B2
Hood River News, Wednesday, January 14, 2015
CASCADE
Observations
By PEGGY DILLS KELTER
Where charity begins
I
N 1978, JUST AFTER GRADUATING from
college, I began pounding the pavement in
the city of Boston looking — or, better said,
begging — for a job. Armed with my degree
in Studio Art, and surrounded by thousands
of other, more talented college graduates seek-
ing employment in that hip city, I had little hope
of landing anything more engaging than mini-
mum wage employment in the service industry.
I persevered. After weeks of visiting a myriad
of art institutions in quest of a job, I landed an
“administrative assistant”
position in the Develop-
ment Office of the Boston
Ballet. It paid worse than a
minimum wage job in the
service industry, and I
wasn’t sure what a devel-
opment office did, but it
sounded classy and impor-
tant.
No longer begging for a
job, my assignment in the
development office utilized
my new skills as a beggar. Instead of groveling
for employment, though, now I groveled for con-
tributions. The non-profit Boston Ballet needed
cash, and my job was to help find it.
■
Fast-forward 36 years and 3,000 miles away
from that first grown-up job, I’m now the target
for all those development folks hoping I’ll con-
tribute to their meaningful causes. This last
year my husband and I contributed to 90 differ-
ent charities, but I’m sure we received at least
300 solicitations.
On a daily basis we receive three to five re-
quests in our mailbox, and we’ve stopped an-
swering our telephone if we don’t recognize the
phone number. While many of the charities
that solicit us are gracious, there are two types
of charitable organizations that are just annoy-
ing. The first are the ones to which I’ve never
contributed. I don’t know where they get my
name and address. They send me a “gift” and
then expect me to be so delighted with the
“Made in China” junk that I immediately send
them back a check. Recently, I received the ulti-
mate in this category — a huge desk set, includ-
ing a giant calculator, notepad and pen —
wrapped in a gold plastic envelope and mailed to
us a few weeks before Christmas. Yesterday I
got a follow-up “calculator and planner receipt
verification form” from this organization. The
letter began “I hope you enjoy the calculator
and planner I sent you, honoring the heroes who
defend America and keep us safe!” Are they kid-
ding me? How does a plastic calculator honor
America’s veterans?
The other annoying charities are the ones
that receive a contribution from us, and then de-
cide to solicit us monthly for additional contri-
butions. The amount of postage, paper and labor
used up in harassing us regularly must cancel
out any funds we gave them initially. Several of
these organizations have received my “cease and
desist” letters. Most haven’t complied.
Those charities that raise my ire end up in
the “Never Again” column of my Charities
Table. I created this chart years ago when my
memory started fading, and I found myself du-
plicating some contributions and neglecting oth-
ers. It shows three years of giving history. Each
time we make a contribution to a charity, I fill in
the amount and the month in which we made
the donation. When the charity sends me a note
asking me to renew my support, I quickly glance
at my chart to see if it indeed is the appropriate
time to renew. If so, we do so willingly. If not, I
set the request aside until the renewal is appro-
priate.
■
‘INTO THE BEAUTIFUL NORTH’
Hear the Hood River County Reads book on Radio Tierra
Would you like to get a Hood River County Reads ti-
jump start on the Friends of tles represent the diversity
the Hood River County Li- of the Hood River County
brary’s 2015 Hood River community and are shared
County Reads book? Radio widely throughout the area.
Tierra will be
Some previous
broadcasting a
books include
RADIO TIERRA
reading of this
“Stubborn
Broadcasts on 95.1
year’s selec-
Twig” by Lau-
tion, “Into the
ren Kessler,
FM in Hood River,
Beautiful
“The Circuit”
107.7 FM in The
North” (Rumbo
by Francisco
Dalles, and 95.9 FM
al Her moso
Jiménez, and
in Stevenson.
Norte) by Luis
“Ricochet
Ur rea.
The
River”
by
book will be read in both Robin Cody.
English and Spanish weekly
Hood River County Reads
on Fridays from 8-9 p.m. by is sponsored and supported
DJs Alejandro Cano and by the Friends of the Hood
Gale Arnold. The show will River County Library, with
continue until the book has additional support from the
been finished.
Starseed Foundation, Hood
Hood River County Reads River County Education
is a community reading pro- Foundation, Hood River
gram where readers of all County Library Foundation,
ages read and discuss books. Hood River County Cultural
Trust, Gorge Community
Foundation, and generous
individuals.
Radio Tierra is a commu-
nity radio station based out
of Hood River. Its mission is
to provide high quality, in-
novative programming to
the Gorge area and the
world, which will bring to-
gether diverse populations
in order to promote mutual
understanding, community
support, and opportunities
for community develop-
ment. A significant amount
of its prog ramming is
broadcast in Spanish.
For more information,
contact Radio Tierra 541-
387-3772, main@radiotier-
ra.org, or visit their website
at radiotierra.org. More in-
formation about Hood River
County Reads will be avail-
able in the coming weeks on
Cover photo by Nicole Waite
2015 HOOD RIVER Reads se-
lection starts with radio read-
ing.
Hood River County Library
District’s
website,
hoodriverli-brary.org.
Free discussion about cross-cultural ideas of life and death
Contemporary American culture is
commonly portrayed as death-denying
or death-defying. However, other cul-
tural traditions understand our mor-
tality as a teacher about living a pur-
poseful life. Can acknowledging our
mortality bring greater meaning to
life?
This is the focus of “Grave matters:
Cultural Diversity on Life and Death,”
a free conversation with Courtney
Campbell on Saturday, Jan.17 at 2 p.m.
at Hood River Library. This program is
hosted by Hood River County Library
District and sponsored by Oregon Hu-
manities.
Campbell is the Hundere Chair in Re-
ligion and Culture and a professor in
the School of History, Philosophy, and
Religion at Oregon State University. He
has been on the faculty at OSU since
1990 and has received numerous awards
for teaching and scholarship. Campbell
serves on the board of directors for
Benton Hospice, the ethics committee
for Good Samaritan Regional Medical
Center, and coordinates the program in
medical humanities at OSU.
Through the Conversation Project,
Oregon Humanities offers free pro-
grams that engage community mem-
bers in thoughtful, challenging conver-
sations about ideas critical to our daily
lives and our state’s future. For more
information about this free communi-
ty discussion, please contact Hood
River County Library District at 541-
386-2535, info@hoodriverlibrary, or
hoodriverlibrary.org.
Oregon Humanities (813 SW Alder
St, #702; Portland, OR 97205) connects
Oregonians to ideas to change lives
and transform communities. More in-
formation about Oregon Humanities’
programs and publications, which in-
clude the Conversation Project, Think
& Drink, Humanity in Perspective,
Idea Lab, Public Program Grants, and
Oregon Humanities magazine, can be
found at oregonhumanities.org. Ore-
gon Humanities is an independent,
nonprofit affiliate of the National En-
dowment for the Humanities and a
partner of the Oregon Cultural Trust.
HOW TO HELP
Photo by Kirby Neumann-Rea
WARMING SHELTER volunteers prepare for
guests to sign in and spend the night at one of
the rotating shelter locations.
Community
choir forms
for MLK
observance
Recently, my school had the good fortune of
being the recipient of an unsolicited fundrais-
ing project when
Gorge area music lovers
Katie Scarbor-
of all ages are invited to
ough, a former stu-
join in a community wide
dent of mine, ap-
Gospel Choir that is form-
proached me to
ing to celebrate the birth-
ask if she could
day of Martin Luther King
raise money for
Jr. on Jan. 19.
Mid Valley Ele-
The choir, under the lead-
mentary School’s
ership of local musician
art program.
Tim Mayer, will participate
Katie, an HRVHS
in a musical celebration of
junior and mem-
Dr. King that will take place
ber of the Nation-
in Hood River at Riverside
al Art Honors So-
Community Church on the
ciety, organized a
evening of Jan. 19 — the
benefit art auction
MLK holiday. The celebra-
as her EA Project.
tion, which will be preceded
Katie Scarborough
EA stands for “Ex-
by a potluck dinner, is spon-
tended Application.” It’s Oregon’s terminology
sored by Gorge Ecumenical
for a senior project. Every high school student
Ministries.
must create and complete an EA project before
Those interested in
they can graduate. The project should be some-
singing with the choir for
thing that the student is interested in, and en-
this event are invited to a
courages critical thinking, planning, and evalu-
r e h e a r s a l a t R ive r s i d e
ating.
Church on Thursday, Jan.15
Katie’s poster for her EA project auction stat-
at 7 p.m.
ed, “The newly established Hood River Valley
■
High School National Art Honors Society will be
To learn more, please con-
presenting unique pieces of art for sale at this
tact Paul Thompson at
auction to benefit the Mid Valley Elementary
paul@copperwest.com.
School art department. The students have
worked hard
create this art,
and
a strong
Katie to Scarborough
Junior
EA have
Project
desire to help promote art in elementary
schools.”
Weather interfered with her event when an
ice storm cancelled all school activities. Katie,
undiscouraged by this setback, persevered and
rescheduled the event. On Dec. 12, she and her
industrious friends and family transformed the
A son, Yohan Rodriguez
school’s cafeteria into a beautiful art gallery.
Rodriguez, was born Nov. 1,
Soft music played and refreshments were of-
2014, at Providence Hood
fered. Katie was poised and mature, even when
River Memorial Hospital to
it appeared that her anticipation of a crowd was
J av i e r a n d B i a n c a Ro -
a bit of an over estimation. Nonetheless, the vol-
driguez, of Hood River.
unteer auctioneer arrived, the small group took
He weighed 6 pounds, 13
our seats, and with all the enthusiasm we could
ounces and measured 20
muster began bidding in earnest. An hour later,
–and-three-quarter-inches.
Mid Valley’s coffers were over $500 richer. The
He joins a brother, Eden
funds will be used to help pay for our school’s
Xavier Rodriguez, 5.
annual “Art Week” program, March 3-6.
Grandparents are Juan
A personal thank-you to all those generous
M a n u e l Ro d r i g u e z a n d
souls who came out on a dark winter night to
Mar tha Gonzale z, of El
support a deserving program. Even more, they
Grullo, Jalisco, Mexico, and
came out to support a young woman with a vi-
Florencio Rodriguez and
sion and a cause. At 17, Katie’s graciousness and
Rob Norton
auctioneer
volunteer with
Katie Scarborough
Imelda Guzman of Garcia
passion show
that she
already understands
more
de la Cadena, Zacatecas,
about fund raising than many seasoned develop-
Mexico.
ment professionals.
B irth
■ Warming Shelter — A training erans to the Portland VA Medical Cen-
session is planned Jan. 15 from 7-9 p.m. ter. Oregon drivers must have a valid
at Immanuel Lutheran Church, Ninth driver’s license and a good driving
record. CDL is not
and State streets. The
needed. For more in-
training is open to
formation, contact the
anyone 18 or older.
WANT IN?
DAV Coordinator at 1-
Visit
hoodriver-
If your non-profit is
800-949-1004, ext. 57804
cares.org for details.
looking for volunteers or
or ext. 56957.
Hood River Warm-
has other needs, send
■ HR Care Center
ing Shelter is open at
brief information to
— The Family Council
Riverside Community
hrnews@hoodrivenews.com
at the Hood River Care
Church, Third and
Center is seeking do-
State, this week until
nations for wild bird-
Jan. 18, and then for a
seed, to be used in filing the residents’
week at Immanuel Lutheran Church.
From 6 p.m. to 7 a.m. nightly, home- birdfeeders. This is an activity which
less people can find a warm place to is enjoyed all year round. Donations
sleep, bedding, meals, and connection may be dropped off at the Hood River
to community resources, all at no Care Center, 729 Henderson Road. For
charge. The service is offered nightly delivery or pick-up, call Debbie Medi-
na, 541-490-1575 or Carol Daniel, chair-
at rotating locations.
■ Volunteer drivers from the Mid- man,
541-490-6136
or
hrc-
Columbia area are needed to take vet- cfc551@gmail.com.l
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Reserve ad space by Wed, Jan 14.
Final proofs by Wed, Jan 21.
Publishes Sat, Jan 31.
Call today! 541.386.1234
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