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FEATURE ARTICLES
St. Rita Catholic Church celebrates 50th anniversary
Second Commission tour encounters censorship, errors
System worked for concerned parents
Urban renewal committee reviews budget
Planners ‘underwhelmed’ by Russellville III
Portland Christian hosts state chess tournament
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© 2007 Mid-county MEMO
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Memo Pad...

To fully serve the community, the Mid-county Memo offers this section to showcase upcoming special events, celebrations of milestones in our readers’ lives, those seemingly small accomplishments that often do not receive the recognition they deserve, and everyday events that should be shared with friends and neighbors.

Memo Pad submissions for the May issue are due by Monday, April 16. For best results, e-mail Darlene Vinson at editor@midcountymemo.com. Or mail editorial submissions to 3510 N.E. 134th Ave, Portland, OR 97230. To leave a phone message, call 503-287-8904. The fax number is 503-249-7672.

Area grant recipients announced
The East Portland Neighborhood Office has released the list of grant recipients for the winter 2007 cycle of the Neighborhood Small Grants. These grants are intended to expand the capacity of the neighborhood system, establish partnerships among neighborhood associations and other community-based organizations, and provide opportunities for under-represented communities to become engaged in the neighborhood system. A total of $17,906 was awarded. Nine of the 10 awards went to groups in Mid-county.

The Parkrose Heights Association of Neighbors received $3,440 in support of an outreach flyer and survey to contact all eligible members.

Shaver Elementary School received $653 to be applied toward an irrigation system for its community garden.

The Parent Teacher Organization at Parkrose Middle School was awarded $653 in support of its Ride for Education event scheduled for May. Ride for Education is a community-wide bicycling event that will help provide more and upgraded computers for the school.

Fir Ridge High School in the David Douglas School District received $1,700 in support of a resource fair at the school.

An expanded National Night Out picnic will be supported by a $2,500 grant awarded to Harold Oliver National Night Out Neighborhood Picnic and Metropolitan Family Service.

The David Douglas High School Parent Teacher Association was awarded $653 to help purchase a reader board to announce community events.

Parkrose High School received $653 for a community peace labyrinth and park on a corner of the school grounds.

Friends of Senn’s Dairy Park were awarded $3,500 in support of a community event, Parkrose Blooms Again, to celebrate and involve neighbors in the community garden at the park.

The Parkrose SUN Community School will use a $653 grant to host a Parkrose High School photography workshop designed to capture images of local neighborhood life.

Community centers plan teen activities
Portland Parks & Recreation community centers are now offering special activities and programs for teenagers on Fridays and Saturdays. Montavilla Community Center, 8219 N.E. Glisan St., will be open from 8 until 10 p.m. on the first and third Fridays and Saturdays of each month for teens. For details, call 503-823-4101.

East Portland Community Center, 740 S.E. 106th Ave., will offer special events for teens from 3 to 6 p.m. Saturdays, and from 7 to 9:30 p.m. on the fourth Friday of each month. Call 503-823-3450 to learn more.

Portland Lutheran senior gets nod
The Gateway Elks Lodge has chosen Grant Owens, a senior at Portland Lutheran High School, as teenager of the month.

Owens was selected in part because of his determination and initiative and for his willingness to try new things. An academic achiever, he reaches out to his school community as well as the community at large.

He is a member of the Leadership Council at Portland Lutheran and has volunteered as a Special Olympics golf coach. Honored as the MVP of the high school golf team in 2005, Owens also runs cross-country and plays racquetball.

With an interest in business and advertising, Owens has his sights set on eventually earning a masters in business administration. He has not yet selected a school for undergraduate studies.

In addition to school and outside activities, Owens holds down at part-time job at K-Mart. He is the son of Kandice and Daryl Owens.

College coaches needed for high school students
Would you like to be personal college coach? As an ASPIRE advisor you can help students research colleges, consider different majors and make a plan for the next steps in the college process. After the ASPIRE training, you will be good at helping your students meet deadlines too! You will be asking them questions like, “Did you sign up for the SAT already?” or “How about that scholarship I sent you? Can I proofread your essay?” As an ASPIRE college coach, you will meet with your students in the library two to four times per month and regularly contact students by e-mail or phone. It’s rewarding for our ASPIRE advisors to see enthusiasm and excitement build in students who begin to realize they can really go to college.

The College and Career Center at Parkrose High School, 12003 N.E. Shaver St., has been home to the Parkrose ASPIRE program for five years. ASPIRE is a statewide program that recruits and trains volunteers to become college coaches and advisors to high school students.

Please contact Teena Ainslie, the ASPIRE assistant, at aspire@parkrose.k12.or.us or 503-408-2642 with your questions.

Practice handwriting with kids
The Occupational Therapy Department of the David Douglas School District seeks volunteers to support elementary students with additional handwriting practice. Volunteers work with students for a minimum of 30 minutes per week, longer if they choose.

Skill requirements are few. You should be able to print, enjoy spending time with children and be able to sit for 30 minutes at a time. Materials and activity ideas are provided in a structured easy-to-use kit. The Easy Writer Handwriting Program is a wonderful opportunity to bond with a child and help promote success. Contact Sheryl Riley at 503-256-6500, ext. 5207, or Beth Arntson at ext. 5208 to volunteer.

Charity requests cleaning supplies
SnowCap Community Charities is seeking donations of springtime cleaning supplies.

“It’s the time of year to freshen up, air out and reorganize our homes,” said Judy Alley, executive director of SnowCap. Clean homes are not only about aesthetics, she added, “it has to do with home hygiene.”

Cleaning supplies can be expensive and cannot be purchased with food stamps.

“If there isn’t enough money in the family budget for food and blankets, there certainly won’t be funds for cleaning supplies,” Alley said.

SnowCap is accepting donations of scrub buckets, mops and brushes as well as window and floor cleaner. The cleaning supplies will be distributed to more than 1,800 families who receive food baskets.

SnowCap’s donation hours are 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. weekdays and 9 a.m. to noon on Saturdays at the agency’s warehouse at 17788 S.E. Pine St.

Additional information is available by calling SnowCap at 503-674-8785.

SnowCap Community Charities is a volunteer, faith-based nonprofit agency that provides food, clothing, energy assistance, English language instruction and other advocacy services for low-income families and individuals in east Multnomah County.

Share your memories
The David Douglas Historical Society is seeking short writings about the community to update its first book, “History and Folklore of the David Douglas Community,” published in 1989.

Families currently or previously residing in the David Douglas district and businesses located in David Douglas

neighborhoods are welcome to participate. Articles about you, your family, or your recollections of places and events in the community are encouraged.

Please submit information to the David Douglas Historical Society, 1500 S.E. 130th Ave., Portland, OR 97233. You may also post submissions online at the link under the Features column at www.ddouglas.k12.or.us. For more

information, please call Joanna Klick at 503-658-4892.

Cute baby contest to net baby food, formula for needy
Do you think your child or grandchild has the best winning smile? Is she just too adorable not to share her loving face with the world? Then consider entering your precious into the “I’m Cuter than You” Baby Contest!

The Russellville Kiwanis Club, a local chapter of Kiwanis International, would like to help SnowCap provide baby food and formula for our youngest neighbors in need by sponsoring a Beautiful Baby Photo Contest.

SnowCap, serving the local Portland community since 1967, provides food, clothing, and other necessary resources for community neighbors in need. SnowCap receives food from the Oregon Food Bank and other local services but is always in need of baby food and formula, which cannot be bought at discount prices because of expiration dates, forcing SnowCap to purchase them from its limited cash funds.

Parents or legal guardians can submit a photo of a child from newborn to two years old along with a ten-dollar entry fee. All entry fee proceeds go toward the purchases of baby food and formula for SnowCap. The winners (1st, 2nd and 3rd place) will receive prizes, and their photos will be published in local newspapers on or close to Mother’s Day, May 13.

Here is a summary of contest rules:

• All submissions must be amateur photos and submitted to SnowCap, P.O. Box 160, Fairview, OR 97024, by April 28, 2007.
• Photos can be either in color or black and white and cannot be larger than 5 x 7. No slides or digital submissions please. Photos will not be returned.
• Each photo should be labeled with the child’s first and last name and date of birth. Please also include the photographer’s name, address and phone number.
• Unlabeled, loose or mutilated photos will be discarded without entry to the contest, and all non-winning photos will be securely disposed of at the end of the contest.

For an entry form, full contest rules or information, please contact any member of Russellville Kiwanis or Cindy Johnson at 503-901-1909, Megan Lintner at 503-734-5938 or Cheryl Miller at 971-409-0091.

All babies are beautiful, especially when they are well fed. Please help SnowCap help our neighbors in need.

PHS choir sends one vocalist to state
On Saturday Feb. 24, choir students from Parkrose High School and other area high schools met at Reynolds High School to compete for the opportunity to represent their school at the Oregon Music Educators Association/Oregon School Activities Association State Solo Competition later this month.

Among the Parkrose competitors were Kiet Tran and Jared Dike, both baritones, and Steven Ennis, bass. They all received Excellent ratings for their solos. Also competing were Margaret Drew, a soprano, and Julie Johnson, a mezzo-soprano. Each received a Superior rating. In addition to performing a solo selection, Drew and Johnson competed in the duet category and received a grade of Superior Plus. Drew also placed third in the soprano category. She will compete at the OMEA/OSAA Solo Competition at Lewis and Clark College, on Saturday, April 28.

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