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T he P ortland O bserver • S eptember 4 , 1996
(The JJnrtlan ù (Dhseruer
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Working at the Zoo
It takes all kinds o f anim als to
m ake up a successful zoo.
It also takes all kinds o f people.
T he M etro W ashington Park Z oo
is one o f the largest jo b recruiters in
the region. Som e 400 full and part-
tim e staffers m ake up the z o o ’s w eek
ly p a y ro ll-m o st o f w hom have actu
ally little to do w ith the day-to-day
care o f animals.
T hese include office clerks and
receptionists, food com m issary and
restaurant w orkers, gardeners, m ain
tenance personnel, graphic artists,
railroad technicians, security w ork
ers, librarians, photographers, edu
cational personnel, and retail sales
people.
“ W e focus on bringing al I types o f
people into our zoo fam ily,” said
Carm en Hannold, m anager o f recruit
ment and training. “ We especially
reach out to m inorities, and persons
who are m entally challenged and the
physically disabled. W e believe a
zoo is a com m unity enterprise and as
such, its sta ff should represent all
facets and w alks oflife in that com
m unity.”
This y e a r’s sum m er recruits re
ceived 16 hours o f both classroom
and on-the-job training. T heir pay
will range from $5 to $7 an hour
depending on experience.
H annold noted when she first came
to the zoo 17 years ago, there was no
recruitm ent office, much less any
policies. “Things ju st seem ed to hap
pen,” she laughed.
T he zoo offers a trem endous train
ing ground for jo b seekers and can be
a m ajor career opportunity for some.
H annold h erse lf is a good exam ple o f
a sum m er zoo w orker w ho w ent on to
bigger and better things.
N ow 34, the am icable Hanno Id start
ed at the zoo as a food handler while a
17-year-old junior at Cleveland High
School. “ 1 simply fell in love with the
zoo atm osphere and decided to make
it a career,” she recalled with a smile.
W hat reasons do applicants give
for w anting to w ork at the zoo?
“Oh, th e re’s a num ber o f reasons,”
H annold said. "M any say they sim
ply like the anim als. O thers say it
sounds I ike a fun place to w o rk . Som e
want to work tow ards becom ing keep
ers. T o those, I always tell them to get
a degree first and then be prep ared to
start cleaning up cages.
“ W e do have a unique and p leas
ant environm ent,” H annold adds. "A
lot o f people say this is the best jo b
th ey ’ve ever had.
T o obtain its annual sum m ertim e
personnel, the zoo sends out special
“help w anted” posters to m ore than
200 Portland m etropolitan area ag en
cies, including schools, co lleg e s,
outreach program s and com m unity
centers.
It also advertises in the help w an t
ed sections o f The O regonian and
various m inority and school n ew sp a
pers.
Sept, is baby safety
month
Today m arks the beginning o f
Baby Safety Month and the Juve
nile Products M anufacturers A sso
ciation (JPM A ) will again remind
parents about the safe use and se
lection o f ju v en ile products. A l
though many new parents are pur
chasing products designed to keep
baby safe, not all o f them follow the
m anufacturers instructions.
F orexam ple, every state in A m er
ica requires that an infant be placed
in a car seat, but many consum ers
are still using car seats improperly.
And, many parents and child care
givers are unaw are that a rear-fac
ing car seat must never be used in
the front seat o f a car containing an
1 ”' » OM MU»» M « « DM ««O n «I N DM-
When do aging parents need care?
As A m e ric a ’s popu la tio n rapidly
ages, m any adu lts w ill be fa cin g the
question, “H ow d o 1 know i f Mom
o r D a d n eed h e lp ? ”
W hile it may seem obvious, dis
covering w hether aging parents or
grandparents need assistance is no,
always easy.
"M any older people m ay seem
perfectly capable o f running their
own lives and hom es, but often they
are reluctant to adm it they need help,”
said Patricia A. Lynett, vice presi
dent and chief operating officer of
Kelly A ssisted L iving Services, a
hom e health care provider.
Lynett listed a few com m on symp
tom s that might indicate w hether an
older person needs som e added as
sistance.
* Inadequate m eals and nutrition.
O lder individuals may lose interest
in preparing w ell-balanced, nutritious
meals — especially if they live alone.
* U n o p en ed o r p ile d -u p bills.
Failing eyesight, recurring memory
lapses, or ham pered w riting abilities
are som e o f the reasons bills go un
paid. M any tim es older people have
difficulty w riting legibly or they are
confused by particular billing proce
dures.
* Recurring m em ory lapses. Many
o ld e r in d iv id u a ls ca n rem e m b er
events that took place 30 years ago
with more clarity than what they did
yesterday. M em ory iapses are not
uncom m on, but if they interfere with
taking m edications properly or re
m em bering to turn o ff the stove, dai
ly assistance may be needed.
* Frequent falls. If a parent or
grandparent seem s to be falling a
great deal, m ake sure he or she has a
com plete physical exam ination.
M any illnesses, as well as the side
effects o f some m edicines, may be
causing dizziness or lack of balance.
A doctor may recom m end using a
cane or walker, or suggest personal
assistance in the hom e as an appro
priate solution.
* Lack o f interest/feeling down.
A lthough feeling depressed at times
is a normal occurrence, continuation
of this condition could be sym ptom
atic of more serious health problem s
and the family doctor should be con
sisted. In m ost cases, how ever, sim
ply encouraging a parent or grand
parent to ge, involved in outside ac
tivities m ay help. O r if they are
hom e-bound, obtain a com panion
service for them. These steps may
help relieve their loneliness and reju
venate their enjoym ent of life.
* U nsafe driving. W ith age com es
a natural slow ing o f the reflexes and
a decline in eyesight, which could
h am p er an older p erso n ’s driving
ability. If a parent or grandparent is
no longer able to drive safely, dis-
cuss the issue openly with him or her,
and le, the relative know that trans
portation needs can be me, in other
ways.
* A marked change in behavior.
Behavior changes — such as no long
er attending church or not cleaning
the house — might indicate it is time
for a frank and open discussion be
tween family members. A radical
change in mood or behavior that per
sists should be discussed with a do c
tor as soon as possible.
A variety of hom e care services
are also available to help older per
sons achieve the greatest possible
level of health and com fort in their
own homes.
Vatican says child abuse
is challenge fo r all
T he Vatican, on Sunday, w elcom ed the first global conference on child
abuse and called on C hristians and governm ents everyw here to tackle the
problem
“ W e w elcom e w ith hope and enthusiasm the W orld C ongress A gainst
C om m ercial Sexual E xploitation o f C hildren,” C ardinal A ngel T rujillo,
head o fth e V atican ’s Pontifical Council for the Family, said in a docum ent
on the subject.
T he conference, held in Sw eden, closed on Saturday.
“ It is a great challenge and the Holy Father says: 'H o w is it possible to
rem ain indifferent in the face o f the suffering o f so m any children,
especially when it is caused in this w ay ’,” T rujillo said.
“T his challenge represents a particular duty for the C hurch, for all
C hristian com m unities in the w orld for bishops, for the bishops confer
ences, for all fam ilies and pastoral agents.
“ It is also a challenge for governm ents, in particular for law m akers and
ju rists and for all civil authorities.”
Trujillo described children as a “precious treasure" and said the causes o f
child abuse included the collapse o f fami I ies and the "widespread banal isation
o f sex, in particular where the traditional values o f the person and the family
have been weakened under the Western influence o f secularisation.”
T h e YMCA OE COLUMBIA-WILLAMETTE
CORDIALLY INVITES YOU T O ATTEND ITS SECOND ANNUAL
BL^CK ACHIEVERS RECOGNITION B^N O /JET
(iS WE HONOR ELEVEN ^ERJC(AN-^MERJC^ri INDIVIDUALS
(iNE> THIER CORPORATIONS E O R THEIR OUTSTANDING
PERFORMANCE. DEDICATION and COMMITMENT T O
TFJEIR COMMUNITY. AND GENUINE CONCERN E O R
THE WELFARE OE YOUTH-
KEYNOTE SPEAKER.- MR CA RLES JORI^N
DIRECTOR OE PORTLAND PARKS
THURSDAY SE PT E M B E R 12. 1 0 0 0
4 5 7 5 N CHANNEL. SWAN ISLAND
5 : 3 0 RECEPTION
EO R RORE INFORMATION. PLEASE CONTACT
THE BLACK ACHIEVERS OEEICE AT 221-5343
Prices Effective 9/4/96 thru 9/10/96 at your nearby Safeway store.
SAVE UP TO $1.42
• Smaller Packs,$1.37lbs
• Tenderized, $1.47 lb
Head Lettuce
0 3 0 DINNER
$ 5 0 P E R PE R SO N / $ 5 0 0 P E R TABLE
BIG SAVINGS
• H a lf Gallon
• Assorted Flavors
• First Two
RECREATION
SHENANIGAN’ S ON THE WILLAMETTE
BACK-T0-SCH00L DAYS
Snow Star Ice Cream
air bag. In addition, many parents
accept hand-m e-dow n or second
hand cribs not realizing the older
models may not meet today’s safety
guidelines. Parents w ant to keep
their children safe, but many need
more information about safe use of
products.
Consum ers may receive a com
plim entary brochure, “Safe & Sound
For B aby,” a colorful 16-page book
let providing inform ation on the
safe use of the most com m only used
juvenile products, by sending a self-
addressed, stam ped business-size
envelope to Safety Brochure, 236
R o u te 38 W e st, S u ite 100,
M oorestow n, NJ, 08057.