î T he P ortland O bserver • J uly 12 1995 Safe Summer Fun: From the National Safe Kids Campaign Relaxation, family vacations and loads o f warm weather activities - that is what summer means to most Americans, especially children. Sum mer break revs up most every c h ild ’s desire to cram in as many adventure- packed activities as possible before returning to school. That is why par ents and caregivers must make their children’s safety a top priority dur ing what doctors and emergency room stafl'call “ trauma season." More un intentional childhood deaths and in juries occur between the summer months o f May and August than any other time o f the year. “ W ith all o f the excitement that accompanies summer, adults and children often put safety on the back burner,” said Heather Paul, Ph D., executive director o f the National SAFE K ID S Campaign. “ There are many simple ways that families can make their homes and communities safer for kids. No one anticipates that a tragedy w ill strike during this fun-fi I led time, but this is when children are pushing their abilities to the lim its,” she add ed. By putting safety first and fo l lowing the guidelines below, you can help ensure endless safe summer fun for the whole family. Backyard Basics Your home is most likely regard ed as the safest place for your children to play. What many parents and caregivers forget is that injuries can happen anywhere, even in your own backyard, i f certain safety precautions are neglected. Follow these guide lines to help yo u r child re n safely enjoy playing in y o u r backyard: • Always supervise children, even i f they are “ only in the back yard.” • Make sure all fences and gates are secure. Fix broken rails and check to see i f there are any protruding parts. • Remove poisonous plants. Many common household and gar den plants can be poisonous, and should be kept out ofchildre n ’s sight and reach. I f you have any concerns about a plant, contact the nearest Poison Control Center or a medical professional. Keep Syrup o f Ipecac on hand, but use only after consulting a doctor or emergency medical per sonnel. • Keep tools out o f children’s reach. Never leave gardening tools where children can find them or fall on them. • Lock up barbecue grills and gasoline containers. • Make sure children drink plen ty o f water Children can become dehydrated. Periodically bring chil dren inside for a rest and a drink, especially on hot and humid days. Make sure children use sunscreen when necessary Getting To Know Your Neighborhood There is always comfort in know ing your children are playing only a few blocks from home However, this comfort can give you and your children a false sense o f security when it comes to safety . The National SAFE KIDS Campaign suggests following these tips for playing safely in the neigh borhood: • Fam iliarize your s e lf w ith neighborhood play areas. Inspect playgrounds for rusted or broken equipment and dangerous surface such as concrete or asphalt. • Warn children about unaccept able play areas Garages, construc tion sites, abandoned buildings, rail road tracks, dumpsters, waterfronts and unsupervised swimming areas may appeal to a child's sense o f curiosity, but they should be strictly off-lim its! • Children under age 10 should never cross streets alone. Remind children ages 10 or older o f the rules o f pedestrian safety such as using sidewalks and looking left, right, and left again for traffic before crossing the street. Safe And Smart Cycling M ost every c h ild yearns fo r a b ic y c le d u r in g the s u m m e r, dream ing o f new paths to trium ph and tra ils to blaze. W h ile frien ds are away on vacation, a b ic y c le can become a c h ild ’ s stand-in Community Child Care Forum » Franciscan Enterprise, Common Bond, and Albina Ministerial A lli ance’s Family Day Care w ill host a community meeting for parents and families on child care programs and services available in the K ing Neigh borhood area. TheCommunity Child Care Forum w ill be held from 6:30 to 8:30 pm on Wednesday, July 19 at the King Neighborhood Facility, 4 8 15 N. E. 7th Avenue Residents o f King Neighborhood and surround ing community are invited to attend this free forum. Child care w ill be provided as a “ children’ s Fair” with supervised activities such as face painting and storytelling. Franciscan Enterprise is one o f four non-profit community develop ment corporations in Oregon partic ipating in processofidentifyingchild care needs in their service area com munities. Franciscan is w orking with a Planning Committee to assess child care needs and available supply in King Neighborhood. The Com m it tee w ill identify several possible projects for Franciscan to undertake in the coming year, such as develop ing a store-front child care resource center in the neighborhood. Before the fin a l p ro je c t is selected, Franciscan would like further com munity input Franciscan owns over 30 residential properties in N orth east Portland which are rented to low-income families. I-.. ■ Public Awareness Event Martin Luther King, Jr. Common Bond, A Community Celebration o f Families, is a parent- chili) development center located at 4 9 19 9th Avenue. This Volunteers o f Am erica/Urban League Program serves families with children ages birth to 3 years. Common Bond’ s services include parent information classes and support groups, personal home visits, drop-in play group ses sions, children’ s health screenings, and service referrals. Common Bond provides a safe, stimulating environ ment forchildren that features equip ment, books, and toys specially de signed for young children. A lbina M inisterial A llian ce ’ s (A M A ) Family Day Care program is the North/Northeast Portland con tract agency for Metro Chid Care Resource & R e fe rra l (M e tro C CR&R). Metro C C R&R is a coali tion o f four referral programs in the Tri-C ounty area, linking child care providers and parents. A M A ’ s Fam ily Day Care Program is a free ser vice for parents and child care pro viders. The program offers parent referrals, information on quality child care, and child care subsidies; it pro vides child care providers with sup port services and technical assistance. Join in celebrating ^lortlanb ANNIVERSARY ( O b s c w e r ’s twenty-fifth anniversary. com panion w h ile searching fo r new summer adventures. U n fo r tunately, c h ild re n o fte n attem pt risky stunts and e x h ib it careless behavior. A c c o rd in g to the U S . Consumer P roduct Safety C o m m ission (C P SC ), 88 percent o f those in ju re d w h ile p e rfo rm in g stunts are c h ild re n ages 14 and under. Each year, approximately 300 childienages 14 and under are killed and another 400,000 are injured in bicycle-related incidents. Two-thirds ol all bicycle fatalities occur between May and September. Using a bike helmet every time you ride is one o f the follow ing safe cycling guidelines recommended by the National SAFE K ID S Campaign: Purchase an approved bicycle helmet for each child. Insist the hel met is worn correctly every time the child goes for a ride. Helmets reduce the risk o f head injury by 85 percent and brain injury by almost 90 percent (Buy only helmets that meet safety standards.) Teach children safe bicycle be haviors. Emphasize the fact that a bicycle is a vehicle, not a toy. Check with local safety' organizatios to find PDC Promotions In Two Departments The P o rtlan d D eve lop m e nt C om m ission has prom oted tw o s ta ff m em bers in the W o rk fo rc e and T arget In du strie s D e p a rt ment. Lynn St. Jean has been p ro moted to the new p o s itio n o f W o r k fo r c e D e v e lo p m e n t P roject M anager overseeing the creation o f re g io n a l w o rk fo rc e d evelopm ent in itia tiv e s in ta r geted ind ustrie s. St. Jean w ill manage p ro je cts related to ta r get in d u s try deve lo pm e nt, jo b crea tion , and program s to in crease the supply o f local trained w orkers. She w ill also assist in m arketing P o rtla n d ’ s w o rk fo rc e to a ttra ct and retain com panies to the area. Jess McKinley, Project Manager, Portland Development Commission St.Jean has been w ith PDC since 1989, most re ce n tly as the JobNet Placem ent C o o rd in a to r in Families Escape With Detectors Working smoke detectors may have saved the lives o f four adults and 11 children when flames swept through their northeast Portland apartment. Officials said the detectors were installed about a month ago when the fire department was dis patched to a first aid emergency at the apartment at 10 N.E. Fargo St. The crew noticed there were no smoke detectors and installed four o f the devices free to the fam ilies who were living there. C° t T b «* CU t T 4069 N.E. M.L.K. Blvc & 162nd & Division (Division Crossing P D C ’ s JobNet program . She has a B .A . in Science from South ern O regon State C o lle g e in A shland, Oregon. Jess W. M c K in le y has been prom oted to the new p o s itio n o f W o r k fo r c e D e v e lo p m e n t P roject M anager. He w ill m an age the b u ild in g o f systems and c o m m u n ity capacity to assure that targeted co m m un ity re si dents can access jo b o p p o rtu n i ties o ffe re d by P D C ’ s econom ic developm ent a c tiv itie s . M c K in le y jo in e d PDC in 1991 as P roject C o o rd in a to r in P D C ’ s J o b N e t P ro g ra m . He holds a B .A . in R e lig io n from W arner p a c ific C olleg e in P o rt land. 'Elie Gershwins’ lorffindpess “ They worked tonight and may have saved the lives o f all the NEW, RETURNS OVERSTOCK out about bicycle safety days and rodeos, and have your child partici pate. Make sure the c h ild ’s bicycle works properly. Are reflectors se cure? Test the brakes. Can the child completely grasp handbrakes? Does the bicycle stop right away? Make sure gears shift smoothly and tires are secured tightly and properly in flated. F a m ilia riz e y o u rs e lf w ith the c h ild ’ s b ic y c lin g e nviro n m e n t. Encourage the c h ild to b ike in safe environm ents, such as those w ith b ic y c lin g environm ent. occupants." o ffic ia ls said, last Wednesday, follow ing the 9:45 p m. fire. A faulty electrical fan cord was blamed for starting the fire in the 2nd floor o f an apartment. Fire was coming out o f three windows on the second flo o r when firefighters arrived. July 19-29 Civic Auditorium Tickets from $20. Charge by Phone 224-4400 , 241-1802 JJve Irom The Port kind Opera! Don't miss it. L IQ U ID A T IO N OUTLET C O M E A N D SEE W E J A T Y O U R M O N E Y W IL L BUY A T 5 0 % T O 7 5 % O FF RETAIL Memorial Statue Fund You are cordially invited to attend a fu n d raising event and preview o f the Martin l.uther King, Jr. Statue, which will, ultimately, he located at The Oregon Convention Center Cascade Community College 705 North Killingsworth Portland, Oregon Saturday - July 15, 1995 1:00 pm to 4:00 pm Please come meet Michael Florin Dente, the local sculptor who is responsible fo r this fine piece o f artwork A ll donations, large or small, w ill be greatly appreciated. For more information, call Laurie at 503-283-1638. P re s e n t 10% c o u p o n w ith p u rc h a s e fo r a d d itio n a l s a v in g s . Expires 6-09-95. Furniture • Bedding • Clothing Rugs • Housewares • Tools • Toys Electronics • Lamps • Flateware Auto Accessories And Much More! QUALITY DEPARTMENT STORE ITEMS NEW STORE HOURS OPEN WED-FRI 10-6, SAT 10-5 5 th Y ea r A n n iv e r s a r y S a le Free Gifts With Any Advertised Purchase Regularly Short Sets..............................$29” ......................... Double Breasted Suits.........$179” ....................... All Women’s Outfits............$59” ......................... All Snakeskin Shoes............ $159°°- $129” .......... Snakeskin Belts................... $105°.......................... 2929 NE A L B E R T A , PO R TLAN D , OR (503)281-7164 Sale Price ..$19” ..$109” .. $39” ...$99no ..$ 7 " VISA • MASTERCARD PERSONAL CHECKS • LAYAWAY 1 «