www.portlandobserver.com
Committed to Cultural Diversity
May 14. 2008
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community service
SPECIAL EDITION
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SECTION
B
‘Homeless School’
Celebrates Opening
Permanent site at Killingsworth and Cully
he C om m unity Transitional School the children o f fam ilies w ho are home­
recently moved to its seventh loca­ less o r liv in g in transition throughout
tion in 18 years, but this tim e, the the Portland-m etro area, fin a lly owns its
w n new b u ild in g on N o rth e a s t
school fo r homeless children w ill stay o put.
K
illin g s w o rth Street in the C u lly neigh-
The private nonprofit K -8 school, fo r
T
Students arrive to classes at the Community Transitional School at 6601 N.E. Killingsworth in the Cully
neighborhood.
borhood.
F rid a y, the school board, s ta ff and
students opened th e ir doors to co n ­
trib u to rs, volunteers and other friends
to celebrate the new school at 6 6 0 1 N.E.
K illin g sw o rth , a $3.6 mi 11 ion capital cam­
paign launched in 2006 that paid fo r the
land and the b u ild in g .
Tables are filled for breakfast at the new Community Transitional School, a
private non-profit K-8 school for the children of families who are homeless
or living in transition throughout the Portland area.
“ We are thrilled to fin a lly have our own
school, and we want to thank everyone
who has been so generous in helping us
build it," said Principal Cheryl Bickle, who
has taught at the school since it started at
the Portland Y W C A . “ O ur students face
so many other changes in their lives. It's
wonderful that they w ill be able to share
w ith us a sense o f ownership and perma­
nence, know ing that this is tru ly their
school."
T yp ica lly, the transitional school's stu­
dents move between shelters and motel
rooms, sometimes sleeping on the floors
and couches o f friends or relatives and
sometimes sleeping in vehicles. These
children are at risk for failure in school and
at risk for repeating their parents' lives o f
homelessness and poverty.
B ickle said the stability o f a permanent
location w ill mean the staff can better
focus on providing encouragement, edu­
cation and support to at-risk students.
The school has an average daily e n ro ll­
ment o f 75 students, and about 225 stu­
dents a year.
Teachers have designed a curriculum
fo r students who have missed a lot o f
school because o f their fam ilies’ tran­
sient lives. The school also provides
many basic needs, including tw o meals
a day, clothing, school supplies and bus
continued
on page 114
COUMTERF£
LO VE
t^
Jessica Jenkins (left) and Kimberly Heine are enrolled in a youth leadership program at Open Meadow High School in
north Portland.
Leadership Program Grows Support
program fo r local students to
learn skills in civic engagement,
p h ila n th ro p y , leadership and
A
Young Filmmakers Honored
Young filmmakers participate in a youth film competition sponsored by
the Multnomah Bar Association at the Hollywood Theater in northeast
Portland. See story, page B4
Bicyclist Rights
Wednesday, M ay 14 from 6 p.m. to 7:30
p.m., jo in the free vehicle-law class spon­
sored by the Bicycle Transportation A l­
liance at 233 N .W . 5th Ave. To register,
call 503-226-0676.
Educate, Empower, Engage
C o m m u n ity C .O .G .I.C ., 2216 N .E .
K illin g sw o rth . extends an invitation to all
men to jo in the ‘ men only service' w ith
guest speaker Pastor B ill Russell; for more
inform ation call 503-281 -4587.
Strut Fashion Show
Thursday, M ay 15, the Portland N A A C P
Branch Freedom Fund D inner w ill take
place at the Sheraton Portland A irp o rt
Hotel, 8235 N.E. A irp o rt Way. Doors
open at 6 p.m. and dinner is at 7 p.m. V isit
pdxnaacp.org fo r more inform ation.
Friday, May 16 at the W onder Ballroom ,
128 N.E. Russell St., local designers and
artist w ill presents the fashion show
fundraiser to benefit Basic Rights Oregon
supporting dom estic partnerships and
anti-discrim ination laws; $15. For more
inform ation, visit strutpdx.com .
Calling All Men
Juneteenth Celebration
Friday, May 16 at 7 p.m., C om er Stone
Portland's Juneteenth celebration w ill be
teamwork is expanding.
“ C om m unity 101 ."iscu rre n tly in place
in 35 schools across ( )regon and in several
Portland schools, but w ill grow to 100
schools by the 2010-2011 school year
thanks to additional support from the Port­
land General Electric and Oregon Commu­
nity foundations.
In C om m unity 101 schools, students
are awarded $5,(MX), which they distribute
in grants to nonprofit organizations in
held Saturday. June 14 w ith a parade at 11
a m., starting from the W ells Fargo bank at
5730 N.E. M a rtin Luther K ing Jr. Boule­
vard. A c tiv itie s w ill follow at Jefferson
High School from I to 8 p.m. w ith free food
fo r children, entertainment and booths set
up by local businesses. For more inform a­
tion. call D oris Rush at 503-605-8252 or
Tisha Stigler a t503-249-9093.
Great Slough Clean Up
Saturday. M ay 17 from 9 am . to noon,
volunteers w ill enjoy a morning paddle while
searching for and removing littcrfrom atw o-
mi le stretch o f the Colu mbia Slough. To get
involved, ca!15Q3-281-I 132.
th e irco m m u n ity. Supervised by a teacher
advisor, the students use a course cur­
riculum to guide them through the grant­
making process, visiting nonprofits in their
com m unity and decided w hich programs
they w ill fund.
The students also volunteer an aver­
age o ftw o hours a month at local nonprofits
to gain a firsthand understanding o f the
need. Students most often choose to help
organizations that serve the homeless and
hungry , victim s o f abuse, pregnant teens
and drug and alcohol users.
“ I d id n 't know about nonprofits until
we started doing the project." said Jessica
Jenkins. aC om m unity 101 student at Open
Meadow High School in north Portland.
“ Now 1 know the money we give w ill make
a real difference in how many people they
can help.”
Sch(x»ls participating inCom m unitv 101
in Portland are D avid Douglas High
School. F ir Ridge Campus, Jesuit High
School. Leadership and Entrepreneurship
Public C harter School. L in c o ln High
School, Open Meadow H igh School.
Parkrose H igh School and Portland
YouthBuilders.
Pride and Culture Festival
eries, proceeds to benefit P ittock M an­
May 16 t i m i M ay 27, a D isability Pride and
C ulture Festival features film screenings,
live performances, lectures and more to
celebrate regional and national artists w ith
disabilities. The show includes ‘ Body
sion programs.
Thought Nature,' M ay 16 at Jefferson
H igh School, w ith an art exhibit at the
Y W C A Conference Room, 1111 S.W I Oth
Ave., from May 15-27. Call 503-358-9085.
Pittock Mansion Plant Sale
Saturday,M ay 1 7 from 10:30 a .m .to 3 :3 0
p.m., Pittock Mansion, 3229 N.W . Pittock
D rive, w ill host the plant extravaganza
featuring garden delights from local nurs­
Renters Rights
The C om m unity A lliance o f Tenants is
seeking volunteers to work the peer-run
advocate renter's rights hotline. Training
classes w ill held on Saturday and Sunday,
M ay 17 and 18, from 2 to6:30p.m . For more
inform ation and to get involved, call 503-
460-9702.
Garden Clean-Up Party
Saturday, May 17 from 9 to 11:30 a.m.,
volunteers are needed at the Pier Commu­
nity Garden, at North Iris Way to clean-up
the garden To volunteer, call 503-823-1612.