Committed to Cultural Diversity
www.portlandobservercom
lanuary 22. 2003
B
STIfc |LìnrtIanù (Dhscruer
H M M
C
o m m u n ity
a 1 e n d a r
Adopt a Pet
G eneral A ssistance Funds Dry Up
Cuts to put more
minorities in north
and northeast
Portland at risk
"T he state no longer has the funding to pro­
vide the General Assistance program. It w ill
end on Jan. 31.”
The state's General Assistance program
provides tem porary cash aid o f $ 3 14 a month
to disabled O regonians who are waiting to
503-285-7722, extension204,
qualify for monthly federal Social Security
payments. Adults w ho qualify must be un­
Silver Jubilee
by W y nde D y er
able to work for a year and have less than $50
C'ome celebrate 25 years ofNeigh-
T he P o r tla n d O bserver
in liquid assets. The state is then reimbursed
borhood Mediation services and
Lana Centeno, 47, was released from the for the funds once the social security qualifi­
give special recognition to Office
hospital the sam e day the mailman delivered cations are met.
o f N eighborhood Involvement
the bad news.
For some o f O regon’s most vulnerable
employee Eddie Collins forhis25
Depressed, malnourished, anemic and individuals seniors and those with mental
years o f service. There will be
suffering from siriasis o f the liver caused by and physical disabilities $ 3 14 from Oregon's
refreshm ents, a celebration pro­
Hepatitis C. the letter Centeno held in her General A ssistance is the only income they
gram , music and special guests.
hand w as as close to a death wish as the near- receive.
V isitors can also cheek out the
fatal bus accident that disabled her six years
“G etting by on that little money was pretty
new and improved King Facility
ago and left her scarred with post-traumatic tight."C enteno said. "But without it I have no
during this event, scheduled for | stress syndrome.
idea what I' m going to do. I low am I supposed
Thursday, Jan. 23 from 5:30 p.m.
P iioto by W yndi D yer / T he P ortland O bserver
"The program w hich allows you to get a to survive?”
Lana Centeno. 4 7, waits for her case manager at the Albina Avenue office o f Multnomah
to 8 p.m., in the Comm unity Court
cash payment and medical card each month
More critical to the issue o f survival is the
County Aging and Disability Services. Centeno, along with 2 ,7 0 0 Oregonians who are
Room at 4815 N,E. 7"’ Ave.
is ending," read the notice delivered to more
continued ' y f on page B4
unable to work and have less that $ 5 0 in liquid assets, will lose monthly checks o f
than 2,700 disabled Oregonians last week.
Asian Health Fair
$31 4 when the sta te ’s General Assistance program ends Feb. 1.
On Saturday, Jan. 25 come from 10 |
The Oregon Humane Society is
extending its outreach efforts to
area pet stores this month. To help
the Humane Society bring home­
less pets into the community, call j
a.m. to 5 p.m. to the Asian Family
Center, located at4424N.E. GI isan
St., for free health screening ser­
vices by professionals. A chiro­
practor, massage therapist, podia­
trist and acupuncturist amongst
other health care professionals wil I
be on hand to give diabetes screen- I
ing, blood pressure, heart rate and |
cholesterol checks, feet checks, and
information on drug, alcohol and |
tobacco prevention, domestic vio­
lence prevention, breast an cervi­
cal cancerawareness. Someone wi
also check for head lice.
-\
J —
Peace protest­
ors file p a st 5,h
Avenue along
Main Street in
downtown
Portland during
Saturday's rally
against a war
in Iraq.
THOUSANDS
KUJA » PEACE
PHOTOS BY'
W ynde D yer /
T he P or i land
O bserver
Conference on Black Affairs
O regon Assem bly for Black A f­
fairs will host the 2003 C all-To-I
Action LeadershipC onferenceto
discuss legislative and executive
priorities o f O regon’s African
A m erican com m unity and the
State o f Oregon. Organizers hope I
Martin Luther
King-inspired anti­
war protest one of
largest in Portland’s
history
to prepare a 2003 legislative
agenda with strategies for im ple­
mentation. The conference will be
held Saturday, Jan. 25 at the Red
Lion Hotel, in Salem from 8 a.m. to
6 pan. Registration fee is $50. The
student fee is $25.
by D avid P i . ft h i .
T he P or i i and O bsery er
Free Training For Hospice
Volunteers
Kaiser Perm anente will provide
free volunteer training to people
willing to provide physical and
emotional support for terminally
ill hospice patients in the Portland
a re a a n d re s p ite fo r th e ir
caregivers. The training is in Port­
land on Tuesdays and Thursdays
from 1 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. starting
Jan. 30 through Feb. 27, with one
Saturday session on Feb. 8 from 9
a.m. to 4 p.m. For more informa­
tion, call Kaiser Perm anente's
hospice volunteer coordinator |
Juanita O liver at 503-499-5285.
Chinese New Year Banquet •
The C hinese N ew Y earC u ltu ral
Fair is a com m unity event to
w elcom e the Y ear o f the Sheep
w ith a banquet and a traditional
dragon dance. The annual c e l­
ebration will beheld at the Legin
R estaurant. 8001 S.E. D ivision |
on Saturday, Feb. I , from I I a.m.
to 6 p.m . and Sunday, Feb. 2,
from 10a.m . to 5 p .m .
Slavery Reparations
Randall Robison,authorofseveral
bookson African American issues,
will leada lecture at the Kaul Audi-
toriumat ReedCollegeon Wednes­
day, Feb. 5 at 7:30 p.m. on what
AmericaOwestoBlacks. Robinson
is widely recognized tor his leader-
shipofthe Free South Africa Move­
ment to end apartheid in South
A frica and his efforts toalert Ameri­
cans to the causes and implication
o f A m erica’s burgeoning prison
industrial complex.
1
Emily Grant shouts out anti-war chants with fellow peace protesting cheerleaders on Saturday during the Dr. M artin
Luther King-inspired rally for peace in downtown Portland. Event organizers estim ated 2 5 ,0 0 0 people attended the
protest, a lm o st as many a t the crowd o f 3 0 ,0 0 0 who turned out a t a s im ila r event in Washington. D.C.
A crowd estim ated to be between
20,(100 and 25,000 members strong
marched, stomped and sang through
downtown streets o f Portland Satur­
day afternoon, calling for a peaceful
end to the conflict w ith Iraq.
Organizers scheduled the event as
a way o f honoring the Martin Luther
King Jr. holiday.
G eorge Cabrera wore his old Vief-
nam-era fatigues to the rally and car­
ried a sign that simply read - PL ACE
He said he came to march for the chil­
dren o fb o th Iraq and the United States
that could suffer as a result o f a war.
“ It just doesn’t solve anything," he
said. "All w e're doing is protecting our
oil rights."
O ver 140 groups took part in the
rally that is thought to have rivaled the
size o f even the largest anti-Vietnam
marches I hc broad coalition o f sup­
porters included the Ecumenical M in­
istries o f t Aregon.
continued
on page B2
M aking a D ifference for C hildren and F am ilies
Kay Toran settles into
role as President of
Volunteers of America
cess,” she said.
Toran got a gixxl jump-start
on her book but shortly there­
after was contacted by Gerald
McFadden, President o f Vol­
by D a v id P i et h i ./
unteers o f America in San Di­
P ortland O bserver
ego.
After25 years in state government and five
McFadden was familiar with
years as head o f O regon's Office o f Services her track record in Oregon and
toFamilies and Children, Kay Toran was look­ her knowledge o f state and fed­
ing forward to taking some time off. She in­ eral programs aimed at adult
tended to write a biHik about her experiences. rehabilitation and children's
‘I want young people raised in this commu­ services. He asked her if she
nity that look like me to know that it is possible might want to head up the Port­
to aspire to a position o f leadership and suc- land branch o f Volunteers o f
*
v
Kay Toran
America.
Toran weighed her op­
tio n s and d e c id e d she
vyouldn't pass up the op­
portunity to rally behind the
protection o f services to
families on the comm unity
level.
“ W e provide services
from birth to death," said
Toran, o f V G A 's Ibserv ice
programs.
R ehabilitation centers,
residential treatment facili­
ties, employm ent serv ices
4
and transitional housing programs serve
thousands o f clients a year.
"These program s really make a differ­
ence in people's lives." Toran said.
Parenting classes and programs tor kids
are focused on prevention and early inter­
vention.
"H ere w e're able to interv ene before they
get to child protective services," she said
T oran's experience as head o f the state
agency overseeing children gives her great
appreciation forthe decisions made on tough
questions everyday.
continued
on page B2