Committed to Cultural Diversity www.portlandobserver.com August 25. 200 Going for the Gold M etro Americans 3-2, face Spain in basketball ilîl JJortlanb (©bseruer See Sports, page B2 SECTION C o ni in u n i t y it 1 e n d a r AIDS Walk 2004 Help save lives by participating in AIDS Walk()4on Sunday, Sept. 26, presented by Nike. This 5k event starts at 8:30 a.m. at Pio neer C ourthouse Square and ends at the same location. Ac tivities run through noon. For more information, call 503-223- 9255. Scholar Embarks on Public Service Ivy League fellow joins United Way by J ohanna S. K ing T he P ortland O bserver Outgoing, peppy, and full of energy for the job, Maurice Gattis is the newest addi tion to Portland’s United Way office branch. Gallery of Visual Arts “I’m so excited to be here," said Gattis. View art from talented local art "Coming from the East Coast, Portland is like ists o f all ages throughout the a breath o f fresh air for me and I love it.” month o f August at the Inter A recent graduate from the prestigious state Firehouse Cultural Center; ranks ot the Ivy League Colum bia Univer 5340 N. Interstate Ave., from 9 sity in New Y ork City, with a master's degree a.m .-6 p .m .,free. from the school o f Social Work, Gattis will focus his work in four areas o f the public Alberta Farm Market service organization - community engage M arketing healthy, affordable, ment, community impact, donor relations high quality food, the Alberta and marketing and brand strategy. Cooperati ve Grocery offers sea “M aurice makes a great addition to our sonal produce from local grow United Way team,” said Brent Stewart, United ers, ready-to-eat ftxxl and weekly Way president. "His dedication and com entertainment. Open from 10a.m. mitment to our community will help us suc to 2 p.m. daily, located on 1500 ceed in our goal of changing people’s lives N.E. Alberta St. For more infor and improving our com munity." mation, call 503-287-4333. As one o f only 10 fellows selected from over 4(X) applicants, Gattis joins in the rigor School Is Back In Session ous professional development experience. A free school supply gi ve-a-way Fellows learn how United Ways across the is from 1 to 5 p.m. on Sunday, nation are bringing com munities together Aug. 29 at the Chevron Gas Sta by building partnerships, forging consen tion parking lot at 3435 N.E. sus around a community agenda, and lever Martin Luther King Blvd. Get aging financial resources to make a m easur supplies while they last. Free able difference in communities. food also provided. Call 503-890- His fellowship in the City o f Roses is the 0070. equivalent o f a yearlong paid internship Get Fit, Stay Healthy! from the United Way of America C om m u Sankofaa Health Institute offers nity Fellowship program. a free diabetes support group "W hen United Way of America presented from 6 to 7:30 p.m. every third me with this opportunity, I chose United Thursday at Alberta Simmons Way o f the Columbia-W illamette because it Plaza, 6707 N.E. Martin Luther is one o f the most dynamic United W ays in King Jr. Blvd. For more informa photo B y M ark W ashington / the country,” said Gattis. “Com munity in tion, call 503-285-2484. T he P ortland O bserver volvement is the forefront of our business practices, it’s just something we do on be Choose To Adopt Maurice Gattis aims to make United Way's guiding principle o f community service an innate part o f his daily life botl half o f our those we serve. It’s about making A free information meeting for on and o ff the job. a difference, one that lasts.” prospective adoptive parents is Upon successful com pletion o f the pro organization to launch a career in the held the third W ednesday of tion focused on doing what matters tochange For more information, or to volunteer gram , Fellow s like G attis will have the U nited W ay system . every month from 7 to 8:30p.m . liv e s th ro u g h o u t th e P o rtla n d and y o u r co m m u n ity , v isit o n lin e a opportunity to com pete for open p o si United Way o f the Columbia-W illamette at Belmont Public Library, 1038 Vancouver area, serving Clackamas, Clark, www.unitedway-pdx.org orcall 503-228-91. tions anyw here w ithin the U nited W ay is a leading community non-profit organiza Multnomah and Washington counties. S.E. 39lh Ave. For more informa o r360-696-0341 in Vancouver. tion, call 503-226-4870 or visit M H K M H M M IM m www.openadopt.com. Creative Space For Dance Aurora dance studio, 5433 NE 30th(& Killingsworth), offers an array o f classes for children, teens and adults at all levels of ability. Call 503-249-0201 or visit online at w w w .hevanet.com / auroradance for additional in formation. Damon Keeps it Real with Neighborhood Zeal Jefferson Area Schools Supported Work For Change Grant will boost arts and sciences Com munity Advocates invites those interested in protecting children from abuse to become an event volunteer, event out re a c h , te c h n o lo g y e x p e rt, graphic artists or office support team member. For more informa tion, call 503-280-1388. Five sch o o ls surrounding Jefferso n H igh School will see m ore teaching in the arts and sciences this fall thanks to a federal grant to create curiosity in sci ence and math for m inority students and those in low er socio-econom ic groups. T he $5.2 m illion grant from the U.S. D epartm ent o f E ducation will coordinate Home Improvement The Com m unity Energy Project holds free workshops on water conservation and w eatheriza tion. For more information, call 503-284-4962. Aquatic Fitness Providence has a full schedule o f fitness classes including w a ter exercising at the Providence Aquatic Center,4805 N.E. Glisan. Foraschedule.call 503-215-6301. Women in NAACP W om en in N A A C P, a new women’sgroup, meets from 10:30 a.m. to I p.m. the first Saturday of each month at the American Red C ro ss B u ild in g , 3131 N. Vancouver. For questions, call 503-249-6263. Birth Ready W hether you need childbirth preparation classes, or just a refresher. Providence Health Systems has a workshop for you. Prepare for pain, take a weekend seminar or prepare big sisters and brothers-to-be throughout th e su m m e r by v isitin g www.providence.org/classesor call 503-574-6595. w n c w n « n / - - z x photo by M ark W ashington /T he P ortland O bserver Hosting his annual hometown fair for area parents and kids at Peninsula Park, Portland Trail Blazer Damon Stoudamire gets surrounded by pint-sized fans. Portland Trail Blazer and native son D am on Stoudam ire caused a com m otion last Friday at Peninsula Park w hen he hosted his annual B iggie’s Kids Fair. Fans seeking autographs surrounded the sports star and peppered him with questions about team m ates, trades and losses. S toudam ire was candid with kids as he sig n ed h ats, sh irts, p h o to s and n o te books. T he la ir provided interactive activities, booths and entertainm ent for kids and paren ts. S toudam ire has a full schedule o f co m m unity events for the m onth o f S ep tem ber. He will host an annual school supply d istrib u tio n w ith Portland S c h o o l’s Foundation Schoolhouse Supplies and will be on hand for the grand opening o f the A lbina Head Start M cC orm ack M atthew s Center, nam ed in part after his grandm other. W anda M atthews. a new approach to the connection be tw een arts, math, science and technol ogy o ver the next three years. A check for the first year o f the new p ro g ram w as p resen ted last w eek to Portland Public S chools at O ckley G reen M iddle School in north Portland. The grant will bring science kits, calculators, m usical instrum ents and com puters to five schools in the Jefferson High School neighborhtxxl. “ Bringing a coordinated intense effort to helping children achieve is alw ays successful. T hese additional resources help us do ju st that w hile tapping into the innate curiosity that students have in the arts and sciences," said PPS S uperinten dent Vicki Phillips. M ost im portantly, the new curriculum is designed to boost the skills and know l edge o f elem entary school students with w hat they are expected to know once they reach high school. The new focus is expected to increase the num ber o f stu dents arriving at Jefferson High School with above standard skills in m ath and science and the ability to use the arts to express them selves.