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
«