10 — THE BAKER COUNTY PRESS
FRIDAY, MAY 29, 2015
Local
Sumpter holds SLOT session Duck Derby
floats on
• SESSION
FOCUSES ON
BRAINSTORMING
BY MEGHAN ANDERSCH
Meghan@TheBakerCountyPress.com
About twenty-five resi-
dents of Sumpter and the
surrounding area gathered
Tuesday evening at the
Sumpter Schoolhouse for a
special town hall meeting.
Called a SLOT (strengths,
limitations, opportunities,
threats) session, the meet-
ing was an opportunity for
folks to brainstorm ideas
together.
Mayor Melissa Findely
made a few brief introduc-
tory remarks, emphasizing
that there are no bad ideas
in a brainstorming session.
LeAnne Woolf added that
the purpose of the session
was not to try to fix things
or find solutions and also
asked folks to remember
“no cross talk.”
The session opened with
attendees brainstorming
Sumpter’s strengths while
Woolf wrote the sugges-
tions down on poster pa-
per, and Robert Armbruster
hung the filled sheets on
the walls.
Many mentioned ideas
related to Sumpter’s
outdoor setting, including
mountains, hunting and
fishing opportunities, and
mushrooms and huckleber-
ries. Sumpter’s people,
history, events, volunteer
force, and various attrac-
tions were also listed.
Findley named the Fire
Meghan Andersch / The Baker County Press
LeAnne Woolf at the front of the room, speaks during part of the City’s brain-
storming session.
Department and Plan-
ning Commission as huge
strengths and Dan Patton
of the Planning Com-
mission listed the City
Council.
The brainstorming then
moved to limitations, in-
cluding tax base and funds,
limited “big city”-type
services, dirt roads and
dust, lack of youth (Patton
shared that the average age
of residents is 64), lack
of law enforcement, and
little marketing or visibil-
ity. Other concerns were
limited growth potential,
government requirements
(unfunded mandates, or
as Woolf put it, “Westside
requirements on Eastside
realities”) and lack of jobs
and housing.
Most of the nearly-
90-minute session was
spent on brainstorming
opportunities. Some of
the ideas related to things
already in existence, but
many ideas for community
development were sug-
gested.
Ideas ranged from a
new fire hall or com-
munity center to street,
Renaissance, or bluegrass
festivals, expanded health
care offerings, and drawing
more families, retirees, and
full-time residents.
As the ideas multiplied,
Armbruster performed
some interesting acrobatics
involving a folding chair
and various other items,
trying to hang the poster
sheets high enough on the
wall to make room for all
of them. Patton quipped
they should just add “et-
cetera” to the opportunities
section, saying, “We could
be here all night!”
The final brainstorm-
ing section was on threats,
with input ranging from
forest disease and forest
fires to gossip and rumors,
drugs, apathy, and lack of
communication.
Findley thanked every-
one for the great participa-
tion said they will type
up a list of all the sugges-
tions and send them out
to folks in the next water
bill, asking for everyone’s
feedback on what they
personally think are the top
strengths, opportunities,
concerns, etc.
The next meeting on this
topic could then focus on
folks’ top issues. It was
pointed out that sending
this out via the water bill
will reach only those who
live within the City limits.
Outreach to get involve-
ment from residents of the
greater Sumpter Valley
was promptly added to the
brainstorming sheets.
Safe Families for Children
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1
Glidewell explained she
has a heart for vulnerable
children. She began doing
research into what pro-
grams worked to help fam-
ilies and which did more
harm than good, a project
that was facilitated by her
forty years of working in
the same community.
After leaving her social
work position, Glidewell
moved to the Willamette
Valley, bought a business,
and began providing foster
care. She began a project
to try to understand why
reading levels dropped and
continued to drop for chil-
dren placed in foster care.
Glidewell found that
due to the placement and
multiple appointments ne-
cessitating missing school,
issues began compounding
with kids starting to not to
like school because they
were falling behind.
She started a program
to match retired teach-
ers with foster children
to provide tutoring. The
project resulted in the
children involved climbing
an average of three reading
levels during a nine-month
period.
Through these efforts,
Glidewell learned of Safe
Families for Children.
Due to her vast research
and knowledge, she saw
that SFFC had all the
pieces that actually worked
to help families rather than
hinder them.
Glidewell said the
movement rests on the
theory of change and the
strength of an informal
support network. It’s the
idea of supplementary
care versus substitute care,
compassion versus coer-
cion, volunteer placement
versus mandated place-
ment. Though referrals
may come from different
places in the community,
most placements are “self
referrals,” when biological
families ask to have their
children placed with a host
family. All placements are
done only with the parent’s
consent and end when the
parent chooses.
Glidewell said recidi-
vism is something they like
to see. They count as posi-
tive when relationships of
trust are built between host
and biological families.
Safe Families for
Children started in about
2002 in Chicago, Illinois.
Dave Anderson ran LYDIA
Home Association, a large
network of foster homes.
One day, a woman came
to him and told him that
she needed him to take
her children, just for a few
days so that she could re-
solve some pressing issues.
Anderson told her they
couldn’t help her unless
she had abused or harmed
her children. After making
that statement, he realized
how absurd and backward
this was. Anderson and
his wife ended up taking
the children temporarily
and building a relationship
with the mom.
Anderson began talking
to people in his church and
found that there were fami-
lies of faith willing to take
in children on a temporary
basis to help parents out.
And so, Safe Families for
Children was born.
SFFC has three main
goals: to deflect children
from Child Welfare place-
ment, lower incidences of
child abuse, and increase
family support and stabili-
zation.
The two main compo-
nents to the model are a
501(c)3 agency and the
local faith community.
The nonprofit agency takes
the lead on ensuring safety,
including approving host
families, conducting back-
ground checks, monitoring
placements, and coordinat-
ing resources and support
for families
The local faith commu-
nity provides safe homes
to volunteer host vulner-
able children, and acts as
an “extended family” for
the children’s biological
families, building relation-
ships that last beyond the
length of the child’s stay.
Glidewell said there is an
advantage to the move-
ment being of “lay people”
instead of professionals.
She said the danger of
using professionals is hav-
ing this turn into another
program, instead of letting
it be a natural outgrowth
of the Church and fami-
lies wanting to share the
love of Jesus with others.
Glidewell said this model
gives the Church the op-
portunity to be the “hands,
feet, and voice of Jesus.”
The main activities
of the model are recruit-
ing families, approving
families, monitoring
placements, and supporting
and resourcing placement
families and biological
families.
A unique hallmark of
Safe Families for Children
is the outlook that every-
one has something to offer.
Glidewell emphasized that
relationships between host
families and biological par-
ents should be of mutual
give and take.
She said the starting
point for a family in need
is to ask them, “What do
you bring? What can you
offer?”
Glidewell is a firm be-
liever in coming alongside
families to support them.
She referenced two books,
When Helping Hurts and
Toxic Charity, saying that
giving material goods
doesn’t change lives. She
said providing for people
instead of supporting them
to do things on their own
makes them believe they
cannot support themselves.
Oregon is one of only
two states that has legisla-
tion regarding Safe Fami-
lies for Children.
The legislation helps
protect volunteer host
families. Glidewell said
placements through SFFC
are seen the same as if
extended family was tak-
ing in children for a period.
Also, the volunteer family
is protected by the legis-
lation from being sued.
Any liability rests with
the 501(c)3 taking on the
safety piece.
Salem was the first area
in Oregon to begin Safe
Families for Children, and
there are now active sites
in Bend, Portland, and
Medford.
The process has started
in The Dalles and Eugene.
Besides Oregon, Safe
Families for Children is in
24 states and two foreign
countries . Since its begin-
nings, almost 9,000 chil-
dren have been provided a
safe place to stay.
The average length of
stay is 45 days, but can
range from a couple of
days to a couple of years.
Parents maintain custody
of their children and when
they are ready, take their
own children back in.
Most children placed in
homes are 0-6 years old,
but can be up to age 18.
More information can be
found at safe-families.org.
To get involved in bring-
ing the movement to Baker
County, contact Meghan
at 541-406-0948 or e-mail
m.andersch@yahoo.com.
Eileen Driver / The Baker County Press
Duck herders meet at the starting line in Huntington.
• $250 GRAND PRIZE GIVEN TO THE
FASTEST DUCK ON THE BURNT RIVER
BY EILEEN DRIVER
Eileen@TheBakerCountyPress.com
No one is quite sure how long the Duck Derby has
been a part of the Memorial Weekend festivities here in
Huntington. But certainly as long as anyone can remem-
ber the cute little plastic ducks have been set loose and
floated down the Burnt River by the Huntington Histori-
cal Society, to see who can get to the finish line first as
well as last.
For $3, participants can purchase a numbered duck to
run the race in hopes of winning a prize. Prizes are given
to the owners of the first 11 ducks and Last Place Duck.
The proceeds from this event go toward the upkeep of
both the indoor and outdoor Historical Museums in Hun-
tington.
The Ducks are released into the Burnt River and fol-
lowed down the cold river about a quarter of a mile by
“duck herders” who make sure none of the little guys get
stuck along the way.
This year’s duck herders were Michael Wiley, Tina
Greiner, Kelly Grissom, Austin Lutheran, Tanner Stewart
and Jordan Grissom.
When the ducks arrive at their destination, they are
greeted at the finish line by “duck catchers” who wait
patiently in the river by the net strung from bank to bank
to rescue the little ducks from the river one at a time until
all the ducks have safely returned.
This year’s duck catchers were Tim Stroebel, Robert
Addleman and Nina Addleman.
Spectators on the sidelines cheer the ducks on to their
destination, which can take anywhere from half an hour
to an hour or longer depending on the swiftness of the
current. This year the water was moving pretty fast and it
was over in half an hour with the following results:
Grand Prize #80 $250 Charlie McNiel
1st Place #11 Afgan Arin and Renee Blin
2nd #399 Beauty Basket Dave Wallace
3rd #258 Cooking Pan Elena Anderson
4th #108 Kid’s Basket Logan McFarland
5th #94 Sewing Basket Sue Karbobo
6th #33 Picnic Basket Denice Leir
7th #297 Movie Basket Ted Anderson
8th #337 Wine Basket John Hoopes
9th #274 Book Shelf Sandra
10th #346 Kid’s Pole Boxberger
Last Place #114 Fishing Pole Cheryl Buchanan
Crash injures two
near La Grande
On May 21, 2015 at about 6:07 p.m., a 2000 Chevy
Tahoe operated by Avis Elaine Thomas, age 59, from
Portland, was eastbound on I-84 near milepost 257 when
the vehicle drove off the south shoulder and impacted
the embankment and came to rest back on the gravel
shoulder. Motorists who witnessed the crash stopped
and extricated Thomas and her five-year-old grandson,
Zashawan Perez, just before the vehicle caught fire from
damage sustained during the crash. Both occupants were
transported to the Grande Ronde Hospital where Thomas
was stabilized and transported by air to St. Alphonsus in
Boise with serious injuries. Perez sustained significant but
non-life threatening injuries.
Causes of the crash are still under investigation. Infor-
mation will be released as it becomes available. The Or-
egon State Police was assisted by the Oregon Department
of Transportation, the LaGrande City Fire Department,
the LaGrande Rural Fire Department and the Department
of Human Services.
Rollover leads to DUII
On May 26 the Oregon State Police responded to a
single vehicle rollover crash on US HWY 26 just east
of Dayville in Grant County. The operator, Travis Lake,
age 25, of Caldwell, ID lost control of his vehicle, which
subsequently rolled over and came to rest on its top.
Lake refused to be transported to the hospital. He
showed indicators of impairment and was subsequently
arrested for driving under the influence of a controlled
substance. He was transported to the Grant County jail,
where he cooperated with a drug evaluation. Lake was is-
sued a citation in lieu of custody for DUII, Reckless Driv-
ing and Possession of Less Than an Ounce of Marijuana.