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About Portland observer. (Portland, Or.) 1970-current | View Entire Issue (Feb. 26, 1997)
T -« « ■ - A V. » --<bJuí¡uS¡S53x P agi A 7 I he P ortland O bservi r • F ebruary 26, 1997 $lj£ ^lurtlanb (íPhsmirr Program to help family caregivers SfPtfk 'iLnHOHHcmwnh La Quon Lawrence Damond Collins Male; Feb. 14, 1997 71bs 6 oz, 20 inches M other: Katachia Thomas F ather: Lawrence D. Collins. Are you caring for a relative or friend? Come and share the gracious gift o f gentle touch. Join Legacy p a sto ra l C are s ta ff E velyn M. Gerardo, L.M.T., and Fr. Nicholas M. Christiana, H H P ., as they share a hands-on approach to health and wellness using gentle touch and sit Female; Feb. 15, 1997 6ibs 15 oz., 20 inches M other: Carolyn A Almgren F ather: Leonard E. Hill Dakota Nisei Daniel Male; February 06, 1997 61bs 8 oz., 19.5 inches Mother: Rhondalyn Jeweline Daniel Jailin Jamere Gage M arian W right E deiai w Male; February 12, 1997 71bs 14 oz., 20 1/2 inches Mother: Deborah L. Riley Father: Johnnie W. Gage Laurence Esme Rasaphangthong In a city w here not much is w ork ing for children, the City Lights School in W ashington, D C .. is a beacon o f hope and an example that local initiatives do work to give chil dren with troubled pasts a better chance for a brighter future. The school, founded in 1982 by the C hildren’s Defense Fund, was established to educate and treat youths who have emotional and be havioral disabilities. The young people who attend City Lights have journeyed through foster homes, the public school system, the courts, and a m ultitude o f juvenile facilities, and are con sid ered “ h ig h -risk ,” “emotionally disturbed,” and “de linquent” They are the ones every body else gave up on, and, for the most o f the. City Lights is their last chance. “City Lights is an oasis,,” says Ron Pettiway, who has been the school’s executive director for the past two years. “This is where they stop to prepare for their next step. If many o f these youths didn't stop here to prepare, they would be either incarcerated or dead, these are the children who are trying every day to resolve difficult issues and conflicts in their lives. Most o f them come from broken homes and are eco nomically disadvantaged ” City Lights is now an indepen dent, nonprofit school with four major components: Education, psy chological counseling, substance abuse prevention and treatment, and job training and skills development. Each student has his or her own “team,” with a social worker who designs an Individual treatment plan, a teacher, assistant teacher, and a fo ster g ra n d p a re n t. T he social worker works with the student’s fam ily and community-based organiza tions to mobi I ize whatever resources he or she needs. In addition to class rooms, City Lights has a resource room for students with academic problem s, an independent living center with kitchen and laundry fa cilities, and a library. Over the past 15 years, the school has served about 2,000 students, most o f whom are Black. Students attend the school for an average o f two years, having been referred by courts or the public school system. More than three-quarters o f the students have histories o f delinquent behav ior, more than half have already spent time in a juvenile facility, and a third have been patients in a psy chiatric hospital. One in six have children o f their own. But the good thing about City Lights is that, through persistence and a lot o f love from an extraordi narily caring staff, it enables these young people to move on to produc tive lives, despite their rocky back grounds A recent survey found that nearly half o f the students who had attended City Lights were continu ing their education, working, or par ticipating in vocational training one year after leaving. And although 82 percent o f the students had been arrested before enrolling, only 20 percent were incarcerated one year after leaving. Attendance is 75 per cent I c a n t explain the joy I get when I bump into my former studen^bit a supermarket or on the street and they say Hey Mr Pettiway, I’m working now,' or ‘I’m married,' or ‘I’m not doing drugs or selling dope anymore.” Ron says proudly. I understand Ron’s excitement. A year ago. I had the pleasure of handing an Outstanding Recogni tion Award to Gwen, a student who only two years earlier had entered City Lights as a drug user who was constantly in trouble with the law, and Jayree, a Nigerian immigrant. To: 5 0 3 -2 8 8 -0 0 3 3 To A dvertise For Diversity (E lie o SAFEWAY FOOD & DRUG Look For Your Safeway Weekly Shopping Guide © b s e ru e r SAVINGS Boneless Beef Roast SAFEWAY O SAFEWAY EXTRA In-Store Savings Guide Available al your Saleway store. PRICES EFFECTIVE FEBRUARY AND MARCH 1997 «InOiiaRiMillhrMa»« tKW »«o*‘■Fwi* rt s* «BMMP «m a« «r. » r "MI 0« w « m 10«« può CQITKU» P' "lrt COUPON Lucerne Galion Milk BUY 1 GET 1 • Bottom Round or Rump FREE • 1%, 2%, Dairyland, Non Fat or Skim Supreme • First 2 with coupon (includes Free One) ‘SAVEup to $2.89 P '.M ilk 2°oM tlk Dairyland Milk Skim Supreme Milk Non-Fat Milk |(S) PLU 7578 ■ who fled a bloody war in his country and became a ward o f the District of Columbia. Through the efforts of city Lights, and their own self-deter mination, Gwen and Jayree were able to put their difficulties behind them. Gwen earned her GED and landed a job as a receptionist at the school. “The reason we have success sto ries life these is that we never give up on anybody,” says Ron. When a student doesn’t show up at school, w e’II go to his or her home to find out why. If a student has specific needs, we try to find out what those needs are. We want them to succeed, and we expect them to succeed.” Ron says that young people are more violent and more disturbed today than they were 10 years ago. Drugs, guns, joblessness and even more broken homes, make the chal lenges he faces more difficult than ever, he says, “when we first started, may of the kids who came to us might have beetwfrom broken homes, but their grandparents were a strong part o f their extended families,” Ron says. “ T hose g ia n d p a re n ts had worked all their lives, bought homes, and were successfully retired. Nowa days, many o f the grandparents are in their 40s, the parents in their late 20s, and the children 14 or 15. Par ents are more likely to lack impor tant parenting skills, because there hasn’t been the necessary model ing.” But with schools like City Lights and role models like Ron Pettiway and his staff, more of the young people who need guidance will get it. Just imagine how many o f our children would be rescued if there were more people and more schools that refused to give up Take The Bite Out Of W inter’s Chill BUY ONE, GET ONE FREE In Your Oregonian FOODday in the Portland Metro Area ...And Save More Shopping At Safeway! Enjoy Extra Savings With The charge to attend the program, pre registration is required. Please contact Legacy Referral Service at (503) 335-3500 for more information or to register. This pro gram is sponsored by Legacy Com munity Health Education & Support Services. Childwatch: the secret is never giving up Cassaundra Elvse Hill Male; February 12, 1997 Mother: May Saetern Father: Bounmy Rasaphangthong you and the person from whom you provide care Learn about resources to help you relax and renew. "Touching the Healer Within” will be held on Thursday, March 13, 6:30 - 8:30 p.m., at Legacy Meridian Park Hospital, although there is no ting massage techniques. “Touching The Healer Within,” is an education designed for family caregivers and will provide you with an opportunity to: Affirm the healer that you are. Explore simple movements that will provide relief and support for Limit one item per coupon One coupon per customer per »wit. Not valid with any other coupon or oiler ----------Valid 2/26/97 thru 3/4/97 at your Oregon Saleway Stores (except Milton-Freewater) and S W Washington stores serving Clark Wahkiakum Cowlitz, Clark, Skamania and Klickitat counties COUPON CANNOT BE DOUBLED Ripe California Strawberries PLU 8001 PLU 8002 PLU 8003 PLU 8004 PLU 8000 BUY 1 GET 1 FREE • Pint Container N obody does it B etter “ for L ess . I The rain, wind and cold weather associated with Oregon winters can be burdensome for everyone, but the also may be life threatening. An estimated 130,0000regonians could be living in homes without heat this winter. To help. Portland General Electric (PGE) has teamed up with Oregon HEAT, an independent, non profit organization that raises funds to pay for people’s energy hills. This is the fifth year that PGE and Oregon HEAT have worked together to meet the needs o f fam i lies in crisis due to unemployment, accidents, sickness and other unforeseen cir cumstances. “ Most Oregon HEAT beneficia ries are single-parent households with children under the age o f five or senior citizens on fixed incomes,” said PGE’sCustomer Resources Rep resentative Lynda Tatum. "Since no one should have to choose between heating and eating, Oregon HEAT steps in and helps pay overdue util ity bills and makes sure that these families have heat throughout the w inter ” PGE also offers home weatherization assistance and edu cation on how to reduce energy con sumption. For more information orto make a donation, please call Oregon HEAT at 503-612-3790 Mark Washington Jr. Love Mom & Dad