PAGE A6, KEIZERTIMES, MARCH 11, 2022
of the Week
presented by
ROLAND HERRERA
Where and how do you
volunteer?
Most of my volunteer work
has been centered around our
youth. coaching, mentoring and
recognizing the accomplishments
of our future leaders. As part of
the Latino Action Committee we
award grants for Latino students to
further their education and return
to help others. I enjoy my daily
"park patrol" at Country Glen Park
and projects with my neighbors.
I serve as a city councilor, state
director (League of Oregon Cities),
and commissioner with Oregon
Judicial Fitness Commission. I am
also a volunteer interpreter.
"You don't need a reason to help
people"
Why do you volunteer?
Because I live in Keizer and that's
what we do in Keizer.
What does volunteering
do for you?
Volunteering gives me a sense of
community. Helping others feels
damn good.
How would you get
others to volunteer in
their community?
I tell folks about the benefits of
volunteering. I believe it makes you
a better person. Volunteers don't
always have the time, but they have
the heart.
City council addresses crisis in Ukraine
BY CHARLES GLENN
Of the Keizertimes
The March 7 Keizer City Council
meeting featured two proclamations
from Mayor Cathy Clark – one which
officially addressed the ongoing crisis in
Ukraine.
Clark presented the proclamation
directly to Youth Councilor Miranda
Coleman, who serves alongside the other
members of the city council and is of
Ukrainian descent.
When the crisis began in Ukraine,
Coleman reached out to Clark to ask for
support. Clark responded with a procla-
mation condemning the actions of the
Russian Federation and voicing support
for the local people of Ukrainian and
Russian heritage.
“All the people in our community –
Ukrainian, Russian, human – together
we stand for peace,” Clark said in her
proclamation.
Coleman was given an opportunity to
speak to the assembled council-members
and guests, in which she talked about her
Ukrainian heritage and how the crisis
has impacted her community.
Coleman’s great-grandparents emi-
grated from Ukraine in the early 1900s.
In the 1940s, her family relocated to
Oregon from North Dakota, but through
all of that they maintained many of their
cultural traditions.
“Ever since I was a little girl, it has
been instilled in me to be proud of my
Mayor Cathy Clark and Youth Councilor Miranda Coleman, middle, and the Keizer
PHOTO BY CHARLES GLENN
City Council with the Ukraine proclamation.
Ukrainian heritage,” said Coleman as she
delivered an emotional address to the
council. “We did this by making ethnic
foods and performing the arts such as
dance and music, but this isn’t about me
– it’s about Ukraine and the millions of
people who are suffering.”
Coleman went on to laud the coura-
geous efforts of Ukrainians to defend
their homes, and to make an appeal for
others to help in any way possible.
“We must stand for them, we must
pray for them, and we must advocate for
them,” she said. “They are just as import-
ant as any of us and they deserve to be
recognized as such.”
Coleman said she was moved by
Clark’s proclamation and thanked the
council.
“I would like to thank you immensely
for the show of support for Ukraine,” she
said. “It means the absolute world to me,
and it makes me so proud to call Keizer
my home."
COVID rent assistance applications closing
BY JULIA SHUMWAY
Of the Capital Chronicle
Time’s running out for Oregonians
affected by the COVID pandemic to
receive state help in paying rent.
The Oregon Housing and Community
Services Department will close applica-
tions for rent assistance on Monday, Mar.
14.
People who are falling behind on
rent or owe back rent can apply for aid
through an online state portal until then
and receive up to three months of future
rent and utilities and one year of back
rent and utilities. They’ll also be pro-
tected from eviction until the state aid
arrives once they apply
After the state portal closes, aid will
still be available through local organiza-
tions. Information about those programs
can be found by calling 211 or visiting
the 211 website.
Applications reopened in January
after the Legislature added $100 million
to the fund during a special legislative
session in December. The agency esti-
mates more than 11,000 tenants have
requested more than $125 million since
applications reopened.
During an earlier round of aid from
May to December of 2021, the agency
paid about $289 million to more than
40,000 Oregon households.
Not everyone who applies will receive
help, agency spokeswoman Delia
Hernández said in an email. The agency
is making decisions based on who needs
the help most.
Under a law passed in December, the
COVID rental assistance program must
end by September. At its current rate, the
state housing agency expects to finish all
payments by the end
of June.
It’s
possible
Oregon could receive
more federal funding
for pandemic-related
housing assistance.
The U.S. Treasury sent
Oregon $289 million
for rent assistance
last year and the state
expected additional
funding as the federal
government redistrib-
uted funds from states
that didn’t spend all
their rent assistance
money to states that
did.
Gov. Kate Brown
asked for more money
last fall, but the U.S.
Treasury hasn’t yet
released more to
states.
FILE PHOTO