Page A8 March 24, 1999 - (Fije $Jortkuth (©bseruer Kids’ Health I riefs March 1999 We re Rghting Breast Cancer the Best Way We Know How. Together T his year, m ore than 180,000 w om en will learn for the first time that they have breast cancer. More than 2,500 o f them will live in O r­ egon and SW W ashington More than 40,000 w omen will lose their lives. M ore than 600 o f them are our n eig h b o rs, fam ily m em bers and friends. If found early, more than 95% o f breast cancer can be arrested before it’s life threatening. Less than 10 % o f all breast cancer can be genetically traced. Early de­ tection rem ains our best protection against life threatening breast can­ cer. The Susan G. K om en Breast C ancer Foundation has been w ork­ ing through local affiliates and Race for the C ure events since 1982 to eradicate breast cancer as a life- threatening disease by advancing research, education, screening and treatment. The G reater Portland A f­ filiate has been active since 1992, and hosts the second largest Race for the Cure in the country, w ith m ore than 33,000participants in 1998. Eradicating Breast Cancer The Susan G . K om en Breast C an­ cer Foundation w as established in 1982 by N ancy B rinker to honor the memory ofher sister, Susan G . Komen, w ho died from breast cancer at the age o f 36. The Foundation is a na­ tional organization with a netw ork o f volunteers w orking through local affiliates and Race for the Cure events across the country, fighting to eradi­ cate breast cancer as a life-threaten­ ing disease by advancing research, education, screening and treatment. The Foundation is often the only source for cuttm g-edge breast can­ cer research. In addition to funding innovative scientific research through the N ational G rant Program, our na­ tional headquarters and local affili­ ates throughout the country fund breast cancer education, screening and treatm ent projects for the m edi­ cally under-served. Where the Money Goes Mammograms: The Komen Foun­ dation provides free and low-cost m am m ogram s and other diagnostic procedures to under-served women throughout Oregon and SW W ash­ ington through its toll-free M am m o­ gram Hotline: 1-800-404-8241. More than 2,000 services are paid by the K om en Foundation each year. Grants: The m ost effective out­ reach is conducted on a grassroots, com m unity-based level. That sw hy the Komen Foundation provides an­ nual community grants of up to $20,000 each to local organizations to sup­ port outreach, education and screen­ ing. The Foundation also provides mini-giants o f up to $ 1,000 on monthly cycles for community based outreach and education projects. The Affiliate also sponsors medical research grants in the N orthw est region. Outreach and Education: Sponsor­ ship o f educational events and confer­ ences. awareness campaigns, speaker's bureau activities, educational brochures, booklets and shower cards: dozens o f volunteers help get the word out to women, employers and the media about early detection and the most current information about breast cancer. Survivors: Sponsorship and support Television creates a weighty problem for children Siblings'complaints of unfair treatment deserve attention HOUSTON -A lthough today’s children are not, on average, consuming morecalories than previous generations, they certainly might be mov ing less. More than one- fourth o f America ’ s children spend four or more hours each day watching television, and a lull two- thirds spend at least two hours a day in front o f "the tube," according to a recent study. Not surprisingly, the more television the children watched, the fatter they tend to be. "Kids sprawled in front o f the tele­ vision don' t bum many calories,” says Dr Marta Fiorotto o f the U SD A 's Childrens Nutrition Research Center in Houston. "They need to get on their feet, go out and play." W hile tim e spent sitting in class­ room, doing hom ew ork, and reading is not negotiable, parents can help their couch-potato kids becom e more active. Fiorotto suggests replacing unnecessary sitting with family walks, bike rides, hopscotch, soccer drills, or even dances in the living room. "M aking regularphysical activity a fun family affair helps children build a lifetime ofhealthy habits," she said. H O U ST O N W hen kids co m ­ plain they a re n ’t being treated the sam e as th eir brothers and sisters, parents sh o u ld listen. “ S om e p aren ts ju s t n atu rally fa­ vor o n e ch ild o v er an o th er, so they need to m ake a c o n scio u s effo rt to be o b jectiv e and note w h eth er they are tru ly trea tin g all the k id s e q u i­ ta b ly ," said Dr. Jam es B ray , a p sy ­ ch o lo g ist in the D ep a rtm en t o f F am ily and C o m m u n ity M ed icin e at B ay lo r C o lleg e o f M ed icin e in H o u sto n . S o m etim es th ere are v alid rea­ sons w hy ch ild ren d o n ’t g et the sa m e p r iv ile g e s , a n d p a r e n ts sh o u ld tak e tim e to ex p lain the ra­ tio n ale. "Y o u n g e r k id s m ig h t not realize th e ir o ld e r sib lin g s are a l­ low ed to do m ore th in g s b ecau se o f th eir ag e," B ray said. T een ag ers w ho q u estio n w hy th e ir y o u n g er sib lin g s get m ore g ifts for b irth ­ days an d C h ristm as m ig h t need a rem in d er that the ty p es o f gifts m ore appropriate for teenagers tend to be m ore ex p e n siv e th an k id s ’ toys, so a sm a lle r q u a n tity does not n ec essarily m ean less m oney w as spent. activities for survivors include two Dragon Boat teams; fourHood-to-Coast teams; information and referral about support groups and survivor family activities; sponsorship o f issues After Breast Cancer annual conference; the annual Survivors’ Brunch and Fashion Show; and speakers' bureau. Earth Day Celebration D o Y ou K n o w A T e e n a g e r W h o N e e d s A S e co n d C hance? “C o m m u n ity C o n n e c tio n s t o t h e E n v iro n m e n t” April24,1999,from 10 am til lpviatMatt Dishman Comm. Center, 77 NE Knott St Tentative Performance Schedule 10:15 a m 10:30 a m Speaker to open Earth Day • 10:45 am -1 1: 30 a m NW African Amencan Ballet Theater, Bruce Smith • 11 :30 am - 12: 75 pm Wisdom of the Elders, Rose Dryer High Bear • 12. 15 am -1: 00pw"BarbieBetReal"Solid Waste Management by, Susan Duncan Main Forum Events Ockley Green Middle School, Joe Fraser • W ater Bureau Tim Lichen, Planting o f a wetland • C lear Corps Larry E hrbar, lead reduction • Ports­ mouth M iddle School Doug Saulter • Salmon Corps Scott Welch, project with Ockley Middle School • Portland Parks, C om m unity G ardens Leslie P ohl-K osban, tran sp lan tin g M ari­ golds • Saturday Academy Stacey Renfo, Steward restoration project All Day Events •Paper making, Freda Shebum e from METRO • Procession o f the Spe­ cies, art work shop to create endan­ gered species costumes for parade, produced by Earth and Spirit Council Mary W infeild and Chad Bliss. • 1:OO p m -3 : 0 0 p m Free swim at Dishman After Earth Day Events 1 2 :3 0 p m - 6 : 0 0 p m Procession o f the Species parade, from Broadway to Pioneer Court House Square. “There are likely to be occasions when parents can justify w hy one child gets preferential treatm ent, and parents should take advantage o f the opportunity to teach an im portant lessons about life," Bray said. "Life is not fair. It ju st is w hat it is.” The Oregon National Guard Youth Challenge Program will be starting its next class on July 17, 1999. Applications are now being accepted. Student's ages 16- 18 can earn the GED or 8 high school credits. This is a cost free, CO-ED, 22 week residential program that offers a “second chance" for at-risk teens. You can go back to high school after completing the program. The main branches of military accept our graduates with a GED or Diploma. The goals of this pro­ gram are to provide young people with values, self-esteem skills, discipline, education, and to succeed as students and young adults. The program is con­ ducted at the Central Oregon Training and Education Facility (COTFF) in Bend, Oregon. If you have any questions regarding the program ot would like to enroll, please write or call for more information. You can obtain specific infor­ mation and an enrollment application at our website at www.ycporng.org Dust mites might be triggering all allergies H O U S T O N — W a sh in g y o u r ch ild ’s pillow in hot w ater could help lesson allergy symptoms. "Pillows are one o f the biggest triggers o f allergies, because dust mites live in them," said Dr. Holly Birdsall. an ear- nose-and-throat specialist at Baylor C ollege o f M edicine in Houston. D ust m ites take up residence in pillows and bed coverings, where they can feed o ff skin cells that fall o ff the body. W hen your face com es in contact w ith the pillow, you might breath in dust mites. O nce inside the nasal passage, these m icroscopic bugs can cause such allergic reac­ tions as sneezing and itchy eyes. Birdsall recommends washing pil­ low s and all bedding every two weeks in hot water. “ It’s the hot tem pera­ ture. not the soap, that kills dust m ites," she said. Nonw ashable items like m attresses should be enclosed in allergy-proof covers. Stuffed ani­ m als should be washed or moved aw ay from the bed. Brooke Hohnstein Looking for a career Brooke “ wandered" in high school, not sure what she wanted to do.Then she had a talk with her uncle, an optician.“ Opticians w ork w ith glasses, and that wasn’t too interesting to me," she says. But an ophthalmic medical technician— whose duties include diagnostic testing, patient teaching and assisting in surgery— was w o rth a second look. In PCC’s program, she progresses from course to course with the same small group of teachers and students."Everyone is really supportive,” she says. "The instructors understand you have a life outside of school— I w ork three days a week— and they’re willing to help you in any way Portland Community College S0Ì-244-6111 they can." C ollege that fits your life. Oregon N ational Guard Youth Challenge Program 23861 Dodds Road-Bend, OR 97701-541-317-9623 ext 225-Fax 541-382-6785 Seventh www.ycporng.org J W J°b Fa,r March 30, 1999 i 9 :0 0 a m -2 :0 0 pm & 3 :0 0 p m -7 :0 0 p m Memorial Coliseum Exhibition Hall Take Tri-Met Busses o r Max: 5, 8, 10, 33, 40, 70, 74X, 77, 85S, or 95X) ( l, I wb F 80 employers representing a variety o f industries! Here are just a few! American Family Insurance, Bank of America, City of Vancouver, Coca-Cola, Doubletree/Promus Hotels, Epson Portland, Inc., First Consumers National Bank, Fred Meyer, Intel Corporation, Jantzen, Inc., Kinkos, Legacy Health System, NW Temporary Staffing Services, Oregon Lottery, Portland Community College, Regence BlueCross/BlueShield, RR Donnelly Northwest, Inc., Sequent Computer Systems, Inc., State Farm Insurance, Tri Met, US West Dex, Washington Mutual Bank, Wells Fargo Bank, Xerox Corporation, and many more! Sponsored in p a rt by JWC Associates, State Farm Insurance, Tektronix, First Consumers National Bank, US West Dex, and Today’s Careers, The Employment Paper. T h e U R B A N LEAG UE o f P o rtio n d J For additional information, call (503) 241-4644 V is it o u r w e b s ite a t w w w .ls to p .o r g /n e o s c c /n e c c s p e c .h tm . *7 «