Appeal Tribune Wednesday, April 19, 2017 3A OBITUARIES Robert Zapata Garza Jr. Oct. 31, 1975 — March 24, 2017 On March 24, 2017, at 11:11 p.m., Rob- ert Zapata got his wish of no more pain. He passed at his home in Woodburn. He was born Oct. 31, 1975, to Robert and Isabel (Rodriguez) Garza in Fresno, California. He was one of four children. Robert worked most of his life as a mu- sician. He had seven children. Robert en- joyed spending time with his family, friends, and his fiance, Sylvia Philips. Robert is preceded in death by his fa- ther, Robert Garza, and brother, Antonio Rodriguez. He is survived by his children: Yuleni Garza of Salem, Sonya Garza of Mill City, Gabryella Garza of Salem, Alysha Shel- don of Salem, Adanya Garza of Salem, Destiny Bridgewater of Beavercreek and Garett Thomas of Texas; mother Isa- bel Rodriguez of Woodburn; and sisters Monica Rodriguez of Lincoln City and Angelica Rodriguez of Salem. Visitation will be from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m., Wednesday, April 19, and Thursday, April 20, both at Unger Funeral Chapel in Mt. Angel. A memorial service will be at 11 a.m., Saturday, April 22, at Unger Fu- neral Chapel, with burial to follow at Cal- vary Catholic Cemetery in Mt. Angel. Michelle Lynn Zobrist June 4, 1968 — April 12, 2017 Services pending. Arrangements by Unger Funeral Chapel Obituary Policy able, first-come, first-serve basis, and are subject to editing. Maximum length is 250 words. Photos may be submitted, but are not guaranteed to be published. Paid obituaries are handled by adver- tising and are also subject to editing. Deadline for obituaries is 11 a.m. Fri- day for publication the following Wednesday. To submit: email sanews@salem.gan- nett.com, fax 503-399-6706 or call 503- 399-6794. Free obituaries run on a space-avail- Philanthropist ‘sharks’ return to valley JUSTIN MUCH STAYTON MAIL Attention east valley: Nonprofits wanted! Center for Community Innovation an- nounced that it is currently taking appli- cations for presenters at the second Non- profit Shark Tank, scheduled to take place at 7 p.m. Thursday, June 29, at the Historic Elsinore Theatre in Salem. CCI President Phil McCorkle noted that via the Shark Tank event, selected nonprofits stand to reap thousands of dollars to help implement projects that will benefit people of the Mid-Willam- ette Valley. Sponsored by Michael Wooters, a fi- nancial advisor at Edward Jones, the event is similar to the hit ABC TV show, Shark Tank, save that in lieu of investors hearing entrepreneurs pitches, philan- thropists hear four nonprofits each pre- sent a specific project that requires funding to reach fruition and benefit the community. The inaugural Share Tank held in No- vember of 2015 saw $37,545 raised to fund projects for five nonprofits. Those nonprofits pitched to panelists who asked questions and gave feedback. The amounts requested ranged from $32,500 to $100,000. Winners on that night included Joy of Living Assistance Dogs, Isaac’s Room, Liberty House and Marion-Polk Food Share. McCorkle said this year four selected nonprofits will again be invited to pre- sent projects before philanthropist sharks. A live studio audience weighs in as well to gauge the impact of the pro- posed project / proposal on the communi- ty. Not all funding opportunities derive from the philanthropist sharks sitting in the chairs, McCorkle advised. Event tickets go on sale soon, and studio audi- ANNA REED / STATESMAN JOURNAL Phil McCorkle, the president of the Center for Community Innovation, speaks during the inaugural Share Tank event to benefit local nonprofits at the Salem Convention Center on Nov. 20, 2015. This year’s event is scheduled to take place June 29, at the Historic Elsinore Theatre in Salem. ence members have a chance to be “sharks” by opting to contribute to any presented project that resonates with their personal philanthropic priorities. Additionally, an online viewing audi- ence will have funding opportunities as the event will be filmed by Allied Video and an edited version will posted on You- Tube. Online viewers moved by a presenta- tion can donate securely online. That ties in nicely with CCI’s goal with the event: to increase public participa- tion in philanthropy and to raise aware- ness of all the great work nonprofits per- form to help make this a great place to live. Applications for nonprofits are avail- able at https://ccioregon.org/share-tank. Sponsorship interests should contact McCorkle at (503) 581-9922, ext. 314. Bill would require students to pass US naturalization test to get diploma NATALIE PATE STATESMAN JOURNAL A bill facing the Oregon State Legisla- ture would require students to pass the U.S. naturalization test to earn their high school diploma. Senate Bill 1038 would require K-12 students to get at least a 60 percent on the 100 question civics portion of the nat- uralization test given to immigrants by U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Ser- vices. The bill had a public hearing in the Senate Committee on Education at the Capitol on April 11. Former state Senator Bruce Starr said this requirement would prepare Oregon’s youth for intelligent civic en- gagement. “As a state, we must do bet- ter,” he said. Starr said students and educators are able to access the test, as well as lesson plans and tools to study, online at no cost. Students are not required to wait until high school to take the test under the bill, meaning a student could take the test in middle school, for example, and still meet the requirement. There is no limit to the number of times the students could take the test — they could take it more than once if they do not pass it the first time. However, Starr doesn’t anticipate that being a problem, saying more than 90 percent of immigrants pass the test on the first attempt. He said the state shouldn’t expect less from its students. Senator Sara Gelser, D-Corvallis, had many hesitations with the bill, particu- larly the fact that as a requirement, it places more pressure on students who, she said, are already under so much pressure. Additionally, she raised con- cerns about how the test would be admin- istered for English Language Learners and students with disabilities. She said denying a student their diploma could force them into a life of poverty and could further lower the state’s gradua- tion rate. Starr responded by saying the test is available in multiple languages and there could be amendments made to al- low accommodations or exceptions for students with disabilities. SB 1038 is similar to another bill fac- ing the legislature. House Bill 2691 would require school districts or public charter schools to only award a high school diploma to a student who has a demonstrated knowledge of civics.This could include completing a course in civics, a passing grade on a civ- ics test or a passing grade on a civics test developed by the Department of Educa- tion and the Secretary of State. EXPRESS YOURSELF WITH CHERRIOTS REGIONAL BETTER CONNECTIONS Michael Kim DDS MORE RELIABLE SERVICE “Your friendly local dentist” Brittney - RDH Dr. Kim NOW WITH EXPRESS SERVICE TO: SALEM, SILVERTON, WOODBURN AND MT. 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