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About Oregon daily emerald. (Eugene, Or.) 1920-2012 | View Entire Issue (Oct. 2, 1981)
Class offers student‘exceptional’ friendship By KEN KOOPMAN The Special Education department is offering an "ex ceptional friendship" course that gives students the oppor tunity to work with disabled children on a one-to-one basis. The two-credit class, co sponsored by the YWCA, meets each Wednesday from 4:30 5:30 p.m. and is open to all students The emphasis is hands-on experience, says Kathy Akiyama. the campus YWCA coordinator. In-class work on the causes and characteristics of various disabilities will provide the initial training, Akiyama says Other social service groups such as Big Brother and Easter Seals will provide guest speakers and films for the class, she says. Students accepted into the program commit themselves to their “exceptional friend" for a minimum of one 3-hour visit per week for nine months. Vacations and holidays are ex cluded. Grades are based on attendance and on the weekly completion of short progress reports The program allows for “a lot of independence and room for creativity," Akiyama says Disabled youngsters, ages four to 18, are matched in a buddy-style friendship with a volunteer who has similar Inter ests. The first meeting is held at the child's home, with following weekly visits and outings arranged by the student. Student volunteers try to make life nicer for their "exceptional kids," Akiyama says The students plan special events such as beach outings, picnics, pizza parties and other gather ings to please the kids Some children have limita tions that may seem difficult to cope with, but "the sky is the limit" as to how the volunteers can remedy those problems during their visits, she says Going to movies, playing baseball, baking cookies, fish ing, hiking or just talking are only a few ways volunteers can spend the time with their "ex ceptional” friends. What ever the activity, the most important thing Is that the students spend time with the children on a long-term basis "We ask volunteers to make a nine-month commitment at the time of matching for the protec tion of the family,” Akfyama says The problem, she says, is that students often drift in and out of the program, because they graduate or quit school. Chil dren sometimes are matched four or five times a year, she says "Our need for volunteers is great right now." Akiyama says "We currently have 35 children on a waiting list and only four or MASTERS, GURUS, AND GUIDES Speaker: Bing Escudero 1645 High St., Tuesday, Oct. 6th 7:30 p.m. Sponsored by the Theosophical Society —Donations— Food Service Salad by the Ounce! .15c an ounce Available in the Skylight Refectory and Cafeteria. wl aC?& l^S&K ^ ° SSS-SrfcA v' C'-'feV5 **>* Vi^S , c, V^ ' «yS® ^o^'.vofc0 ■*i® ^ ^O0Ts <*x *°V*$ec* *►* *'>c"s five Kids have been matched so far.” Last year 15 to 20 children were matched This year, ten people had signed up for the class by the first meeting The supply of volunteers has also been depleted with graduation and summer vacation stealing some potential returning volun teers The exceptional friendship program has existed in Eugene for 12 years with most of its funding coming from the United Way But Akiyama says funding cutbacks have Increased the need for more volunteers “Ideally we would like to match all of our kids.” Akiyama says. "However, we want relia ble people who are enthusiastic about our program." The YWCA Exceptional Friend ship Program is open to non students as well as students For more information, call the YWCA at 686-4439 Stones sell out SEATTLE (AP) — Hundreds of Rolling Stones fans lined up Thursday morning to purchase tickets for a |ust-announced second concert by the rock group in Seattle Some fans, acting on reports that leaked out Wednesday night, camped overnight in front of the Kingdome to be first in line for tickets Thursday Tickets went on sale at 8 a m at the Kingdome and Fidelity Lane ticket outlets throughout the Puget Sound area, said a spokeswoman for the concert promoters WIttun minutes, hundreds of ticket buyers had lined up at the downtown Fidelity Lane outlet, said Mike West news director for KISW-FM which made the first official announcement of the second concert The second concert will be at 3 p.m Oct 15 in the Kingdome, the promoters spokeswoman said Will there be a third concert? "No, no, no," the spokeswoman laughed Seventy thousand tickets for the Stones Oct 14 concert sold out in less than four hours last Thursday West said ticket buyers' lines this Thursday were as large or larger than those for the first show Tickets were sold for the same price as the initial concert, $16 50 each
