| 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