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Students aspiring to college
Parkrose High School (PHS) is responding to the trend of more students planning to go to college by adopting a community-based mentor program developed by the Oregon Student Assistance Commission. PHS is the latest of 39 Oregon high schools to implement the ASPIRE program. The goals of ASPIRE are to advise students in their post-secondary education planning, dramatically increase the number of students seeking college scholarships and financial aid, and encourage community involvement. Hundreds of PHS students have signed up for the program.
Javier Martinez, the Americorp member assigned to develop ASPIRE at the high school, is seeking volunteers from the community to mentor the students through the college research and selection process. Volunteers receive training and support throughout the year. To volunteer or learn more about ASPIRE, please contact Mr. Martinez at 503-408-2642 or javier_martinez@parkrose.k12.or.us.
Become a Very Important Person to a Child
You can be a very important person to a child by becoming a mentor with the Volunteers in Partnership (VIP) Mentoring Program. The VIP Mentor Program needs responsible and caring adults to mentor elementary school students in David Douglas and Parkrose schools. Mentors are matched with a student that they work with for one hour a week, on school grounds, for the duration of the school year. The commitment is small but the rewards are large.
Mentors complete goal sheets with their students, with input from the mentor coordinator, school counselor, and the student’s teacher. Each school has a mentor cart with a variety of supplies the mentor pairs can use. Many pairs spend time doing art projects, playing games, reading, taking walks, and just talking. The mentor pairs are able to decide together what sorts of activities they would like to do. Activities should focus on building the child’s self-esteem, exploring the child’s strengths and goals, and should also serve the purpose of building a positive relationship. Established research demonstrates that mentoring is one of the most effective ways to help a child succeed in school and in life. National studies show that youth with mentors perform better in school and are less likely to start using illegal drugs or alcohol. Mentoring is also fun and rewarding! Mentors report that they look forward to their weekly meetings.
“I know I have made a positive impact on my mentee, but I think this experience has helped me more that is has helped her. It has enriched my life more than I ever imagined it would,” says mentor Nina Dunn.
VIP mentors must attend formal training, complete a volunteer application, and complete a criminal background check. Volunteers are also invited to participate in ongoing support meetings throughout the year that enable them to network and to share their ideas and successes.
The next volunteer training session will be held on Saturday, Oct. 5 from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Parkrose High School Community Center, 12003 N.E. Shaver St. To RSVP for training or to find out more about becoming a mentor, please contact Beth Ragel at 503-261-8275. The Mid County Caring Community sponsors the VIP Mentor Program.
Help the hungry
The Oregon Food Bank is asking you to help in the fight against hunger. At least 40 people are needed each week to sort and repackage donated food. The opportunity is priceless, as current volunteers confirm.
Oregon Food Bank will release new hunger statistics later this month, but is estimating that as many as 700,000 people will have eaten at least one meal from an emergency food box in the last year. That represents an average increase of between 16 and 18 percent in requests for emergency assistance throughout the Oregon Food Bank Network. To meet the increase in both requests for donated food and donated food product, Oregon Food Bank needs more volunteers to help in projects that range from repackaging food to tending a new urban garden at the hunger relief agency’s warehouse site in Northeast Portland.
Volunteer opportunities are available weekday mornings, afternoons, and evenings, and Saturday mornings. No prior experience is needed. Depending on the project, the work can be physical and some lifting is required. A regular commitment, ranging from once a week to once a month, is desired. Volunteers in the perishables repack room work in a temperature-controlled environment. Volunteers in the Volunteer Action Center work on dry product repackaging. Food handling and repackaging training is provided; protective clothing such as gloves, aprons, and hairnets are provided.
Oregon Food Bank relies on volunteers to keep donated product moving efficiently through a network of hunger relief agencies. Perishable products are one project example. Food donors QFC and Whole Foods donate an average of 10,000 pounds of perishable product each week to Oregon Food Bank. The product is sorted and repackaged by volunteers and is then distributed to local hunger relief sites. Volunteers, both individuals and groups, are needed for this and other projects.
The Oregon Food Bank distributes to food banks, food pantries and soup kitchens throughout Oregon and Clark County, Washington. Last year, these OFB sites provided emergency food assistance to one in six Oregonians, which means an estimated 652,000 people ate meals prepared from emergency food boxes. Forty-one percent of those were children. Last year, the Oregon Food Bank network collected 46 million pounds of food throughout Oregon and Clark County, Washington. Oregon Food Bank also advocates for public policies to help low-income people avoid the need for emergency food.
For information on how you can volunteer, call 503-282-0555 x300, or e-mail volunteer@oregonfoodbank.org.
MHCC provides international students with much-needed skills
A group of 17 students has arrived from countries such as Guatemala, Jamaica and Panama to begin a degree program at Mt. Hood Community College that will help them make major changes in their home countries upon their return.
MHCC is an affiliate of the federal program known as Cooperative Association of States for Scholarships (CASS). All the new CASS students are enrolled at MHCC to obtain degrees in Integrated Natural Resources Technology-a specialization needed in their communities. Graduates of the CASS program at MHCC typically put their resource management training to use in careers addressing needs such as erosion assessment and wildlife conservation.
“This program empowers young leaders in how to work with what they’ve learned to teach the same concepts in their home communities,” said CASS Coordinator David Sussman. “I see them as agents of change.”
To foster this change, the students participate in monthly community service projects while studying here, such as working on improvement projects for the City of Gresham and the campus pond.
The current CASS group represents the following countries: Jamaica, Nicaragua, Honduras, Guatemala and El Salvador. To be selected as participants, students must complete a rigorous application that proves their commitment to science, academics, community service and leadership.
For more information contact Sussman at 503-491-7287.
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