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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 September issue are due by Wednesday, Aug. 15. 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.
Volunteers sought for haunted ghost town
Parents of the Parkrose High School class of 2008 are wasting no time. The first fundraising event in support of the senior All Night Party will be the Haunted Ghost Town at Rossi Farms. All parents of students entering their senior year at Parkrose are asked to volunteer for this event. Help will be needed in advance to set up the event as well as during the event. Call Gail Volk at 503-705-3057 or Barb Snoozy at 503-740-1359 to sign up.
Critical need for volunteer driver
SnowCap Community Charities is in immediate need for volunteer drivers to collect food donations and deliver food baskets for people who are hungry.
“Our truck may sit driverless unless we can secure someone or more than one volunteer to operate it,” said Judy Alley, executive director at SnowCap. “This is a serious and urgent need.”
SnowCap Community Charities is a nonprofit, faith-based agency that provides food, clothing, energy assistance, English language instruction and other advocacy services for low-income families and individuals east of 82nd Avenue and within Multnomah County. Volunteers are accepted from all parts of the metro area.
“We have a pressing need immediately for drivers for two morning shifts on Thursdays and Fridays from 8 a.m. to noon,” continued Alley.
Volunteers must have a good driving record, but no special endorsements are required.
Drivers pick up food from the Oregon Food Bank as well as food donated by restaurants and grocery stores and deliver the items to the SnowCap warehouse. They also deliver food boxes to low-income senior housing complexes.
“Some limited lifting is required,” according to Alley, but “one of our previous drivers was in his 80s, and he had no problem.”
“This is vital volunteerism,” Alley noted. “In addition to providing the needy with essential nutrition, the program connects people and helps build community unity. SnowCap drivers develop relationships and help ease the isolation of many seniors and disabled persons.”
Contact Danni Mooney, SnowCap volunteer coordinator, at 503-674-8785, ext. 19, or via e-mail at danni@snowcap.org for more information or to sign up.
Last year, SnowCap prepared more than 23,000 food boxes and provided more than one million pounds of food for families in need.
Volunteer groundskeepers needed
Portland Public Schools and SOLV are enlisting volunteers to do grounds work at 65 schools across the city as part of Community Care Day, on Saturday, Aug. 25, from 9 a.m. to noon.
The volunteers will weed, prune, spread bark chips and mow to prepare for students’ return to school Sept. 5.
Following the cleanup, all volunteers are invited to Roseway Heights School, 7334 N.E. Siskiyou St., for a barbecue, music and the dedication of a new playground structure.
Funding for Community Care Day comes from the Lowe’s Charitable and Educational Foundation, which donated $95,000 last year to cover ongoing cleanup costs. This year, the foundation donated another $100,000 to install playground structures at Roseway Heights and Portsmouth schools. Previously middle schools, both will become K-8 schools this fall.
In addition to Roseway Heights, area schools on the cleanup list are William Clark Elementary, 1231 S.E. 92nd Ave., and Vestal Elementary, 161 N.E. 82nd Ave.
Last year, more than 1,800 people participated in Community Care Day, enhancing the grounds of dozens of schools. Such efforts are vital to Portland Public Schools. Because of tight budgets, the district employs the equivalent of only four full-time groundskeepers to maintain its 750 acres of property.
To register and for information on specific locations, go to the Web site www.pps.k12.or.us/depts/communications/news/ and click on Community Care Day 2007 or call Monica Kearsley of SOLV at 503-844-9571.
Mobile Command Center stocked with ice cream
On a recent Saturday, the Portland Police Bureau’s East Precinct Mobile Command Center was stocked and ready to go. Only the Mobile Command Center wasn’t preparing to go to an emergency; it was stocked with ice cream and popsicles to be handed out while getting to know people in the community.
Organizers thought taking the Mobile Command Center to local parks and giving away ice cream would be a great way to connect with neighbors. Kids, parents and other locals who came by to see what was going on had an opportunity to interact with officers in a positive, relaxed environment.
When the Mobile Command Center would pull up to a location, many people were not sure what to expect but quickly found out when the coolers came out and the Ice Cream Social sign was taped to the side of the vehicle.
“I didn’t know what was up at first,” said Rocco Caravelli, a skateboarder at Glenhaven Skate Park. “I think this is pretty cool.”
The Mobile Command Center made it to eight sites that day: Argay Park, Columbia Station Apartments, Glenhaven Skate Park, Hancock Park, Lents Park, Lincoln Park, Luby Park and Wilkes Park. Lt. Chris Uehara, Acting Lt. Tim Sessions, Officer Richard Holthausen, and East Precinct cadets Ryan Mele and Oscar Cisneros staffed the RV. At each location district officers in the area came by so they could meet and talk with the neighbors and kids.
“This is so neat!” said Leslie Dobbins at the Hancock Park location. “This is great for the kids.” One of the skateboarders at Glenhaven Skate Park approached a lieutenant and said, “Dude, this is so awesome! I look at the police different now.” These comments were exactly what organizers had hoped for.
“It is important for our community to see the police in a friendly setting,” said Ruth Hander, chair of the Madison South Neighborhood Association. “The kids and adults were able to enjoy ice cream and talk to our police without being afraid of them.” Hander helped organize the event on the neighborhood side, telling neighbors about the location and time. Hander even secured an ice cream donation from the local Fred Meyer store.
“We feel this was a very positive contact and received many compliments from parents for doing this outreach,” said Sessions. “It was such a success that we’re planning to do this again.”
IRCO’s multiculturalism now includes mainstream clients
The general understanding of most people is that the Immigrant and Refugee Community Organization specializes in services targeted at people from other countries, and rightly so. However, as the organization has grown and expanded its services, more services have begun to include the local mainstream population.
One example is IRCO’s services to seniors. In July 2005, IRCO became the Multnomah County-contracted provider of services to Mid-county seniors and the operator of the senior center located in the East Portland Community Center.
Although the center now offers more outreach and activities designed to draw in the diverse population of the Mid-county area, the client base remains primarily mainstream.
Senior services are offered to anyone who is 60 or older and living in Multnomah County. The goal is to provide services that help older adults to remain independent and self-sufficient.
Case management is the capstone of IRCO’s senior services. The Oregon Project Independence program is available to seniors who need assistance with the activities of daily living and who meet specified income limitations. Those who meet the criteria receive services designed to keep them living at home, such as homemaker assistance, personal care, grocery shopping, and light cooking for a fee of just $5 per year.
Case managers are also available to assist seniors who do not need personal assistance. Assistance for these clients focuses primarily on accessing available services. They may include things like finding affordable housing and financial assistance, home repairs and yard work, emergency food and shelter, financial and insurance counseling, employment, health issues, protective services for abuse issues, and medical and mental health services.
The Family Caregiver program is for persons 55 years and older who are acting as caregiver to a person (a child, spouse or anyone for whom they have legal custody) who is disabled, whether due to illness, injury or the frailty that occurs with age. This program provides funds for respite care, adult day care, or other services designed to support the caregiver.
In June 2007, IRCO senior services had 429 clients receiving case management, of whom only 102 (or 24%) were of non-Caucasian ethnicity. IRCO has six senior case managers, all with bachelor’s degrees or higher. All but one is fluent in at least one language other than English.
Weekdays, through a partnership with Loaves & Fishes, a hot lunch is served in the senior center for a fee of $2.65. Seniors who cannot go out may sign up through IRCO to receive free Meals on Wheels lunches delivered to their homes.
One of the most popular services utilized by the seniors is transportation assistance, which scheduled over 500 rides in June. Seniors who are signed up for transportation services may call IRCO, and staff will arrange for free public transportation for medical appointments, grocery shopping, visiting family, work, volunteer or social activities, or just about any purpose they need. Primarily the transportation is provided via specialized TriMet door-to-door bus service or, in some instances, by taxi.
Some other popular activities IRCO provides at the senior center include senior law clinics every Friday from 1:15 to 3:15 p.m., for which seniors may schedule no-cost half-hour appointments with a volunteer lawyer for help with legal issues. Setting up a will or trust, divorce, contesting civil fines, neighbor disputes, or contesting evictions are among the most sought-after services.
Senior Health Insurance Benefit Assistance provides assistance with any Medicare-related issues, such as de-mystifying Part D benefits, enrolling, understanding invoices or switching providers. This service is available on Wednesdays from 9 to 11 a.m.
At the Foot Care Clinic, held every third and fourth Thursday between 9 a.m. and 3 p.m., a nurse provides a warm foot soak, toenail trim, foot massage, sanding and smoothing of foot corns and calluses, and consultation relating to foot problems. This service, for which a podiatrist normally charges $60-$100, is offered for a fee of just $20. Osteo Exercise classes are held on Mondays and Fridays from 10:30 to 11:30 a.m. and cost just $30 for a 13-week session.
Other regular services include blood pressure screenings; support groups for Alzheimer’s, mental health, and diabetes; a writing group; and English as a Second Language classes for persons of Asian and Russian descent.
For information or assistance with senior services, call 503-988-6073.
At the other end of the age spectrum, IRCO offers free in-home parent education and child development services to any parent who lives in Multnomah County. The Healthy Start program is funded by the Multnomah County Health Department and serves mainstream clients as well as those who speak Cambodian, Vietnamese, Spanish, Thai, Laotian or Mien. Families may receive these services from birth until the child is 3 years old.
Whatever the cultural background, IRCO can provide services to help navigate the bumps in the road of life.
Oregon Arts Commission invites grant applications
The Oregon Arts Commission has announced an Oct. 2 application deadline for Arts Build Communities grants, which recognize and support the use of the arts as a tool for building and strengthening Oregon communities.
Arts Build Communities grants support both the arts in local communities and the involvement of the arts and artists in community development. The program recognizes the expanding role that arts organizations are taking in the broader cultural, social, educational and economic areas of community life.
The program’s goal is to better connect local arts and cultural resources with issues or opportunities facing communities. Projects can support the integration of the arts and artists with community goals and may include new initiatives, new program development, or the expansion of an existing arts and community development project.
Arts Build Communities proposals from communities underserved by arts services will receive priority for funding. Underserved communities include those whose opportunities to experience the arts are limited by geography, economics or disability.
The Arts Build Communities grants are funded in part by the National Endowment for the Arts. Applications will be accepted until a postmark deadline of Oct. 2. Grant requests must be for activities and projects occurring between Jan. 1 and Dec. 31, 2008. Guidelines are available online at www.oregonartscommission.org or may be requested from the Arts Commission, 775 Summer St. N.E., Suite 200, Salem, OR 97301-1280 or 503-986-0082.
Applicants are encouraged to review the program guidelines then call Arts Commission staff to discuss the proposed project. This is a competitive grant program, and a discussion with Arts Commission staff can clarify the intent of the program and sometimes direct a project to a more appropriate funding source outside the Arts Commission.
Local congregation leads the way
When nonprofit, faith-based SnowCap Community Charities announced plans to launch a 40-4-40 campaign to mark the agency’s 40 years of service, volunteers at the Covenant Presbyterian Church rolled up their collective sleeves and asked, “How can we help?”
Oct. 6 marks SnowCap’s 40th anniversary of providing food, clothing, seasonal energy assistance, English language instruction and advocacy services to low-income and disadvantaged families and individuals in Mid-Multnomah County, including the Gresham, Fairview, Wood Village and Troutdale communities.
SnowCap announced in June a resource drive termed 40-4-40, which seeks “40 of something useable for SnowCap clients,” said Judy Alley, SnowCap executive director.
Covenant Presbyterian Church immediately answered the call.
In fact, the church has been steadfastly supporting SnowCap with volunteers, food, clothing and funding since it was founded in 1967 by a group of Christian ministers who saw an unmet humanitarian need in Mid-county.
“Our church is always excited and ready to help SnowCap,” said Sherry Mollohan, chair of the church’s Mission Stewardship Committee.
Mollohan said church members are asked to donate certain items each month of the 40-4-40 campaign. In July they gathered bath soap.
Church members have been challenged to provide 40 back-to-school supply items in August, 40 jars of baby food or cans of formula in September and 40 rolls of toilet paper in October. In November, the church hopes to collect 40 cans of sweet potatoes for Thanksgiving food boxes.
“Since we learned that many essential food and personal health items are not available through food stamps or other programs, helping with the 40-4-40 campaign is a superior way to help folks. We all receive a blessing in serving others,” Mollohan said.
Other church organizations and community service groups are encouraged to follow the lead of Covenant Presbyterian Church, Alley said.
Additional information regarding the 40-4-40 project or other SnowCap programs is available by calling 503-674-8785 or e-mailing judy@snowcap.org.
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