n iv . r a lly of Oregon L ib ra ry
PORTLAND OBSERMER
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Volume XVII, Number 35
July 8, 1987
25C
Child Care Extrordinaire
by Leon Harris
"W e haye a 4 year old that has Sickle Cell Anemia. Some
tim e^ she comes to my desk and just wants me to hold her.
Sometimes she gets R e e lin g better and wants to go back to
her class. Other timds I just cuddle and rock her to sleep in my
desk chair."
These are the words of Evelyn Collins, owner/operator of
the Grace Collins Memorial Child Care Center, who has de
voted much of her life to caring for kids and has a special place
reserved for them in her heart.
The Center, located at 128 N.E. Russell in N.E Portland, is
named after Evelyn's mother, Grace, also a lover of children,
who left a small legacy enabling the building to be purchased
some 30 years ago.
Evelyn and her mother moved to Portland from Washington,
D.C., some 30 years ago due to her mother's failing health.
They began conducting bible classes in their home in Portland,
and, as a result of babysitting related attendance problems,
got started in the day care business.
The beehive of activity exhibited by both staft and children
lends credence to a much-publicized community endorsement
of the Center's operation.
"This is my fam ily," claims Mrs. Collins as she surveys the
lunch period crowd of 46 toddlers. "I love what I am doing and
am inspired by my belief and trust in God.
The Center caters to infants as young as 6 weeks to youth up
to 11 years old, mostly from the Latch Key Program, before
and after school year round.
The Center's activities range from infant care to a well
planned curriculum focusing primarily on child development,
ro r instance, 3 year olds are taught to write the entire alphabet
and numbers up to 50; 4 year olds are taught addition and sub
traction.
Open 5 days weekly (Monday through Friday) from
6:30 a.m. to 6 p.m ., Grace Memorial Center accepts children of
unemployed parents on an interim basis until parents find em
ployment.
The 86 capacity Center assesses fees based upon income
X .
Evelyn Collins — Founder. Grace Collins M em orial Center.
and caters mostly to low-income families due to the area.
"W hen my mother passed in 1970 at the age of 90, she left
a small legacy which helped to secure this site. I don't look at
the profit motive, which is absolutely minimal. I look at the
Photo by Richard J. Brown
much needed service that is being provided, and it is from that
I get my rewards," she states.
This week, the Center will commemorate 35 years in the day
care business. The community is rooting for 35 more.
Social Security
Discriminates
Against Blacks
The Social Security system is causing a massive transfer of
wealth from blacks to whites, according to a study by the Na
tional Center for Policy Analysis.
The study says black and white workers who earn the same
wages pay identical Social Security taxes. Yet black workers
will receive far less in Social Security benefits. For example:
• A white male entering the labor market today can expect
to receive 74 percent more in Social Security retirement bene
fits and 47 percent more in Medicare benefits than a black male
earning the same wage.
• A white working couple can expect to receive about 35
percent more in retirement and Medicare benefits than a black
working couple.
The reason for these differences is that blacks have shorter
lifespans than whites. "In any given year a black male worker
is about twice as likely to die as a white male w orker," said
John Goodman, President of the NCPA.
"A m ong children
born today, only 58 percent of black males and only 75 percent
of black females are expected to reach the age of 65," he said.
The Social Security payroll tax currently is 14.3 percent of
workers' incomes. It finances Social security retirement, sur
vivors and disability benefits and Medicare benefits. Accor
questions at a press conference held last
interim president of the Urban League of
is conducted. Herb Caw thorne, present
challenge of leading the Urban League of
San Diego starting in August. (L-R) Leary; C aw thorne; Avel Gordly,
w ho w ill head the search com m ittee; and Linda Rasmussen, Chair
person of the board of the Portland Urban League.
Photo by Richard J. Brown
$40,610 in benefits —about 50 percent more than his black
federal welfare system is hitting low-income, black families
w ith a double whammy. To the degree that the welfare system
succeeds in encouraging black couples w ith children not to get
married, they will lose between $27,000 and $37,000 in reduced
Ray Leary (L) addresses
w eek. Leary w ill act as
Portland w h ile a search
president, has taken the
counterpart.
• Among working couples earning the median incomes for
male and female workers, white families can expect $81,955 in
benefits compared to only $67,729 for black families.
"Blacks are over-represented among those of taxpaying age
and underrepresented among Social Security beneficiaries,”
said Goodman. According to the study,
ding to the study,
• A single black male, earning the median income, can ex
pect to receive $27,743 in total benefits, measured in 1986
• More than 70 percent of all black families pay more in
Social Security taxes than they do in income taxes.
• Although about 12 percent of the population is black, only
prices.
• By contrast, a white male with identical wages can expect
8 percent of the elderly are black.
According to Goodman, "Social Security combined w ith the
Social Security benefits," he said.
"The effects of the welfare state are devastating for blacks in
terms of the loss of Social Security benefits,” said Goodman.
"In fact, the treatment of the tw o races by Social Security is so
different, the very constitutionality of the system may be ques
tion ed," he said.
The NCPA study was based on mortality tables prepared by
the U.S. National Center for Health Statistics and on forecasts
prepared by the Social Security Administration.