December 28. 2011
Mississippi
Alberta
North Portland
®1** Çortlanh (Pbseruer
M E T KO
Page 9
Vancouver
East County
Beaverton
University Students Give Back
Burritos
feed the
masses
Volunteers prepare free burritos for the homeless during the holiday season as part of a public service project by University of Portland
Masters of Business Administration students Joaquin Ortiz and Katie Smith.
A pair of University of Portland
Masters of Business Administra
tion students has led a larger group
of colleagues on a public service
campaign to make and deliver free
burritos to the homeless in down
town Portland.
The Portland Burrito Project was
founded by UP students Joaquin Ortiz
and Katie Smith to help feed those in
need during the holiday season. The
idea emerged as part of a course in
their university program that encour
aged students to practice leadership
in their workplaces and community.
Although other Burrito Projects exist
in cities throughout the country, both
Smith and Ortiz said they wanted to
bring the idea to Portland.
“Friends come together, make
burritos, and pass them out to hun
gry people in need. No political,
religious, or party views of any sort,”
said the organizers.
A group of 15-20 volunteers, most
of whom are University of Portland
students and friends, gathered be
fore both the Christmas and Thanks
giving holidays to walk around
downtown and disperse more than
100 burritos to homeless individu
als within the city.
All food and funds for the project
were donated.
Fire Safety
Lesson for Kids
Burton Elementary School stu
dents in Vancouver have taken
grand prize honors as part of an
effort to learn fire safety.
The theme of the student artwork
campaign was "Take Safety Home,"
Kindergarten students
from Vancouver’s Burton
Elementary join Virginia
Chapman and Natalie
Parsons of the Vancouver
Fire Department to
showcase the artwork they
created in a fire safety
contest.
and required students to submit full
color artwork related to smoke alarms
and other fire prevention themes.
Throughout October, employees
from Paul Davis Restoration of Port
land, along with the Vancouver Fire
Department, and school district
volunteers, spoke with students in
kindergarten, and third through fifth
graders within the district.
The winning students received
pencils, fire hats, and stickers, and
the grand prize winners received a
dress-up fire coat and personal
protective equipm ent needed to
fight a fire.