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Page 6...The Portland Observer. December 4,1991
Consumer Credit
Counseling Service
Offers Advice For
Holiday Shoppers
As the busiest shopping day of the
season approaches, Consum er Credit
C ounseling Service (CCCS) has some
good advice for avoiding the after
C hristm as Blues. Plan ahead; create a
C hristm as list budget; and then slick to
that budget.
A ccording to Larry W inthrop,
president o f CCCS o f Oregon, thou­
sands o f people spend more than they
should during the holiday season trying
to buy the special people in their life
the perfect gift. “ The best way to buy
Christm as presents on credit is to list
the am ount along side each recipient so
you will know what your bills will be
after the holidays,” he said. ‘‘How­
ever, many people don’t plan ahead
and unforeseen circum stances of the
new year put people in a financial posi­
tion they were not expecting.” He adds
that January and February is the busiest
time for CCCS because it’s when people
begin feeling the crunch o f holiday
bills.
W inthrop wants to remind people
that if they find themselves in financial
distress, CCCS is ready to help. A non­
profit agency, CCCS offers free finan­
cial counseling. Their counselors work
with clients to create a workable family
budget. If necessary, CCCS will nego­
tiate with creditors to take smaller
payments over a longer period of time.
CCCS is the only viable alternative to
filing for bankruptcy, a blem ish that
rem ains on on e ’s credit record for up to
ten years. W inthrop com m ented that
the earlier people seek assistance with
their credit problem s, the m ore likely
CCCS will be able to help.
W ith offices in Portland, Beaver­
ton, Gresham , V ancouver, Longview
and now in M cM innville, CCCS has
been serving the com m unity for nearly
25 years.
Oregon Symphony
Presents Free Concert
To Benefit The Campaign
To End Childhood Hunger
The Oregon Symphony will host
‘‘Music G ives,” a free community
concert, on Thursday, December 12th,
7:30 p.m., at the Arlene Schnitzer
Concert Hall in Portland. Sponsored by
Pacific First Bank, the concert will be
conducted by Assistant Conductor
Ching-Hsin Hsu (“ Apo” ). Admission
is free with the donation o f nonperish­
able food items to benefit Oregon Food
Bank’s Cam paing to End Childhood
Hunger.
C oncertgocrsarc invited to enjoy a
program o f classics and benefit hungry
families and children at the same time.
Suggested donations include high-qual­
ity nonpenshable food items appropri­
ate for children and families, such as
canned or dry milk, canned meat, soups,
stews, tuna, boxed macaroni and cheese,
rice, pasta and peanut butter.
Oregon Food Bank’s Cam paign to
End Childhood Hunger was launched
in response to the rising num ber of
children requiring emergency food
assistance. Through the campaign,
Oregon Food Bank and the Oregon
Coalition to End Childhood Hunger
hope to enlist the com m unity’s support
in alleviating the problem o f hunger
among children. Oregon Symphony
conductor and Music Director James
DePreist is the cam paign’s Honorary
Chair.
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GAP Seeks Funds To
Help Needy Pay Winter
Heat Bills
Northwest Natural Gas Company
is soliciting tax-deductible donations
to its Gas Assistance Program (GAP), a
fund to help needy individuals and
families pay their healing bills.
Administered through the United
W ay, G AP funds are distributed to state
com m unity action agencies in every
area served by Northwest Natural Gas.
Each individual or family is screened
by a community agency to determine
eligibility. The funds provide one-time
assistance to people in every com m u­
nity served by Northwest Natural Gas.
“ Last year, G AP was able to help
2,951 households with $248,211 in
donations,” said Paul H athaway, sen­
ior vice president for Northwest Natu­
ral Gas. “ During this holiday season,
it’s a great way to help our less fortu­
nate neighbors have a warmer winter.
Special red and green envelopes have
been sent with custom er’s November
gas bills to make donating easier.”
Northwest Natural has a variety of
payment plans and options for those
having trouble paying their heating bills,
but have turned to the Low Income
Home Energy Assistance Program
(LIHEAP) and GAP. LIHEAP, which
is federally funded, has had to manage
with reduced funding.
“ The need for heating assistance
is about the same as last year,” said
Marian Milligan, energy programs
coordinator for O regon’s State Com ­
munity Services. “ O f the approximately
150,000 families eligible for LIHEAP
funds last winter, we were only able to
help 60,100.
This is the eighth year o f the GAP
program, which todate has raisedabout
$1.76 million from Northwest Natural
Gas employees, customers, sharehold­
ers and friends. In addition to the 6,300
individual and shareholder donations,
last year’s G AP campaign received
$8,000 from Northwest Natural’s Spring
Classic 8K road race and $2,155 from
The Dalles Bass Tourney.
All contributions should be sent to
UW /GAP, 718 W Burnside, Portland,
Ore. 97209. Those needing assistance
should contact their local community
action agency.
Portland Parks and
Recreation Offering
New Schedule Of Winter
Outings Through Its
Outdoor Recreation
Program
Portland Parks and Recreation is
offering a complete schedule o f out­
doors trips and classes through its O ut­
door Recreation program this winter.
O fferings include cross country skiing,
telemark skiing, snowshoeing, fly fish­
ing, bus tours and more.
Outdoor Recreation is offering an
extensive program of cross country ski
lessons, tours and overnight trips. As
an introduction to the sport, Outdoor
Recreation presents a series o f eigh»
free workshops throughout the season
introducing the basics o f cross country
skiing. Dates, times and workshop lo­
cations can be obtained by calling
Portland Parks and Recreation.
In January, February and March
O utdoor Recreation offers three levels
o f cross country skiing lessons to a c ­
commodate everyone from first timers
to experienced skiers. Day long guided
ski tours are also available throughout
the season to the best o f the Cascades
many ski trails. O vernight cross coun­
try ski trips are planned to some of the
Northwest’s most spectacular sites such
as Breitenbush Hotsprings, the Methow
Valley and the W allow a Mountains.
Van transportation is provided on all
Parks Bureau trips. Specialized lessons
and tours tailored to the needs o f older
adult skiers are also available.
Guided tours are scheduled to
Kahneeta, whale watching at Newport,
the “ Great Bavarian Ice Festival” in
Leavenworth, W ashington to name a
few.
For a brochure and further infor­
mation call O utdoor Recreation at 796-
5132.
9-1-1 Response Time Improves
City Com m issioner Dick Bogle
has released figures showing dramatic
improvements in 9-1-1 emergency re­
sponse since the start o f a public educa­
tion compaign in mid-September.
Bogle, who oversees the city’s
Bureau of Emergency Communications,
said he is “ extremely pleased” with
the drop in the average time it takes a
9-1-1 dispatcher to answer a call.
In June, July and August, the aver­
age held steady at about 8.0 seconds. In
September, it dropped to 7.1 seconds,
and in O ctober, after the campaign was
well underway, it plunged to 5.3 sec­
onds. Bogle said the trend has contin­
ued into November, with the average
time for the first three weeks at 4.4
seconds.
During the same period, the num ­
ber of calls which were abandoned
before dispatchers could answ er them
dropped almost 50 percent—from 2,833
to 1,443.
“ This means people are getting
the message that when they call 9-1-1,
they m ust stay on the line,” Bogle
said. “ W hen people hang up during
limes o f heavy call volume, they over­
load the system so that genuine em er­
gencies c a n ’t get through.”
Bogle said one aim o f the public
education cam paign has been to direct
persons not requiring immediate po­
lice, fire or emergency medical resonse
to a non-emergency number, 230-2121.
He said use of the non-emergency
number is reflected in a marked im ­
provem ent in the 9-1 -1 call load, which
decreased from 57,805 in August to
50,358 in Septem ber and 43,631 in
October.
The system has experienced re­
ductions in unnecessary calls to 9-1-1,
unnecessary calls to the non-emergency
number, delay times for access to
9-1-1 and 230-2121, the maximum delay
item for both emergency and non­
em ergency calls, and the number of
abandoned calls.
Cold-weather goods needed
As winter nears, blankets, heavy coats and other
cold-weather clothing are once again atop our list of
desperately needed items. Among the other needs:
workboots, rain gear and tents (for the homeless),
blankets, pillows, bedsheets, baby blankets, pots,
pans, dishes, kitchen utensils, tables and chairs,
chests of drawers.
For details: 284-6878.
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PDC
- ,
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Jim Werner
District Agent, 19 Years Service
LORRAINE HLAVINKA
All Types of Auto Plate and Window Glass
11300 N.E. Halsey, Suite 100
Portland, OR 97220
Residence: 503-771-6113
Storm Doors and Windows
4709 NE Martin Luther King, Jr. Blvd
Portland, Oregon 97211
PORTLAND
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Phone 249-5886
«IMMISSION
Commission Meeting
? ,T
Date: December 11,1991
Place: Portland Building
1120 SW Fifth Ave., 11th FI.
Portland, OR
Time: 9:30 a.m.
« ¿ '<■
Commission meetings are open to
the public. A complete agenda is
available at PDC. Call 823-3200.
*■ Ù * •'<
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PDC is the City of Portland's urban
renewal, housing and economic
developm ent agency.
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Western Family Foods
Helps Boost
Cans Film Festival
Totals To Record High
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A special challenge by W estern
Family Foods helped push this year’s
Cans Film Festival totals well over
Oregon Food Bank’s 60,000-pound goal.
Thanks to the com bined efforts o f Act
III Theatres, media support from KGW
TV8 and KINK FM 102 Radio, and the
Western Family Foods donation, a record
total o f nearly 70,000 pounds of food
was donated for hunger-relief efforts.
On N ovem ber 6th, Act III T he­
atres throughout Oregon and Clark
County, W ashington, offered m ovie­
goers adm ission to a first-run movie of
their choice for a donation o f tw o cans
o f nonperishablc food items to benefit
agencies o f the Oregon Food Bank
network. W estern Family Foods’ sup­
port contributed to the largest one-year
increase in the event’s 11-year history.
As a new sponsor of the Cans Film
Festival, W estern Family kicked off
the event with a donation o f over 2,000
cans o f high-quality food.
"T h e com m unity’s response to the
Cans Film Festival is very much appre­
ciated and very much needed,” said
Susan O ’Hara, Oregon Food Bank
development officer. “ The tremendous
support from W estern Family Foods, in
particular, generated over 15,000 pounds
of additional food for the e v e n t
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