Committed to Cultural Diversity www.portlandobserver.com lune 30. 2004 M etro ^lortlanò © hseruer SECTION C O 111 i l l u n i t y ¿ l i e n d ¿i r Waterfront Blues The 17th annual Waterfront Blues Festival opens at noon on Friday, July 2, and concludes at 9 p.m., M onday, July 5, at Tom McCall W aterfront Park. The Northwest Film Center wi 11 also present Reel Blues, a series o f blues films at 10 p.m., Friday, July 2, and Saturday, July 3. For more information and a fu ll lin e up, v isit www.waterfrontbluesfest.com. Writing Frees Free your w riting spirit with a free w riting w orkshop by W rite Around Portland from July 5 through Aug. 12 at locations in and around north Portland. To register or contribute, call 503- 796-9224. Fireworks at Blue Lake Pack a picnic lunch and loved ones fo ra Fourth o f July celebra tion o f music and firew orks at Blue Lake Regional Park, be tw een N ortheast M arine Drive and Sandy Boulevard off 207th A venue. Live music begins at 4 p.m. and continues through 10 p.m. Parking is $7 per vehicle. Interest In Adoption? A free inform ation meeting for prospective adoptive parents is held the third W ednesday o f every month from 7 to 8:30 p.m. at Belm ont Public Library, 1038 S.E. 39lh Ave. For more inform a tion, call 503-226-4870 or visit w w w .openadopt.com . Local Grads Boost Business Along Max Future entrepreneurs share skills G raduates o f a college entrepreneurship program are helping boost business along the new Interstate Avenue Max Yellow Line. The students are 25 o f the most skilled graduates of the past three years M ini- M asters o f Business A dm inistration im m er sion program at the University o f Portland. Their goal is to develop m arketing strate gies, create financing plans and help busi nesses succeed in the north and northeast Portland corridor. With Tri-M et ridershippredicted at 10,000 per day on M ax, the students are studying alongside UP professors, m em bers o f the Interstate A venue B usiness Association, T ri-M et, the Youth Em ploym ent Institute and other local groups, to attract these rid ers off the line and into stores. M ost o f the stu d en ts are from north and no rth east P o rtlan d co m m u n ities and are hom e fo r su m m er afte r atten d in g c o l leges such as H ow ard U n iv ersity , T em ple C olleg e, G eo rg e W ash in g to n U niversity an d UP. “O urgoal is to be a pathw ay to perm anent careers for these students. This careful d e velopm ent o f youth creates the desire to succeed and give back to our com m unity,” . . photo by M ark W ashington /T he P ortland O bserver said Heidi Sause, director o f the University Young experts in business are developing marketing plans for local stores and restaurants along the new Interstate Max o f Portland C enter for Entrepreneurship. Yellow Line to help them profit from new foot traffic. Work For Change C om m unity A dvocates invite those interested in protecting children from abuse to becom e an event volunteer, event out r e a c h , te c h n o lo g y e x p e r t, graphic artists or office support team member. For more informa tion, call 503-280-1388. 'mersiaie Max t tirrrvncj on Health Support Sankofaa Health Institute offers a free diabetes support group from 6 to 7:30 p.m. every third Thursday at Alberta Sim m ons Plaza, 6707 N.E. M artin Luther King Jr. Blvd. For more inform a tion, call 503-285-2484. B ram a THEATER GROUP FILLS SCHOOL CUTS GAP by J aymee R. C lti T he P orti . and O bserver High school and college theater students are once again conduct ing a sum m er theater cam p to bring arts education to younger kids who may not otherw ise have had the experience because o f budget short falls in local schools. “A lot o f us had the benefit of terrific dram a program s in middle and high school and w e saw those being cut. We w anted to m ake sure this was available to youth despite budget cuts," said Kris W allsm ith, artist director and founder o f A C h ild ’s Eye Playhouse. The theater group makes dram a education available to all kids, re gardless o f their ability to pay. The three w eek long sum m er cam p is for 10 through 14 year olds to participate in w orkshops includ ing voice, m ovem ent, im provisa- Home Improvement The C om m unity Energy Project holds free w orkshops on w ater conservation and w eatheriza tion. For m ore inform ation, call 503-284-4962. Government Powers Reviewed An open discussion about free dom and the Patriot Act put on by Radical W om en will be held W ednesday, July 14 at 7 p.m. with a $6 buffet at 6:30 p.m. at the Bread and Roses Center, 819 N. K illingsw orth. F or questions regarding chi ldcare or rides, call 503-2404462. Camper Jay Brannon makes a paper mache mask for a theater production. Eat Right, Stay Healthy Join a Heart W ise Living Class o f Exercise and Nutrition, where expertsgiveexerciseand healthy eating tips to people battling heart disease. Class will be of fered at P rovidence Portland Medical Center from l:3 0 to 3 :3 0 p.m .on July 7. Form oreinform a- tion, call 503-215-8039. Theater Camp Counselor Foluke Denis helps Claire Tannler Brewer get into costume at the Mosaic Church in northeast Portland. tion and acceptance o f the ideas of others. “We like to hear that cam p helps young adolescents explore their personalities, becom e more com m unicative and more confident. That makes us feel like w e’ve suc ceeded," said W allsmith. The cost o f the cam p is $75, but no one wi 11 be turned aw ay because o f inability to pay. The camp, which takes place at the North Star B all room in north Portland and at Pa cific Crest C om m unity School in northeast Portland, is in its fourth season. A popular lesson with cam pers is a mask w orkshop, w here partici pants make their own masks and perform in them. The cam p con- cludes with a com m unity presenta tion o f plays w ritten, directed and acted in by cam pers. The first session o f Theater Sum m er cam p started M onday and co n tinues through July 16. A second session is held from July 26 through Aug. 13. For inti irritation. call 503-358-9598 or visit w w w.CEPIayhouse.org. Be Smoke Free The A m e ric a n L ung A ssociation's “Freedom from Sm oking" program is designed to help sm okers quit for good. Learn a system atic approach to quitting, including how to pre vent relapses. Eleven 90-m inute classes will be offered, starting on July 12, from 7 to 8:30 p.m. at P rovidence Portland M edical C enter. The cost is $ 15 to Provi dence Health Plan m em bers and $225 for the general public. To register, call 503-574-6595. Shining Light On Domestic Violence An expert on fami ly violence wi 11 have a m ulticultural perspective on intim ate partner violence during conferences in Lincoln Performance Hall at Portland State University. Dr. Carolyn W est is an associate professor o f psy chology at the University o f W ashington. She is The M ultnomah County D om es known for her teaching on family tic V io le n c e O ffic e a n d th e violence, hum an sexuality and the W om an's Studies D epartm ent o f psychology o f women. Portland State U niversity are co- " Workshop topics include outreach to battered immigrants and Latinos... sponsoring the July 16-17 event, title d Illu m in a tin g P ath w ay s: M ulticultural Perspectives on Inti m ate Partner Violence. W orkshop topics include o u t reach to battered im m igrants and Latinos, dom estic violence in Rus sian-speaking com m unities, sexual and gender m inority dom estic vio lence and becom ing an ally to the African-A m erican com m unity. F or m ore in fo rm atio n or to re g ister, co n tac t M argi M cC ue at m c c u e @ p d x .e d u o r ca ll 503- 725-3516. Carolyn West 1/