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About Illinois Valley news. (Cave City, Oregon) 1937-current | View Entire Issue (Aug. 18, 2004)
Page 7 Illinois Valley News, Cave Junction, OR Wednesday, August 18, 2004 Omega not ‘end’ for valley’s young musicians … Bill Powell - Jose- phine County Animal Control Officer II Where were you born? Modesto, Calif. It’s pretty big now, but back then it had only about 40,000 people there. I have three brothers and three sis- ters. There’s my oldest brother, Danny; Linda is my oldest sister; plus Ron, Geanie, and Donna. I was the youngest boy. Now I’ve been married to my wife, Donna, for 23 years. We also have a son, Billy. Did you have a good relationship with your sisters and brothers? Well, the story from each kid is always different. I think I had a perfect childhood. We had a farm and leased a dairy, so we never had a lack for something to do. I was up at 4 a.m. every day dealing with the cows, and when I got off the bus after school, I was right back at it. Since I was the youngest boy, I bottle-fed the calves and my dad and brothers milked the cows. After that, we cleaned up and headed off to school. I went to Kerby Union, and graduated from Illinois Valley High School in 1971. When did you come to Illinois Valley? I’ve lived here since 1960, since third grade, when my parents moved us here. I left for about eight months and went to work for the county in Modesto. When I came up for my 10-year class reunion, I never went back. It’s home here. I grew up here and know most of the people here; I just feel more comfortable here. What is an animal control officer II? There are two statuses. The first can’t handle humane complaints, the second can; that’s basically checking on animals that have been mistreated. It all started 10 years ago when I applied for a soliciting job with animal con- trol. I went door-to-door selling dog licenses. Since I had a background in law enforcement (I was a city police offi- cer and also did bike patrol), the country offered me a permanent position as animal control officer. What kind of complaints do you deal with? I deal with complaints that are called into the office. Lots of barking dogs, livestock running loose, and hu- mane complaints; I guess a little bit of everything. The funniest one was when one of the other officers I worked with got a call on a 600-pound pig. The officer found that if he walked away, it would just follow him. The pig would then put its snout between his legs and flip him. It did this a couple of times before he finally just crawled away. While doing animal control, I’ve become a lot more aware how people treat animals. When I first started, until about four years ago, I used to have to euthanize animals too. We don’t have to any more; we hired vet-techs to do that. People just don’t realize how important it is to li- cense their dogs. If it’s got a license, then I can get it back to the owner. I would much rather get a dog home. I have two dogs: “Bobby,” a healer, and “Bruno,” a rott. He’s really just a big baby; he sleeps on the bed every night. What’s your favorite ice cream? Chocolate. I’m a chocolate freak. - Interview and photo by Shane Welsh Agencies work to improve food handling for children Improving food safety in child-care facilities and streamlining food handler training and certification of providers is the goal of a new intergovernmental agreement. The agreement is be- tween the Oregon Dept. of Human Services (DHS) and the Oregon Employ- ment Department’s Child Care Division (CCD). “A child-care care set- ting is quite different from a restaurant,” said DHS. “Under this new arrange- ment, child-care providers learn food safety on the job and the training is tailored to their work.” In Oregon, there are around 90,000 children in 6,000 regulated child-care facilities, CCD said. In the past, a child- care provider’s only option was to take required food handler classes offsite, and that training was targeted to restaurant workers. Lo- cal health departments of DHS handled certification. “This new arrange- ment helps us better serve our child-care providers by offering additional training alternatives,” said CCD. Riverside Physical Therapy Full Rehabilitation Services: Physical Therapy Occupational Therapy Speech Therapy TWO LOCATIONS TO SERVE YOU Cave Junction Office 218 N. Redwood Hwy. (541) 592-6580 grants Pass Office 1619 N.W. Hawthorne Ave. Suite 109 (541) 476-2502 Jeff Wood, M.S., P.T. By CHRISTINA HILL Correspondent Three Rivers School District budget cuts have affected more than just students. The removal of essential funding has af- fected community resi- dents as well. However, instead of complaining about it, a husband-and-wife team decided to take matters into their own hands. Roan and Kandace McClure, residents of Illi- nois Valley, started a pri- vate foundation, known as The Omega Foundation, more than four years ago. “Our mission is to pro- vide opportunities for chil- dren and the youth of the valley for music, whether it’s by buying musical in- struments or by buying equipment,” said Kandace. “There’s such a lack of finances here in the valley, and having youth not be able to express themselves musically can be a huge detriment to them. “That’s why we’re trying to build up the fi- nances in our trust so that we can help promote the music in the valley.” Funding the founda- tion hasn’t been easy ei- ther, they say. “The Omega Founda- tion is a private family charity foundation that has a 501(c)(3) status,” Roan explained. “It’s privately funded. We can accept donations, which are tax deductible, but we can’t advertise. That’s the differ- ence between a public charity and a private char- ity,” he said. Roan and Kandace have musical backgrounds that have motivated them to establish their founda- tion. “My wife was in an award-winning high school band and orchestra,” said Roan. “Both of us know the power of music in edu- cation and life.” After high school, Kandace was a music ma- jor in college for a while and adds that her hus- band’s grandmother was an opera singer, “So we’ve always been surrounded by music.” Roan and Kandace have four children, two of whom were in the Illinois Valley High School Choir; and another, Dallin McClure, who was in the band. Dallin is currently serving in the U.S. Army in Korea. For the McClures, mu- Omega’s Roan McClure and T. Lund, IVHS music director (Photo provided) sic is more than just tunes and melodies. “Music is a way to express a lot of feelings,” said Kandace. “It can ex- press any feeling, whether anger or sadness, and it’s a great outlet for teens or youth who are suffering from these feelings. It’s important for them to get their spirit and soul in- volved in music, so they don’t resort to violence as a way to express them- selves.” Two years ago, choir students at Illinois Valley High School were able to express themselves more clearly after they received a generous donation of microphones, speakers and music stands. This was The Omega Foundation’s first charitable gift. “We started the foun- dation four years ago,” said Roan, “and two years ago, we started donating equipment to the schools. This year, we were able to donate a karaoke machine for the students to take their finals with. Next year we’ll donate another piece of equipment and start funding scholarships.” For now, the founda- tion receives most of its donations from family members. Also, Roan re- ceives a V.A. pension from his U.S. Army service, and whatever they don’t need to live off of, they donate. To make a donation, phone 592-5465 or send dona- tions to: Omega Founda- tion, P.O. Box 507, Cave Junction OR 97523. “As long as there are students at Illinois Valley High School, we’ll keep Meidinger Concrete Construction Serving the Valley since 1974 * Licensed * Bonded * Insured Specializing in all types of Concrete and Masonry New - Foundations - Walks - Drives - Patios Mobile Home Runners and Foundations Bridges and Abutments - Slabs - Large or Small Exposed Aggregate - Retaining Walls and Basements Stamped & Colored Concrete Phone 592-4485 Mike Meidinger License #93173 Bob and Virginia Gilliam would like to thank all our family and friends for sharing special memories with us Saturday, Aug. 7 at the I.V. Senior Center as we took a trip down ‘memory lane’ for our 50th wedding anniversary. And to all who sent cards, gifts, phone calls and personal good wishes. A very special thank you to son and wife, Mike and Genie Gilliam; son and wife, Mark and Kathy Gilliam; grandson and wife, Jeremy and Teresa Gilliam; grandson and wife, Josh and Armida Gilliam; granddaughter, Michelle Gilliam; and great-grandson, Kadin Gilliam. We have truly been blessed by all of you!! Dead crow in Vale warns of W. Nile in Ore. A dead crow found in Vale, Ore. has tested posi- tive for West Nile virus, public health officials in Malheur County and the Oregon Dept. of Human Services (DHS) confirmed today. The testing was con- ducted at Oregon State University’s Veterinarian Diagnostic Laboratory. This is the state’s first sign of the virus, which was introduced to the United States in 1999. “We’ve been expect- ing West Nile virus to ap- pear in Oregon at any time, so this is not a surprise,” said Dr. Mel Kohn, state epidemiologist in DHS. “This does not necessarily mean that we expect to see human cases any time soon. But, it does mean that people need to be sure they are taking precautions against mosquitoes.” this foundation alive and keep donating,” Roan con- cludes. is open Saturdays: 9:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Hours: Mondays - Saturdays 9:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. For more information phone (800) 922-1025 Thank you for a great party!!
