Happy Holidays
Dinner will benefit children
On Friday, Dec 2 the Emergency Care Chil
dren's Fund wit! hold its annual Christmas dm
ner and dance at the Eugene Hilton
Tickets lor the benefit cost $25, which includes
dinner, dinnertime entertainment and free admission
to CJ's alter dinner All of the proceeds go directly to
the Emergency Care Children's Fund to benefit fam
ilies with children who have extreme medical needs
The fund helps families pay for things like oxygen
tanks, eye glasses and wheelchairs for thee chi
dren.
Alola Campbell started the Emergency Care Chi!
dren's Fund five years ago after her insurance mon
ey ran out and she could no longer alford to pay tor
the respirator her son needed to be on
i realized that there were a lot of families wno couw
not afford health care lor their children," Campbell
said, "so I started the fund to help them, too
far the fund has t>een ahi.. * • v«» lam
ilirjs offset their medical expenses According to Camp
bell, the fact that the fund has not been around very
long and its lack of money to pay for advertising keep
the fund from helping more people.
"Right now all of our money goes toward helping
families with their medical expenses." said Campbell
But we hope to be able to start advertising soon to
let more people know about the fund "
According to Sue Barnhart, a member of the Emer
gency Care Children's Fund selection committee who
also works with children with developmental disabil
ities, the fund committee would like to raise enough
money to bo able to buy expensive medical equip
m«ni for families «vho need it
" Right now we can only afford gmallot things
glasses or oxygen tanks * Barnhart said "Hopefully,
well be able to buy things like respirators '
Barnhart sad there are a number ot middle class
families who have children with very costly medical
needs who have either gone bankrupt paying for then
Children's modical care or have chosen to quit thee
jobs in order to quality tor coverage under the Ore
gon Health Plan
"The Oregon Plan is a good start." Barnhart said,
"but it doesn't give the working poor or middle class
families many chon es
Even families with mods: a I insurance are usually
unabie to pay for the care of their children because
most insurance policies exclude preexisting condi
tions from coverage So. Barnhart said, their medical
insurance realty does them no good
These are the kinds Of families that Emergency
Care Children's Fund tries to help However, it has
been unable to help a large number of families thus
I r
"Wo would love to help more if IV.' we h.id the mon
oy." said Barnhart Unfortunately, we don't have
the money yet "
The 1994 benefit dinner and dance tvogms at 8pm
For ticket information, call Aloia at 342-8302 Dona
tions can be sent to 2190 West nth St Suite 2Q6C
c/0 Aloia Campbell. Eugene, OR 97401
Dylan Alford
Holiday traditions differ around the world
fter finishing a hug*-.? ham din
ner on Christmas Eve, my
/ Afamily dorrs kind of a strong?
ritual not common to the usual hol
iday festivities; we have the "moth
er of all food fights" so to speak
It's a tradition that dates back as
far as l can remember, ever since
my uncle smashed a pumpkin pie
into my mom's face about 15 years
ago anyway.
Although American customs
regarding the holidays are well
known worldwide, different coun
tries around the globe have their
own unique traditions in their cel
ebration of (he holidays.
In Greece, for example, gradu
ate student Nick Stergtou says that
the holiday season begins with the
making of "the boat" Each family
carves this boat out of wood, and
then decorates it like Americans
would decorate Christmas trees
The boat, which is also similar in
size to a small Christmas tree, is
tilted with presents.
On Christmas Eve, Greek chil
dren parade through their neigh
borhoods, Singing to each house
and receiving money lor their per
formances. Stergiou said the more
motivated children lorm small
marching-like bands and peri
lor the different businesses, again
receiving money lor their efforts
On New Year's Eve. Greek lam
ilies play card games (or money to
bring in the New Year The idea is
that the person who wins the most
money at the end of the night will
have good luck for the upcoming
year.
The family also bakes a giant pie
lor the celebration, and places a sin
gle coin inside A large slice ol the
pie is given to the house, another
slice to Jesus, and Ihen the remain
mg pieces are given to the family
members
II the com is in the slice to the
house or the slice to Jesus, every
one snail have good luck, or if one
ol Ihe family members find the com
in their slice, then they shall have
good luck lor the next year
Maiko Masuda, an undergradu
ate student from Japan, said Christ
mas is celebrated there in a simitar
lashton to America, but there 'S a
contrast in the New Year's cole
bration.
New Year's Eve is spent as a
"Spring Cleaning Day," in prepara
tion tor the upcoming no Ply New
Year's begins with a vout to a tem
pie, or shrine, to welcome the New
Year Siblings return to their par
ent's house, where they eat a ape
ctai stew that has been pre< ,i/ed by
the mother The young children
then receive “utoshidama," a win
etary grtt from th* ir aiders as a sym
bol tor a prosperous New Year In
many way s, the h< n :Piy is si roil, ir m
concept to the United States'
Thanksgiving
Although different countries t H
ebrale the holidays in different
ways, it seems that spending time
with family and wishing for a pros
porous New Year are the worldly
themes So as I leave the Univer
sity *or Grandma s cooking and my
uncle's pie throwing, ! wish all of
you a happy holiday season
Brrnt Boolhby
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524 Valley River Center
SEHENGET/
Nikon
SUNClOilD
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345-9437
i
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Specializing in a wide variety of ethnic items.
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344-3060 m Th 10 6 fn s.it 10 a
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I HI l NIVI RSI I Y M ( )R|S I
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<>«m-rsjri l of O iilumni
[MU Winter (raft Pair
Nov 30 & Dec 1.10:00am-5:30pm
Come and pin us in the Hr Hr mi <ftfx
Irb Memorial Union fora sfxxialfestival
of unique bandcrajled gifts and live music
EMU (6APT CENTER
LOWED LEVEL EMU-U0-346 4361