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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 March issue are due by Wednesday, Feb. 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 needed to assist at auction SnowCap Fourth Annual Valentine Dinner Auction will be Saturday, Feb. 11, at 6 p.m. at the Airport Sheraton Hotel. Volunteers are needed to decorate, spot bids, check out guests, display gift baskets, watch tables, sell balloons and many other duties. This will be a fun way to help a worthy cause. Contact Danni at 503-674-8785 ext. 19 or danni@snowcap.org to apply. IRCO offers senior programs at EPCC The Immigrant and Refugee Community Organization now operates the Mid-County Senior Services Program Office at the East Portland Community Center, 740 S.E. 106th. Ave. Multnomah County Aging and Disability Services awarded the Mid-County Senior District Center contract to IRCO last July. IRCO runs the senior programs at the community center in collaboration with the Multnomah County Aging and Disability Services, Loaves and Fishes, Cherry Blossom Seniors and the Portland Parks and Recreation Department. The office hosts many free informational classes and health checks, including a free law clinic every Friday with half-hour consultations. Medicare advice is available as well, through Senior Health Insurance Benefits Assistance. 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 for both clinics. Senior Services also offers a Diabetes class, an Osteoporosis and Arthritis Prevention and Stabilization class, free blood pressure screenings and a monthly Harvest Share Produce Day, providing food for low-income people In addition, the program sponsors an AARP (American Association of Retired Persons ) 55-Alive Driver’s Education course. Other activities include a writing group, a monthly Book Club and a foot care clinic. IRCO Mid-County Senior Services also offers case management, information and assistance and transportation services. For more information or to schedule an appointment with any of these programs, please call 503-988-6073. Scholarships up for grabs Every year, Unitus Community Credit Union awards multiple $1,000 scholarships to graduating high school, undergraduate and graduate students. As a leading financial institution in Oregon, Unitus is dedicated to helping members achieve a higher education. This year, Unitus has added a new scholarship to its roster based on a student’s community involvement, leadership and activities in the community. Unitus’ Community Involvement Scholarship is a $1,000 scholarship to be awarded to one graduating high school senior, undergraduate student or graduate student. For the 2006-2007 school year, Unitus will award five academic scholarships; applicants are judged on scholastic standing and community involvement. It will award five need-based scholarships; applicants are judged on financial need, scholastic standing and community involvement. One community involvement scholarship will be announced; applicants are judged on community involvement, leadership and activities, financial need and scholastic standing. To pick up a scholarship application, visit any branch of Unitus or download one online at www.unitusccu.com. The Mall 205 Unitus Branch is at 10555 S.E. Washington St. Parkrose High ASPIRE needs volunteers ASPIRE creates access to a career path and the right college while aiding students in their search for scholarships by partnering a student with a community volunteer. Training and materials are provided. Training time is adapted to fit your schedule. No experience is necessary. The more volunteer coaches who participate, the more students will be helped to the next phase of their career and college planning. The majority of the current volunteers have donated their time to Parkrose for three years and have assisted 210 students by providing mentoring and resources to help students access education and training beyond high school. They educate students and families about the scholarship application process and other options for paying for post-secondary education. Teena Ainslee, ASPIRE program developer, says most of the volunteers either live or work in the district. Among them are Larry Vasquez, Jim Lipscomb, Yuli Wu, Debbie Porter, Ryan Brown, Katie Larsell, Andrea Jackson, Bruce Dransfeldt and Steven Wing. Ainslee says these folks deserve a community-wide pat on the back for their efforts. One is quoted as saying, “There is nothing like seeing the light in the eyes of a student at the very moment they begin to believe they can attend college.” As testament to the benefits of ASPIRE, a recent graduate said, “Looking back, my position now seems a far cry from where I was at the beginning of this school year. I knew I would one day pursue higher education but wasn’t sure if that day was soon or further down the road. Thankfully, my wake-up call sounded before it was too late. Now that I am finished with my last year of high school, I’m surprisingly restless to begin a new journey at Temple University.” You too can be an ASPIRE college coach at Parkrose High School. Contact Ainslie at 503-408-2642 or teena_ainslie@parkrose.k12.or.us. Meg Kilmer at 503-408-2642 can also help. Neighborhood results available from survey There is now a Web site that allows anyone to enter specific neighborhood areas in Portland and get results from the annual Citizen Survey. This is the first year results have been available at the neighborhood level. The survey, which is in its 15th year, has previously broken down results by neighborhood coalition and the city’s average. The neighborhood survey results can be accessed at www.portlandonline.com/auditor/citizensurvey. At the Web link, citizens can enter their neighborhood and see how their area rated city services. They can also click on specific questions and see how all the neighborhoods in the city rated that one question. There is also a link to an online version of the survey form citizens filled out. City Auditor Gary Blackmer says this year’s efforts are a way for the City Council to really see how opinions differ around the city and to focus government efforts based on those results. “These results can help neighbors and bureaus identify the strongest concerns about city service issues, in order to problem solve,” Blackmer said. “We will be conducting a similar survey next year to track any improvements.” The annual Citizen Survey is part of the larger annual project known as the Service Efforts and Accomplishments report. The report also includes an analysis of the city’s performance and compares some of the city’s results with other comparable cities around the country. The full Service Efforts and Accomplishments report and more information about the citizen survey process are available on the Audit Services Division Web site at www.portlandonline.com/auditor/auditservices. Blumenauer nominates outstanding Mid-county students to military academies Congressman Earl Blumenauer has nominated three outstanding students from Mid-county to be considered for appointment to U.S. military academies. The nominees were selected in a competitive application process based on their scholastic and extracurricular records, letters of recommendation, standardized test scores and leadership experience. The students’ applications now go to the academies for further consideration. Final selected nominees will begin classes next fall. Congressman Blumenauer nominated the following students from Mid-Multnomah County: Todd Jonathan Gamiles, son of John and Peggy Ann Gamiles of Northeast Portland, attends Parkrose High School. Gamiles is on the soccer team and plays in the Symphonic Band, Pep Band, Jazz Band and Marching Band. He is a member of the Civil Air Patrol and an Eagle Scout. Blumenauer nominated Gamiles to the U.S. Air Force Academy. Jonathan Mark Rogers, son of Mark and Sylvia Rogers of Gresham, graduated from Portland Christian High School in 2004. He currently attends Mt. Hood Community College where he is on the Dean’s List and College Honor Role. In high school he was a member of the Pep Band, the Church Youth Band and the Jazz Band and a member of the National Honor Society. Blumenauer nominated Rogers to the U.S. Air Force Academy. Brandon Allen Templin, son of Rick and Connie Templin of Southeast Portland, attends David Douglas High School. He is a member of the National Honor Society. Blumenauer nominated Templin to the U.S. Naval Academy and the U.S. Military Academy at West Point. |
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