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About Portland observer. (Portland, Or.) 1970-current | View Entire Issue (Feb. 16, 2005)
| Committed to Cultural Diversity Celebrating Bliick HistOiy Month Februaiy 16. 2005 NFL Owner Makes History Arizona businessman Reggie Fowler is the first black owner of a National Football League Team M etro ®*1' ^ o r t t a n h © b s e r u e r C See story, page B3 o n i in u n i t y ¿ i l e n tl ¿1 r Overcoming Obstacles Speaker Frank M ungeam will e x p la in p rac tica l te c h n iq u e s tow ard achieving dream s and overcom ing the obstacles to get there at the M ultnom ah Central Library from noon to 1 p.m. on Thursday,Feb. 17. Free. For more information, call 503-614-7308. Art Supply Swap Art on the P eninsula will hold an A rt Supply Sw ap on Saturday, Feb. 19 at the K enton Firehouse at 8105 N. Brandon St. T he swap is a free event and allow s artists to sell or sw ap art tools and supplies. Sustainable Food Workshop A w orkshop to explore w ays to make foods affordable, nutritious an d cultu rally appropriate is from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m . Saturday, Feb. 19 at St. A ndrew C om m u nity C enter, 4940 N .E. 8th Ave. C ost is a $ 10 donation and lunch will be provided. Call 503-221- 1054 ext. 203 to register. Asian New Year Celebration Portland Community College will celebrate the A sian N ew Y ear w ith m usic, entertainm ent, food, vendors and door prizes at the Southeast C enter on M onday, Feb. 21 in the G reat Hall. T his is a free event open to the public. For m ore inform ation, call 503- 788-6262. Garden Planning Workshop O regon Food Bank will hold a free vegetable planning w ork shop on T uesday, Feb. 22 from 6:30 to 8 p.m. at 7900 N.E. 33rd Dr. F or m ore inform ation, call 503- 282-0555 ext. 268. Eating Disorder Awareness “A D ecade o f A w areness, P re v en tio n and T re a tm e n t,” the ninth annual professional con ference on eating disorders, will be held on Friday, Feb. 25 at W ashington State U niversity in V ancouver. For m ore inform a tion, call 503-295-7890. Preschool Open House T illa m o o k C o o p e ra tiv e P re sc h o o ls h o ld s its op en house on S atu rd ay , M arch 5 from 10 a.m . to 2 p.m . at 935 N .E. 33 A ve. F inancial aid is available. F or m ore inform ation, call 503- 234-1691. Used Bookstore Sale The M u ltn o m a h C o u n ty Library’sTitle W ave Used Book store at 216 N.E. K nott St. will hold its 17'*’ anniversary sale during the month o f March. Sales will change daily. H ours are M onday through Saturday from 10a.m . to 4 p .m .F o r m ore infor mation, call 503-988-5021. Get Fit, Stay Healthy! Sankofaa H ealth Institute offers a free diabetes support group from 6 to 7:30 p.m. every third T hursday at A lberta Sim m ons Plaza, 6707 N.E. M artin Luther King Jr. Blvd. For m ore inform a tion, call 503-285-2484. photo by K atherine K ovacich /T he P ortland O bserver Skye Knoche, 7, performs “Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star" on her violin as her instructor, Laurita Jauregui, applauds at Ethos, Inc., the non-profit music program at 27 N.E. Killingsworth St. "Ethos Bringing Music Back to Children “W e’ve got a great team and th e re’s a huge need. W e’re trying to make sure every kid can have music in their life,” said C harles Lew is, E thos’ founder and executive d irec Non-profit program offers classes tor. E thos has 40 paid m usic instructors and five volunteer instructors. The students pay via sliding scale. For those on free or reduced lunch at school, 10 w eeks o f lessons is a mere $30. The next 10-week session for Ethos begins on M arch 28. The deadline for sign up is M arch 7. “ People think o f music as a luxury and not a necessity, w hich it is,” L ew is said. L ew is said th ere’s been a steady decline in Portland music program s since 1995. He sites the disconnect betw een those w ho see music as essential and the Legislature that doles out the funds. A fter serving in the Peace Corps in 1995, L ew is honed the ideas behind Ethos in his M aster’s T hesis for H arvard U niversity. U sing credit cards to pay for the endeavor, Lew is now runs on a $4(X),(XX) a year bud g et. M ichelle Boss, E thos’ current director o f program s and a num ber o f other volunteers jo in ed the staff soon after to help m ake the com m unity aw are o f Ethos. Ethos is turning the lives o f P o rtlan d 's by K atherine K ovacich T he P ortland O bserver L earning how to play an instrum ent can have lasting effects on a child in their e d u cation, w ork ethic and overall sense o f well being. It w ould seem confusing, then, that m as sive budget cuts have forced music ed u ca tion out o f m any Portland public schools. T his is w hy Ethos, Inc. w as created in 1998 - to continue the idea that music is an im portant and enriching opportunity for youth. A ccording to the non-profit group, head quartered in northeast Portland, studies link m usic education w ith g reater academ ic achievem ent, increased self-esteem , higher SA T scores, and im proved early cognitive developm ent. M usic can also reach at-risk youth, instill self-discipline and increase cultural understanding. E thos offers m usic classes to disadvan taged students w ithin the Portland m etro area. Instrum ent drives and benefit concerts have helped with the upkeep o f the o rgani zation, in addition to grants. So far. E thos has enacted m usic program s at more than 76 public and alternative schools, as well as com m unity centers. youth around. “O ne kid in particular, seeing him at the recitals as a kid w ho could barely stand to be continued yf M ark W ashin <; ton /T he P ortland O bserver The former Masonic Temple on North Commercial Avenue, across from Jefferson High School, is slated to become home to the non-profit music education group Ethos, Inc. once fundraising for remodeling costs are complete. Future Music Center Gains Support F uture C e n ter G ro w s S upport T he long-term h o p e for E thos, Inc. is to resto re the d ila p id a ted M asonic T em ple on north C o m m ercial A venue into a m usic academ y. B eyond h o u sin g a space for stu d en ts on page H6 ■MMi photo by to p rac tice and p erfo rm , the E th o s M usic A cad em y w ill feature in n o v a tiv e e n v iro n m ental so lu tio n s w ith so lar p an e ls, natural v en tilatio n and a w ate r co o lin g w all. continued Ml Grass Roots Business Startup Help Offered Love the Pooch Problem pooch classes are a must take for anyone w ho may be new to the w orld o f pet parenthood o r is interested in considering adopting a new friend. C om e to the O regon H um ane Society to find out why your dog does those silly little things. M eetings are every first and third Saturday of the m onth at 11 a.m . For more information, call 503-285-7722. Business Meeting Join N orth/N ortheast Business A ssociation m eetings on the first M onday o f each month from 6 to 8 p .m .a t A lbinaC om m unity Bank, 2002 N.E. M artin Luther King Blvd. M orning networking m eetings are the third W ednes day o f eac h m on th from 7:30 to 9 a.m. at the Blazers Boys and Girls C lub. Call 503-249-0487 or visit w w w .nneba.org. on page H6 Panel to boost plans with financial support by K atherine K ovacich T he P ortland O bserver Small businesses hoping to grow in north Portland might w ant to look to the Enterprise C om m unity C om m ission. W ith tw o requests for pro posals, the com m ission hopes to see a grow th the econom y o f the north and northeast Portland com munities. “ Any com m unity that has a d i versity o f business is a com m unity that has a larger opportunity for constant im prov em en t fo r their quality o f life," said Shelia H olden, E nterprise C om m ission chair and local A frican-A m erican leader. “ W hen you have both strong businesses and you have residents w ho are capable o f buying pow er, then you have a mi x for better qual - ity o f schools and housing," H olden said. “ You create a vital and vibrant and sustainable com m unity." She explained the grim statistics that show that in any 10-year period, if 10 b u sin esses o pen up, only around three tend to stay. “ A n entrepreneur may have a great idea but may not have the infrastructure to allow longevity,” she said. E C C will be aw arding a total o f $ 150,000 in investm ent capital funds to sm all businesses (five or less full tim e em ployees ) or larger businesses I Shelia Holden that are adding jo b s reserved for low incom e residents o f north and northeast Portland. The m oney can be used for an y thing that will lead to business growth except for construction or debt reduction. A m ounts will range I from $ 1,000to $150,(XX), depending on the bushiness grow th and the num ber o f jo b s to be created. “O ur econom y is supported by o ver 75 percent sm all businesses," said Faye Burch, an EnterpnseC om - m unity C om m ission m em ber and ano th er local A frican-A m erican leader. “T hree out o f every five w orkers are em ployed by a sm all business and sm all businesses pro vide more jo b s in O regon than any other business sector. They hire and train from their com m unities, m any w ho m ight otherw ise be un em ployed.” The second proposal o f the co m m ission is to find w orkforce d ev el o p m en t p ro jec ts fo r north and northeast Portland residents. Plans m ust focus on preparing low -in com e residents for w ork and p ay ing them in living w age jo b s with benefits. O rganizations m ay apply for $ 50,000 to $150,000 and m ust eith er fit the federal g o v ern m en t's definition o f a C om m unity Based D evelopm ent O rganization or ap ply in partnership w ith em ployers that have com m itted to hiring the low -incom e w orkers they train. “T he thing th a t's m ost im por tant here is a fund that is built to address the needs for businesses that are out there w h o 're trying to m ake a difference for them selves and local residents. W e w ant to be a part o f helping them be a su c cess." H olden said. Funds for these grants com e from theC ity o f Portland Bureau o f H ous ing and C om m unity D evelopm ent and the U.S. D epartm ent o f H ous ing and U rban D evelopm ent. A continued on page H6