P age A5 T he P ortland O bserver • D ecfmber 14, 1994 Oregon HEAT Receives $72,599 From Pacific Power Pacific Power has made a signif icant contribution towards keeping low income Oregonians warm this winter. The electric u tility made a contribution o f $72,599 to Oregon Home Energy Assistance Team (HEAT). Thiscontribution represents one o f Pacific Power’ s largest char itable gifts this year. O regon H E A T is a p rivate, n o n -p ro fit organization that helps lo w -in c o m e O re g o n ia n s keep th e ir homes warm d u rin g the w in ter. Oregon H E A T w orks w ith lo c a l s o cia l s e rv ic e agencies across the state to screen low incom e people w ho need help p aying th e ir energy b ills . E lig i b ility fo r assistance from Oregon h lE A T is based on the household incom e and the num ber o f people liv in g in the household. Jay Formick, Executive Direc tor o f Oregon HEAT, said that most o f the funds raised by Oregon HEAT come from u tility customers. "P ri m arily, Oregon H E A T is a neighbor helping neighbor program." Formick said, “ funds raised in local commu nities are sent back to the communi ties to help meet the local need.” Other utilities that participate in O r egon H E A T's program are Portland General Electric, the Oregon O il Heat Commission, and the City o f M ilton- Freewater Municipal Electric Dis trict. Formick was impressed with Pacific Power’ s contribution to the program. “ This is a monster corpo rate contribution for us. It's an exam ple o f how dedicated Pacific Power is to beinga good corporate citizen in c o m m u n itie s across O re g o n ,” Formick said. “ Oregon H EAT has a very broad base o f support from citizens across the state,” Formick said. “ More than 24,000 Oregonians contributed to Oregon H EA T last year. Those d ol lars, along with corporate gifts from the participating utilities, helped keep over 11,000 low income people warm in their homes last year. Oregon H E A T is an example o f Oregonians helping their neighbors when and where it really counts.” According to the Oregon State Housing and Community Services Department, 110,000 households in Oregon were unable to pay their heat ing bills last winter. “ Oregon H EAT assistance comes to most families at a critical tim e," Formick said. “ Sick ness, unemployment, a missed child support payment, or other unantici pated events can push the working poor into a financial black hole. More dollars go to cover the basics o f life - like keeping your fam ily warm in the winter - than there is income.” For more information about O r egon H EAT, or to make a contribu tion write to P.O. Box 127, Tualatin, Oregon 97062, or call (503) 691- 3790. Natural Gas Grilling Is Easy burner g rill, unless both burners are needed. • Prepare slow-cooking foods on the g rill to keep heat out o f the kitchen and to save on air conditioning . Cook w ith the g rill cover closed to shorten co oking tim e and to en- hance the smoked flavor. • C ook several foods or an entire meal at one time. • Reduce “ b u rn -o ff’ cleaning time. • Thaw frozen foods before g rillin g . • Keep the g rill clean and properly maintained, fo llo w in g the instruc tions in the ow ner’s manual. Natural Gas Cooking Costs Less Natural gas g rills are a convenient and economical way to give foods a rich savory fla vo r — from steaks and vegetables to bread and desserts, ac cording to the American Gas Associa tion. N a tu ra l gas g rills e lim in a te the mess and long warm-up time o f char coal g rills . They draw fuel d ire ctly from a home’s natural gas line, e lim i nating the need to re fill a tank or the risk o f running out o f fuel, A .G .A . says. Outdoor gas g rills are easy to use and keep kitchens cooler, putting less demand on home co o lin g systems. A .G .A . recommends these energy saving g rillin g tips: • L im it pre-heat time. • Use o n ly one bu rn e r on a dual- Based on U S. Department o f En ergy statistics, the estimated annual operating cost fo r a new h ig h -e ffi- ciency natural gas range is about one- h a lf the cost o f operating an electric range, according to the American Gas Association. M ost natural gas ranges now fea ture pilotless ig nition systems instead o f standing p ilo t lights. E lim inating p ilo t lights saves about 30 percent o f the natural gas used by a range. Natural gas ranges o ffe r many fea tures, including precise temperature control, self-cleaning and continuous- cleaning ovens, com puterized con trols and surface le ve l-g rills. Many gas ranges and cooktops also o ffe r dow n-draft or self venting fea tures that are designed to p ull steam, smoke and cooking odors down and out o f the kitchen, e lim in a tin g the need fo r an overhead vent. A nother e fficie n cy feature is the gas convection-oven gas, where hot a ir is forced into the oven by a h igh speed fan. No preheating is necessary, and heated a ir goes d ire c tly to the food, starting the cooking process im mediately and saving energy. H E .A L T H Recyclers “Eye” Needy Children Six year o ld M a yra is lo o k ing at the w o rld th rough new eyes now. Fuzzy shapes on the b la c k board are clear to her at last th a n k s to N ew Eyes fo r the Needy, Inc., a unique re c y c lin g o rg an izatio n in Short H ills , NJ. “ Children who can see, can read, can stay in school, can go on to get jobs,” said New Eyes President Joan Daeschler, "and we are asking peo ple to help us help the thousands o f children who, like Mayra, cannot afford eyeglasses.” Since 1932, New Eyes for the Needy has helped more than 4 m il lion people both in the United States and overseas through a unique recy cling program. Individuals and orga nizations donate reusable eyeglasses and precious metal scrap such as old watches, jew elry and silver pieces, and dental gold. The metal scrap is sold to a refiner and the jew elry is .sold in the New Eyes g ift shop. Funds from these sales pay for new pre scription glasses for needy Am eri cans o f all ages. Plastic framed glass es are sorted and classified by some o f our 200 community volunteers and sent to homeless American vet erans and medical missions and hos pitals in 25 countries as far afield as Ukraine, India, Zaire and Brazil. Please send yo u r tax d ed u ct Although much progress has been made, drunk driving continues to be a significant factor in traffic accident deaths. More than a third o f all drivers killed in car crashes in 1993 were legally drunk. The upcoming holidays and the accom panying parties and get- togethers can add to the problem. Fatal accident involving drunk d riv ers increase significantly in Decem ber. Thirty-nine percent o fa ll drivers killed in traffic accidents in Decem ber 1993 were drunk. “ Even with heightened public awareness and education campaigns regarding the dangers o f drunk d riv ing, the problem continues,” said Lowell R. Beck, president o f the National Association o f Independent Insurers. “ For your protection, use extra caution when d riving during the holiday season. Also, forthe safety o f others, use common sense and ib le recyclab les to N ew Eyes fo r the N eedy, In c ., room A , 549 M illb u r n Avenue, S hort H ills , N ew Jersey 07078, or c a ll 201- 376-4903 to o rd e r posters and brochures to co nd uct a co m m u n ity c o lle c tio n d riv e . One h un dred per cent o f cash d onations are used to purchase eyeglasses fo r needy A m e rican s. Portland radio talk-show host and former Franklin High School Rose Festival princess Georgene Rice has her mother's birthday and Christ mas gift all wrapped up. In fact, she carriers it with her everywhere. On Tuesday, Dec. 13, on L illian Rose's 64th birthday. Rice w ill give her mother one o f her own healthy kidneys so that she can be free o f the recipients the best chance for graft weeks fo llo w in g surgery but should survival. For Georgene Rice, who, in ad dition to her jo b at KPDQ Radio Station, is a gospel singer, the proce dure is not without risk. There is a slight possibility that she may not recover her fu ll vocal strength due to the cutting o f the diaphram anchors during surgery. “ Sometimes, love be home for the holidays. D onald W . Froom , M .D ., a nephrologist in private practice at St. Vincent Hospital, referred Rose to the university for transplantation. OHSU and the southwest Portland hospital have a collaborative trans plant program that is just getting dialysis machine. Lillian Rose’ skidneys failed due to high blood pressure, a common cause o f kidney failure. She has been on dialysis since November 1993. O f costs,” she said. “ But genuine love is w illin g to suffer temporary inconvenience to serve someone else. Compared to wha, my mother has given me, this L illia n 's three children, Georgene, 38. offered the best match. Studies show that living related donors offer seems like a small thing." Both mother and daughter w ill remain in the hospital for one to two MAY THE SOURCE • BE WITH YOU . • • 9 • under way. OHSU has the 12th busiest o f 275 active kidney transplant pro grams in the United States. U niversi ty surgeons performed their 2,106th transplant November 30, 1994. The program ranks among top U S. cen ters for both patient and graft surviv al. volves alcohol.” For holiday revelers, there are a number o f options to prevent drunk driving deaths. Simply abstain from drinking at a party or, for groups and couples, have someone volunteer to be the “ designated driver.” Finally, the biggest favor you can do fo r a friend who has had too much to drink is to take away their car keys, offer them a ride home or call a cab. Teenagers, while less likely than adults to drive after drinking, have a substantially higher crash risk when they do. In 1993, 27 percent o f 16 to 20 year old drivers killed in car crash es were legally drunk, even though you must be 21 to legally purchase alcohol. To help stem this problem, parents o f young drivers can lim it teen driving hours. Parents should also insist that safety belts be worn at all times by all occupants o f the car. The Metro Crisis Intervention Service has computerized operations to streamline crisis coordination ef forts. Entering the computer age was made possible by a $24,000 dona tion from the Oregon Com m unity Foundation, the Meyer M em orial Trust, the Collins Foundation, the Jackson Foundation and the Rose E. Tucker Foundation. Metro Crisis receives over9,500 calls each month and refers callers to more than 3,000 resources in M u lt nomah, Clackamas and Clark coun ties, according to Laura Jeibmann, executive director. “ W ith our com puter netw ork, in fo rm a tio n is at our fin g e rtip s and w ill help us manage the 10 percent annual increase in c ris is ca lls w e 'v e been e x p e rie n c in g o v e r the last se veral y e a rs ,” Jeibmann said. Fourteen mental health profes sionals and 140 volunteers handle crisis calls 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. Metro Crisis now uses a sev en-computer network o f software developed to meet the needs o f the organization. K e ep ing tra ck o f a ll the re- Dad’s OU Servies A-ZEBRA B3- rmls 1=r sources fo r c ris is assistance is a d a u ntin g task. The co m p ute r net w o rk stream lines the task and keep in fo rm a tio n cu rre n t. C o m p u te riz a tio n has im p ro v e d the speed o f re fe rra ls S taff productivity has increased by automating the documentation task required for each call and the sum mary report generated at the end o f each shift. Metro Crisis Inform ation Ser vice, founded in 1978. receives crisis calls on issues ranging from alcohol ism and drug abuse to teen pregnan cy and child abuse. 249-1719 or 778-9360 4 7 1 2 N E 66th Ave Portland OR 97218 J.L.S. Lawn Service “1st Class Gaurantee” MBA. GRI, Broker gerous. Furthermore, the type o f alcohol is not necessarily the determine fac tor in how a person is affected by alcohol. There is an equivalent amount o f alcohol in 12 ounces o f beer, 4 ounces o f wine and 1.25 ounces of80-proof liquor. Beer, how ever, is the most common drink con sumed by people involved in alco hol-related accidents. Painter Singles & Seniors, I can help you! George A. Hendrix Finally, have a backup plan ready, just in case liquor is used, to get the kids home without driving. Even d rinking in moderation may affect d riv in g performance. Studies have shown that a blood al cohol content of0.02 percent affects a person’s driving a bility and in creases the likelihood o f an accident. Because the effects o f alcohol vary with each person, it’ s d iffic u lt to predict exactly how many drinks it takes to make a person’ s driving dan Speedy Service Friendly Call For Quote USCENSED IN OREGON SINCE 1975 Tap into THE SOURCE of useful gflvernment publications • the free CONSUMER INFORMATION CATALOG * Send your name and address to • courtesy when your celebrating in Crisis Hotline Goes To Computers A staff Physician examines Mayra Daughter Has Unique Gift For Mother’s Birthday/Christmas Consumer Information Center * Department Source • Pueblo. 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