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Volume \ \ l \ . Num ber 31
Com m itted to C u ltu ra l Diversity
\u « ’ ust 4, 1999
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Summer Swimming Lessons
Miss summer swim registration?
Getting lessons started a little late? No
problem! W hile lessons are rapidly
filling up at Portland Parks and Recre­
ation pools, there are still plenty of
opportunities for children and adults to
leant to swim! The Parks’ Aquatics
Division has classes through the rest of
the summer in two, two-week-long ses­
sions: August 9 - August 20; August
23 - September 3. The 30-minute
classes run Monday through Friday.
Spaces are filling fast, so register soon!
E x p lo re
th e ir
w e b site
at
www.parks,ciJg0Itland,9T,US-
D
¿4
The African
Arts Day
Camps
offer
children an
alternative
to the
traditional
summer
camp
experience...
Help Needy Children
The L.I.F.E. (Low-Income Fami­
lies Emergency) Center is having its
16th annual back-to-school drive for
needy children (K-12). The drive will
continue through August 10,1999. The
Center needs new and good usable
clothing to ensure needy children are
properly prepared for the upcoming
school year. Ifyou need more informa­
tion or would like to volunteer for the
giveaway, call Leslie Garth at 503/
28 4 -6 8 7 8 . A ll d o n a tio n s m aybe
dropped o ff at the L.I.F.E. Center at
2746 NE MLK Jr. Blvd. Or, call the
Center for a pick-up.
Divorce Recovery Support Groups
Beaverton Christian Church offers a
DIVORCE Recovery Group on Monday
evenings at 7 PM at Beaverton Christian
Church, 13600 SW Allen Blvd. This
group provides an opportunity for sup­
port, sharing and guidance. It is designed
as a support group - not as a substitute for
individual therapy. If you are interested
in the group, contact Dr. Randy Christian
at 503/646-2151, ext. 240.
Children's Fair
The N/NE Taskforce is sponsoring a
Children’s Fair! It will be held on Satur­
day, August 14 from 10 AM to 3 PM at
Common Bond, located at 4919 NE 9*
(behind St. Andrews Church). All fami­
lies, child care providers and children
are welcome to participate in games,
music, dance, food and fun! Last year
over 500 families attended the fair. The
Children’s Fair will also feature infor­
mation on childhood development, help­
ful parenting tips, community resources,
and a free lead testing clinic. A limited
number o f sc holarships are available for
non-profit agencies who are unable to
afford the $10 donation. Call Joann
Borud at 503/256-0432 X225 to re­
quest a scholarship application.
B
Children Beat Their Own Drum at
Musical Summer Camp
Y2K Preparation
As Y2K approaches, SBA (Small
Business Association) can help. Small
and home-based businesses should be
aware o f the problem, and what it af­
fects. Acquire the hardware and soft­
ware fixes and prepare a contingency
plan if the patches fail either in your
firm or your trading partners. Y ou can
do that by getting the facts from SBA 's
home page at www.sba.gov/y2k if you
have Internet connectivity or use the
free SBA fax-back capability at 877/
789-2565 or contact the SBA office at
503/326-2682.
Ancient Forest Picnic
Join ONRC friends and families for
a day o f guided ancient forest hikes,
games, swimming, music and fabulous
vegetarian bar-b-que. Learn about the
Oregon W ild campaign to protect wil­
derness in Oregon on Sunday, August
22 from 11 AM - 5 PM. The cost is $5
for adults, $3 for kids 8-18. This will
get you the entire day’s activities and
all-you-can-eat. For more information
or directions, contact Catherine at 503-
283-6343 ext.211 or visit their website
page at cttaionrc.org.
SECTION
Beating an
African
drum
is ju s t part
of the fun.
ozens o f Portland area chil­
dren are participating in the
Homowo A frican Arts & Cul-
tures Day Camps, a unique summer
camp that exposes them to African art
forms including basic Ghanaian hand
drumming techniques, dance m ove­
ments, weaving, painting and drawing.
In ternationally know n artist Obo
Addy and m em bers o f his traditional
group O kropong have conducted two
o f the w eeklong cam ps at E ast Port­
land C om m unity C enter (July 19-23)
and W hitaker M iddle School (July
26-20). The rem aining tw o cam ps
w ill take place at Friendly H ouse in
northw est Portland, A ugust 2-6 and
A ugust 9-13.
“The A frican A rts D ay Cam ps o f­
fer children an alternative to the tra­
ditional sum m er cam p experience,”
said Susan A ddy, executive director
o f H om ow o A frican A rts & C ultures.
“B eating an A frican drum is ju st part
o f the fun. P articipants also explore
the history o f another culture through
storytelling, m usic and art - a whole
N ew W orld is opened to them .”
T h e A fric a n A rts & C u ltu re s
C am ps, sp onsored by P ortland G en­
eral E le c tric , are an ex ten sio n o f the
annual H om ow o festiv al, a tra d i­
tional G hanaian festival o f w elcom e
and th an k sg iv in g . A ddy says the
festiv al is rooted in the values o f
h o sp ita lity , to leran ce and re c o n c ili­
ation. The festival w ill take place
this year in the South Park B locks at
P o rtlan d State U n iv ersity A ugust 21
and 22. For m ore inform ation about
the H om ow o F estival and o th er re ­
la te d ev en ts, co n tact Susan A ddy at
5 0 3 -288-3025.
P G E ’s gift o f $8,000 supports the
A frican A rts D ay Cam p, scholarships
for underprivileged youth and spon­
sorship o f the H om ow o Festival.
Instructor Charles Armah teaches Shakell Greely the fine
art of drumming at the Homowo African Arts Day Camp.
Camp was held July 19-23 at East Portland Community
Center.
NOBLE’S Youth Participated
in Memorial March
N O BLE focused on the them e “C o u n t­
dow n to the M illen n iu m ...W ill You Be
R ead y ?’ W h at’s ahead for our youth in
the new m illennium ?
W orkshops w ere held for the youth in
the com m unities as well as the youth
attending the conference as fam ily m em ­
bers o f attendees. T opics such as ’C h a l­
lenges to the youth o f Law E nforcem ent,"
’Y outh Financial M anagem ent," “Y outh
Law enforcement executives take a moment out to speak to
the Portland Observer about what they hope to accomplish
with their stay In the “City of Roses.” The officers shown from
left to right Include: Stan Reeves, Deputy Chief of the Vancouver
Police Department; Mac Lockett, retired Chief of Police of
Portland Public Schools; Michael D. Bryant, Chief of Police of
Portland International Airport; Roy A. Brown, Captain Patrol
Commander of the City of Eugene.
and the M edia,” w ere covered ju s t to
nam e a few.
NO BLE is a 3500 m em ber, nonprofit
organization o f com m and-level m inority
law enforcem ent o ffic ia ls from federal,
state and m unicipal law en fo rcem en t
agencies across the country.
The organization is based in Arlington,
V A, just outside ofWashington, D.C. NOBLE
is committed to Justice By Action.
Photos by M. Washington