Pa£eAô__________________________ ___________________ c lu ¡ J J o r t l a t x ò C O b s e r u e r Aprii 20.2005 Long-Standing Northeast LIFE Center to Close Support runs out for food and clothing program T he LIFE C enter on N ortheast M artin Luther King Jr. Boulevard w i 11 c lose on J une 17 after al m ost 40 years o f assisting many local resi­ dents that couldn’t get assistance elsew here. T he sm all grass roots organiza­ tion founded by the local African A m erican com m unity has provided em ergency access to food, cloth­ ing, household items, furniture, and appliances for indigent fam ilies and individuals. "T he LIFE C enter will close due to the lack o f stable funding. This could not happened at a w orse tim e when we are seeing an increase in requests for our services,” said Leslie Garth-Clark, LIFE Centerex- ecutive director. In the past, the center relied on donations from the United W ay o f the C olum bia-W illam ette, other c o m m u n ity o r g a n iz a tio n s , churches and individuals. Unfortunately, donations to the LIFE C enter have been declining for the last three years creating budget deficits and forcing the cen­ ter to reduce staff and restrict its hours o f operation. Currently, the center operates with an executive directo r and several com m itted volunteers — som e o f w hich have volunteered for over 20 years. M any volunteers as well as cli­ ents feel their safety net will be taken aw ay and w onder where they will go for resources or to dedicate their tim e in the future. It has been through the volunteers’ efforts and despite funding reductions that the LIFE Center Executive Director Leslie Garth-Clark C enter has been able to serve 200 fam ilies a month. The LIFE Center was unique over the years because it had no require­ m ent for clients to have a case­ w orker or to be on welfare to receive assistance. It served w orking class people w ho lived paycheck to pay- check. B ut recently, because o f I im- ited resources, the center restricted its service to only those w ho have gone through the “system ." W ith the cen ter’s closure, a huge void will be created in P o rtlan d ’s inner city for those seeking em er­ gency help with basic needs. F or three years, the cen ter has been operating at a deficit o f $30,000 or m ore, so its board has elected to sell the c e n te r’s building. T he pro­ ceeds will go tow ards opening a foundation to assist no n -p ro fits w ithin the com m unity w ho provide basic needs em ergency services. A “L IFE C enter F und” will be estab- photo by N icole H ooper /T he P ortland O bserver A lack o f financial support is cited in the future closing o f the LIFE Center, a food and clothing assistance program serving local residents on Northeast Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard for nearly 40 years. lished and m anaged by the O regon C om m unity F oundation for this p urpose. T he closing o f the center was a difficult and painful decision, but the board believes that the estab­ lishm ent o f the “L IFE C enter F und” will prevent oth er sm all nonprofits from closing their doors and co n ­ tinue L IFE C e n ter’s legacy o f as­ sisting poor fam ilies for years to com e, L ife C enter officials said. O n S aturday, M ay 7, the L IFE C enter B oard o f D irectors has in­ vited all volunteers, past em p lo y ­ ees, com m unity leaders, partner agencies and supporters to a fare­ w ell celebration at the center lo- cated at 2746 N.E. M artin L uther K ing Jr. Blvd. from noon to 4 p.m. K irk G reen, pianist will provide entertainm ent with local leaders present to ho n o r the cen ter’s past accom plishm ents. Senior, D isab led C on cern s State leaders to meet with community A sp e cia l “T o w n H all o n S e ­ n io r a n d D is a b le d I s s u e s ” is sc h ed u le d fo r S atu rd ay , A pril 23, fro m 10 a.m . to n o o n at th e K a is e rT o w n H all B u ild in g , 3 7 0 4 N. In tersta te A ve. T h e b u ild in g is on th e In terstate M ax lig h t rail line, n ea r th e O v e rlo o k S tation. T h e state is fac in g a b u d g e t sh o rtfall o f a p p ro x im a te ly $ 6 0 0 m illio n , an d b u d g et cu ts m ay a f­ fect se n io rs, th e d isa b le d , and p resc rip tio n d ru g serv ices. T h e T o w n H all is to h e a r c itiz en c o n ­ ce rn s an d p u b lic co m m en t. A lso in c lu d ed o n th e p ro g ra m w ill be sh o rt p re se n ta tio n s on p resc rip tio n assista n c e an d p art- n e rsh ip p ro g ra m s, an d on p ro ­ p o se d n ew p ay d a y len d in g le g is­ lation. S en . M a rg a re t C a rte r, R ep. G a ry H a n se n a n d R ep . S te v e M arch , all m e m b ers o f the b u d ­ g etin g w ritin g co m m ittee o f the L eg islatu re , w ill p articip a te in the m eetin g . T h e p ro g ra m is a co o p e rativ e e v e n t w ith th e A d v o ca cy C o a li­ tio n fo r S e n io rs an d P eo p le W ith D isa b ilities, th e O re g o n A sso c ia ­ tio n fo r R e tired C itiz en s, S av e O u r S en io rs, an d U n ited S en io rs o f O reg o n . F or m o re in fo rm atio n , call 503- 9 8 6 -1 7 2 2 . WE PAY YOUR DEDUCTIBLE!! We pay up to 100% of your deductible Quality work at affordable pricing Earth Day Rewards Photographer Portland photographer Leonard Cogan beautifully captures the vibrant and diverse colors o f spring at the Japanese Garden at Washington Park. This picture won first place in a Yahoo! Earth Day photo contest and will be showcased on Yahoo 's Earth Day n \A/ph