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THE DAILY ASTORIAN • FRIDAY, MAY 13, 2016
Chaplain: ‘It’s every day, every week we call on these chaplains’
Continued from Page 1A
Gaidos, who is retiring this
month after serving in Clat-
sop County for more than a
decade, describes his role as a
“ministry of presence.”
Rather than preaching or
giving grandiose speeches, he
simply shows up when called.
He is there to soothe and offer
tissues or food. He only talks
religion if asked. His presence
is often all people need.
“A lot of times, it’s not that
you do a whole lot,” Gaidos
said. “It’s just that you are
there.”
Called upon
Police chaplains respond
with oficers to every type of
incident, from suicides to car
accidents. Chaplains assist ofi-
cers and the community through
tough times.
Gaidos is one of a few peo-
ple in the county who volun-
teer as chaplains. He volunteers
though a Clatsop County Sher-
iff’s Ofice program, although
he offers service to all local
police agencies.
Last month, the Sheriff’s
Ofice swore in Alyson O’Con-
nor to take over the program.
“It’s every day, every week
we call on these chaplains,”
Sheriff Tom Bergin said.
Chaplains offer an outlet for
oficers, Bergin said, but also
allow oficers to keep doing
their jobs when they cannot stay
to console a family member or
victim.
Gaidos’ background as a
Portland Police oficer helped
immediately earn trust.
“Jerry being in law enforce-
ment, he had an instant ability to
connect with police oficers and
sheriff’s deputies,” Bergin said.
“The conidence was built and
then the program just blossomed
from there.”
Experience
The day Gaidos retired from
the Portland Police in June
2004, an Astoria Police oficer
shot and killed a man who was
attacking him with a baseball
bat in a narrow hallway.
As a result of the shooting,
Astoria Police requested a cri-
sis intervention team from Port-
land to debrief the two oficers
involved. Gaidos, a member of
Kyle Spurr/The Daily Astorian
Alyson O’Connor will take over Clatsop County’s law en-
forcement chaplain role following Jerry Gaidos’ retirement.
the team, was at the debrieing.
Two weeks later, former Asto-
ria Police Chief Rob Deu Pree
asked Gaidos to be the depart-
ment’s chaplain.
“That’s how I got started,”
Gaidos said.
Gaidos’ irst call as a chap-
lain was to the suicide of a dep-
uty’s wife. He recalls arriving
at the deputy’s house scared to
death. Attempting to console the
deputy was a great education,
he said, and his irst experience
with the ministry of presence.
“You go and you do what-
ever needs to be done to help the
people get through that time,” he
said.
When a small plane crashed
into a Gearhart home in 2008,
killing two aboard the plane
and three children in the home,
Gaidos was tasked with pro-
viding solace for the respond-
ing oficers and impacted com-
munity members. He stayed
with surviving family members
and spelled oficers who were
assigned to watch over those
close to the crash.
“You are there to facilitate in
any way you can,” he said.
Just as he could rely on his
law enforcement background,
Gaidos said, the new chaplain
brings similar experience.
O’Connor, the wife of an
Oregon State Police trooper, has
worked in Washington’s Cowlitz
County Sheriff’s Ofice explorer
program, worked as a cadet with
Oregon State Police and as a
ireighter with Lewis and Clark
Volunteer Fire Department and
Knappa Fire District.
“I was surprised to learn
about Alyson’s police experi-
ence, which is a tremendous
beneit,” Gaidos said. “She has
a unique side of being a police
oficer’s wife, as well. She has
some experience and expertise
that I don’t.”
Healing process
At the Seaside Police Depart-
ment after Goodding’s death in
February, Gaidos stayed with
the group of oficers through
the night. At one point, the ofi-
cers decided they were going to
escort Goodding from the hos-
pital to the funeral home. In that
moment, Gaidos said, he could
see the oficers went from feel-
ing helpless to inally being able
to do something for Goodding.
“Having something to do
for a police oficer is important
because you are supposed to be
ixing things, you are supposed
to be taking charge of stuff, and
they are in a situation that they
have no control over,” Gaidos
said. “I could see that started a
process toward healing for those
guys.”
Tall tales: ‘It’s good to see the kids are learning how to write’
Continued from Page 1A
Chavez also decided to
make the couple brother and
sister, rather than husband and
wife. “If they were a couple
and went camping, that would
be weird,” she explained.
“It’s been enlightening,”
said Ron Meyer, another resi-
dent sitting across the cafeteria
from Chavez and the Lampis,
who was being interviewed by
three young boys. “It’s good to
see the kids are learning how
to write. I’m teaching them
how to draw.”
Meyer clutched a color-
ing book he made about the
Golden Gate Bridge, which his
father helped build, and which
was incorporated into each of
the kids’ stories.
Next to Meyer sat local
luminary Michael Foster, who
Edward Stratton/The Daily Astorian
Photo by Scott Holmstedt
Second-grader Braeden Elder shows the illustration for
his story to Clatsop Care Center resident Ron Meyer
Wednesday. More photos online at DailyAstorian.com
Local luminary Michael Foster, left, is interviewed by sec-
ond-graders Carter Barba, center, and Isaac Johnson at
Clatsop Care Center.
founded Astoria High School
Scholarship Inc., and has helped
provide hundreds of scholar-
ships to Astoria graduates. Next
to Foster sat second-graders
who was lost by the students’
train of thought at times but
excited to see their inished
products. “It was very unique.”
While initially uncomfort-
Carter Barba and Isaac Johnson,
who were both writing ictional-
ized accounts of Foster, which
he said cast him as a superhero.
“It was fun,” said Foster,
able with the seniors, Fruiht
said, her students couldn’t wait
to talk with their subjects by
the third visit. The residents,
she added, began to see the
postcards, tissue-paper low-
ers and other mementos they
receive from students as sort
of status symbols.
Fruiht receives support
from the Astoria Schools
Foundation to bus her students
to the care center. The Astor
Parents Club brings in Sally
Lackaff, a children’s book
illustrator who worked on
“The Violet-Covered Teacup,”
to read to kids. Astor Ele-
mentary Principal Kate Gohr
teaches Fruiht’s math classes
so she can take her students
to the care center. And Nancy
Cook, a parent of one of the
students and a writing instruc-
tor at Clatsop Community Col-
lege, types the books up. The
Astoria Schools Foundation
also provides the money for
the books to be published by
students at Jewell School.
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