Illinois Valley News, Cave Junction, OR Wednesday, July 14, 2004 Page 5 Volunteers provide rounded Rangers program all of Cave Junction; two grandparents, Richard and Dorothy Allen, of O’Brien; and a daughter, Shelby Linden, with his fiancé, Amanda Allen, also of Cave Junction. Jessie E. Goodwin Joshua Isaac Allen Cave Junction resident Joshua Isaac Allen, 22, died Thursday, July 7, 2004 as the result of a mo- tor vehicle accident. A memorial service will be held Sunday, July 18 at 11 a.m. at Rough and Ready Park in Cave Junc- tion with Lydia Welcome officiating. A potluck lunch will follow. Hull & Hull Funeral Directors is in charge of arrangements. Memorial contribu- tions can be made at Home Valley Bank in Cave Junc- tion in the name of Joshua Allen. He had no insur- ance, according to a report. Mr. Allen was born July 28, 1981 in Anaheim, Calif. He lived in Alturas, Calif. for 16 years; and for the past seven in Cave Junction, where he gradu- ated from Illinois Valley High School in 2000. He loved the outdoors and mountains of Oregon and Northern California. He enjoyed hunting, fish- ing and four-wheel driv- ing. He also loved building items of wood and metal. Said his family, “He was the best father to his baby girl, Shelby Linden Allen. He was wonderful to everyone who knew him and would give his last dime to anyone in need, which was often. “Mr. Allen,” continued his family, “was loyal and honest; treating his fiancé, Amanda, like a queen. He worked hard to supply eve- rything his family needed. He always had a smile, and his girls were his pride and joy.” He is survived by his parents, Darrell and Corinne “Cory” Allen; a sister, Mechelle Northrup, Distance awakens longing; closeness is belonging. Yet they are always in a dynamic interflow with each other. When we fix or locate them definitively, we injure our growth. - John O’Donohue - Takilma native Jessie E. Goodwin, 86, of Grants Pass, died Monday, July 5, 2004 at Rogue Valley Medical Center in Med- ford. Visitation was held Thursday, July 8 at Hull & Hull Funeral Directors Chapel in Grants Pass. A funeral service was conducted Friday, July 9 at Hull & Hull with Pastor Cliff Meyer officiating. Private interment was at Laurel Cemetery. Remembrances may be made to the American Cancer Society, Josephine County Chapter, 31 W. Sixth St., Medford OR 97501. Mrs. Goodwin was born Jessie E. Eggers on Sept. 18, 1917 in Takilma in Illinois Valley. On Sept. 25, 1935 in Grants Pass she married Clarence C. Goodwin, who preceded her in death. She lived in Illinois Valley until 1957 when she moved to Eureka, Calif., where she earned a nursing creden- tial. In 1965 she moved to Grants Pass, became nurs- ing certified in the state of Oregon, and worked for Dr. Forsgren at the Grants Pass Clinic until her retire- ment in 1973. She especially enjoyed the outdoors, including bird-watching, gardening, and walking in the woods. She was also an accom- plished painter with many paintings displayed in her home. She was a member of the Neighborhood Church. Survivors are a son, John Goodwin, of Grants Pass; a brother, Herman Eggers, of Cave Junction; a sister, Frances Gray, of Nice, Calif.; a grandson; and four great- grandchildren. Say you saw it in the ‘Noose’ By SHANE WELSH Staff Writer * * * (First of two parts) The Takilma Dome School Rangers have been going strong for more than seven years, providing educational after-school activities for Illinois Val- ley youth. Sarah McDonald, di- rector of the Josephine County Commission for Children and Families, started the program in 1996 at Evergreen Elemen- tary School in Cave Junc- tion. When the success of the program was realized, the idea was carried on to Takilma Dome School. Dave Toler, former Dome School administra- tor, is in charge of the Dome School Rangers pro- gram, which took up its new home in April 1997. Some people may have the impression that the program is for Dome School youth only. Throughout the history of the program, the majority of those attending are from Evergreen Elementary, Lorna Byrne Middle School, or home-schooled, Toler said. There are many after- school programs whose mission is to give children a positive place to go after school. What’s unique about Dome School Rangers is that, “We used research by SEARCH Institute, ‘40- assets,’ a nationwide study of thousands of youth, to develop our program,” said Toler. That was the heart of the Rangers design: to build the critical assets in younger children so that they can avoid at-risk be- haviors which usually get them into delinquency. By implementing some of the 40 assets developed by SEARCH, the Rangers program could demon- strate the benefit of having a place for youth to go af- ter school to prevent delin- quent behavior. With measurable results, future funding would be easier to obtain. “When you’re identi- fying an ‘at-risk’ kid at the age of 6, it’s not the same The real miracle is not to walk either on water or in thin air, but to walk on the Earth. - Thicht Nhat Hanh - An unbelievable 2-layer pizza, so perfect, it’s PHENOMENAL! Loaded with 8 toppings, double-layered, and 2 layers of 100% fresh grated mozzarella cheese. ASK ABOUT IT TODAY! Rangers build bat houses. (Shane Welsh photo) at the age of 16; we’re not talking about kids that are out on the street getting into trouble,” said Toler. “We work with kids 6 to 12,” he said. “At 13, some of them become as- sistants, but for the most part, we don’t have the resources to help teens, so we have to let them go at that age. Usually, though, they are ready. “We serve all kids at that age; not just the ones determined to be at risk for delinquent behavior. We’re not an at-risk program only. “Individual plans are designed around the at-risk kids, to make a program that will help them build their assets, whether they are school performance assets or personal and so- cial assets,” he said. The SEARCH study showed that the program didn’t need all 40 assets to work. It showed that for the assets to work, the pro- gram must contain a criti- cal level of 16 to 20 assets. With just 20 assets being developed, the chances of a child becoming delin- quent later in life decreases considerably. Toler explained, “We needed to design a tool that could not only implement the 20 assets into the pro- gram, but could measure the results to help obtain future grant funding. “We established a baseline with the help of staff and teachers that could track progress of children in the program. “We ask asset-related questions, such as how are kids interacting with oth- ers, or tendencies to not be able to resolve issues. Once the baseline is estab- lished, we use that data further down the road to determine where the child has developed within the program,” he said. The other part of the assets implemented relates to academics. There are several of the assets that have to do with success in schools. “We take academic records from every school they attend,” said Toler, “and measure or build a tutor program that uses the school records to work on the weak spots to try to improve and ensure a child’s success in school. “We really emphasize engagement. Your child can come here and receive tutoring in math, reading and writing, and a variety of other educational activi- ties,” said Toler. Rangers participate in making arts and crafts such as paper Mache, ceramics, and many other art pro- jects. During the holiday season, some kids even make gifts for friends and parents. There is even a learn- ing incentive for kids who participate in the program. For each completed assign- ment, a child can earn 50- cents to $1. At the end of the year, the money is given to the kids to use on anything they desire.