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Math and Science Academy
T h e B lac k P a re n ts I n itia tiv e an d
C oncordia University invite parents and
their children to attend a free inform ation
session preparing high-school students
to achieve in math and science on T hurs­
day, April IOat6p.ni. in Luther Hall, Room
121. To RSVP,call 503-284-8000.
Emergency 911!
An art form born at A frican
American
fraternities
conies to WSU-
Vancouver
11,1 Idortlaub ©bseruer
/c o m m u n ity
C a le n d a r
A p ril 9. 2008
Portland Community
College-Casi ade recrttits
students fo r careers in
emergent, y servic es
See story, page B4
See A&E, inside
Lofty Opportunity
PHOTO 111 R AV MOM) R lNDEEVI V \/
T ill P<)R 11 AND O b s ERV EH
Lents Home Buying Fair
Saturday, April 12, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.,
at Kelly Elementary School, 9030 S.E.
Cooper St., learn about opportunities to
buy your own home. The free event fea­
tures various w orkshops and a draw ing
for a $4,000 dow n-paym ent assistance
grant. For more information,call 503-788-
8052, extension 105.
Buckman Art Show & Sell
Friday, April 11 and Saturday, April 12,
Buckman Elem entary School hosts a
fundraiser featuring arts, crafts, ceram ­
ics, jew elry, gourm et foods, music and
d an ce. F or m ore in fo rm atio n , visit
Buckm anelem entary.org/artsale.
Learning English
City building
inspector Mark
Vasquez shows
Bureau o f Develop­
ment trainees
Autumn BigBoy and
Viktor Palchey the
finer points inside a
16-story Pearl
District condo-
construction
project.
Every Tuesday and Thursday, currently
through May 29, the SUN C enter at
M arshall Cam pus, 3905 S.E. 91st Ave.,
will offer free English as a Second L an­
guage classes. For more inform ation, call
971-570-1384.
Health Inequities
The public is invited to join in the dia­
logues with com m unity members, orga­
nizations, business leaders and local
elected officials to discuss the root causes
o f health inequities as well as long-term
solutions in this seven-part series. For
neighborhood locations, dates and times,
visit M chealth.org/healthequity.
Beach School Auction
Saturday, April 12. Beach Elem entary in
north Portland will host an auction and
dinner fundraiser to benefit the hom eless
c h ild r e n ’s a fte r-sc h o o l p ro g ra m at
M agdalene Parish Hall, 3123 N.E. 24th
Ave., with doors opening at 5:30 p.m.
Items to be auctioned include horseback­
riding lessons, use o f vacation homes,
gift certificates and more.
City program gives
work experience
to disadvantaged
by R aymond R endleman
T he P ortland O bserver
W hen thinking o f jobs reserved for
young imm igrants or single mothers,
tidying up upscale residences fo ra m ini­
mum wage may first com e to mind.
A new city program, however, defies
the traditional logic by training disad­
vantaged youth for living-wage jobs that
sustain the construction of Pearl District
condominiums.
This spring, lOhigh-school juniors and
seniors will be chosen for seven-week
internships for part-tim e training in lucra­
tive trades that have the potential to turn
into continued em ployment.
Even though the P e a rl's$300,000t o $2
million condos are financially out o f reach
for most city workers, it doesn’t dam pen
enthusiasm on a visit to Encore on the
Park, a 16-story construction project on
the pricey neighborhood’s northern edge.
"W e couldn’t even get one o f these on
the first floor,” responded city building
inspector Mark V asquez, who was leading
the tour that day. "This type o f work is
great though for making a decent wage
and feeling good about it when you get
home."
Tiffani Penson, P ortland's Bureau of
Development outreach program coordi­
nator, obtained funds last sum m er to start
an internship program to recruit disadvan­
taged kids into the building professions.
Parkrose High School graduate A u­
tumn BigBoy, a N ative American, was
Walk MS 2008
Remodeling Seminars
82nd Avenue Roses Parade
Saturday, April 19 at 9 a.m. the second-
annual 82nd Avenue o f the Roses parade
kicks off. For inform ation about partici­
pating, cal 1503-484-6225 or503-252-9143.
Spiffin’ Up MLK
Saturday, April 19, SOLV and neighbor­
hood businesses and com m unity m em ­
bers will work together to pick up trash,
clean graffiti and rem ove street debris
along northeast M artin Luther King Jr.
B o u le v a rd . T o get in v o lv e d , v isit
H andsonportland.org.
Health Wellness Fair
Wednesday, Apri 123, from 4 to 8 p. m„ Self
Enhancement, Inc. will host the wellness
fairto promote awareness tochildren about
nutrition, health and fitness.
Town Hall
Saturday, Apri I 26, from 10 a.m. to noon.
Sen. Avel Gordly and Sisters o f the Road
invite the public to join in an open forum
on hom elessness in Mt. T abor Hall at
Portland C om m unity C ollege's South­
east Center, 2305 S.E. 82nd Ave.
Ockley Green Art Project
O ckley G reen School. 6 0 3 1 N. M ontana
St., Thursday, April 10. from 5:30 to 6:30
p.m.. encourages participation in the cre­
ation o f new art on North Interstate A v­
enue. For more inform ation, contact Peg
Butler503-545-0693.
on page H4
PCC hires professional
Saturday, April 19, beginning at 9:30a.m ..
Neil Kelly Show room s at 804 N. Alberta
St., and 1557.3 S.W. Bangy Road in Lake
O sw ego, will host free kitchen and bath
remodeling seminars. For information, visit
Neilkelly.com or call 503-335-9204.
Free First Fridays
continued
Helping Small
Business
Saturday, April 12 and Saturday, April 19,
take to the streets to raise funds and
aw areness in the m ovem ent tow ard a
world free of M ultiple Sclerosis ( MS). To
get involved, call I-800-344-4867 or visit
Wal k M Soregon .com .
The Portland C hildren's M useum has
partnered with Target to provide free
adm ission to everyone the first Friday of
each month from 5 to 8 p.m.
determ ined to advance in the program.
"Y o u 'v e got to have a lot o f motivation
to go to work if y o u ’re a teen m om ," she
says, stressing the importance of taking
training seriously even with her child in
daycare.
Prior to the issues surrounding her
now one-year-old son Ayjay. BigBoy
struggled with the g rief and self-de­
struction that accom panied her m other's
death to hepatitis. Until getting help
from the city filling out paperwork, she
photo bv
M ark W a s iiim . ion /T hi P orti
vni > O bserver
Learning from the Community
Community leaders lend their support to the students and administrators of the John H.
Johnson Leadership Academy for Young Men of Jefferson High School. Pictured are An­
thony Lathan (standing from left), interim Academy Administrator Marshall Haskins. Austin
Casey, Urban League of Portland President Marcus Mundy, Andres Hernandez, Joshua
Davis, Portland Observer Publisher Charles Washington and Jefferson Principal Cynthia
Harris. Seated from left are Conner Hiland, Kris Penn, Leon Sanborn and Lee Miller.
I
Tam my M arquez-Oldham is the new direc­
tor o f education for the Portland Community
College Small Business Development Center
located at the Lloyd C enter Mall in northeast
Portland.
M arquez-O ldham will be responsible for
the design o f entrepreneur and business d e­
velopment coursework. Additionally, she will
lead the cen ter's business advising efforts,
working with a team of talented and experi­
enced business advisers.
M arquez-O ldham has been a business pro­
fessional for 30 years working in the educa­
tion, healthcare, softw are anil food indus­
tries. Founding M arque/ Project M anage­
ment LLC in 2( *)().
she h a s le v e r­
aged her connec­
tions and talents
toward programs
with social sig­
nificance. most
recently a m icro­
enterprise social
change program.
"Tam m y brings considerable experience
and dedication to the developm ent ol small
business growth and entrepreneurship in our
region." said Tom Low les, director o f P C C 's
Small Business Development Center. "W e
are very lucky to have her join o u ro rg a n i/a
lion. She w ill have a positive impact on small
b u sin e sse s."
Her w ork w ith large and sm all business,
and ex p erien ce as a su ccessful business
ow ner, added Low les. w ill lend itsell well to
the m ission o f P C C 's Sm all B usiness D e­
velopm ent C en ter, w hich is to be the p re­
m ier prov ider o f tech n ical support and e n ­
trep ren e u r d ev elo p m en t in the state ol
O regon.
"A s a business leader in the 21st century .
I believe I have a social responsibility to
transfer the know ledge learned through my
journey to those em barking on theirs." said
M arquezO ldham
For inform ation, cal I the center at 503-978-
5094 or visit the website B izcentcr.org.
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