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
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Crisis Hotline Goes To Computers
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Daughter Has Unique Gift
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Too Much “Holiday Cheer”
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300 NE Multnomah, Suite #16
Portland, Oregon 97232
(503) 230-1390 • (Res.) 287-6837
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