10
Wednesday, August 19, 2020 The Nugget Newspaper, Sisters, Oregon
— FEATURED VOLUNTEER —
Susan Parker
PHOTO PROVIDED
Susan Parker helps Sisters youth aspire to more.
By Charlie Kanzig
Correspondent
When Susan Parker
moved to Sisters from the
Bay Area with her husband
Brian Farrow eight years
ago, after a 37-year career
working as a vice presi-
dent and buyer for Macy¾s,
she wanted to stay active
in a meaningful way and
become part of the small-
town community. A friend
at Black Butte Ranch men-
tioned the ASPIRE program
at Sisters High School,
which provides mentors to
support students in navigat-
ing their post high school
plans. Parker felt an imme-
diate sense of excitement to
get involved.
“I spent most of my
career in management and
our business philosophy
emphasized the need to
»grow¾ people, so the idea
of working with young
adults to plan their futures
felt perfectly natural to me,”
she said.
“I love working with
students and helping them
put together the puzzle
pieces for a game plan,
which includes running
through all sorts of ques-
tions with them about their
interests, where they want
to live, what size of school
they are comfortable with,
and things like that,” she
said.
Parker, a native of
Pendleton, takes on five
juniors and five seniors each
year, which keeps her plenty
busy, but she says it is very
gratifying.
“Over time you can
really develop a relation-
ship with these students,”
she said. “They invite me
to come to their games and
to other events at the school
and introduce me to their
parents, so it¾s helped me
to get to know people in the
community.”
About four years ago a
member of the Graduate
Resource Organization
(GRO), which adminis-
ters and manages local
scholarships for Sisters
High School graduates,
approached Parker about
becoming a board member.
Parker¾s work with ASPIRE
had given her a strong sense
of the generosity of the local
community, along with a
keen understanding of how
important it was to help stu-
dents find ways to finance
their future educational
plans.
“I am still blown away
that a community the size
of Sisters now has over 70
different donors to the GRO
scholarship program,” she
said.
Parker can be credited
with recent growth in the
program as the leader in
donor development. GRO
added a dozen new scholar-
ships in the past year thanks
in large part to Parker¾s
work.
Parker knows that help-
ing students with applica-
tions for college and other
programs, as well as the
GRO scholarships, takes a
burden off of parents.
“Parents are busy and
want the best for their kids,
so they are very grateful for
the help the ASPIRE men-
tors can offer,” she said.
Parker encourages adults
with time to help to get
involved with ASPIRE.
“We can always use
more mentors and the work
is gratifying on many lev-
els,” she said.
Rick Kroyt at SHS (rick.
kroytz@ssd6.org) coordi-
nates ASPIRE volunteers at
Sisters High School.
Volunteer Opportunities
Does your Sisters-area organization need
volunteers? Let The Nugget know so we can share
your opportunities with the citizens of Sisters. Email
the details to lisa@nuggetnews.com.
A N N O U N C E M E N T S
Free Legal Assistance for
Deschutes County Seniors
2020 Walk to End
Alzheimer’s
Deceased Veterans
Memorial
Th e Council on Aging of Central
Oregon and Legal Aid Services
of Oregon are working together
to off er legal services to low-
income seniors living in Deschutes
County. Th ese services are
provided to adults 60 years and
older with preference to those
in greatest social and economic
need, with particular attention
to low income, minority and frail
individuals. Five free 30-minute
legal assistance sessions for
seniors are available virtually
or by telephone the week of
September 14-18. Services
off ered by volunteer lawyers
include: tenant rights, collection
of money through small claims,
creditor/debtor rights, domestic
relations issues, estate planning
and probate issues. Lawyers
meet with clients for free half-
hour consultations. Seniors may
retain volunteer lawyers to do
additional legal work beyond
the consultation for a fee if they
choose. Call to the Council on
Aging to schedule one of the
limited number of free 30-minute
legal assistance appointments or
to learn more about other legal
support options at 541-678-5483.
Join others at 11 a.m. on Saturday,
September 12 for the Walk to End
Alzheimer’s Central Oregon. Th e
world may look a little diff erent
right now, but one thing hasn’t
changed: our commitment to
ending Alzheimer’s. Th is year,
Walk to End Alzheimer’s® is
everywhere — on every sidewalk,
track and trail. We won’t have
a large in-person gathering —
instead, we invite you to walk in
small teams of friends and family
while others in your community
do the same. Because we are
all still walking and fundraising
for the same thing: a world
without Alzheimer’s and all other
dementia. Visit alz.org/walk to
register today. For more info
please call 503-416-0213.
Th e American Legion Post 86
and VFW Post 8138 will hold
a special memorial for the
veterans who passed away in
the last part of 2019 and fi rst
six months of 2020 on Saturday,
August 22 at noon. For further
details call Lance Trowbridge at
541-903-1123.
Sole Support Walk
Step out on Parkinson’s disease,
six feet apart, at this year’s Sole
Support Central Oregon walk.
Join Parkinson’s Resources of
Oregon, Saturday, September
12 at Ponderosa Elementary in
Bend between 11 a.m. and 1
p.m. for a drive-thru event. Turn
in donations, collect t-shirts
(earned by raising $100+), gather
other goodies, and get your
car decorated! Th en choose
Virtual Race to Benefi t
your own adventure by walking
Central OR Symphony
one of our suggested 1k or
Th e Virtual Beat Beethoven’s
5k routes or select your own
5th 5k & 1-mile race will be held
Sunday, October 11. A virtual race walk location! Share your Sole
Support weekend pics via social
is done “on your own” between
media and help us in this giant
Sunday, October 11 through
Sunday, October 18. You can run step out on Parkinson’s. Your
time and fundraising supports
on your own or use the route
local wellness and education
at Central Oregon Community
programs for local patients and
College, 2600 NW College Way,
families living with Parkinson’s in
Bend. Proceeds benefi t the
Central Oregon Symphony, which our community. Registration is
required at www.solesupport.org
has canceled concerts because
or 800-426-6806
of the virus. For just $25 you
can register for either distance:
Sponsor an Impoverished
www.beatbeethoven5k.com.
Child from Uganda
Registrants will receive a printable Hope Africa International, based
bib and be entered into a raffl e.
in Sisters, has many children
If you have questions, call the
awaiting sponsorship! For more
Central Oregon Symphony Assoc. information go to hopeafricakids.
offi ce at 541-317-3941.
org or call Katie at 541-719-8727.
Celebr ation of Lif e
A Celebration of Life service for Gordon
“Spud” Halsten will be held on Saturday,
August 22 at 2 p.m. at Sisters Community
Church in the main auditorium (note
location change from Fireside Room).
COVID guidelines will be in place. You
may also view the obituary and make
comments at www.autumnfunerals.net.
Donations would be greatly appreciated
at Hospice of Redmond, 732 SW 23rd St.,
Redmond, OR 97756.
Free Weekly Grab-N-Go
Lunches For Seniors
Th e Council on Aging of
Central Oregon is serving
seniors (60+) free Grab-N-
Go lunches on Tuesdays,
Wednesdays, and Th ursdays
each week. Th e lunches are
distributed on a fi rst-come,
fi rst-served basis drive-through
style from 12 to 12:30 p.m. at
the Sisters Community Church,
1300 W Mckenzie Hwy. Seniors
may drive through the parking
lot and pick up a meal each
day of service. Come on by, no
need to make a reservation.
Questions? Call 541-678-5483.
PET OF THE WEEK
Humane Society of Central Oregon
541-382-3537
Meet ZISSOU, a handsome
senior pup who is eager to fi nd
his forever home! This big boy
loves to romp and play! Zissou
loves splashing around in the
pool on hot summer days! He
is looking for a home without
any other pets and no young
children. He’s very friendly,
but also big and strong and
may accidentally knock over
the little ones. Hurry down to
the Humane Society of Central
Oregon and meet Zissou today!
Sponsored
by
&
S U P P LY
541-549-4151
Please call the church before attending to verify schedules as buildings begin to reopen.
SISTERS-AREA CHURCHES
Shepherd of the Hills Lutheran Church (ELCA)
386 N. Fir Street • 541-549-5831
10 a.m. Sunday Worship
shepherdofthehillslutheranchurch.com
Sisters Community Church (Nondenominational)
1300 W. McKenzie Hwy. • 541-549-1201
10 a.m. Sunday Worship (with signing)
sisterschurch.com | info@sisterschurch.com
St. Edward the Martyr Roman Catholic Church
123 Trinity Way • 541-549-9391
5:30 p.m. Saturday Vigil Mass
9 a.m. Sunday Mass
8 a.m. Monday-Friday Mass
Calvary Church (NW Baptist Convention)
484 W. Washington St., Ste. C & D • 541-588-6288
10 a.m. Sunday Worship | ccsisters.org
Th e Episcopal Church of the Transfi guration
68825 Brooks Camp Road • 541-549-7087
8:30 a.m. Ecumenical Sunday Worship (Sunday school,
childcare) 10:15 a.m. Episcopal Sunday Worship (Sunday
school, childcare)
Chapel in the Pines
Camp Sherman • 541-549-9971
10 a.m. Sunday Worship
Sisters Church of the Nazarene
67130 Harrington Loop Road • 541-389-8960 | sistersnaz.org
10:45 a.m. Sunday Worship | 2sistersnaz@gmail.com
Westside Sisters
442 Trinity Way • 541-549-4184 | westsidesisters.org
10 a.m. Sunday Worship
6 p.m. Worship the 3rd Tuesday of each month
Vast Church (Nondenominational)
541-719-0587 • 9:37 a.m. Sunday Worship
Meeting virtually and in small groups. See vastchurch.com for details.
Seventh-Day Adventist Church
386 N. Fir Street • 541-595-6770, 541-306-8303
11 a.m. Saturday Worship
Th e Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints
452 Trinity Way • Branch President, 541-420-5670;
10 a.m. Sunday Sacrament Meeting
Baha’i Faith Meetings
Devotional Gatherings, Study Classes and Discussion
Groups. Call for location and times • 541-549-6586