Community notes
Gay and lesbian youth program begins at Phoenix Rising.
Food Front celebrates grand opening on Hallowe'en.
BY__K A M I L A
A L - N A J J A R _________
Phoenix Rising inaugurates
youth programs
t' s scary to come out in high school,
and there were days when it was really
scary," says Julie Baumler, one of Phoenix
Rising's volunteers tor their newly created gay
youth program.
The gay youth service is encompassed in a
Big Brother/Big Sister program, which will be
matching kids with adults or other gay and
lesbian teenagers for support.
"A lot of kids don't need therapy, they just
need a support person in their life that they can
talk with about being gay and what it means in
their life," says Cherry Hartman, who is re
sponsible for starting the youth services
program.
The service is free of charge and any young
person who needs support can call Phoenix Ris
ing or someone can call in for them and they
will be matched with the appropriate person.
Cherry, who is a registered clinical social
worker and also the person who began the adult
counseling services at Phoenix Rising in 1980,
says that they do need more adult volunteers
who are interested in becoming a Big Brother or
Big Sister.
"B asically we are looking for people who
feel good about themselves and particularly
about themselves as gay people, and who can be
good role models for young people who are
trying to figure out, ‘Can I be gay and still be the
sort of person I want to b e '," says Cherry.
" I t's also very important that the older per
son, man or woman, doesn't have any kind of
sexual interest in the young person. We want it
to be real safe for the kids to have contact.” says
Cherry.
Volunteers can be any age, including teenage
volunteers who have been through the process
of coming out. Volunteers do not need to spend
any money, they just need to be able to give one
or two hours a week to a youth.
The youth program is the first of its kind in
the Portland area. "W e have wanted to do a
youth program since we started Phoenix Rising,
but we were hampered with the fear of being
I
sued by parents. Now that we have been in
existence long enough and have a good reputa
tion. we are willing to take a risk, but there am
no guarantees. . . . " says Cherry.
Phoenix Rising is also working on providing
free counseling to kids when they do need it. At
present they have to pay the sliding scale fee of
$15.
‘ ‘ Fifteen dollars is a lot of money to come up
w ith when you are in high school with no job
and your parents are not giving you any support
because you are gay." says Cherry.
Currently Phoenix Rising is in the process of
negotiating a sponsorship program with Wind-
fire. a group o f lesbians, gays and bisexuals
under the age of 21. A sa sponsoring agency
Phoenix Rising would help Windfire find adult
advisors and as.sist in arranging various activi
ties at request.
Anyone interested in Windfire can show up
at their meetings held weekly every Thursday
evening from 7-9 p.m. at Outside-In and every
Saturday from 2:30-4:30 p.m. at Old Wives
Tales.
Phoenix Rising also does counselng with in
dividuals. groups, families, couples and any
family members of a gay or lesbian person.
"People come in with all kinds of issues,
some related to being gay. some around
homophobia, some relationship issues and all
other problems people come to counseling for.''
says Cherry.
For those who are not seeking counseling.
Phoenix Rising offers a variety o f social ac
tivities. If you are interested in more informa
tion call Phoenix Rising at 223-8299, or if you
would like to send a tax deductible donation to
the Big Brother/Big Sister youth program
write. Phoenix Rising. 333 S.W. 5th. Portland.
Oregon 97205.
.
tion on October 3 1.
The celebration will be from 2:30-5:(X) p.m.
and w ill feature dance music from Group du
Jour, children's face painting. Rodney the
Frog, refreshments. fixxl samples, and a ribbon
cutting ceremony with Mayor Bud Clark and
other distinguished guests.
The new F ixk I Front w ill be twice the si/e
and carry an expanded amount o f produce, a
fresh meat counter, a service deli and a sit-dow n
area. Along w ith more parking spaces and
w ider aisles, there w ill be a multi-purpose room
where classes on nutrition, food politics and
ecology will be held.
The move into a larger space is Food Front's
fourth in an interesting history of growth. In
June of 1972. with the collective efforts of about
15 volunteers from the Northwest Portland
area. Food Front started out in a small storefront
on N.W. 23rd avenue near Savier Street.
Three years later sales grew to over $290.(XX)
per year and the store moved to a bigger space.
Bv 1979. with membership exceeding over 200
members. Food Front's sales had jumped to
over $435.(XX) and in 1980 they moved again.
Goldschmidt to keynote
Lucille Hart Dinner
overnor Neil Goldschmidt will be the
keynote speaker at the sixth annual
Lucille Hart Dinner to be held Saturday,
November 7, at the Portland Hilton. The Lucille
Hart Dinner, sponsored by the Right to Privacy
PAC, has made RTP Oregon's eighth largest
political action committee. Goldschmidt is the
first statewide elected official to deliver a key
note speech at the annual political affair.
Last year, more than 500 PAC supporters
attended the dinner, which enabled RTP to con
tribute $27,000 to political candidates suppor
tive of the PAC's issues (gay and lesbian civil
rights, the right to choice. AIDS funding, and
equal rights for women) and in support of ballot
measures related to those times.
The dinner is named in honor of Alberta
Lucille Hart, a pioneer in radiology in the 1930s
and 40s. She attended Albany College (now-
Lewis and Clark College), Stanford University
Grand opening of Food Front’s
and graduated from the University of Oregon
fourth
Medical School in 1917. Because of the oppres
sion
which existed toward lesbians and gay men
ood Front Cooperative, located on 2675
during her lifetime. Dr. Hart felt compelled to
N.W. Thurman will be moving to a new
space on the comer of 24th and Thurman. The assume the public identity of a man and to
practice under the name Alan L. Han. Lucille/
new store will be open for business October 7
Alan Hart, incidentally, is the only Oregonian
and kick off an exciting grand opening celebra-
G
F
At present F ixk I Front's sales are up to 1.5
million dollars yearly w ith a consistently grow
ing membership.
The unique quality about Food Front is that
they stay committed to the essential principles
o f co-ops. Membership is open to all. the store
is democratically run. one member-one vote,
and the profits received from the grow th in sales
are reinvested in the co-op and put back out into
the community for good use.
Ftxxl Front is dedicated to listening and re
sponding to custom ers' needs and providing
gixxl quality fixxl at affordable prices.
At present Fixxl Front is working on an ex
tension o f benefits to store members. In the
months to come this will mean discounts on
community services, a check cashing policy, a
24 hour emergency fixxl charge and a shopping
service for the elderly.
Members get a five percent discount on all
items and if members do two hours of volunteer
work a week they receive a 15‘T discount on all
items. Membership is $150 per household that
can be paid over an extended periixJ of time. A
membership lasts a lifetime.
•
listed in Jonathan Katz's Gay American History.
Tickets for the Lucille Hart Dinner are $65
per person; call 244-3468. or write Right to
Privacy. PO Box 8325. Portland. OR 97207-
8325.
Gallon re - elected to
national chorus post
id Gallon, former general manager of the
Portland Gay M en's Chorus, has been
elected President of the Board of Directors of
the Gav and Lesbian Association o f Choruses
(G ALA) at their recent convention in Van
couver. B.C. GALA is composed of 56
choruses whose memberships total more than
23(X) choristers in the United States and Canada.
Galton is an attorney who is active in civic,
political and community organizations He is
chairperson of the Citizens' Advisory Council
o f Central Precinct; he sits on the executive
committee of the Metropolitan Human Relations
Commission. Galton is also a member of the
Cascade AIDS Project Board o f Directors and
fundraising chairperson of the Right to Privacy
PAC.
Galton gives credit to the Portland Ga> Men s
Chorus for his election to the GAL.A board
" I t's sort of small town makes gtxxl." he says.
PGMC is nationally known for its enthusiasm
and individual, as well as. group talents
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Just Out • 9 • October. I987