Commutai U» C uitin al Diversity
C
o in in u n i t y
a I e n d a r
City of Bridges
The Eastside Bridge C lub teaches
the fascinating and fun-filled
gam e in a friendly environm ent at
EasybridgeClass, from 7 to 9 p.m.
T hursday, Sept. 11. C lasses are
$5 including refreshm ents. 1435
N.E. 81" Ave. Call 503-252-1318.
uww poitkindobscrvci tom
August 27, 2003
School Gets THE BEAT
Get In Shape
Providence Health System s of
fers W estside fitness classes at
4015 S.W. M ercantile Dr., Lake
Oswego. Classes include step, ball
and bar, cardio mix, cardio step,
g e n tle -p a c e d fitn e s s , g ro u p
strength training and Tai chi. For
info call 503-574-6595 or visit
www.providence.org'c lasses.
Prostate Awareness Month
Legacy Health System will screen
for prostate cancer, the second
leading cause o f cancer death
among American men, from 8 a.m.
to I p.m ., Sept. 20, at the L egacy
C linic N ortheast M edical Plaza
Building, 300 N. G raham St., Ste.
200. T h ere’s a $25 fee and ap
pointm ents are required. T o re g -
ister, call 503-335-3500.
Students from
Jefferson High are
already fine-tuning
their natural talents
for rhythm and
dance as p a rt o f
the school's new
drum line, a high-
energy band. The
Drum Line is a first
step in rebuilding
the school's music
program.
P hoto bv
M ark W ashington /
T he P ortland
O bserver
Meals on Wheels Benefit
Patrons ofW idm erG asthaus, 929
N. R ussell, can enjoy a night out
a n d h e lp fe e d P o r t l a n d ’s
hom ebound seniors from 4 p.m .
to close on Sept. 16. H a lf the
proceeds on that day w ill benefit
Loaves & Fishes C enters, the
M eals-O n-W heels People.
Wellness Within Reach
W ellness W ithin R EA CH Walk
will draw m ore than 500 people to
the streets o f northeast Portland
at 8 a.m. Saturday, Sept. 6. The
African American Health C oali
tion event encourages donations
to support com m unity health ac
tivities. Register for the w alk by
sending a $15 check to 2800 N.
Vancouver Ave, Ste. lOO.Formore
information, call 503-413-1850.
Jefferson rolls
out high-energy
drum line band
N eighbors o f Jefferson High School are
hearing the beat, beat, beat o f drum s as
students in a Drum Line Band C am p practice
M o n d ay a n d T h u rsd a y n ig h ts o n th e
sch o o l’s football field in north Portland.
Members o f this high-energy band are ex
pected to commit to the hard work anti discipl ine
that will lead to academic development.
“To be part o f this exciting new athletic
and m usical o p portunity at Jefferson, stu
dents m ust m eet and m aintain all O regon
School A ctivities A ssociation academ ic and
c o n d u c t re q u ire m e n ts ,” said M a rsh a ll
H askins, the sc h o o l’s athletic director.
The drum I ine wil I com plem ent Jefferson's
drill team -p ro v id in g another opportunity
for p articipation in student activities. The
“T he Jefferson D rum Line is the first ste
in rebuilding Jefferson’s m usic program thi
has been virtually elim inated due to budge
c u ts o v e r re c e n t y e a rs ," said R o n n y
H arrison, the D rum L in e’s director.
M iddle school students in the Jeffersoi
clu ster are encouraged to jo in the drum line
S tu d e n ts w ho w an t m ore in fo rm atio r
and m em b ers o f the co m m u n ity interestec
in su p p o rtin g the Je ffe rso n D rum Line
sh o u ld c o n ta c t R o n n y e H arriso n at 503-
312-0465.
Hundreds to Join Hands Across The 1-5 Bridge
Award-Winning Produce
Labor Day event on
1-5 span celebrate
addiction recovery
The C ity G arden F air features
hom egrow n to m ato es, b ean s
squash, herbs and flow ers for
ju d g in g and display from 8:30
а. m. to 2 p.m . on Saturday, Sept.
б, at the South Park Blocks, across
from Portland State U niversity.
H undreds o f local residents will celebrate
their freedom from alcohol and drug ad d ic
tion on L abor Day w hen they jo in hands to
span the Interstate 5 B ridge that links O r
egon and W ashington.
The second annual H ands A cross the
Bridge event is set for 9:30 a.m . to 10:30 a.m.
on M onday, Sept. I . T he cerem onies on
both sides o f the C olum bia R iver are aim ed
at prom oting the benefits o f substance abuse
Bones and Brews
The Bones and Brews festival on
Sept. 6 and 7 m ay sound violent,
but it’s really ju st about beer,
barbeque, m usic and neighbor
hood fun on Flanders Street be
tween 13* and 14“1 Avenues.
treatm ent.
that treatm ent w orks, recovery is possible
“A t this event, the strength and ex p eri and com m unities do heal.
ence o f people in recov- _ ---------------------------------------
B y jo in in g hands
B , from addiction and
,
/
and spanning the In
alcoholism -togetherw ill
.
te r s ta te B rid g e , w e
s u p p o r t fro m their
w ant to show that re
friends, fam ily and co m
covery from drug ad
m unity m em bers - w ill
diction and alcoholism
counter so ciety ’s nega
w orks," W edge added.
tive stigm as attached to
“ L a st y e a r ’s e v e n t
addiction," said co-orga- - Louise Wedge of Portland's
drew over 200 people
n izer L ouise W edge o f Recovery Association Protect
w hose lives have been
Portland’s R ecovery A s
touched by addiction
sociation Project. “O n ________________
-----------* * recovery - and w e ex
L abor D ay, o u r com m unities will stand to pect a larger turnout this y ear People in
gether to build bridges o f understanding
recovery, people supporting loved ones in
Nose in
the Books
C lti
Shanta Parker (left) and Olivia Magnano find pleasure in
reading during a summ er school session for local kids.
T he P ortland O bserver
The sorry state o f Portland Public S chools is
not new s to anybody. The d istrict has been
cutting budgets for years, and faces an uncertain
financial future.
W hen funding w as cut for a sum m er school
program last year, and a p opular sum m er school
program at T ubm an M iddle School w as can
celled because o f costs, one church m em ber and
com m unity organizer got mad. T hen got o rg a
nized.
Jim A nderson o f St. A ndrew C hurch coordi
nated a four-w eek-long sum m er school program
for K ing E lem entary S c h o o l's fifth grade gradu
ates that do not m eet state benchm arks in read
I
that recovery from
drug addiction
and alcoholism
works.
recovery and those praying for som eone
w ho needs recovery are all w elcom e.”
Event co-chair Patty Katz said greater
investm ent in substance abuse recovery
program s is needed in both states.
“ B udget cuts have reduced the num ber o f
beds in treatm ent facilities in W ashington
and O regon, and citizens need to u n d er
stand that these reductions affect all o f u s,”
K atz said. “T reatm ent w orks, and our treat
m ent program s create healthier fam ilies and
a m ore productive w orkforce w hile low ering
health care costs and reducing crim e rates.”
In Portland, the event w ill open w ith a
continued
on page B4
One Backpack at a Time
Local residents
fill need when
summer school
is eliminated
b y J aymee R .
goal is to help kids develop their natural
talents for m usic, rhythm and dance, and
im prove school spirit at sporting events.
M oreover, w ith its intergenerational in
structors, drum line will provide m entors for
students and help build a stronger com m u
nity.
The drum line will perform from the stands
as donations are raised to purchase the
light-w eight instrum ents necessary for the
high-stepping form ations w hich are the
hallm ark ofdrum lines.
ing.
“T here w ere no funds for kids that w ere be
hind to go to sum m er school, so I w as angry
about that and tried to get som e volu n teers,” said
A nderson, a form er chairm an for the K ing N eigh
borhood A ssociation. “ I w as overw helm ed by
young people w anting to h elp .”
A nderson gathered 20 high school students
and six adults to act as m entors, instructing 16
soon-to-be sixth graders in reading, w riting and
math.
The su m m er school group practiced reading
continued
on page H6
k
by J aymee R .C lti
T he P ortland O bserver
Som e local students will get a boost
this fall when they receive backpacks
stuffed with a y ear’s w orth o f school
supplies.
T o o ls for S chools, a nonprofit
group led by Radio C ab driver D avid
Y andell. connects area-businesses
with local elem entary schools in need.
B usinesses adopt a school, fund a
y e a r’s w orth o f supplies and elect
volunteers to fill and deliver those
backpacks on the first day o f school.
T h e pro ject is in it's seco n d year,
w ith su p p o rt from b u sin e sse s such
as R ad io C ab, M en to r G rap h ics,
L o u isian a Pacific, N o rthw est N a tu
ral G as, P acifico rp , the D am on
S to u d a m ir e F o u n d a tio n , P ix e l
W o rk s, C o m cast, N et and C larity
IQ, R egents B lue C ross B lue Shield
o f O re g o n and o th ers.
T he project, also supported by
Schoolhouse Supplies, will give5,100
kids the tools they need to start the
school year w ithout w orrying about
I
Laura Oviaitt (left) and Lisa Backstran fill backpacks with supplies for
Humboldt Elementary School students.
pens and paper, crayons, rulers; 11
item s in each backpack.
“W hen w e distributed at King, that
w as the m ost pow erful day o f my life.
I busted a tear," Y andell said.
O fth e 11 schools selected, som e o f
the north and northeast elem entary
schools include H um boldt, B oise-
Eliot, K ing. Jam es John, W oodlaw n
and A pplegate.
For m ore information, call 503-380-
8027.
I