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v a l en d a r
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CONFRONTING
Youth
Violence
Tree Planting
Saturday, Feb. 2, from 9 a.m. to I p.m..
Friends o f Trees hosts the 25 com m unity
planting project beginning with the A r­
bor Lodge, University Park and St. John’s
areas; the staging area will be at 8204 N.
Central St. Arrive before 9 a.m. to register
for your planting team.
Longtime mentor fills
an important role
Problem Pooch Solutions
Saturday, Feb. 2 and Saturday, Feb. 16, at
12:30 p.m., the O regon H um ane Society,
1067 N.E. Colum bia Blvd., with animal
behavior specialist will host the inform a­
tive discussion groups for pet owners.
Do not bring your pet. A Finicky Feline
course will be held on Saturday, Feb. 9 at
12:30p.m.
by R aymond R endi . eman
T he P ortland O bserv er
N ow a student at Portland C om m unity College, Joseph Johnson
envisioned taking a much different life path without the guidance o f Rob
Ingram, w ho ju st becam e director o f the M ayor’s O ffice o f Youth
V iolence Prevention.
“ If it w asn 't for Rob, I w ouldn't be in the situation where I’m at right
now ," Johnson said. “He gave me other ways to help m yself, like
b u sin ess."
"I told Joe starting when he was 12," Ingram responded, “w hatever
you do, y o u 're going to be the leader o f it and yo u 're going to m ake it
work, and I ju st hope you do som ething positive.”
The
fo c u s in g
of
Family and Friends Day
Sunday, Jan. 27 at 3 p.m ., New Hope
M issionary B aptist C hurch, 3725 N.
G antenbein, will host Fam ily G roups and
Choirs to m inister in song. For more infor­
mation call 503-698-5447 or503-28 1-0163,
Tax Help in Rockwood
VITA tax aide for low-income families will
begin to assist clients at the Rockw ood
Com m unity office, 18709 S.E. Stark. C li­
ents are seen by appointm ent only. A p­
pointm ents will be m ade on W ednesdays
only from 1 to 5 p.m., by calling 50.3-816-
1530.
Johnson s leadership abili-
ties highlights theexperience
a n d sa v v y th a t In g ra m
brings to the safety effort for
Portlanders starting from a
young age. Ingram has been
director o f the city violence-
Simulator Thrill Rides
prevention office for less than
a month, but his experienee
C urrently thru Jan. 31, the O regon Zoo
presents the latest anim al adventure for
a $3 w inter rate in addition to adm ission;
for more information, visit oregonzoo.org.
Super Tuesday Party
Homebuyer Programs
Me, Too & Company
Tuesday, Jan. 29, begins the free eight-
w eek support group for children, teens,
and adults w ho have experienced the
death o f an im m ediate family m em ber or
close friend; for more inform ation, co n ­
tact 503-499-5307.
Cycle of Life Festivals
Friday, Feb. 29 through M onday, March
3, Portland Japanese G ardens, 611 S.W.
Kingston Dr. will host the H ina M atsuri,
w hich is the Doll Festival. Call 503-542-
0280 to learn more.
Free Weatherization Workshop
Saturday, Jan. 26, from 10 a.m. to noon,
the North P ortlandT ool Library, 2209 N.
Schofield, will host this free w orkshop to
help low er your energy bill. To register,
cal 1503-284-6827.
AARP Driving Refresher
T uesday, Feb. 5 and T hursday, Feb. 7,
from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m ., the Mt. Hood C om ­
munity CollegeGresham, 26000S.E. Stark,
will offer the tw o-day A A R P class d e­
signed for age 50 and older; students
w ho com plete the course becom e el igible
for insurance discounts. $ 10 fee. To reg­
ister, visit mhcc.edu orcall 503-491 -7572.
Vocabulary of Architecture
Saturday, Feb. 9, from 10 a.m. to 1 1:30
a.m.. the Architectural Heritage Center,
701 S.E. G rand, hosts a sem inar to
dem ystify architects’ language. T o reg­
ister, call 503-231-7264 or visit A H C.org.
Catch the Authors
T hursday, Feb. 28, at 6:30 p.m.. In O ther
W ords, 8 N.E. Killingsworth St., will host
the reading night featuring five gay/les-
bian/transgender authors. For inform a­
tion, visit inotherw ords.org o rc a ll 503-
232-6003.
Learn to Make Recycled Art
Portland C om m unity C ollege is offering
hands-on training to create art from re­
cycled m aterials; classes will be held at
the ReBuilding Center. 3625 N. M issis­
sippi. Call 503-731-6622 for information.
W ild tCVC t ‘ XOU d o
yow 're going to be the
leader o f it and
photo by R aymond R endi . eman /T he P ortland O bserver
Rob Ingram, the new director of Portland's Office of Youth Violence Prevention, bases his
efforts out o f the Northeast Precinct, 449 N.E. Emerson, and the mayor’s office.
,
.
.
VOU tC g O lflg tO m a k e
•
1
“ H O rk, a t l d i JUol
working with ut-riskpopula-
tions extends to counseling
Tuesday, Feb. 5, from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m., the
D em ocratic Party o f O regon will kick off
the general election cam paign with spirit
at the Tiffany Center, 1410 S. W. Morrison
St., featuring plenty o f politics, live m u­
sic, com plim entary beer, wine, appetizers
and raffles. For more inform ation, visit
oregondem ocrats.org or call 503-239-
8629.
P D C ’s hom ebuyer-assistance program s
address the gap in hom e ow nership rates
between whites and com munities of color.
For inform ation about the new and ex ­
p anded hom eb u y ers assistan ce pro­
gram s, visit pdc.us/nhp or call 503-823-
3400.
33
2008 Auto Show
M etro
c o m m u n ity
lanuary 23. 2008
y z ) / / z /z )
'
for Emmanuel C om m unity S o m e t h i n g D O S itive .
Services in 1991.
D uring the intervening - Rob Ingram, Directorof Portland’s
time. Ingram served six years Office of Youth Violence Prevention
as a program director at the
Blazers Boys and G irls Club in northeast Portland, and as executive
director for nonprofits Positive Youth D evelopm ent and Em pow erm ent
Initiatfves. groups that create and operate mentoring program s for other
organizations working w ith at-risk youth and people with mental health
issues.
Established leaders are confident in Ingram 's ability to continue the
local gang-outreach program 's largely successful effort to keep youth
violence under control with fewer resources.
"R ob is more than capable of doing that," says Harry Jackson, a former
Portland Police officer whose decades o f dedicated service is recognized
in the nam e o f a plaza on N ortheast Alberta and Martin Luther King Jr.
continued
on page Ufi
Mechanic Finds Job Transition Success
Opportunities grew when he
went to work for TriMet
A little over four years ago, Theo Porter decided to leave the
trucking industry behind and join TriM et for new opportunities
and jo b security.
“ In the trucking industry, you could be working one day and
laid off the next,” Porter said. "Job security at the truck shop was
next to none.”
He had more than a dozen years as a m echanic already under
his belt before applying at TriMet: w orking on tanks in the Army,
locom otive engines for a railroad and on trucks for a Portland-
based trucking com pany.
Com ing to TriM et
in2(X )2,hetookastep
back when he joined
the transit agency as
an entry-level helper,
but saw the possibili­
ties for future a d ­
vancem ent.
“ S w itc h in g
to
TriM et. I knew I had
to go th ro u g h the
training system no
matter how much ex ­
perience I had," he
said. “ I still had lo g o
— Theo Porter
through the training
The training
program was great
because... although
I worked as a
mechanic fo r many
years, / wasn't
certified before.
program."
A fter a year at TriM et as a helper. Porter entered the tw o-year
apprentice program to becom e a journeym an m echanic. U nder
the program , he learned how to repair al I o f the system s on buses.
The transition worked out well lor him.
“T he training program was great because I becam e a state-
certified journeym an heavy diesel m echanic, and although I
w orked as a m echanic for many years, 1 w asn ’t certified before."
TriM et mechanics sign up every six m onths for work assign­
m ents they will perform over a six-m onth period, based on
seniority. The first few signups. Porter picked a general duty
assignm ent because he preferred the variety o f tasks available.
H ow ever, more recently, h e 's chosen specific types o f work.
continued
on page Ufi
Theo Porter specializes in suspension systems in his job as a mechanic at TriMet.
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