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About Vernonia's voice. (Vernonia, OR) 2007-current | View Entire Issue (Jan. 24, 2012)
vernonia prevention coalition january24 2012 11 The content on this page is provided by the Vernonia Prevention Coalition Be a Piece of the Puzzle: Random Acts of Purpose By DeAnna Pearl It has often been the human condition to wonder about ones purpose. Or more specifically, seeking the answer of what does fate have in store for him or her. Some people believe fate is actually a set of vignettes all playing at the same time. They play simultaneously but when our mind focuses on one, that is reality for that person. How we select which one depends on our conscious goals we have set for ourselves: a kid wants to be a vet--he or she takes every opportunity to work with animals while growing up. A student, whom wants to be a musician, focuses on music. It would be the same as wanting to change a negative goal we have set for ourselves: Stop being a bully or becoming healthier. It behooves us to be purposeful in our actions and to be awake when vignettes are presented. This year, students in the VSD 47J have become more purposeful. Not just to raise money, not just to have more dances, but to create a sustainable change in the environment in which they learn. What seem to be random acts of kindness actually has been a purposeful movement to change the negative community norm of intolerance. On any given day, sticky notes will find their way onto bathroom mirrors with positive messaging like “What a great Smile!” On any given day, high fives are shared with teen mentors and grade school kids. Third graders starting an Against Bullying Club to help educate their younger peers. Even greater, motivated groups of youth plan to help bring awareness to the dangers of underage drinking and encourage increased participation in supporting healthier lifestyles. Acts of kindness are not just being seen in the school. During the winter break, coats and shoe tags were taken from the Giving Tree and then distributed to 45 local youth. Vernonia churches collected dozens of socks and underwear. Hats and scarves, knitted by Skein Slayer members, were donated to all three schools to help wrap our kids in warmth. Programming was offered to area residents in efforts to allow kids and families to make simple gifts National Suicide Prevention Lifeline 1-800-273-TALK (8255) suicidepreventionlifeline.org Are you feeling desperate, alone or hopeless? Call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline a free, 24-hour hotline available to anyone in suicidal crisis or emotional distress. Your call will be routed to the nearest crisis center to you. Veterans Suicide Prevention Hotline 1-800-273-TALK (8255) Press 1 2001 Vernonia Prevention Coalition Sector Representatives Position Name Sector Contact Affiliation Chair Josette Mitchell Government (503) 429-4232 COV Mayor Vice Chair Pete Weisel School (503) 429-3521 VHS Councilor Exec. Board Dr. Ken Cox Media (503) 429-5891 VSD Superintendent Exec. Board Sgt. Shaun Carnahan Police (503) 429-4232 COV Police Faith (503) 961-5281 Vernonia Comm. Church Board Member Ashley Swanson Prevention (503) 396-2074 Public Health Foun- dation of Columbia County Board Member Heidi Brown Business (503) 429-2787 Grey Dawn Gallery Board Member Gina Fields Parent (503) 429-6306 Parent Board Member Mark Brown Board Member Lee Anne Kraus e Youth Serving (503) 816-9810 Kiwanis Board Member O.S.S.O.M. Youth (503) 429-3521 VSD 47J Board Member George Tice Civic Org. (503) 880-1627 Lions Club Board Member Health Serv. Heather Lewis Contractor Seeking Representation (503) 429-4677 Resource Coord. VPC Mission: To develop safe and healthy neighborhoods through collaborative planning, community action, policy advocacy and enforcement. for one another. Baskets of fruit were delivered to elders in the community by the Lion’s. Toiletry items were collected to be donated to Vernonia Cares and Community Closet Dignity Bags. The downtown corridor of Vernonia was decorated for winter by a group of dedicated individuals and foreign exchange students. These acts of kindness, the ones we know about, are not random but purposeful. Purposeful in the way that just doing them helps effect change in our community: A young person with warm feet will more likely participate in school. Empowering a community member to donate items that serve a specific need to a child or family is powerful. Collaborating with other like minded programs to fulfill their individual mission increases sustainability. Increasing the intrinsic beauty of a community during the holidays encourages cohesiveness. Acts whether they are random or purposeful, motivate people. Most people want to help, it is human nature. Truthfully when asked, people reply they don’t know how they can. Due to our recent economy, many say they do not have the capacity to contribute money. But, contribution can look different for many people; donation of time, donation of money, donation of ad space, forwarding emails, social website posts, posting flyers, sharing at a meeting, collecting change or hanging ornaments. All these and more have equal value. For the VPC, everything our grant contributes has to be matched dollar for dollar in value whether it is time or goods. Collaboration is the key to finding the opportunities that contribute to match. In Vernonia, there are many vignettes of opportunities being witnessed every day. Witnessed and documented by people whom have raised their heads out of their various service trenches in an effort to increase their capacity to serve. This didn’t happen on its own. It was not a random act and has become a purposeful invitation to like minded people. Through that, organizations are refocusing on their missions and inviting collaboration that better support sustainability. Serendipitously, individuals have randomly gravitated toward purposeful programming if at first out of curiosity. More so, many are staying involved because they see an opportunity to be a part of a solution toward creating a safer and healthier community. These seemingly random acts of purpose are influencing the paradigm shift of healing and growth. DeAnna Pearl is the Director of the Vernonia Prevention Coalition. You can reach DeAnna at 503-369-7370 or by email at deanna@vernonia-or.gov
