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About Just out. (Portland, OR) 1983-2013 | View Entire Issue (April 21, 1995)
12 ▼ aprii 2 1 . 1 9 9 5 ▼ jus« o u t local news Hopper enjoys challenges örnbord Proudly Serving The Greater Portland Metro Area 503/ 2 8 6 -1 3 3 0 F LO W 'E Located in Historic St. Johns 8 3 0 2 N. LOMBARD • PORTLAND, OREGON 9 7 2 0 3 L et M e E arn Y our B usiness I work to combine professionalism with personal attention in all phases o f real estate. Whether you’re buying or selling, 1 provide extensive knowledge o f neighborhoods and complete commitment to serving each o f my client’s individual needs. SPECIALIZING IN ESTABLISHED NEIGHBORHOODS For personal, professional service and a free consultation call: (503) 220-1144 • Mobile: 970-3801 I f Y ou C an ’ t G et A L oan F rom U s , Y ou C an ’ t G et A L oan yfÚ e H an dle a ííc o n o en i ion a l a n cfn o n con u en /ion alloan s. ♦ First Time Home Buyers Programs ♦ Manufactured Housing/lond ♦ Self-Employed Borrowers ♦ Credit Problems ♦ Bankruptcies & Foreclosures ♦ Debt Consolidation ♦ Complicated Borrowers ♦ 3% Down Programs ♦ Investment Properties ♦ Pre-approvals for Purchase ~ lll)e ’r e y o u r fu lls e r u ic e m o r /y a y e co m p a n y. C ja flio c fa y fo r a f r e e q u a lifica tio n o ver tfiepA on e 503 / 636-2066 Pager 503/870-1666 C h r is tin e C. H all M o rtg a g e B ro k er Paone C mcaoc ( nvmtmìwt , I nc . Jimmy Hopper says it’s great to be able to help others the way he has been helped. Hopper is the executive director of the Dou glas County AIDS Council, which runs the Roseburg-based Ruby House, a home serving people with HIV/AIDS. Hopper’s history with Ruby House is long and varied: In 1988, when Ruby House first opened, Hopper was its first border. He soon became a volunteer, then an administrative assistant, and last July he took charge of running the home’s day-to-day opera tions. "This is everything I thought it would be and more,” says the 30-year-old Hopper. "Sure, I got to make decisions when I was administrative assistant, but it’s a lot different when you’re executive director. The buck stops with you.” According to Hop per, Ruby House cur rently serves about 50 clients, the majority of whom are intravenous drug users and their sexual partners. D uring its early days, the project pri marily served gay men living with HIV/AIDS, but the clientele demo graphic has begun to shift. There have been other changes over the years as well. When Ruby H ouse first opened, it was located in W inston, but the project later moved to a large modem house in the Newton Creek area with the assistance of Mercy Health Care. R uby H o u se’s founder, Billy Russo, who rem ains the p ro je c t’s m anager, started the home with $6,000 of his own money— today the home’s annual budget is more than $100,000. “Some things have changed, but our goal hasn’t,” says Hopper. “That goal of course, is to meet the needs of our clients as best we can.” Hopper is currently working on a proposal to obtain Ryan White Comprehensive AIDS Re sources Emergency Act Title II funds. Those federal dollars support, among other things, home- and community-based care services. He is also orchestrating the organization’s primary fund raiser, AIDS Walk Roseburg Oregon, which last year raised about $3,000. Hopper hopes this year’s event, slated for May 6, will pull in as much as $5,000. He says about 150 people are participat ing— double the amount that joined in last year, which was the first time the walk was held. “We encourage everybody to come out for this. They can even come and sign up the day of the event. It’s a great cause,” he says. The 6-mile walk begins at Roseburg High School. Registration will be held from noon until 1 pm at the school’s vocational building; the walk begins at 1 pm. For more information, call Hopper at 440-2761. Scholarship fund for aspiring attorneys “A Class Act,” a spring concert to benefit the Bill and Ann Shepherd Legal Scholarship Fund, will take place April 21 at The Old Church, 1422 SW 11th Ave. in Portland. The event will feature pianist Thomas Lauderdale and soprano/organist Jennifer Shepherd. The scholarship, which will be administered by Equity Foundation, will aid third-year law students who are dedicated to practicing human- rights law in Oregon. It is named after Bill and Ann Shepherd, who have been active in Oregon’s gay and lesbian community since the mid-1970s when their daugh ter, Susie, came out as a lesbian. The couple co founded the state chapter of Parents, Families and Friends of Lesbians and Gays; testified on behalf of gay rights legislation; and marched in many gay and lesbian pride parades. They received Right To Privacy’s Lucille Hart Award in 1985. Bill Shepherd, who died last month at age 81, practiced law in Portland for many years. He was willing to write wills and perform other legal services for sexual minority couples during a time when few attorneys would make themselves avail able. Doors open at 6:40 pm; the concert begins at 7 pm. Tickets, which are $20 in advance and $25 at the door, are available at Balloons on Broad way, It’s My Pleasure and Jelly Bean. For more information, call 244-3225. Oregon rolls out the red carpet for HRCF “Roll Out the Red Carpet,” an Oregon fund raiser for the Human Rights Campaign Fund, a national gay and lesbian rights organization, will be held April 29 at Portland’s World Trade Center outdoor atrium. Tickets for the event are $125. The keynote speaker will be HRCF Executive Director Elizabeth Birch, the former chief litigator for Apple Computer Inc.; comedian Georgia Ragsdale will be the master of ceremonies. Or egon U.S. Rep. Elizabeth Furse and Basic Rights Oregon Executive Director Julie Davis will re ceive awards for their work on behalf of gay and lesbian rights. Gov. John Kitzhaber is also sched uled to speak. Organizers say Greg Louganis, the U.S. Olympic diving champ who recently dis closed that he has AIDS, may make an appearance as well. HRCF is an 80,000-member organization head quartered in Washington, D.C. It fights discrimi nation against gay men and lesbians through organizing, lobbying and financial support for political candidates. Cocktails begin at 6 pm; dinner is at 8 pm. For ticket information, call 241-7921. Inga Sorensen