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About Portland observer. (Portland, Or.) 1970-current | View Entire Issue (Dec. 18, 1996)
'A Volume X X V I, Number 51 - Committed to cultural diversity. u tu *j December IS, 1996 ®Ije ^îartlanb (©bseruer ■ra (E Recycle your Christmas tree N onprofit groups and businesses will operate m ore than 150 d ropoff sites and pickup services from W est Linn to North Portland and from Forest G rove to Sandy. Most groups will collect trees the w eek ends o f Dec. 28-29 and Jan. 4-5. The small fee or donation requested supports activ ities o f groups such as the Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts, churches and schools Call M etro Recycling Inform ation, 234-3000, forspe cific inform ation on tree recycling op tions. H otline hours are 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m ., M onday through Saturday except Dec. 25 and Jan I. Beginning Dec. 26, C hristm as tree recycling inform ation wi be available on M etro's w eb site: http:// w w w .m ultnom ah.lib.or.us/m etro In the midst o f the holiday season busyness, we ask you to rem em ber the com m unity's work that is done by noprofit agencies and charity orga nizations. For the children and youth, fo r the elderly, fo r the homeless indi viduals and fa m ilies—f o r all those who need extra help or special atten tio n - these agencies are there day in and day out, all year long. They are dependent on our contributions o f funds, goods, and time. He know that several are strug gling ju s t to keep their doors open. For all, holiday donations are criti cal to their on-going efforts. Please rem em ber these com m unity trea sures in your giving this year. A donation in the name o f a frie n d passes the blessing around. Pre-Kwanzaa Celebration Albina Ministerial Alliance The A lbina M inisterial A lliance is ask ing oregonians to help m ake a ch ild 's dream s com e true by adopting a family for the holidays or by m aking a donation of w arm clothing or household needs. Call The A lbina M inisterial A lliance at 285- 0493, X2O3. PNCA Scholarships are available for children and young adults ages 4 - 17 for the Pacific- North west C ollege o f Art Continuing E d ucation Program . D eadline for scholar- ship applications is Jan. 17,1997 for Spring Sem ester. A pplication forms may be o b tained at PNCA, I2 I9 S .W . Park Ave., or by calling 226-0462. Cuts for Kids Local stylists donate tim e to offer in ner-city children free h airc u ts just in time for the holidays on M onday, D ecem ber 23, 10 a.m . - 3 p in. The Salvation Army M oore Street C enter, 5335 N. W illiam s A venue, North Portland. This event is free for all children. Please call M oore Street at 239-1241 for more inform ation. Lazarus Art Society, Inc. Presents T he 3rd A nnual K uum ba Fes tival on D ecem ber 2 0 ,2 1 & 22 at the Matt D ishm an C om m unity Center, 77 NE Knott St Portland. Enjoy the Food Faire (Foods from many Ethnic G roups Jan Art Exhibit, Crafts, V endors, E ntertainm ent, and Skits. D o n ’t m iss Art A ctivities Day on Saturday from I I A M to 5 PM . L earn about K W A N ZA A and how other cultures cele b rate the h o lid a y se aso n . All ethnic groupsare invited. Free A dm ission-D ona tions R equested to fund our A fter School Program Art Program . For more inform a tion call: L orraine Fields, Event C oordi nator at (503) 282-5461. Bradley-Angle House "Y ou can make adifference in the lives o f dom estic violence survivors! The Board ol D irectors o f B radley-A ngle House in vites com m unity m em bers to a Brunch. Learn m ore about volunteer opportunities with the Bradley-A ngle House Board and A ffiliate B oard.B runch will be held in N orth East Portland in late January. C on tact Erika S ilver at 2 3 2 -7 8 12. Project Pal Volunteers C ascade A ID S Project is seeking long term volunteers to be pals to people living with HIV disease, including AIDS. V ol unteers are asked to com m it one year to this program and to provide their own transportation. Each volunteer will receive a 32 hour training and access to support groups anil inservices for updated infor mation. Call G race T aylor at 224-5907, ext I 15, to schedule and interview by January 7. PAL volunteer training begins January 18,1997, so call today to register. SUBMISSIONS: Community Calendar information will be given priority if dated two weeks before the event date. > HHHHnl H o lid a if g re e tin g s! n m m u n ity a U n b ar A frican Dance, a fashion show, music and poetry will be a part o f the Project N etw ork & Da Da Kidogo Second Annual Pre-K w anzaa C elebration is on M onday, D ecem ber 23, 1996, located at 4 2 19 N. E. Dr. M artin L uther King Jr. Blvd (The Lutheran Inner-City M inistries Facility). D oors open at 6:30 pm, program at 7pm. B P o rtla n d s h o p p e r s b e c o m e m o re fre n z ie d a n d n u m e r o u s a s th e C h ristm a s h o lid a y fa s t a p p ro a c h e s. --M ayor Vera Katz, C om m issioner Charlie Hales, Commissioner Gretchen Miller Kafoury, Commissioner Mike Lindberg, Commissioner Erik Sten, and Commissioner-Elect Jim Francesconi. A Golden Opportunity To Help Kids Celebrating Fifty Years of Service to Portland Youth at the 13th Annual Boys & Girls Clubs Kids Auction A select audience o f Portland’s most influ- ential will once again support the Boys & Girls Clubs Kids Auction on Saturday, M arch 8 at the Hilton Hotel, beginning with a 600-item silentauctionat5:30andananything-but-quiet live auction and dinner at 7:00. This 13th annual black-tie event is the clubs' largest fund raiser, netting $352,(XX) last year. The 1997 Kids Auction theme, "Y our Golden O pportu nity to Help Kids,” com bines the giving spirit with the 50th anniversary of the Clubs’ service to youth in Portland. “Each year my com m itm ent to club kids is renewed at Kids Auction. T here’s something very powerful in the energy at this event. I’m am azed at the generosity of buyers and the caliber ofitem s our volunteer board procures." Says Auction Chair Dave Emory, member of the Boys & Girls Clubs of Portland Board of Directors. Renowned auctioneer Larry Helms returns to the Kids A uction gavel. Among the items on the auction block this year is a mint condition 1949 1/2-ton Chevy Pickup, a Fabulous French Vacation for Eight, a spectacular piece from a rtist R o lan d o A g u d e lo -B o te ro en titled H umanidad, and dinner and Ballet with host James Canfield, complete with overnight ac com m odations at the Bensen Hotel. A ttendance and donations are expected to be unusually high among auction-goers this year, as the philanthropic audience is aware of the Clubs' need to raise funds for youth devel opment programs. New to Kids Auction is "M ake a N ight of It," the opportunity to package auction reserva tions with accommodations to spend the night at the Hilton. About a quarter of the 600 attendees are anticipated to take advantage of this offer. The Boys <*t Girls Clubs of Portland M etro politan Area has been serving the youth o f our communities for fifty years. In 1996, the Clubs served a record number of youth; 5,300 m em bers and an estimated 6,(XX) additional youth who benefit from the Clubs without the $15 membership The Clubs expect another record year in 1997. The Clubs are dedicated to the enhancement and enrichment of youth aged 6 - 18. Concentrating much of its interest and concern on individuals from disadvantaged or at-risk circumstances, the Boys & Girls Clubs help members develop values, skills and self esteem by exposing them to a variety o f pro grams. all designed to nurture their character, cultural, vocational, educational, emotional, physical and social needs. As a non-profit agency, the Boys & Girls Clubs rely on the generosity o f community support for Club facilities and programs. Sig nature events include Kids Auction, Steak and Burger Night, the Boys & Girls Cluhs Goll classic and G olf Marathon. Contact Rhoda Culin at (503)452-9359or Kevin Johnson (503) 232-0077. Scholarship gives Renfro chance to finish college harlie Waters remembers tak ing his son Cody as a toddler to Dallas Cowboys' practices to watch his talented teammate and friend Mel Renfro. C T oday, in one o f those strange tw ists of fate, pro football hall-of-fam er Mel Renfro has a ch an ce to go back to the U niversity of O regon and finish his degree. At a D ucks' Night O ut tribute dinner for Renfro in P ort land last M ay, he was nam ed the first recip ient o f the C ody W aters M em orial S ch o lar ship for U O post-eligibility athletes w ho want to return to college. The scholarship was established by the UO D epartm ent o f Intercollegiate A thletics to honor C ody and Charlie, who w as the D uck defensive coordinator at the tim e of C o d y ’s d eath on D ecem ber 3. 1995. C ody, who w as senior at M arist High S chool in Eugene, died in his sleep o f an undeterm ined cause. Renfro finds it ironic in a "full circ le” kind o f way "that I'v e alw ays w anted to go back to school and w hat gave me the opportunity to go back w as my old buddy from the C ow boys through a trag ed y .” “I'm proud that C o d y ’s name is on that scholarship and that Mel got the first one," says C h arlie W aters, now w orking for an energy ex ch an g e com pany in D allas, Texas. “ I played w ith Mel for seven years. W e were in four S u p er Bowls together and w ere very good frien d s.” R enfro will return to cam pus w inter term and m ajor in sociology. He says he w ants to finish co lleg e so he can stop feeling u n co m fortable w henever som eone introduces him as a UO graduate. But h e ’s also doing it for his father. “It was som ething that was alw ays im por tant to my dad because I d o n ’t think he ever finished high sch o o l,” says Renfro. "T here were four o f us boys and all o f us w ent to college, but none of us finished. I think it would be good before he passes aw ay if I could say I got my d eg ree.” Renfro says he c o u ld n 't afford to go back to college w ithout the scholarship He played Pro fo o tb a ll h a ll-o f-fa m er M el R enfro. in the pros at a time when even the top players w ere paid less than $25,(XX) a year, then suffered a series of professional and personal disappointm ents after retiring from the C ow boys in the late 1970s. His Dallas fast-food restaurants went bank rupt, subsequent coaching and scouting post lions in pro football w ere short-lived, his personal life was often rocky and he was frustrated about being overlooked by the pro Hall of Fam e for so many years. Then things turned around. Renfro credits a religious aw akening sev eral years ago for directing him toward a better path W hen he learned o f plans for a Christian recreation center for inner-city chil dren in his old Northeast Portland neighbor hood he realized, "This is my dream , this is my purpose, this is why God gave me these abilities and put me in this neighborhood, know ing that one day I could com e back and give back." He currently w orks with P ortland's Bridge M inistries as an "unpaid, full-time am bassa dor and fund-raiser” in an effort to raise m oney for the recreation center He also operates Renfro Enterprises, a sports p ro m o tion com pany in Dallas. A nd like icing on the cake, Renfro w as finally inducted this year, into (be Pro F o o t ball Hall o f Fame, m aking him one o f only three D ucks to be so honored and one o f only four in the college football Hall o f Fame. Renfro is glad to be returning to O regon and appreciates the attention h e ’s receiving from the UO. G eorge G lass ’82 and G eorge Hosfield ’79, M B A ’82, organized the D ucks' Night Out tribute dinner to recognize R enfro’s football career. T he Oregon Club o f Portland will donate its annual D ucks' Night Out proceeds to the Cody W aters scholarship endow m ent, and The O regon Club o f Eugene also will m ake a yearly contribution, according to Tim R ob erts, the athletic d ep artm en t's regional d irec tor for developm ent in Portland. It lakes about $150,000 to fully endow an in state athletic scholarship, and about $15,(XX) has been raised so far for the Cody W aters sch o l arship. “ It gets back to the No. I objective of educating and graduating our young people," says UO A thletic D irector Bill Moos. “ Many times, because o f the dem ands on student- athletes today, they d o n 't graduate on time Some go with the pros before graduating W e w ant our athletes to com e back and finish their degrees.” M oos says it’s fitting for Mel Renfro to be the first recipient o f the scholarship. "W hen you look at the great student-ath- Ictes w e’ve had here at O regon, M e l's nam e rises up am ong the best," says M oos. “ M el’s pro career ended before the huge salaries. If he were playing today, h e'd be a wealthy man But he played for the love o f the gam e and thrill o f com petition, not for the m oney ."
