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About Just out. (Portland, OR) 1983-2013 | View Entire Issue (May 21, 1999)
X may21,l m w * m- tk m « m f|| $ m p|| i* , i I A C OM M U NITY RUN N A T U R A L FOODS STORE I Cat people SINCE 1 9 7 0 : FOOD FOR PEOPLE, The Feral Cat Coalition of Oregon, with a little homo help, coughs up Furball to help feline friends by NOT FOR PR O FIT S t e p h e n B la ir olish your dancing shoes and pick out some swinging threads for the first Fur- ball, a benefit for the Feral C at Coalition of Oregon. T h e event, featuring swing dance lessons by Swing Out Productions and music by Lily Wilde and her Jum pin’ Jubilee Orchestra, will unite supporters o f the coalition for what will likely be a perfectly merry evening. Five veterinarians seeking to reduce the feral cat population founded the Feral C at Coalition of Oregon in 1995. Feral cats— unlike squirrels and other animals that can sur vive by instinct in the wild— are untamed domestic pets that face adverse living condi- Drs. Jim Sampson, M.D., and G eof Beasley, M.D., are honorary Furball co-chairs. T he cou ple has been living in the Portland area since 1980, all the while earning outstanding reputa tions in their professions and in the communi- tV ' a “They’re definitely philanthropists, and they love animals,” Kraus offers, explaining why the doctors were chosen as co-chairs. “And we wanted to have someone, or in this case a couple, that’s well known in the commu nity, that’s well respected, and that can help our cause. They liked what they had heard about our organization and agreed to be hon orary co-chairs.” Sampson and Beasley, who have donated to animal causes in the past, say the coalition has done an exemplary job in addressing a problem that many would just as soon ignore. Sampson further applauds the group’s dedication and its positive physical presence in the community. all organic produce bulk selection • full grocery line all organic farmer's market every Wednesday 2 - 7 pm R N m i »A W T 3 0 2 9 S E 2 1 S T AVE. P O R TLA N D , O R BETWEEN POWELL & DIVISION T F lJ ^ W C lfL P O R T L A N D -= O R E G O N USA 252-5 944 = - A ,\ C / «V (5 0 3 ) 2 3 2 -9 0 5 1 °Oo STO* IS DISCRIMINATION DUE TO GENDER IDENTITY OR SEXUAL ORIENTATION A PROBLEM FOR YOU? The City of Portland is fighting this discrimination. Help is available to resolve conflicts problems at work, in housing, or public accommodation. Confidential consultation and mediation services are free of charge. Though Sampson and Beasley have actively supported political causes crucial to lesbians and gay men, they also participate in causes that are not specific to the queer community For more information call: Mediation Pilot Program 274-9886 or TTY 1-800-735-2900 N ew pu rchase tions and short life spans due to communicable diseases and lack of proper shelter and nutri tion. T he problem o f feral cats is aggravated by the failure of pet owners to spay or neuter their cats, and by the all too frequent abandoning of cats by delinquent owners. The primary goals of the coalition are to educate the public about these issues, and to mitigate the problem by holding spay and neuter clinics for feral cats throughout Oregon. “T he Feral C at C oalition o f Oregon is the first in this area to take a lead in bringing the whole idea of feral cats to the surface,” says Karen Kraus, the coalition’s director of devel opment. “For a long time, nobody even thought about it, or knew about it." W hat’s New Pussycat, the group’s 1998 ben efit, raised $30,000, which helped support the coalition’s 28-foot mobile hospital. T he money also helped the coalition expand its mission to Hood River, C annon Beach, Eugene and other Oregon cities. The Furball, organizers predict, should prove to be equally, if not more, successful. Reed Colem an and Randy Querin of KOIN- T V will host the festivities. Sponsors for the event include Gardenburger, Tazo, Elephant’s Delicatessen, Lange Winery, and Parkway Vet erinary Hospital. Apart from swing dancing, the evening’s events include a silent auction and a raffle for a $500 gift certificate to Nord strom and a $300 gift certificate for two at Couvron restaurant. Besides supporting animal causes, Sampson and Beasley enthusiastically support the arts. “In general, we have a lot of attraction for animals and animal causes, and the arts. These are the two things that we’re most interested in, in terms of being a part of the community,” says Sampson, adding that he’s looking forward to the Furball, an event that will certainly incor porate several of his interests. He will even get a chance to practice the dance moves he once learned at the Crystal Ballroom. (“It’s much, much harder than it looks," he politely warns.) Though Sampson and Beasley have actively supported political causes crucial to lesbians and gay men, they also participate in causes that are not specific to the queer community. Lesbian and gay visibility, they say, should per meate many different social, cultural and politi cal arenas. “In the years we’ve been in Portland, there have been lots of opportunities to be benevo lent and to give money and to work for caus es," Sampson explains. “A lot of this in the gay community has seemed to revolve by necessity around political causes, which 1 think are extremely important. 1 think it’s also critical that gay men and lesbians have involvement in causes that are quite a bit apart from the things that tend to galvanize us, like ballot measures.” He cites the Feral Cat Coalition of Oregon as a noteworthy and positive example of such causes. ■ The Feral C at Coalition o f Oregon presents F u r b a l l from 7 to 11 p . m . on Friday, June 4, at the Wtrrld Forestry Center, Miller Flail, 4033 S.W. Canyon Road in PortLnd. Tickets are $50 in advance, available from the Feral Cat Coalition at 797-2606. 1 0 0 % e q u ity loans P re -q u a lifica tio n by p h o n e o r fax ’S R efinance/cash o u t Pre-app roved loans R esid en tial, c o m m e rc ia l & in v estm e n t p ro p erty A p p o in tm e n ts at y o u r co n v e n ie n ce Office 297-9900 Evenings/Weekends 78Ö-1561 “Vm available when jou are! Colleen Weed ___ ä , ÆÆÆà Advocates 9 9 0 0 S. W. W i Is hire Street • Portland, Oregon 97225 ROSENBAUM & ASSOCIATES A u to B ro ke rs L eading o r B u y in g ! L e t u s m a k e y o u r n e x t v e h ic le p u r c h a s e a p le a s a n t a n d a f f o r d a b le e x p e r ie n c e . N e w 8t Used N o Hassle, Personal S ervice All R e b a te s 8t W arranties A p p ly Trades & F a c to ry O rders W e lc o m e Jean Rosenbaum Ed M cM ahon 503-297-5250 Licensed & B o n d e d M o to r V e h ic le D e a le r 35
