Volume XXVI, Number 4
SECTION B
Jía rtía n h CObserüer
NB Habitat In Need Of Homeowners
ortland H abitat for Humanity is
P
Election
Office Opens
in need of homeowner applica
tions. Interested parties must
attend one of the informational m eeting
held each first and third Tuesdays of the
month. The m eetings are held a t the
H abitat Home Building C enter located
on the corner of Northeast 1 5 th and
Killingsworth.
The Multnomah County Elections Of
fice, 1040 S.E. Morrison, will open Satur
day for extra duty hours, from 8 a m. to I
p.m., to assist voters in Tuesday’s election
for U.S. Senator. Ballots must be received
at the office by 8 p.m. Tuesday in order to
be counted in the election.
Meetings begin at 11 a m. on the first
Tuesday and 7 p in. on the third Tuesday.
There is a Spanish translator present during
the third Tuesday meeting.
Qualifications for home ownership as well
as applications are available at these meet
ings.
Habitat for Humanity is a nonprofit, ecu
menical Christian organization that builds
homes in partnership with low-income fam
ilies.
Habitat homes are built with volunteer
labor and donated materials and are sold at no
profit with a no-interest mortgage. Habitat
families must invest 400 hours o f sweat equi
ty to help build their home.
founded in 1981, Portland Habitat for
Humanity is the oldest affiliate on the west
coast. This year Portland Habita, will cele
brate placing their 100th person in a home.
Saxophonist
In Concert
Tenor saxophonist Javon Jackson per
forms the season’s final Family Jazz Con
cert series o f the DePriest Project, on
Saturday, Feb. 17 a, 7 p.m. at the Univer
sity o f Portland.
Albina Bank
Hosts Reception
Enjoy free refreshments and meet the
officers from the new Albina Community
Bank as it hosts a celebration on Friday,
from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m., at the bank’s tempo
rary location at 1130 N.E. Alberta. The
financial institution was created to help
area residents take advantage ofeconomic
opportunities in north and northeast Port
land.
The world o f the American I ndian is the
newest exhibit at the Portland Children’s
Museum, 3037 S.W. Second Ave. Visi
tors are welcome to explore a longhouse,
visit an intertribal pow-wow and see what
it’s like to camp in a tipi. The museum is
open Tuesdays through Sundays. Call 823-
2227 for more information.
Friskies’ famous felines will steal the
stage at the Friskies Oregon Cat Fanciers
Show on Saturday and Sunday, Feb. 3 and
Feb. 4 at Memorial Coliseum. The show
will also demonstrate howcats are trained.
Elder Advocates Needed
n orientation for all those inter
A
Living Legends
Discovered
Famous Felines
To Strut
Portland Habitat For Humanity representative Audrey L. Sanders
ested in becoming volunteer ad
vocates will begin February 13.
Volunteer advocates are needed to serve
as ombudsmen for residentsofnursing homes
and adult foster care homes. The training
will cover such areas as the aging process,
communication skills, medication, problem
solving skills and investigation.
Certified Ombudsmen investigate com
plaints and concerns o f the residents and
then work with the facilities to make chang
es. “ O m budsm en em p o w er re sid e n ts
and provide a means to solve their prob
lems,” says Gayleen Eldridge, chair o f
the Recruitment and Screening committee.
“I think that sometimes we forget about
the elderly. But it is important to remember
that they (the elderly) have the same rights,
needs and wants that everybody else
does.” Certified Ombudsmen spend six
teen hours monthly on their ombudsman
work.
For information about the program or to
learn how to get involved contact Kathy
Walter at 1-800-522-2602.
he American Diabetes Associa
T
D iabetes adv ersely affects one in four
A frican A m ericans.
C hurches throughout north and n o rth
east P ortland will p a rtic ip a te in the pu b
lic aw areness program .
I he aw areness cam paign w ill include
diab etes risk tests, referral serv ices to
Gym Is Open For Midnight Basketball
I
fth e gym is open, they
will come.
'
BflH
This is the philosophy
behind the midnight basketball
program sponsored by the North/
Inner Northeast YMCA.
Each Friday night during its 8
week sessions, about 60 to 70
boys, gather to play basketball
A bus tour o f Portland landmarks with
from 7 p.m. to midnight. Teams
I
lunch at Dan & Louis Oyster Bar will be
are divided into two age groups,
held Saturday from 8:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m.
from 11 to 14 years old and from
^2"
Transportation is provided from the Fred
15 to 18.
Meyer Hollywood West store. Cost is
“The purpose is to get kids off
j ,
$35. Sharon Wood, author o f the Portland I
the streets an^ give them a place
-'li
Bridge Book is the tour guide. Cal I Wood
to go and have fun and just gang
at 238-9842 for more information.
out for the night,” said Steve Guy, Ö
midnight basketball sports coor- ■
dinator.
Activities are put into a positive ■
structure, with goals set for charac- E
Recording artist Jim Brikman brings
ter building, respect for others and Lfr J n
his passion and magic with the piano to the
respect foryourself, Guy explained.
Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall on Thurs
There are no eligibility require-
day, Feb. 8 at 8 p.m.
ments and than mean participants |LE««
with troubles in school even get a j
warm welcome.
i
“ Many o f the kids we have are
not doing well in school,” Guy !
Jackson Browne brings his poetic and
explained. “They can’t play on a
elegant music to the city with a Monday,
basketball team in school and we I
Feb. 28 performance at 8 p.m. at the
have some really good athletes.” -- --------
Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall. Tickets
Midnight Basketball features
c
are on sale at Fred Meyer Fastixx loca
certified referees and volunteer
exPerie
tions.
coaches. Players are provided with game
North-
Northeast
Light Rail
A
Piano Sensation
Appears
RN
Jackson Browne
Performs
H
SU B M ISSIO N S: Community
Calendar information will be given
priority if dated two weeks
before the event date.
Continued to page B6
cuss the potential im pact of
light rail on north and north
east Portland at the upcoming lun
cheon forum of the North-Northeast
Business Association.
R: ™
The Clackamas W omens' Services of
fice in Milwaukie is looking for volun
teers to answer the crisis line, provide
support to shelter residents and help with
domestic violence support groups. Call
Carol or Toni at 654-2807.
neighbor-to-neighbor approach.
It’s estimated that more than two million
African Americans have diabetes, but half are
unaware they have the disease.
G iven this high im pact, the a sso c ia -
rea business leaders will dis
Tour Is Ready
To Depart
Crisis Line
Help Sought
d o cto rs, clin ics and sc re e n in g , p atien t
tion will begin holding "Diabe
follow -up and e d u c a tio n m aterials about
tes Sundays” in Portland to bet
d ia b e te s m anagem ent and c u rre n t tre a t
ter inform the African American popula
m ents.
tion about the symptoms and dangers of
The program shares valuable, possibly life
diabetes.
saving information about diabetes, using a
Midnight basketball and gain a positive
gram or whatever they can afford.
For more information on contributions,
participating or volunteering, call Guy at the
YMCA’snorth/northeast office at 288-3355.
jerseys.
Guy said there’s a lot o f interest in expand
ing the program for girls.
“ We want to get bigger,” he said. “And we
The proposed route for the Tri-Met
mass transit project is expected to bring
far-reaching and dramatic changes for the
area,
“Naturally, businesses along the pro
posed route will be affected the most.
However, even business not directly on the
route could also be enormously impact
ed," association officials said.
Interested business owners and resi
dents are invited to the forum to get an
overview o f the economic development
effects o f the light rail project.
The panel o f presenters will include
Metro Counselor Ed W ashington, Metro
staff members and an official o f the Port
land Office o f Transportation.
The association is a group ofbusinesses
dedicated to improving the business op
portunities and creating jobs to enhance
the quality o f life for the north-northeast
community.
The luncheon will be held Tuesday,
from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. at the Best
Western Rose Garden Inn, ION. Weidler.
Those interested in attending can call the
association office at 284-3093.
King Remembered At Maranatha Blood Drive
rea residents rolled up their
A
than just pirns,” said Heidi Patterson, Red
sleeves to celebrate Dr. M artin
Cross blood services director. “The drive’s
Luther King Jr.’s message of
primary goal is to increase community aware
brotherhood and love for the communi-
ness about the critical need for donors o f
The 8th annual Martin Luther King Jr.
Memorial Blood Drive, sponsored by the
Maranatha Church in northeast Portland,
generated 70 units of blood for the American
Red Cross.
“This drive’s success is measured in more
color.”
Patterson said the blood donations will
help ensure an adequate regional blood sup
ply and meet the special transfusion needs of
Portland’s African American patients.
African Americans currently make up
about 7 percent o f Portland’s population, but
less than I percent o f Red C ross’s regional
blood donor base is black. Increased blood
donations by people o f color are needed to
reduce the risk o f regional shortages.
All donations collected at the Jan 12 drive
were screened for rare blood types, types
occurring less than once in a thousand do
nors. Certain rare blood types, such as U-
negative and Duffy negative, are found only
in the black community. African Americans
with these blood types depend upon African
American donors to meet their transfusion
needs.
In addition, 11 donors gave an extra two
tablespoons of blood to join the National
Marrow Donor Registry, a nationwide com
puterized list o f unrelated marrow donors.
Currently, African Americans make up only
about 7 percent o f the volunteers listed on the
registry.
The next Maranatha Church blood drive is
scheduled April 4 from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m.