www.strokeassociation.org.
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