Each day, members of our community quietly celebrate milestones, achievements and accomplishments—big and small. This department highlights these triumphs for the community.

If you’re sending a submission, include all details that apply: individuals’ names, details of the milestone and a contact name and phone number. If you have photos, send them. The submission deadline for February issue is Sunday, Jan. 15. For best results, e-mail editor@midcountymemo.com or mail submissions to 3510 N.E. 134th Ave., Portland, OR 97230. Call 503-287-8904.

Floyd Light and Ron Russell middle school teachers accept Healthiest Schools bronze award. Pictured from left are Loel Solomon, vice president, community health, Kaiser Permanente; Molly Balfe, healthy schools program manager, Alliance for a Healthier Generation; Meagan Lutu, PE teacher, Floyd Light Middle School; Howell Wechsler, CEO, Alliance for a Healthier Generation; Joanne Maki, PE teacher, Ron Russell Middle School; Peggy Agron, national director, Healthy Schools, Kaiser Permanente; Barb Kienle, director, student services, David Douglas School District; Elisa Mendel, vice president, strategic customer engagement, Kaiser Permanente. COURTESY CRAIG SCHATTNER, ALLIANCE FOR A HEALTHIER GENERATION

Floyd Light and Ron Russell middle school teachers accept Healthiest Schools bronze award. Pictured from left are Loel Solomon, vice president, community health, Kaiser Permanente; Molly Balfe, healthy schools program manager, Alliance for a Healthier Generation; Meagan Lutu, PE teacher, Floyd Light Middle School; Howell Wechsler, CEO, Alliance for a Healthier Generation; Joanne Maki, PE teacher, Ron Russell Middle School; Peggy Agron, national director, Healthy Schools, Kaiser Permanente; Barb Kienle, director, student services, David Douglas School District; Elisa Mendel, vice president, strategic customer engagement, Kaiser Permanente.
COURTESY CRAIG SCHATTNER, ALLIANCE FOR A HEALTHIER GENERATION

David Douglas middle schools earn recognition as healthiest in country
Floyd Light and Ron Russell middle schools in the David Douglas School District were honored at last month’s Healthiest Schools Summit in San Diego. Both schools received bronze awards and were named on the 2016 list of American’s Healthiest Schools by the Alliance for a Healthier Generation and Kaiser Permanente’s Thriving Schools.

Leach to add pollinator garden
The recently completed Leach Botanical Garden Development Plan, a $4.9 million project, calls for a pedestrian trail network, including connections between the upper and lower gardens, a woodland hillside garden with an aerial tree walk, a pollinator garden, public gathering spaces for educational and cultural opportunities, water-efficient landscaping and durable, diverse and aesthetically pleasing plants and materials.

Metro has awarded Portland Parks & Recreation and Leach Botanical Garden a $188,000 Nature in Neighborhoods grant to develop the pollinator garden. This grant includes a 2:1 match of $376,000 designated by Commissioner Amanda Fritz. These funds will come from system development charges.

Additionally, strong interest, robust fundraising efforts and significant pledges cultivated by the Leach Garden Friends group of supporters have spurred Commissioner Fritz to offer a challenge to Leach Garden Friends. If they can raise a total of $1.26 million overall, PP&R will supplement the remaining funds to see the entire $4.9 million project through.

Ollie Lund, left, poses with Linda Coble and Rick Towill of the Honolulu Rotary Club. The Honolulu club, chartered in 1915, is Hawai'i’s oldest and largest. COURTESY OLLIE LUND

Ollie Lund, left, poses with Linda Coble and Rick Towill of the Honolulu Rotary Club. The Honolulu club, chartered in 1915, is Hawai’i’s oldest and largest.
COURTESY OLLIE LUND

East Portland Navy vet represents at Pearl Harbor Day 75th anniversary
Last month, longtime east Portland resident Oliver “Ollie” Lund, was personally invited by the Navy’s CINCPAC Fleet Headquarters to attend ceremonies for the 75th anniversary of National Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day.

Lund, a 20-year Navy veteran whose military occupational specialty was journalism, did two tours of duty at Pearl Harbor after the war. He was assigned to gather information about the Dec. 7 attack for Naval archives. In addition, he was part of the group ordered to begin public tours of the harbor.

During his visit, Lund, 82, who is also a longtime Northeast Rotary Club member, visited the Honolulu Rotary Club, where he met Portland native Linda Coble, who went to Grant High School and University of Oregon. Coble was not only a television journalist in Portland (1981–83) but also the first female television news co-anchor in Hawai’i. Moreover, she was the Honolulu club’s first female president and, in 2000, was the Rotary’s first female district governor.

The Memo has profiled Lund a few times, most recently for his retirement from the McDonald’s corporation after 55 years of owning and operating franchises (“The man who brought McDonald’s to the Pacific Northwest celebrates retirement” MCM June 2016).

Be safe on snow, icy roads
Snowy and icy roads can cause you to lose tire traction when driving, making those conditions the top causes of car accidents and vehicle fatalities. Sometimes you can’t prevent crashes on icy roads because a vehicle might be out of control, but there are ways you can be prepared.

1. Get a grip. To have adequate snow traction, a tire requires at least 6/32-inch deep tread, and most passenger-car tires manufactured today usually have 10/32-inch of tread. Even all-season tires don’t necessarily have great snow traction. Snow tires with a “snowflake on the mountain” symbol on the sidewall meet tire industry standards for snow traction.

2. Make sure you can see. Be sure to maintain functionality of your windshield wiper blades and clean the inside of your windows thoroughly. Make sure your windshield washer system works and is full of an anti-icing fluid by draining older fluid by running the washers until new fluid appears. Switching fluid colors makes this easy.

4. Check your lights. You should first make sure your headlights and taillights are clear of snow. Use your headlights so that others will see you, and if you have an older car with sand-pitted headlights, get a new set of lenses or have them professionally reconditioned to like-new condition.

6. Watch out carefully for black ice. If the road looks slick, it probably is.

Regardless of your driving skills or car preparation, there are some winter conditions that cannot be conquered. Using these tips may help you successfully navigate snowy and icy roads.

Gateway Green to benefit from city funds
Portland Parks Commissioner Amanda Fritz announced $2 million in System Development Charges dedicated toward completing the first phase of Gateway Green. The funds will allow the development of the new park, 25 acres of formerly unused land at the confluence of I-84 and I-205, to move forward.

The SDC funding will provide Gateway Green with an expanded hiking trails network, enhanced with a small natural play area, along with habitat restoration, improved access and further off-road biking opportunities.

“I’m pleased to be part of this unique partnership between two local governments and one dedicated nonprofit, the Friends of Gateway Green,” says Portland Parks Commissioner Amanda Fritz. “Gateway Green will be a regional destination in park-deficient east Portland and a working example of how active recreation can be balanced with natural restoration and preservation.”

Gateway Green will be easily accessible to visitors, including the 26,000 Portlanders who live within one and a half miles of the site, via a connection to the I-205 multi-use path. Metro recently estimated that 250,000 people annually pass by Gateway Green via the 16.5-mile-long path. Gateway Green could be a key connection point for cycling within the city, as it also lies at the intersection of the future Sullivan’s Gulch Trail.

Future phases of construction over the next few years will enhance habitat and access to Gateway Green and may include elements such as site design, public involvement, permitting and bidding documents, restrooms and drinking fountains, invasive plant treatments and land grading.

Family Center seeks volunteers and meal providers
The Human Solutions Family Center, 16015 S.E. Stark St., needs meal providers to prepare and serve dinners. Each night, 200 or more people in families experiencing homelessness stay at the shelter, and about half of them are under 18. Human Solutions works to provide healthy meals to all those families and relies on community donations to make that possible. Groups of six or seven are needed to come to the shelter at 6 p.m. with food for up to 160 people, as well as a few volunteers to stay and serve, clean up and store leftovers. Volunteers might organize a team through their place of worship, company or other organization, and be responsible for providing one or more meals per month. Another option is to purchase a meal from a local restaurant or ask friends and family who cater to contribute meals. Volunteers are asked to bring their own serving utensils, paper or plastic silverware and plates and cups.

Other ongoing volunteer opportunities at the Family Center include:

Pick-Up/Delivery Volunteers: Able-bodied people with large cars or trucks who can pick up deliveries of food, clothing and furniture are needed immediately. Scheduling is flexible.

Donation Volunteers: Receive and sort clothing donations on a regular basis from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Mondays.

Kitchen Volunteers: Help collect, receive and organize food donations. Coordinate meals with staff and community partners. Volunteers are needed daily during mealtimes.

Special Skill Volunteers: Do you have a special skill that you want to share with families at the Family Center? Maybe you have experience teaching art classes or would love to lead a group on a walk-in Forest Park. Volunteers are needed for art classes, tutoring, parenting workshops and other specialized classes and events. Suggestions on activities are welcome.

Human Solutions is also looking for collaborative, efficient and enthusiastic people to join its team. Volunteer leaders will spend 10+ hours a month working with families, staff and volunteers to create special programming, help coordinate events and work closely with staff and other volunteers.

Volunteer work directly benefits dozens of families who utilize the Human Solutions Family Center every day. No application or orientation is necessary for one-time volunteer opportunities.

To learn more, contact Human Solutions Volunteer and Donations Coordinator Emilie Friedman at efriedman@humansolutions.org or 503-278-1637.

Help keep Columbia River clean
The Lower Columbia Estuary Partnership seeks help to identify and map small-to-medium scale marine debris in the lower Columbia River from Bonneville Dam to the mouth of the river. Marine debris can harm fish and wildlife habitat, affect water quality and impact human safety. The Estuary Partnership is undertaking this effort to identify and map marine debris, assess the extent of the problem along the lower Columbia River and determine what can be done to remove the debris from the river and its shoreline. Marine debris can be reported on the Estuary Partnership’s website at estuarypartnership.org/marine-debris-submittal-form.

Debris may include small abandoned boats, large tires, drums and old machinery—anything that does not belong along or in the river. This inventory will not track large abandoned ships greater than 35 feet, which are classified as derelict vessels and are tracked by the U.S. Coast Guard and others. To date, the Estuary Partnership has mapped more than 100 marine debris locations between Kalama and Portland.

“There are hundreds of miles of shoreline and back channels along the lower river,” said Estuary Partnership Executive Director Debrah Marriott. “We’re hoping people can keep their eyes open for marine debris and let us know if they see anything. We want to better understand the extent of the problem, and we know people out on the river every day will be a great help.”

To report debris, please note the type and size of debris; document location, including GPS coordinates if known; and take a picture, if possible, to upload on the Estuary Partnership’s marine debris page. The Estuary Partnership’s marine debris page also includes a map of currently known debris in the lower river.

Protect yourself from scam artists
The Multnomah County Sheriff’s Office is reminding citizens about the prevalence of telephone scammers who continue to take advantage of our community. In a recent case, an elderly Troutdale resident lost more than $2,000 to a foreign scam claiming the victim had won the Publisher’s Clearing House sweepstakes. Through the hard work of the U.S. Postal Service and Multnomah County Sheriff’s Deputies, a bulk of the money in this case was returned.

Sheriff’s Office detectives get these types of calls weekly and want you to remember that it is illegal for anyone to charge a fee for you to collect any type of winnings and that U.S. citizens do not win foreign sweepstakes. Anyone who receives a call asking for money should follow these safety tips:

1. Hang up the phone and do not send money.

2. Do not provide personal information over the phone to anyone calling you claiming you won a prize.

3. Publishers Clearing House sweepstakes award winners are notified in person by their prize patrol. If you are contacted and asked to send any form of currency (such as wires, prepaid gift cards, Green Dot cards or cash), it is a scam. Legitimate sweepstakes will never ask you for a processing fee or tax to be paid on legitimate money won.

4. The caller may claim this deal or your prize money will go away if you don’t act now. Do not be pressured into sending money; most funds are not recovered once sent to scammers.

5. The caller may give you an address or phone number to call in the United States to legitimize their effort. Scammers use fake contact information to convince victims to give money.

6. If you are adamant you want to send money, please contact the police, a family member or friend and tell them about the call first. If it is too good to be true, it probably is.

7. Contact Multnomah County Sheriff’s Office Elder Crimes Detective Jay Pentheny at 503-988-4450 to ensure the call is not a scam.

Don’t hang up when calling 911 from cell
The combined City of Portland, Multnomah County 911 center at the Bureau of Emergency Communications has updated its public information about calling 911 from a cell phone. The updated information recommends that anyone calling 911 with an emergency from a cell telephone stay on the line until the call is answered and the caller’s location is confirmed.

Staying on the line ensures that 911 knows about your emergency and can send help. If you call 911 from a cell phone and hang up before your call is answered, the 911 operator may not be able to call you back, as they are frequently able to do with calls from landlines.

Always assume that the 911 operator does not know your location. Even if your cell phone can provide location information, the approximate location the 911 center receives can be within 165 feet (50 meters), but sometimes it can be up to 2,000 feet (600 meters), or as large as 3 football fields, or more, making sending help your way difficult and imprecise.

Always be prepared to give specific directions to your location. If you don’t know where you are when you call 911, look for landmarks, large buildings, street signs or paperwork nearby that may contain address information.

See this link for updated information about calling 911 from a cell phone: portlandoregon.gov/911/article/149134. Visit this one for frequently asked questions: portlandoregon.gov/911/72015.

Remember, use 911 to save a life, report a fire or stop a crime. 911 is the right number to call in an emergency when a prompt response is needed. Use non-emergency number 503-823-3333 24 hours a day in Multnomah County for non-emergency public safety help. Using the non-emergency number keeps 911 available for true emergencies.

Text-to-911 is also available in Multnomah County for those individuals that may not be able to speak due to an emergency such as a home invasion or abusive partner, as well as individuals who are deaf, hard of hearing or have limited speech capabilities.

Location accuracy for Text-to-911 can be worse than it is for voice calls to 911 from cell phones.

Like other 911 calls, Text-to-911 should be used only for in-progress emergencies requiring immediate response from police, fire and EMS.