P age 7
T he P ortland O bserver • D ecember 22, 1993
L ife in the P ortland M etropolitan A rea
Che ^nxtlanò (Observer
o m m u n itg
a le n h a r
Seats R em ain T o O regon B a lle t
T h e a tre ’ s N u t C ra cke r, December 24-
28. For more information Call ticket office
at 222-5538.
S aturday A cadem y’ s W in te r 1994
Session, C all G in i Fox at (503) 690-1191
for additional information.
State P a rk Dates A n d Fees A n ­
nounced For 1994, For more inform ation
(503) 378-6305.
Dance W orkshop In Dance o f Ghana.
C all 288-3025 to register or for more in fo r­
mation.
Spaces A va ila b le F or O M S I H o li­
day B re ak, To register or receive inform a­
tion please call (503) 797-4545.
M ittle m a n Jewish C om m un ity Cen­
ter Seeks photography com petition fo r
“ Images o f Jerusalem. Cash prizes w ill be
awarded. For applications and guidelines
call (503) 244-0111.
K in g ’ s Day Gospel Event, January
15,1994, 8:00pm , Arlene Schnitzcr Con­
c e rt H a ll, fe a tu rin g Vanessa B e ll
Arm strong, Yolanda Adams, and Ben Tan­
kard. For ticket information, please call
(503) 224-8499.
J fe r r i/
fïir i.s /m n .«
F a m ily V is io n C
Low -cost vision care and free vision
screenings are available for residents o f North
and Northeast Portland at the Pacific U niver­
sity Cascade Campus Fam ily Vision Center
located at 600 N. K illin g sw o rth (across the
street from Portland Com m unity College
Cascade Campus). The Center is operated by
the Pacific University College o f Optometry
and Portland Com m unity College.
Services available at the Cascade Cam­
pus Vision Center include comprehensive
vision examinations, eyewear dispensary ser­
vices fo r Fam ily Vision Center patients, and
free vision screenings fo r infants six months
and older, children and adults. Vision exam i­
nations are provided by optometric interns
from the Pacific U niversity College o f Op­
tometry who arc in their final years o f inten­
sive professional training. A ll interns are
supervised by licensed optometrist. The Cas­
cade Campus Fam ily Vision Center is open
year-around on Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednes­
days and Fridays from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. A ll
services are provided by appointment.
“ T o help make vision care services a f­
fordable for lower income patients, we offer a
sliding fee scale which is based on individual
and fam ily income,” says Steven Fletcher,
D irector o f Com m unity Relations fo r the Pa­
c ific University College o f Optometry. A c ­
cording to Fletcher, this sliding scale allows
patients w ith low incomes to receive care,
including eyewear, at significant price reduc­
tion. “ The typical fu ll fee fora complete vision
examination at the Cascade Vision Center is
$50” he says. “ By using the sliding fee scale,
patients w ith very low income levels are able
to receive a thorough vision examination
w hile paying as little as $10.”
“ W c find that many community mem­
bers residing in North and Northeast Portland
are o f lower income levels and m ight go
w ithout needed vision care fo r themselves or
their families were it not for the a vailability o f
this type o f high quality, affordable vision
care,” says Fletcher. He also notes that many
inner-city residents are not aware that such
7,000 Free Dinners
To Needy From Azteca
affordable vision care is available without
leaving their own community.
In addition to adjustable fees based on
income, the Cascade Campus Vision Center
also provides a program o f free vision screen­
ings throughout the year for infants as young
as six m onths,children, and adultsof a ll ages.
“ These screenings are not a substitute for a
complete vision examination but do provide
important inform ation about clarity o f vision,
eye health, and how w ell the eyes are working
together as a team,” says Fletcher. Screenings
are particularly beneficial for younger c h il­
dren whose a b ility to learn to read and write
depends on good eye health and visual skills.
Optometrists at the Cascade Vision Center
recommend that children receive vision
screenings early in the school year so that
disorder can be detected before the a bility to
learn is hindered. Screenings take about 20
minutes to complete and do not cause discom­
fort.
Pacific U niversity’ s Cascade Campus
Fam ily Vision Center is affiliated w ith Fam­
ily V ision Center in downtown and in Forest
Grove. A ll Fam ily Vision Centers are non
p ro fit and offer the sliding fee scale. Patients
at the Cascade Campus Vision Center are in
need o f extensive testing services or other
sp e cia lize d v is io n care are fre q u e n tly
re fe rre d to the d o w n to w n P o rtla n d V i ­
sion C en te r w here m ore te ch n ica l ser­
vices can be p ro vid e d .
The Pacific University College o f Op­
tometry, which was established in 1945 and is
based at the Pacific University campus in
Forest Grove, Oregon, is the only optometric
training fa c ility in the Pacific Northwest and
one o f only 17 such institutions in the United
States and Canada. The College is home to
more than 340 students who come from every
state and several nations to receive the Doctor
o f Optometry degree.
For more information about fees, ser­
vices and free screenings, please call the
Pacific U niversity Cascade Campus Fam ily
Vision Center at 240-5319.
An optometric intern examines a patients vision
Herman Grimes Named President Of Coast Industries, Inc.
Herman Grimes was named
President of Coast Industries,
Inc. on December 1, 1993. Mr.
Grimes has been with the firm
for 12 years, and was formerly
Vice President of Government
Contracts. He has a strong back­
ground in management, account­
ing and contract administration.
Coast Industries, Inc. is a
m in o rity -o w n ed P o rtla n d -
based firm with more than 37
years of experience, with three
operating divisions including
Building Maintenance, empire
Security and Government Con-
Jose (Pepe)
Ramos
Herman Grimes
tracts. Coast provides quality
contract services nationwide
and currently provides custo­
dial base support and security
services in six states, Oregon,
C alifo rn ia, Idaho, Indiana,
Tennessee and Florida, with
more than 400 employees.
Mr. Grimes replaces Baruti
L. Artharee, past President of
Coast Industries, who has ac­
cepted an appointment from
Gov. Barbara Roberts as Ex­
ecutive Director of Housing
and Community Services for
the State of Oregon.
N e ig h b o r s R e c la im P a r k
W i t h R a lly a n d C a r o l S in g
Azteca restaurants throughout Oregon
and Washington w ill serve more than 7,000
free dinners to needy people this holiday
season
Four Oregon restaurants w ill partici­
pate in the free dinner program for needy
families on Sunday and Monday, December
19 and 20, from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. In
Beaverton, Medford, Clackamas and Port­
land at Lloyd Center, a total o f 8(X) meals
w ill be served.
This year’ s program marks the 9th con­
secutive year Jose (Pepe) Ramos, founder o f
the fam ily-style group o f Mexican restau­
rants, has provided free holiday dinners.
“ This country has been good to me and
my fam ily,” Ramos said. “ This is just some­
thing I want to do to help people.”
Coupons for the free dinners are avail­
able through local food banks in both states.
Coupons enable guests to order a special
entree.
Over 6,000 traditional Mexican d in ­
ners w ill be served at Azteca’s 26 restau­
rants in Washington.
Ramos immigrated to Renton, Wash­
ington, 20 years ago from a village near
Guadalajara. W ith little money and unable
to speak English, he worked as a dishwasher
and cook. A year later he opened his first
small restaurant in Burien. The rest is a
typical American success story.
O n S aturday D ecem ber 18, co m m u ­
n ity reside n ts gathered to re cla im th e ir
p ark fro m d ru g dealers and gang v io ­
lence. A rm e d o n ly w ith th e ir voices and
th e ir o p tim is m , the n e igh bo rs w ill c e l­
ebrate c o m m u n ity s o lid a rity and th e ir
desire fo r peace. The e vent, w h ich is c o ­
sponsored by New hope M is sio n a ry Bap­
tis t C h u rc h , H o u sin g O u r F a m ilie s , and
the House o f U m o ja , w ill consist o f an
o p e n in g r a lly , a m arch around the pe­
rim e te r o f the p a rk , and a C hristm as
c a ro l sing .
The e ven t was in sp ire d by a recent
C o m m u n ity F orum in w h ic h neighbors
m et to discuss p o s itiv e and p ro -a c tiv e
approaches to the v io le n c e and fear
caused by d ru g dealers and gang a c tiv ity .
P a rtic ip a n ts w ere p a rtic u la rly concerned
about U n th a n k Park, w h ic h ceased to be
Locals gather to reclaim unthank park
a fa m ily park several years ago when it
became a m eeting placed fo r drug d e a l­
ers and lo c a l gangs. A t the fo ru m , n eigh -
borhood residents decided to s y m b o li­
c a lly re cla im th e ir p e rk by e s ta b lis h in g a
strong c o m m u n ity presence. The “ Take
Back the P a rk” R a lly and C a ro l S ing w ill
k ic k - o ff a series o f n e igh bo rho od events
dedicated to th is g o a l.
The sponsors o f the event each have
a c o m m itm e n t to and in v e s tm e n t in the
safety o f the n e igh bo rho od . N ew Hope
M is s io n a ry B a p tis t C hu rch is a c o m m u ­
n ity based church located one b lo c k away
fro m U nthank Park. The house o f U m o ja
is a so cial service agency w o rk in g w ith
g a n g -a ffilia te d y o u th , in c lu d in g m any
m em bers o f U n th a n k Park gangs. H ou s­
ing O u r F a m ilie s is a n o n -p ro fit co m m u ­
n ity d eve lo pm e nt o rg a n iz a tio n w h ic h is
w o rk in g w ith the reside n ts o f the n e ig h ­
borhood around U n th a n k Park to r e v ita l­
ize and s ta b iliz e the area.
I