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About Portland observer. (Portland, Or.) 1970-current | View Entire Issue (March 20, 2002)
( ( tm n i il l i d hi ( w v w .p iti lIn in ld lts c i x cr.com tillu r u l l) i\ c is ilx M a rc h 20. 2002 ■I (The ^Jnrthnth (Dhsrmer SECTION “ffiiidpinp PaitEand ô Gatntnunitieô ” OI Ministry Plans New Urban School Easter Egg Hunt Miracle Village Ministries aims to nurture children and their families o ut ni u n i t n a l c n b a r Jantzen Beach SuperCenter will be holding their first annual indoor Eas ter egg hunt featuring Mother Goose on Saturday, March 30, from 1 -4 p.m. nearShoe Pavilion for all children ages 10 and younger. There will be different egg hunts based on children's ages. Forages 1-3,hunt begins at 1 p.m .;for ages 4-6, hunt begins at 2 p.m.; for ages 7-10, hunt begins at 3 p.m. Portland Farmer's Market Portland Farm er’s Market will teach anyone interested in how to grow like a professional gardener. Gardening speakers will offer free talks each hour and kids’ activities will keep little sprouts busy with take-home projects inspired by nature. For more market in fo rm a tio n , go o n lin e to www.portlandfarmersmarkct.org Friends of Trees Friends o f Trees’ Branching Out pro gram will give away 6 to 12 foot tall yard trees, including a variety o f fruit and nut trees and native deciduous trees, in addition to native conifer seedlings. The giveaway will be on Saturday, March 30, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. at Friends o f Trees, 3117 NE. MLK, Jr. Blvd. and on April 20,9 a.m. - 5 p.m. at Environmental Middle School. Call 282-8846, ext. 17 or go online to www.friendsoftrees.org. OMSI’s Star Party Spring, or known as vernal equinox is here. On Saturday evening, March 23, OMSI and Rose City Astronomers will celebrate with a free star party. Come and view celestial sights like the planets, Orion Nebula and the Bee 1 hive star cluster. Telescopes will be set up and binoculars provided. Call 797-4610 on March 23 after 3 p.m. to get the latest information on weather cancellation. Other information can be found online at www.omsi.edu. Police Activities League The Police Activities League which serves youth in Portland and Gresham is sponsoring the 6"' annual PAL “Cel- continued on page B4 Esther Hinson (center) of Miracle Village Ministries enjoys the musical ‘ Then and Now" with Pat Dixon, Bietra Wilson and Gregory Wilson. M iracle V illage M inistries plans to open a private Christian elem entary school in the fall in northeast Portland to nurture children and their families. The m inistry is a nonprofit group founded by Portland C om m unity C ol lege G ED instructor Esther Hinson. A core group has form ed to launch the new school. They are looking for a site to begin classes next fall and for help from the com m unity. T he m in istry e n v isio n s a school th at w ill give each stu d e n t, from k in d erg arten to eighth grade, the in dividual attention they need, offering a holistic and m u lticultural education w ith a stro n g em p h asis on m ath, read in g and w riting. H in so n h a s h e lp e d sh a p e th e s c h o o l’s c o n c e p t for the p ast 18 years and p lan s to later include a H ealth and W ellness C enter and R esi d en tial H om es for young w om en, betw een the ages o f 17-24. The Health and W ellness Center will be for seniors and their families. The Diverse Group Honored for Excellence at BPA The Bonneville Power Administration in Portland has made its commitment to hiring a diverse work force plain with the honoring of several people of color. Torrence served as the em cee. Special guests included sister Lorraine W ilder, Rev. Franklin Brown, a m im e group called “JC C onstruction C rew ,” the “N ’touch” band and the “C oncrete E vangelists” - a rap group. M iracle V illage was “birthed out o f com passion for students w ho need to be loved, nurtured, taught academ i cally and discover w ho they are cultur ally and spiritually,” organizers said. For m ore inform ation, call 503-703- 0609. Drug Abuse Treatment Efforts Supported County program to help young people in trouble with the law Clara Tyson Gloria Carter A $241,613 grant to im prove sub stance abuse treatm ent and other services for young people in trouble with the law has been aw arded to M ultnom ah C ounty by the Robert W ood Johnson Foundation. The foundation’s “ Reclaim ing Fu tures" grant is one o f 11 nationw ide, totaling $2.59 m illion, to com m uni ties who plan new drug abuse treat ment options and other services for delinquent youth. M ultnom ah C ounty plans to use its share o f the m oney to fund a project called M ultnom ah Embrace that proposes to serve about 240 young offenders annually with sub stance abuse problem s beginning in 2003. “The need for M ultnom ah Em brace is clear,” says Joanne Fuller, director o f the M ultnom ah County D epartm ent o f C om m unity Justice. "W e know that kids who abuse alcohol and drugs are m ore likely to behave violently, break the law. or end up in court. W e also know that alcohol and drug abuse is a major health problem am ong juvenile of Ruth Hiraki The group o f A frican A m erican em ployees and women at BPA w ere celebrated for exceptional contributions during a M arch 7 cerem ony at the federal agency’s headquarters in northeast Portland. T he in d iv id u a ls in clu d ed S u san n e C o o p er, an industry eco n o m ist; John H airsto n , a p u b lic u tilitie s sp ecialist; and R uth H iraki, a p o w er b u sin ess line m anager; all honored for e x cep tio n al serv ice to the electric u tility indu stry and the c o m m u n ity . Byron Kelly Suzanne Cooper Harrison McMillan Jr. John Hairston Hiraki also w as honored for achievem ent in equal em ploy m ent opportunity. In that category she was join ed by G loria Carter, a public utilities specialist supervisor in Vancouver, for aw ards that recognizes the prom otion o f EEO goals and the creation o f a diverse group o f team m em bers. B yron K elly. H arriso n M cM illan Jr. and C lara T yson, p ro p e rty m an ag em en t sp e c ia lists, w ere h o n o red for c o n trib u tio n s to en v iro n m en tal p ro te c tio n and w o rk p lace e n ergy savings. residential hom es elem ent will be for young wom en needing skills in safety, personal care, hom e econom ics, ca reer preparation, jo b search assistance and C hristian counseling. M iracle V illage celebrated their sec ond public fund-raiser earlier this month at M allory Christian Church w ith a m usical called “Then and N ow ,” a presentation o f the history o f gospel m usic, from B iblical tim e s to the present. The g ro u p ’s co-founder Shrenna f I fenders in M ultnom ah C o u n ty ,” Fuller said. An annual study by the National Institute o f Justice found that a num ber o f people who had tested positive for drugs quadrupled from 12 per cent in 1992 to a record level o f 53 percent in 2000. A 1999 survey o f youth on proba tion in M ultnom ah County revealed that 34 percent used alcohol or drugs three or m ore tim es per w eek, and 23 percent used them daily. “ Kids in M ultnom ah C o u n ty ’s ju venile ju stice system w ith substance abuse problem s d o n 't alw ays have the services needed,” said D ianne Linn, chair o f the M ultnom ah County Com m ission. “ As a result, m any find them selves in trouble w ith the law again and again. “This grant will help M ultnom ah C ounty m itigate the costly cycle o f substance abuse and delinquency," says Linn. “ W e need to invest in the lives o f these young people. W e are thrilled to have the support o f The Robert W ood Johnson Foundation to help us accom plish this.”
