Committed to Cultural Diversity
www.portlandobserver.tom
O tto b ri IS. 30(1»
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Health Checks Offered
T h e A frican A m erican H ealth
C o a litio n is o ffe rin g a free d ay
o f h ealth scre e n in g s, c o o k in g
d e m o n stra tio n s an d fun w ith a
W ellness V illage from 9 a.m . to
4 p.m . O ct. 18 at th e B lazers
B oys and G irls C lu b , 5 2 5 0 N .E.
M L K Jr. Blvd.
Colors of Fall
L eant about trees and shrubs with
the best autum n colors from 9:30
a.m . through noon Oct. 18 at the
H oyt A rboretum . $ 10. T he arb o
retum is also teaching a w o rk
shop on M ushroom s o f N o rth
w est O regon from 9:30 to noon
N ov. 1. $10. To register, call 503-
823-3601.
photo by M ark
W ashington /
T he P ortland O bserver
Jewel Ford keeps a
positive attitude during
dance team practice at
Grant High School.
Ford has sickle cell
anemia, a health
condition often affect
ing people of color.
Chimps Gone Wild
Jane G oodall brings enthusiasts
clo serto n atu rew ith "W ild C h im - |
panzees,” from O ct. 17 through
M ayat theOmnimax Theater, 1945
Se W ater Ave. Tickets are $8.50.
F o r m o re in fo rm a tio n , v is it |
w w w .w ildchimpan7ees.org
Doors of Creativity
N orthw est M edical T eam s spon
sors the multi-media exhibit “W in
dow s o f N eed, D oors o f H ope”
from N ov. 12 through 18 at the I
Doubletree Inn, LloydCenter. For
m o re
in f o r m a tio n ,
v is it [
503-624-1000.
Former
Ambassador Speaks
A ndrew Y oung, a U.S. am bassa- j
d o r on the forefront o f social a c
tivism, will speak at Lewis & Clark
C o lleg eat7 p .m .O ct.2 1 atA g n es
Flanagan C hapel. 615 SW Pa- J
latine Hill Road. T ickets are $5 in
advance. For m ore inform ation,
call 503-768-7082.
Planting Neighborhoods
F rie n d s o f T re e s a n n o u n c e s ]
neighborhood tree plantings b e
ginning w ith the R ose C ity Park/1
R osew ay neighborhood on Nov.
15. T hose interested in leading
volunteers should attend train
ing at 8 a.m. Nov. 15 at St. Rose o f I
L im a C atholic C hurch, 2727 NE
54* A ve. F or m ore inform ation,
visit w w w .friendsoftrees.org.
dancing through
Grant teenager
doesn’t let sickle
cell stop her dreams
b y J ay m e e R. C uti
T he P ortland O bserver
She feels pretty good m ost o f the tim e. At
17, she dances for G rant High S ch o o l’s drill
team and sings in the ch o ir at both her
school and at Mt. O livet B aptist C hurch.
Jew el Ford, plans to attend college in O r
egon and dream s o f b eing a nurse.
“Since I w as in the hospital, I w as alw ays
w ith the nurses. T h e y 're really inspiring
people w ith a really good backbone," she
said.
Ford has sick le cell an em ia. R ight now ,
th e h ealth c o n d itio n c a u se s h e r p ain fu l
ep iso d es o n ce e v ery tw o m o n th s o r so.
T h e d isab lin g p ain b eg an w hen F ord w as
th ree y ears o ld , an d p re v e n te d h er from
walking.
Sickle cell is a serious disease prim arily
affecting people o f color, causing red blood
cells to harden and clog blood flow. This
causes pain, fatigue and som etim es anem ia,
kidney dam age, strokes and lung blockage,
am ong other problem s.
“ If I feel pain in my jo in ts, o r fatigue and
shortness o f breath, we know to go to the
hospital, w here they give m e m orphine, a
blood transfusion o r w hatever’s necessary
to get m e out o f there,” she said.
But m ost o f the tim e, Ford says sh e ’s
Self Care Group Meets
Anyone who is
vulnerable either
T he B reast C ancer R adio A rts |
Project presents a tow nhall d is
because o f age or a
cussion and perform ance “ B e
yo nd the Pink R ibbon" from 6 to j disability deserves to
8 p.m . Oct. 23. F o r m ore inform a
be protected front
tio n , v is it th e w e b s ite a t
abuse, neglect or
w w w .breastcancerproject.org.
exploitation.
High Energy
Beyond the Ribbons
T he C om m unity E nergy Project
holds a series o f free w orkshops
to help m ake consum ers energy
conscious. T he project also in
clu d es w eatherizing w orkshops
throughout O ctober. A w eather
ization w orkshop is at 6 p.m . O ct.
16 at Peninsula Park C om m unity
C enter, 700 N. Portland Blvd. and
a w ater conservation w orkshop
isat6:30p.m .O ct. 16atM ontavilla
C om m unity C enter, 8219 NE
G lisan St. For m ore inform ation,
call 503-284-6827.
Green Walks
D iscover P o rtlan d 's green space
from I Oto 11 a.m . Saturdays with
guided tours by park volunteers.
O n Nov. 1, meet at W hitaker Ponds
V isitorC enter.
Moving Moments
T he IFC C offers Life M ovem ent
d a n c e c la sse s an d w o rk sh o p s.
T o u c h S to n es is on N ov. 1 and
8. A ll w o rk sh o p s are b etw een
10 a m . and I p.m . at th e d an ce
stu d io , 5 3 4 0 N. In te rsta te A ve
W o rk s h o p s p ric e s ra n g e b e
tw e e n $45 and $60. T o reg ister,
call 5 0 3 -2 8 4 -1908.
Columnist to
share tips on
finding inner
voice
A re a r e s id e n ts a re in v ite d to
le a rn m o re a b o u t fin d in g y o u r
in n e r v o ic e d u rin g th e firs t in a
s e r ie s o f S e lf C a re g a th e rin g s
s p o n s o re d b y A h m ir e ’s G ifts
th a t P a m p e r th e S p irit, an A f r i
- Multnomah County Commissioner
Marla Rojo do Stetfey
G eo rg ia n n e O binger a n d h e r
caregiver, H elen L ittleto n ,
a re p a r tn e r s in O b in g er's
h e a lth a n d s u c c e s s .
PHOTO BY
M ark W ashington /T hf
P ortland O bserver
Protecting Vulnerable Adults
Elderly and disabled adults experience abuse and neglect
by J aymef . R. C lti
T he P orti . and O bserver
M ost people have experience
with inept or m oody cow orkers,
and som etim es em ployees ju s t quit
their jobs, and w alk out, unan
nounced.
This can become a crisis for some-
ne depending on hom e caregivers
happy and active, like other teenagers. H er
positive attitude is dem onstrated through
h ervolunteerw ork at Legacy Emanuel H os
pital. H er w ork with young people in the
com m unity earned her the honor last month
a sa C h ild ren ’sC ancer A ssociation C om m u
nity H ero.
“The reason I ’m so busy is I hate to feel
like I’m lim ited. I love to dance and love to
sing, so th a t’s w hy 1 do it,” Ford said.
Ford says her faith in G od and her fam ily
help keep her spirits high.
to tend io their basic needs.
Yet m any disabled people say
th e y ’ve ex p erien ced em o tio n al,
physical and sexual abuse and ne
glect from those they depend on
the m ost. T hey say that neglectful
caregivers are not necessari ly cruel
people w ith a m alicious intent, but
that the stress o f being a long-term
careprovider som etim es leads them
to take their frustrations out on
their disabled em ployers, w ho may
not even be able to reach for a
phone to ask for help
The M ultnom ah C ounty D epart
ment o f Human Services, A ging
continued
on page 42
c a n - A m e r ic a n -o w n e d sh o p in
th e A lb e rta A rt D istric t.
T h e o p e n in g s e s s io n w ill b e
o n F rid a y , O c t. 17 a t 6 :3 0 p .m .
at th e J a c k s o n A rt a n d C o n f e r
e n c e L o ft, 1468 N .E . A lb e rta .
T h e to p ic is " T h e A rt o f
J o u rn a lin g : T e c h n iq u e s fo r P e r
s o n a l J o u rn a l W ritin g ."
T h e a rt o f jo u r n a lin g is o n e
o f th e m o s t in tim a te an d u se fu l
to o ls w e ca n in c o r p o ra te in o u r
liv e s . J o u r n a lin g is a s a c r e d
p ra c tic e . W h e n w e jo u r n a l w e
a re c o m m u n ic a tin g w ith o u r
h ig h e r -s e lv e s , o u r s p irit, a n d
s h a r in g o u r g re a te s t a s p ira tio n s
a n d c o n c e rn s .
J o u rn a l w ritin g c a p tu r e s th e
e s s e n c e o f o u r th o u g h ts a n d
p ro v id e s o p p o rtu n itie s fo r s e lf-
e x a m in a tio n a n d c re a tiv ity .
S. R e n e e M itc h e ll w ill le a d
th e jo u r n a l w ritin g se s s io n .
S . R e n e e M itchell
M itc h e ll c o n s id e rs h e r s e lf a
w ritin g m id w ife . S h e te a c h e s
p e o p le o f all sk ill le v e ls h o w to
ta p in t o t h e i r i n n e r v o i c e ,
w h e th e r th r o u g h jo u r n a l w r it
in g , p o e tr y o r o th e r ty p e s o f
g e n re s .
In a d d it io n to w r it in g a c o l
u m n fo r th e O r e g o n ia n n e w s
p a p e r , s h e is a p e r f o r m a n c e
p o e t w h o h a s w o r k e d in t h e
a te r , m u s ic a n d f ilm . S h e is
a ls o a p la y w r i g h t, r e c o r d in g
a r t i s t a n d a u th o r o f tw o s e l f
p u b li s h e d b o o k s o f p o e tr y .
F o r r e g is tr a tio n in fo rm a tio n ,
c a ll 5 0 3 -2 8 2 -4 8 8 8 .
A h m ir e ’s, a re ta il s to re lo
c a te d in th e A lb e rta A rt D is
tr ic t, s p e c ia liz e s in g ifts th a t
p a m p e r th e sp irit.