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
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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