P age A5
T he P ortland O bserver • A pril 23, 1997
Wacky fun Helps Children
What do Silly String,
Play Doh, balloon hats,
water pistols and an
eight-foot birthday cake
have to do with neglected
children?
Y o u ’ll find the first five in a benefit for
abused and neglected children at M orrison
C en ter’s 1997 Evening as a C hild fundraiser
and party, on Friday, M ay 16, 1997 at the
Portland Marriott. This zany party is de
signed to raise m oney for the at-risk chi Idren
in M orrison C enter’s treatm ent program s
and to celebrate M orrison C e n te r’s 50th
A nniversary.
But why such a silly party for such a
serious cause? A ccording to K aren W inder,
D evelopm ent & C om m unity R elations D i
rector for M orrison C enter, “T he children in
our program s have not experienced jo y in
their early years. We strive to help them heal
so that they can finally feel safe, happy and
loved. The purpose o f E vening as a C hild is
to help our guests celebrate the m agic o f
childhood w hile raising m oney for children
w ho have been deprived o f that m agic due to
abuse and neglect.” She adds, “This is the
m ost fun you can have w hile helping at-risk
ch ild ren .”
T he Portland M arriott Ballroom will be
transform ed into a giant playground tor
adults, featuring the V elcro O bstacle Course,
M echanical Calf-R oping, Snow board and
Surfboard Sim ulators and m uch more. I he
event will also include a silent auction with
over 40 exciting packages and a raffle for a
trip for tw o to Sedona, A rizona.
Tickets are available for $75 each or $750
for a table o f 10 by calling Jeni M artinez at
503-233-4356. D inner and fun are included.
C orporate sponsors for this y ea r’s event
include Fred M eyer, Jubitz Corp., M ilne
C o n stru ctio n , N abisco, P acificC o rp , US
Bank, and US West.
A11 proceeds from Even i ng as a Ch i Id w i 11
support the children in M orrison C en ter’s
program s, including severely abused and
neglected preschool children; infants and
toddlers prenatally exposed to drugs; and
adolescents struggling w ith problem s in
volving substance abuse and violence.
C urrently operating w ith a staff o f 150
em ployees in eight area treatm ent program s,
M orrison C enter provides service to 2,500
at-risk children and their fam ilies each year.
Adoption Information
Seminar
I loll International C hildren's
Ser\ iees w i 11 conduct an A dop
tion Inform ation Sem inar in
Portland on I hursday. April
24.
I lie sem inar takes plaee from
7:00 pm to 8:30 pm at West
I lillsC ovenantC hureh. loeated
near Raleigh Hills at 5 8 15 SW
(iillerest Court.
Portland area social,w orkers
will provide i n format ion about
Holt International, the p ro
gram s it offers, and the basic
procedure for adoption.
The sem inar is open to any
one interested in adoption and
is free ofeh arg e. A reservation
is not m andatory but would be
appreciated. I or more infor
m ation or to m ake a reserva
tion call Tam i Kraske at (503)
848-3133.
Tightening The Bond That Binds:
Saving The Young, Our Families, And The World
“ It is the fam ily that gives us a deep
private sense o f bylonging. H ere we first
begin to have our se lf defined for us.”
H ow ard T hurm an, “ D isciplines o f the
S p irit”
The soul o f Am erica is in trouble. The
family that weathered the worst, m ost turbu
lent storms o f any ethnic group in A m erica’s
history is finally displaying om inous signs o f
unraveling, o f losing its very soul; a soul that
for centuries gave light to the country and to
the world.
For centuries, A frica’s seed on the North
A m erican continent braved calam ities and
assaults that by all rules o f m ortal endurance
and logic should have destroyed it.
A m erica’s dark and beautiful offspring
managed, by the grace o f God, to em erge from
slavery, lynchings, Jim Crow, duplicitous court
rulings, hostile governm ent decisions, whole
town burnings, and strikes on individual and
group esteem, morally unscathed and intact.
O r at least that is what we though 25 or 30
years ago.
Today, at the end o f the 20th century, a
different portrait o f the A frican-A m erican
fam ily is being painted by the purveyors o f
truth and the caretakers o f our race.
At the heart o f m uch o f the disintegration
is the breakdow n o f fam ilial ties and fam ily
rituals but, most im portantly, o f the com m u
nication o f love and genuine concern am ong
the generations.
It appears that character - the outw ard
manifestation o f human behavior that reflects
an inner spirit that has been disciplined and
directed by patience, affection and firmness -
is a shrinking com m odity in our fast-paced,
materialistic and self-absorbed society.
We see the young doing the unthinkable,
saying the unrepeatable, worshipping the un
godly, and exhibiting a tow ering ingratitude
for all that they receive by som eone else’s
efforts; and all we adults do is throw our hands
in the air in a collective gesture o f hopeless
ness and frustration.
It is tim e to stop the finger-pointing and
scapegoating! To reassum e our share o f the
responsibility for the charterless course on
w hich too m any in the younger generation
have em barked. It is tim e to engage in this
battle being w aged for control over the m inds
o f our young.
Like it or not, our children and their
values are m irror reflections o f us. How they
m anifest their w orship o f things may be
different from ours, but its a difference w ith
out distinction. T heir incessant pleasure
seeking is a carbon copy o f our own.
C^^irt/i Announcements^
A girl, Alexis S e n c la ir W h itn ey , was
bom April 10, 1997 to A londa Patton
and Senclair W hitney o f Portland.
A lexis weighed 6 1/2 lbs. and is 18 1/2
in. long.
A boy, L a M a rc u s D em ont Ja c k so n .
was bom April 9, 1997 to V iola Jackson
o f Portland. LaM arcus w eighed 8 lbs. 7
oz and is 21 1/2 in. long.
N.
By Michael A. Grant, J.D.
They worship our gods. Their rebellious
ness is our own returned in a new form. Their
disrespect for the sanctity o f human life and
the sacredness o f human personality was bom
when we abdicated our role o f nurturing them
and providing wise counsel. Instead, alterna
tives such as television have bombarded their
vulnerable and impressionable young minds
with a ceaseless orgy o f sex, violence, and
conspicuous consumption.
We verbally nail our offspring to the cross
for their slavish w orship o f peer opinion,
using acrim ony instead o f honestly taking
responsibility for our role in the matter.
If w e w ould slow dow n our vitriolic at
tacks on our children, we w ould clearly see
that their bonds with their cohorts are rela
tively superficial. For w hile they are co n
nected with those in their age group by m ere
style, form or fashion, they are connected far
deeper to their parents by blood and em o-
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tion.
In their m om ents o f utter desperation, or
w hen their sense o f se lf is shattered, it is
their parents’ com forting presence that the
young cry out for. O ne only has to visit any
o f the countless prisons that houses hun
dreds o f thousands o f the co u n try 's most
hardened inm ates, to witness the periodic
unraveling o f layers that shield an alm ost
infant-like longing for the com fort and reas
surance o f a parent.
We cannot give up on our young. The next
generation craves — beyond their rebellious
ness — our love, our understanding, and our
non-judgm ental support. They need us to
believe in them . They need us to help them
construct a panoram ic view o f what is pos
sible for their lives.
O ur young can be saved. It is our moral
im perative to m ove post haste to do so. Any
talk o f hopelessness m ust be challenged.
For, our young people carry the seed o f our
prom ise for brighter tom orrow s.
W a itin g C h ild r e n
C77te
& o f yC
Blanca and Oyuki
Having a mother to love and take care ofyott is a blessing most ot us take tor granted.
Except for sweet Riley, age 2, who is battling Klinefelter's Syndrome. Or the
adorable and tender sisters Blanca, age 6, and Oyuki, age 4. Even the warm and
loving pair o f Esteban, age 6 and Nancy, age 4. I hese dear children are each missing
a devoted mother tohugafter school, wavegoodbyeorkissgoodnight. Because they
are among the350Oregon children waiting to be adopted by someone special. If you
arealovingand stable adult, this M other’s Day please consider adopting Oregon’s
waiting children. Both Moms and/or Dads are encouraged to inquire. Oregon
adoption agencies waive or reduce fees for persons applying to adopt older children.
For more information, write or call The Special Needs Adoption ( oalition at 018
SW Boundary Ct„ Portland, OR 97201 (503) 222-9661. Toll free outside of
Portland, I-800-342-6688.
Esteban and Nancy
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