Coniinilted toCultural Diversity
uw.portlandohsefvtr.coni
luly 19. 2006
Police Activities
League Camp
Makes Positive
Connections
M etro
Îlîl JJortlan b (iDbserucr
see story, page H6
SECTION
/c o m m u n ity
C a le n d a r
Iraq War Exhibit
“Eyes Wide Open,” a new exhibit
on the human and economic cost
of the Iraq War to Oregon, w ill be
unveiled in Portland, Saturday July
22 and Sunday, July 23 at Peace
Memorial Park, on the com er of
Northeast Oregon and Interstate
at the Rose Quarter.
Summer Party
C R A V E, a party celebrating
women but open to all, hits down­
town Portland from noon to 9 p.m.
on Saturday, July 22 outside the
World Trade Center Plaza, 121
S.W. Salmon. Highlights include
live fashion shows and dancing
to emcee Daria from 105.1 the Buzz.
T ickets are $15, available at
www.craveportland.com or by
calling 503-226-2377.
‘Hattltude’ Tea
Wear your most fabulous hat and
join the Second Annual Women
with “Hattitude” Tea, Saturday,
July 22 at 1 p.m. at Bethesda Chris­
tian Church, 109 N. Emerson St.
The event will raise funds the
annual W omen’s Revival in Au­
gust and will feature special
themed hatboxes for men this year.
For more inform ation, em ail
wanda.phillips@ comcast.net or
call 360-381-0397.
NE Peace Gathering
Beginning at 7:30p.m. on Wednes­
day, July 26 a group of churches
in northeast Portland will gather
at Alberta Park (NE 20th and
Killingsworth) to stand for peace
in our neighborhoods, commu­
nity and the world. The Interfaith
Peace gathering is open to any­
one, and participants can have
one-on-one discussions with their
peers.
Columbia Slough Race
Join the 12th Annual Columbia
Slough Small Craft Regatta, Sun­
day, July 30 from 9a.m. to 1 p.m.at
the Portland W ater Bureau Canoe
Launch, 16550 N.E. Airport Way.
You may reserve acanoe or kayak,
paddles and personal flotation
device, or bring your own boat
and equipment for a $5 donation.
F or m ore in fo rm a tio n v isit
columbiaslough.org.
Body Rocks!
Body Rocks!, a celebration of
physical fitness, movement and
athleticism, combines energetic
demonstrations from local groups
and professional athletes every
day from July 26 to July 30 at the
Portland Children's Museum. For
m ore
in fo rm a tio n ,
v isit
www.portlandcm.org.
Interstate Farmers Market
The Interstate Farmers Market
features a variety of fresh local
produce, baked goods, cut flow­
ers. artisan cheese, meat and fish
each each Wednesday from 3 p.m.
to 7 p.m., next to Overlook Park
across the street from Kaiser
Permanente Interstate Campus.
WellBeing Sunday Brunch
Individuals living with HIV/AIDS
are invited to W ellBeing’s Sun­
day Brunch, open every Sunday
from 3 p.m. to6p.m. with free home
cooked meals served at 4 p.m. in
the historic Mt. Olivet building,
1734 N.E. First Ave.
Guided Parks Tours
Portland Parks offers free, one-
hour guided walks beginning at
10 a.m. in parks around town. Park
staff and volunteer naturalists
focus on plants in each park, the
historical background of the park
and any information that makes
each park special to Portland. For
a complete list of walks available,
visit PortlandParks.org or call 503-
823-3601 for a brochure.
years
•Scommunity service
Kids spill out o f the Portland Parks and Recreation Department's 'Ree 'n Roll Bus. ’
Summer Playgroundson Wheels
Thousands served
by roving bus, van
“Rec ’n Roll Bus and "Van Go” are big hits this
summer, expanding their reach thanks to a
converted TriMet Bus packed with sports
equipment, art supplies, and games - but no
passengers. Portland Parks & Recreation is taking
to the road this summer with enough activities to
keep thousands of kids busy.
The lime green Rec ’n Roll Bus is hard to miss with
its artwork of bugs, birds and flowers - anything you
might see in a park. Certainly, it's become a familiar
sight to the kids who visit the forty playgrounds the
bus and three other Parks & Recreation vehicles
frequent each week during the summer.
One of the vans, named “Van Go", makes regular
visits at Portland Housing Authority complexes and
is funded by the 2002 parks levy. The mini Rec ’n Roll
vans visit 20 Portland Parks playgrounds per week.
Last summer’s two vehicles - complete with recre­
ation staff members - served 3,7(X) kids. This summer,
the number is expected to serve 7,400.
“The idea was to go places in Portland that are
underserved - meaning where no agency provides
children's summer programs," says Joanne Larsell,
director of the summer playground on wheels program.
“And it just keeps growing. It’s wildly popular.”
The vehicles are the permanent home for volley balls,
parachutes, hula hoops, arts and crafts supplies, ever-
•^****11 J
.." Jl
' ' " ' “r '• - l i- ' —
l
* My children love the
enthusiastic staff,
creative crafts, and the
great group games.
- Emily from Rose City Park
populargimp and plaster, board and card games, bubbles
and squishy water balls.
The program plays an important role in providing
recreation services to children who are often isolated
from mainstream recreation programs, due to factors
such as geography and transportation.
Emily from Rose City Park wrote last summer: "1
caught the Rec 'n Roll bus at my local park, and I simply
can't live a summer without it. My children love the
enthusiastic staff, creative crafts, and the great group
games.”
From another mom, Patty: “This is the greatest use
of my tax dollars I've ever seen! I take my children, and
we follow the bus to several sites a week. We just enjoy
the ability to interact with lots of children and such a
great staff!"
The playground on wheels program began in the
summer o f2000 when several parks were annexed to the
city from Multnomah County - parks that lacked play­
ground services. At the same time, TriMet donated a
bus that was set to retire from the fleet. Since then, seats
have been removed to make room for the playground
paraphernalia. TriMet continues to provide gasoline
and maintenance for the bus, and the Amalgamated
Transit Union furnishes the driver, who is also a part-
time Parks & Recreation employee when he’s not at the
wheel.
The Portland Parks Summer Playground Program
offers more than a fun time - it fosters self-esteem and
friendships and provides participants with positive and
caring role models. Also, it lets parents feel good about
sending their children to a neighborhood playground,
knowing that there will be adult supervision.
The program’s weekly schedule can be found at
w w w .portlandparks.org.
Young, Professional and Giving Back
Newcomers find
room to grow
by S arah B i . oijnt
T he P ortland O bserver
As scores of young people from all over
the country relocate to Portland, the little
city becomes more and more like its bigger
sisters along the West Coast. These days,
it’s common for young people to supple­
ment traditional networking - schmoozing
potential clients and clutching business
cards - with activities that give back to the
community.
Hakim Jones, a Portland newcomer and
financial advisor with Smith Barney, is a
young professional who is interested in
establishing client relationships and build­
ing strong community ties.
Jones, 26, moved to Portland last spring
from Tacoma with his wife Carmen, after
receiving a bachelor's degree in business
and a minor in psychology at the Univer­
sity of Puget Sound. The couple moved to
Oregon for his former job at Weyerhaeuser
and her graduate studies at Oregon Health
and Sciences University.
As Jones, who grew up in the Bay Area,
settled into the city, he became involved
with the Portland Urban League Young
Professionals Group. The group of about a
dozen members is an extension of the Port­
land chapter, working with low-income resi­
dents and senior citizens, getting politi-
cally involved and mentoring
high school students.
Jones has also been involved
with Say Hey, N W!, a reception
held quarterly by Partners in
Diversity to welcome new pro­
fessionals of color in the Or­
egon and Southwest W ashing­
ton area. Jones, like many young
professionals, is interested in
finding other groups similar to
the Urban League and Say Hey.
“Portland is not like the rat
race of California,” Jones said.
“And as far as networking goes
there are not as many groups,
but I like the size of Portland.
You can have more reach and
get more accomplished."
Even so, living in the after-
math of recession within a small
market can be tough for young
people trying to establish ca­
reers. Jones endured a three-
month interview process with
i ’ hoto by S arah B i o , nt /T hf . P ortland O bserver
Smith Barney, including a hand­
ful of interviews (he said he lost Hakim Jones is one o f many young urban profession­
count a, five or six) and a per­ als who have re ce n tly m oved to P ortland.
sonal flight to the regional
director's Seattle office.
ment plans tailored to his or her needs, and
Now Jones is a financial planning associ­ handling money, risk and liability manage­
ate, having jus, embarked on a two year- ment.
program with the firm. H e’s building aclien,
Jones said go, into financial advising
base of small businesses, families and indi­ because of the potential to develop long­
viduals, helping them with specific goals term relationships. As technology and the
from personal to financial, creating invest-
Internet create more do-it-yourselfers, the
modern investment planner is more of a
consultant.
"The world has changed and investors
are more savvy,” Jones said. “But a lot of
people don't understand the psychology of
investing and will react when the market
moves.”
Outside his professional life, Jones said
he and other members of the Urban League
group are hungry to learn about the city - its
key areas, where to get involved and faces to
meet.
“I'm still trying to find a center of influ­
ence,” Jones said. “My goal is to find a
mentor, and I hope to be one someday.”
As he pursues his professional goals,
Jones acknowledges the importance of work
in the community.
“ I get tied into the office deal ing with day-
to-day operations,” he said. “It's easy to
forget there are people less fortunate in the
community, but it's nice to be involved with
people who need help. There's more to life
than jus, work."
Mixing Business
with Pleasure
Here are a few organizations serving
Oregon and Southwest Washington that
help young professionals meet, greet, and
everything in between.
continued
on page B6
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