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T he P or i la n d O bserver • S eptember 20, 1995
P age A3
Join In
Celebrating
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(Ohserucr s A N N IV E R S A R Y
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Kids Hurdle Challenges
Of Work And School
eekdays begin at 6:45 a.m. for
While some kids work to supplement
high school junior Michael
family incomes, many who work do so for
Davis when he catches the
spending money. Kenetra spends her pay-
school bus. Most of them don’t check
end on gas, clothes and “hanging out with
until 10 p.m.
friends.”
W
Michael doesn’t march in the band, play
football orparticipate in extracurricularclubs
at school. Instead, Michael spends his after­
school hours earning a paycheck.
M ichael, 17, has been checking and bag­
ging groceries since the end o f July, when he
decided to save up to buy a car. He hopes to
have enough by the end o f October.
“ Everything goes straight to the bank,”
says Michael, who is eyeing a 1970 Camaro
SS.
After he gets the car, Michael says he’ll
use his paycheck to pay for insurance and
gas.
Michael is not alone. To pay for the
“necessities” o f life
cars, clothes, pagers
and dates — a growing number o f teenagers
are taking part- time jobs.
A robust economy and low unemploy­
ment means workers are in demand — and
teens are prime targets for employers in the
fast-food and retail industries.
Higher wages are drawing more teens
into the work force.
And with the school year kicking into
gear, some o f them are facing tough times
balancing the demands o f school and work.
Some quit or scale back hours, forcing em ­
ployers to scramble for replacements. Others
tough it out.
Junior Kenetra Moore starts her home­
work on breaks from her cashier duties and
she completes the rest when she gets home at
10 p.m. Kenetra works three days during the
week; the other two days, she participates in
a step-dancing group at school.
“The toughest thing about working and
going to school is when I have a lot o f home­
work and I have to work late,” says Kenetra,
16. She says she hasn’t turned in any assign­
ments late and maintains an “A” average.
“ I’ve been working since I was I4. I
do n ’t like tosit around. I like to keep busy and
stay out o f trouble,” says Kenetra, who start­
ed w orkingto buy a 1990 Mitsubishi Mirage.
Dan Barker of Home
Gardening Pro/ect stops
by to check the harvest
opportunities at one
household in Northeast
Portland Thanks to
annual donations from
Pacific Power, the
Home Gardening
Project has built and
planted over 1,200
vegetable gardens in
Portland. The gardens
benefit disadvantaged,
low income or single­
parent families so they
can grow, maintain and
harvest their own
gardens. Pacific Power
is a division of
PacifiCorp, which
serves 1.3 million
electric customers in
seven western states
(Photograph left to right:
Dan Barker, Sky Briggs,
Denice Briggs and Noel
Briggs)
That worries some guidance counselors.
“If a student doesn’t have to work, they
■ A i
shouldn’t,” said Pat Douthit, a head high
school guidance counselor.
“You ask them what do they spend their
money on, most of them will say cars, car
insurance, gas, clothes — these are the things
.91111
they want when they hit the magical age of
16.”
K ids w ho quit b ecau se they are o v e r­
w helm ed do so re lu c ta n tly . “ We ju s t had
one kid w ho quit b ecau se o f school. He
was so upset, b ecau se he found out he
c a n ’t do both. He fe lt he w as le ttin g us
d o w n ,” says S hannon B lack b u rn , m an­
ag er a food store.
“Some kids are involved in band or in
sports and I think a lot o f kids find out that
they just can’t do it,” says Blackburn.
Blackburn says she tries to work around
kids’ school commitments. “ If they have a
good excuse, like ‘I had band practice,’ or ‘I
was in a w reck,’ w e’re pretty understanding,”
Blackburn says.
Still, Blackburn says she always pre­
pares for a mass exodus o f students at the start
o f the school year. Blackburn lost a handful
o f students when the school year started last
month. Another five high school workers
took leaves o f absence until next summer.
“Every year, two or three weeks before school
starts, we hang up a memo saying, ‘Give us
your school schedules now," Blackburn says.
“We know w e’ll have to go on a hiring
spree.”
W ith a few e x c e p tio n s, kids under
14 ca n n o t legally w ork. K ids o f any age
fter fifteen years on the Austin
“There are three big lies which pull kids
can w ork as m odels and actors. They
gang m em bers d o n ’t even trust th e ir own
police Department, Mike Knox
into street gangs,” says Knox in his eye­
may also w ork in th e ir p a re n ts ’ b u siness
friends. O ne o f the reasons they use
had seen enough about kids
opening new book, “Gangsta in the House”
— as long as the jo b d o e s n ’t involve
street nam es or m o nikers is so each re ­
in street gangs to write a book. And
he
($12.95
from Momentum Books, 6964
m ains anonym ous.
serv in g or se llin g alco h o l or dan g ero u s
did
just
that.
Crooks Road,Troy, Ml 48098).
What can adults do to help?
m achinery o r hazard o u s c o n d itio n s.
“The police officer is the last and weak­
Lie #1: The gang wilt provide prolee-
Kids o f any age can perform domestic
“ U ltim ately the p a re n ts ’ re sp o n si­
est link in this ugly web ofgangs and juvenile
lion to the member. “Children are increas­
jobs such as casual baby-sitting and yard
bility in this safety net is to reteach the
crime,”
explains Knox, now a popular speak­
ingly concerned about their safety in the
work without a permit.
child how to m ake good frie n d s,” w rites
er on the subject o f gang prevention and a
community and in the school,” writes Knox
Knox. “T hey m ust be w illing to get back
special trainer to the police. “ Parents and
in “Gangsta in the I louse.” I le adds that many
into th e ir c h ild ’s life and reteach him
school officials have to wake up and take
kids will choose tojoin the largest and tough­
about re sp e c t, frien d sh ip , and re sp o n si­
action now, before it’s too late."
est gangs simply because they are perceived
b ility .”
Knox helped create the Houston Police
as the safest.
Knox’s book, takes readers directly into
Department’s Westside Command Division­
Lie ffl: M em bership will garner the
the world ofgangs and begins with a riveting
al Gang Unit in 1988. He has taught gang
respect o f the com m unity. “Typically, gang
and uncomfortable description of a fictional
recognition and investigation at the Houston
members will mistake fear for respect,” writes
drive-by shooting.
p ro je c ts and figure o u t w hat you can
Police Academy, University o f Houston, and
Knox. He says that kids don’, know the
The book is written in a conversational
do to help.
the Houston Drug Enforcement Agency.He
difference, but seek the recognition o f being
style and reveals what gangs are all about,
5. BE A L E R T . K now how to re c ­
says youths are being drawn into gangs in an
in a gang and being feared.
why boys as well as girls are drawn into them,
o g n iz e a problem and respond. T ake
almost natural process. He wrote his new
Lie #3: The gang wilt becom e a fam ily.
and what parents, teachers, and the legal
tim e to learn about A lz h e im e r’s, c o m ­
book to help blow the whistle on this process.
K nox savs this is an illusion because
svstem can do about them.
m on b eh av io rs and h e lp fu l care te c h ­
n iq u es.
6 . P R O V ID E A C H A N G E O F
S C E N E R Y . Plan an a c tiv ity that g ets
the w hole fam ily out o f the house.
7. LEA RN TO L IS T E N . A sk fam ­
ily m em bers how th e y ’re d o ing — be a
c o m p a ssio n a te listen er.
8. CA RE FOR TH E C A R E G IV E R .
E n co u rag e c a re g iv e rs to take care o f
th em selv es. Pass a lo n g useful in ­
fo rm atio n and offer to atte n d a su p p o rt
g ro u p m eeting w ith them .
9 R E M E M B E R ALL FA M IL Y
M E M B E R S. Be a tte n tiv e to all fam ily
m e m b e rs’ needs.
10. G E T IN V O L V E D . P a rtic ip a te
in the A lz h e im e r’s A sso c ia tio n M em ­
ory W alk or v o lu n te e r to help at yo u r
local ch ap ter. O ne in th ree A m erican
a d u lts
know s
so m eo n e
w ith
A lz h e im e r’s d isease.
Y et re la tiv e s o f so m e o n e w ith
A lz h e im e r ’s d is e a s e o fte n r e p o r t
Volunteers Make A Healthier Land In Northeast Portland: KATU-TV anchor Jeff Gianola (standing fourth from right) was
frien d s do not know if th e ir com pany
one
of more than two dozen volunteers from Kaiser Permanente and Channel 2 who took time on United Way's Day of
is w anted or how to be h elpful. T o
Caring
Aug. 29 to pull weeds and spruce up the grounds of the Neighborhood Health Clinics office in northeast Portland. The
re q u e st the b ro ch u re or learn m ore
work
was
welcomed by the agency, which has no money for landscaping services. The Kaiser Permanente and KA TU
ab o u t the A lz h e im e r’s A sso ciatio n and
volunteers
also painted porches and helped assemble and deliver packages of children's clothing, toys, soap, shampoo, and
the 1995 M em ory W alk, call your lo ­
other
supplies
to low-income households. Neighborhood Health Clinics serves Portland's medically uninsured and
cal c h a p te r or 1 -800-272-3900.
fk»” 4
Gang Lies Addressed In
ook
A
Day Kicks Off Support
For Alzheimer Families
W orld A lz h e im e r’s D ay, T h u rs­
day, Sept. 21 k ick s o f f a m onth o f
A lz h e im e r’s A sso c ia tio n a c tiv itie s to
b u ild aw a re n e ss o f A lz h e im e r’s d is ­
ease and raise funds to su p p o rt p ro ­
gram s and se rv ic e s for A lzh eim er fam ­
ilies.
“ B eg in n in g th is w eek en d and c o n ­
tin u in g th ro u g h e a rly O c to b e r, n early
20 0 o f the A s s o c ia tio n ’s local c h a p ­
te rs w ill hold M em ory W alks a c ro ss
th e c o u n try ,” says E dw ard T ru sch k e,
a sso c ia tio n p re sid e n t. M em ory W alk
is th e o n ly n a tio n w id e e v e n t fo r
A lz h e im e r’s d ise a se .
To
c o m m e m o r a te
W o r ld
A lz h e im e r’s D ay , th e A lz h e im e r ’s
A sso c ia tio n has d e v e lo p e d a b ro ch u re
“ Y ou Can M ake A D ifference. 10 W ays
to H elp An A lz h e im e r F a m ily ,” h ig h ­
lig h tin g 10 sim p le th in g s p eo p le can
do to help an A lzh eim er fam ily.
I. K E E P IN T O U C H . F a m ily
m em bers w ill b e n e fit from y o u r v isits
o r calls.
2 D O I.IT T L E T H IN G S — TH EY
M EA N A LO T. Run an e rra n d o r su r­
p rise the c a re g iv e r w ith a sp e c ia l treat.
3. G IV E T H E M A B R EA K . O ffer
to stfiy w ith the A lz h e im e r p erso n , so
fam ily m em bers can have som e tim e
to th em selv es.
4 BE S P E C IF IC W H EN O F F E R ­
ING A S S IS T A N C E . Ask the fam ily to
p re p a re a “to d o ” list o f h a rd -to -g e t-to
underinsured, including the working poor and pregnant women.
]
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