*w ' ••'.•»■ v . ' W 1 •The Eyes and Ears of th e C om m unity" V olum n XXII, Num ber 51 Mr «K. r r a n I tn i v e r = 1 1- I |y pciftH Fun nber 23, 1992 ®lfe ^ n rtlan h (©bseriier Local Teens Go Hungry To Help Africa While thousands of U.S. troops are working to provide safe passage for the food that is so desperately needed by the starving people of Somalia, young people in Portland are making their own efforts to fight starvation by taking part in World Vision’s annual 30 Hour Famine. Over 200 Portland teens are among more than 10,000 across the country who have already committed themselves to go without food for 30 hours to help feed the hungry in Soma­ lia and around the world. “The enthusiasm here in Portland has been incredible,” says local World Vision representative Ruth Nottingham. “These kids are really committed to making a difference in the world, and they deserve our support” To join in the 30 Hour Famine, participants obtain sponsor books and educational materials from World Vi­ sion by calling the 30 Hour Famine Hot Line at 1-800-7-FAMINE. Around the U.S., schools, churches, youth groups and individuals are already recruiting sponsors to support their 30 hour fast by pledging donations. From 1:00 p.m. Friday, February 19 to 7:00 p.m. on Saturday, February 20, the participants will go without food, taking only water and fruit juices. The funds raised will be used to fight hunger through World Vision projects. Last year, more than 1 million participants around the word raised over $15 million. Students Raising Funds For Somali Medical Aid Holiday Lunch Program For School Children P m ct N ïtwoau H osï Santa (fans’ Visit To Hwamaa Celebration Media representatives interested in reporting on the Portland School district’s efforts to feed children during the holiday school vacation can visit Vernon Elementary School, 2044 N.E. Killingsworth St., Monday, Dec. 21, from 11 a.m. - 12 p.m. School personnel and volunteers will be serving soup, sandwiches, fruit and milk to children in the north Port­ land area. S chool B oard m em ber B ill Panaretos, whocreated the holiday lunch program, will be at Vernon to answer media questions. In addition to Vernon School, lunch is being served Dec. 21 -24 and Dec. 28- 31 at the following schools: Arleta Elementary ,5109 S.E. 66th Ave. B each E le m e n ta ry , 1710 N. Humboldt Street Boise-Eliot Elem entary, 620 N. Fremont Street C larendon Elem entary, 9325 N. Van Houten Street K enton E lem en tary , 7528 N. Fenwick Street King Elem entary, 4906 N.E. 6th Avenue Rigler Elem entary, 5401 N.E. Prescott Street Sunnyside Elem entary,3421 S.E. Salmon Street PCC Offers Workshop Series On Theme Of Racial Harmony Santa delivers gifts to the mothers and children of Project Network Squeals, shouts of delight and frenzied excitement resulted as Santa Claus, the merriest Merry Maker of all limes, made his grand entrance into the midst of fifty plus children at the Project Network office building. Some children eagerly accepted Santa’s invitation to sit on his knee and discuss their past years behavior, or express their Christmas expecta­ tion, and others were not accustomed to Santa’s bizarre appearance, and they sought refuge in their mothers arms. Joyce Harris of the Black Educa­ tion Center presented an educational program on Kwanzaa. Kwanzaa is a non-dcnominational African-Ameri­ can cultural event based on the har­ vest celebrations held in many Afri­ can communities. The seven day holiday is ob­ served from December 26 thru Janu­ ary 1, and is based on seven prin­ ciples: unity, self determination, col­ lective work and responsibility .coop­ erative economics, purpose, creativ­ ity and faith. Each night celebrants observe one of these principles with a candlelighling ceremony followedby activities which reflect the theme for Portland Community College will present “A Vision of Race Unity Work­ shop,” a Tuesjiay evening series of pre­ sentations and discussions led by - and for -- community leaders in the metro­ politan area. The series is intended to focus on how to bring the healing process to the currently challenging issue of racism. Participants in the series can increase their awareness of this sensitive and timely issue and explore specific solu­ tions which may apply in their area of influence. Here is an outline of the series. Jan. 5 Dr. Michael Balter,“A vision of Race Unity” Jan. 12 Dr. Darrell Millner, “His­ torical Dimensions of Racial Issues” Jan. 19 Charles Boulden, “Con­ temporary Issues and Perspectives’ Jan. 26 Denise McVey and Janet Filips, “A Racist Incident - Two Views in Black and White” Joyce Harris of Black Education Center conducts Kwaanza Ceremony the evening. Gifts arc given to the children on the last day of the celebra­ tion for the good work they have done throughout the year. Legacy Health System includes: Emanuel Hospital & Health Center, Good Samaritan Hospital & Health Center, Holladay Park Medical Cen­ ter, Meridian Park Hospital, Mount hood Medical Center, Visiting Nurse Association and Managed Healthcare care Northwest/PPO. Ronald E. Waite When the sixth-graders at Beau­ mont Middle School began discussing events in Somalia in their social studies classes recently, they were so touched by the plight of the children o f the country that they decided they wanted to help them. With the permission of their teach­ ers and principal, they made posters asking others in the school to join them and placed collection boxesout in some rooms during the lunch break and after school. Their efforts have been directed toward raising funds, which will help send medical supplies to the ill and starving in Somalia. On Friday in a morning assembly, the school plans to present a check for $360.44 to representative Ronald E. Waite from Northwest Medical Teams. The money will be used to transport medical supplies to the country. The collection has grown steadily, with many of the school’s 750 students and staff members contributing daily since the boxes have been out, accord­ ing to Ora Lee Green, a sixth-grade teacher and integration coordinator at the school. Green said there was special inter­ est among the students be cause on sixth-grader, Vina Kassai, recently came to Oregon from another small African country near Somalia. “The students wanted to do some­ thing, and they feel that this is the real Christmas spirit, by giving to someone who is not able to give anything back,”Grccn said. 25« (01 he Oldc Saint Nick made an early stop this year to bring Christmas joy to more than 100 at-risk children and their fami­ lies who arc part of the Child and Fam­ ily Program of Mental Health Services West. Infants, toddlers, elementary-aged kids and teenagers, as well as their parents, were treated to an early Christ­ mas dinner and a holiday party made possible by some 200 Portland General Electric Co. (PGE) employees who donated needed gift items and cloth ing. Another three dozen PGE employees organized and volunteered at the party, which was held at the World Trade Center building, 121 SW Salmon St., Wednesday, Dec. 16. The festivities included games for the children, face painting, tree decorat­ ing, arts and crafts sessions, and holiday videos and music. The kids also had the opportunity to sit on Santa and Mrs. Claus’s laps while a photo was snapped for them to take as keepsakes.’T h is is an event that our employee vol unteers look forward to each Christmas,” says Kathy Carlson, PGE Community Resources Manager. “It’s a time when we can all reach out to the many families that don ’ t have other opportunities to enjoy Christ­ mas. It’s also a time for us to let these very special families know that people in the community do care about them.” “This was the largest party yet in the eight years that PGE has helped us put on this event,” says Margie McLeod, of Mental Health Services West. “For many families involved in the Child and Family program, this party has become a holiday tradition.” Mental Health Services West, a private non-profit agency, launched the Child and Family Program to provide counseling services and offer a thera­ peutic preschool to families whose chil­ dren arc experiencing emotional and behavioral problems. Nearly all of the 200 families served through this pro­ gram arc also severely economically disadvantaged. I *.4 Feb. 2 Catrinus Wallet and McKinley Williams, “Diversity in the Workplace” Feb. 9 W endy Schlitz, “ W hite Struggles Against Racism” Feb. 16 Joy Cross, “Axiology” Feb. 23 Kathleen Cross, “Beyond Color Blindness” Mar 2 Abdi Hassan, “Racial Issue Theories of the 50s and 60s” Mar 9 Dr. Michael Balter, “Models of Unity” The series is offered through the Community Education department at the PCC Rock Creek Campus and is spon­ sored by the Bahai community of Wash­ ington County. The class will meet at Sunset High School, 13840 N. W. Cornell Road, from 7 to 9 p.m. Tuition is $43. Interested persons are asked to register for and attend the whole series. For more information, call the PCC Community Education office at 244- 6111, ext. 7307.