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About The Clackamas print. (Oregon City, Oregon) 1989-2019 | View Entire Issue (Nov. 29, 2017)
ARTS 8 BY ALI MILLER AND CU LTU RE DON’T BE A SCROOGE THE CLACKAMAS PRINT At times, our world seems heartless and cutthroat, that it’s a callous and brutal meat grinder. How can we counteract the bitterness and apathy? What can we do to make our lives and the lives of others better? The holidays and winter are traditionally a time for introspection. We think about gratitude and how we are fortunate, but sometimes it’s not enough to combat apathy. A 2013 study of volunteerism, psychology and aging shows that as little as 200 volunteering hours in 12 months reduces the risks of developing hypertension, and the more altruistic or genuine our intentions to help others are the- greater the mental and physical health benefits will be. If you’re looking for a way to give back for the holidays I’ve got some ideas for you. If you want to aid the houseless you can assemble quick kits. The houseless are always in need of sanitary items, first-aid supplies, and new socks, underwear, hats, and gloves. I strongly suggest when buying hats, socks and gloves you purchase colors that blend in, natural colors like brown, black and greens. Be mindful that the houseless are a vulnerable population and bright eye-catching colors attract attention and that could put them at greater risk. Great additions to quick kits are: Band-Aids, butterfly bandages, non-stick gauze pads and adhesive moleskin pads all kept in a separate Ziploc bag to prevent spills from contaminating them, self-sticking bandage wraps, alcohol swabs, hand wipes, cotton swabs, electricians tape, travel toothbrush, toothpaste, dental floss, baby powder, liquid soap, aloe vera gel, sunscreen (waterproof it possible), burn cream, hand lotion, lip balm, pain reliever, antiseptic ointment, nail clippers and bandanas. Travel sized is best as room and portability are always an issue. I’ve heard of people putting items in socks for convenience and it’s clever but who wants to wear a lumpy sock? Some people also are hyper aware of not providing any products containing alcohol, like isopropyl alcohol, witch hazel, alcohol wipes, and hand sanitizer but frankly if people want to find booze they’re going to find it. Your first aid supplies are not going to turn them to drink. You can assemble your quick kits one at a time or in groups. This simple but thoughtful gesture could show someone who needs it that people do indeed care. Fences for Fido is a nonprofit organization. Their mission “to improve the quality of life for dogs living outdoors by building fences is free of charge for families who keep their dogs on chains, tethers and small wood enclosures.” They also provide insulated doghouse spray/neutering and other vet care to families with pets in need. FFF provides unchained services to Northwest Oregon and Southwest Washington with the staff of 100 percent volunteers they need people to help almost every weekend. If you can’t volunteer they accept donations. For more information please visit their website. Even if you only begin volunteering because it will look good on your transcript, or you’re lonely and bored, or you are just looking to reach out to the community, if you begin to volunteer for less than altruistic reasons it’s ok. You may find that over time it will begin to crack the harshness and the gruffness of this world. We can make this a better plSce one act of compassion at a time, and by helping others we can perhaps begin to heal ourselves. Good Causes to give to Friends of G ladstone N a tu re P ark hH p://w w w .protecttheparks.org/ S O T ah ' H U rb a n League o f P o rtla n d https://ulpdx.org/ l ..• ■ C o m m u n ity Cycling C e n te r http:/7www,communi tycyclingcenter.org/get-involved/voluntej P ixie P ro jec t f http://ww w .pixieproject.org/ Clackamas CC Bookstore Oregon City Campus Hours (Main Store) December 4 - 8 ,2 0 1 7 T h e Living Room http://w w w .theiivihgroom youth.org/1 Sisters of th e Road C afe https://sistersoftheroad.org/ Monday - Wednesday, 7:45 am - 6:00 pm Thursday, 7:45 am - 5:00 pm Friday, 8:30 am - 2:30 pm * D o n ’t Shoot P o rtlan d http://dontfhootportland.com / Q C e n te r Harmony Campus Hours http:,{/w w w .pdxqcenter.org/ Monday - Wednesday, 9:00 am - 1 :00 pm, 2:00 pm - 6:00 pm Thursday & Friday, 10:00 am - 3:00 pm Fences for Fido Fences fo r Fido * n ttp s:// www. f en c e sfo rg/ CCC ID Required! C h il d r e n ’ s B o o k ¡kbank.org/ http://w w w .c CAMPUS I O O M T O R I I N a t iv e A m e r ic a n Y o u th a n d F a m ily C e n te r ( N A Y A ) :tp.7/nayapax.org/ Clackamas Print --- :- ---- theclackam asprint.net NOVEMBER 29, 2017
