A4 THE SPOKESMAN • TUESDAY, MAY 3, 2022
Hope
Continued from A1
rideable.
They walk a half-mile —
three times a day — to get
the children to three different
school bus stops.
Their RV home is outfitted
with a scrap wood entry at-
tached to keep the cold out.
A black mailbox symbolizes
home wedged into the rungs
of a ladder at the entrance.
A bouquet of fake flowers
greets visitors.
“It’s pretty small in there,”
Moon said, pointing to the
dark interior of the RV. “It’s
a tight squeeze for us. But
luckily, someone gave it to us.
Some people here (in Central
Oregon) have had it hard.”
It’s not the life she imag-
ined for her children. It’s not
the life she imagined for her-
self, growing up in Tumalo.
There have been times
when she’s had to humble
herself for diapers or food.
She’s stood on street cor-
ners or in parking lots with
a cardboard sign asking for
help. One time, a woman
yelled at her to get a job. An-
other time, a woman handed
her $200 to buy Christmas
presents.
Moon does what she can to
make the site homey. On Eas-
ter, she hid plastic eggs filled
with candy for the children.
And sometimes the children
spend the weekend with her
Dean Guernsey/The Bulletin
Tessy Moon and her daughter, Seaira, 6, in their camp on public land outside of Redmond.
mother, who lives in Central
Oregon.
“Anyone can become
homeless,” Moon said. “Don’t
judge me.”
The path to homelessness
for Moon was paved with
nearly three years of domes-
tic violence that finally ended
in divorce. Finalized in May,
the court awarded Moon
possession of a mobile home
in Redmond. That was after
more than 30 court hearings,
all occurring in the middle of
the pandemic.
Her divorce took a long
time because there were
criminal charges against her
husband for the domestic
violence. Her ex-husband is
now serving a jail sentence.
The mobile home that the
couple bought several years
ago has been sitting vacant
since November 2019, when
the court prohibited the fam-
ily from living in the home
Flight
grew up in Salem, watching
her father pilot a small plane
for fun and recreation. She
graduated high school and
worked in health care for
awhile, but always kept her eye
on the sky.
She said the cost of getting
all her necessary licenses felt
overwhelming, and wasn’t
sure there would be a job
for her at the end of it. But
last year she decided to plow
ahead, after hearing about the
pilot shortage and the new of-
ferings to make school more
cost-effective.
“It also makes the process
more of a straight shot,” she
said. “It was a clear route to
getting the job.”
There are about 220 stu-
dents at Hillsboro Aero in
some part of the process —
some getting their instrument
ratings while other aiming for
a full commercial pilot license.
Roth and Reading are two of
the first few to go through the
Ascend Academy, but Kresse
said they expect it to be a pop-
ular program for future stu-
dents.
“We need a big scale up,”
he said.
Kresse said Ascend will help
the company increase capac-
ity, as well as increase interest
from prospective students.
He said the company is put-
Continued from A1
Photo by Tim Trainor
Forrest Reading practices on a flight simulator located on the Hills-
boro Aero Academy campus at the Redmond Airport. Reading was
preparing to get behind the controls of an airplane for the first time
on the following day.
train 250 students a year and
offers each a $25,000 stipend
to cover the cost of a com-
mercial pilot license. It also
includes low-interest financial
aid to help cover additional
expenses. Students who grad-
uate from the program get a
conditional job offer at Hori-
zon Air, with the opportunity
to work for Alaska Airlines,
once they have the requisite
hours and training.
The the new program was
crucial to Heidi Roth, who is
midway through her educa-
tion at Hillsboro Aero. Roth
on NW 35th Street in Red-
mond until the health vio-
lation caused by the leaking
septic system is fixed, accord-
ing to court records.
Raw sewage was seep-
ing on the ground and into
a neighbor’s property, ac-
cording to court records.
The court also posted a lien
against the home because of
back taxes owed.
Just a couple of weeks ago,
Moon paid the $2,000 in
back taxes, she said. One hur-
dle down. Another to go.
The repairs could cost as
much as $20,000, she said.
“I couldn’t do anything,”
Moon said. “That’s how we
ended up here. My kids are
so good with this. It’s been
amazing.”
So now she hopes the
county or NeighborImpact
will help her with the re-
pairs on the leaky septic tank
and then provide proof so
the family can move in. But
there’s a process and an ap-
plication.
If she can pull together the
resources and fix the septic
system, they could move back
to the mobile home park be-
fore the next school year. The
kids could go to the same
schools they go to now and
never have to camp again.
“We’re getting closer,”
Moon said. “I’m hoping we
can get in our home soon.”
█
Reporter: 541-633-2117, sroig@
bendbulletin.com
ting staff and planes in place
so they can continuously start
new cohorts of students and
begin moving them down the
path toward becoming profes-
sional pilots.
“The more efficient we can
be with their time, the more
cost effective it is for them,”
he said.
Kresse and Roth both said
Central Oregon is a great place
to learn to fly. There’s lots of
great weather and beautiful
views. Roth said she enjoys
cruising around Mt. Hood and
taking off over Smith Rock.
“That’s what you should do
on your first flight,” she told
Reading.
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