April 6, 2016
Page 5
Health Care Blues
c ontinued froM f ront
“Single payer would make such
a difference in everyone’s life, es-
pecially our local musicians,” said
Donna Richards, one of the orga-
nizers of the event.
The cause has extra meaning
for musicians who as a group have
gone without health insurance
more than most and which as a
profession has not benefited from
a growing economy.
Clubs have closed for various
reasons over the years and the
pay is even lower than it was 30
years ago, the musicians lament.
A tight group that loves to sup-
port each other, they hold regular
fundraisers for players that are ill.
But even a successful fundraiser
can’t make much of a difference.
Costs of medicine and procedures
have skyrocketed. People that are
self-employed can’t buy policies
way out of their price range.
That’s why over the last five
years, band leader Norman Syl-
vester and his wife Paula have
worked hard to book entertain-
ment for this popular event. Last
year the festival pulled in 750 peo-
ple. The goal this year is to raise
$40,000.
Norman and Paula don’t have
to look far to find tragic examples
of a system that isn’t working. In
fact they are putting together a
“Go Fund Me” for friend and fel-
low musician Frankie “Funk Mas-
ter” Redding. Frankie has been
playing in the Portland area since
he was 15 back when the post-
World War II legendary Cotton
Club graced North Vancouver Av-
Career Workshops
for Teenagers
Local youth are invited to at-
tend the Beaverton Youth Summit:
Connecting You to Creative Career
Paths on Friday, April 15 from 4
p.m. to 7:30 p.m. at the Beaver-
ton Building, 12725 S.W. Millikan
Way. The free event is open to
youth ages 14 to 18 years old.
Hear from two different panels
on how local government leaders
and business leaders carved out
their career pathway. Learn tips
and tricks for building your re-
sume, brush up on your network-
ing skills, and learn the most ef-
fective interview skills to land you
your next internship or job.
The evening will close with
a mini social where you can put
your new skills to the test, visit
various booths and enjoy some
food. Raffle prizes will be award-
ed at the end of the night.
Seating is limited to 100 at-
tendees. RSVP to surveymonkey.
com/r/BeavertonYouthSummit.
For more information, email mail-
boxmayorMYAB@Beaverton-
Oregon.gov or call 503-350-4083.
enue. Later he was asked to play in
their house band and backed some
of the greats of the music business
like Etta James and Tyrone Davis.
For over 55 years he been a
mainstay in over a dozen bands,
but medical insurance costs were
always out of the question and
he now faces a plethora of health
problems. Eleven years ago Jan
Bisconer, a fan and friend donat-
ed her kidney to him. As grateful
as he was, years of diabetes and
complications have taken its toll.
His Medicaid doesn’t cover his
prescription drugs, his painkillers
or dental care needs.
It’s estimated that 8,000 fami-
lies in Oregon will suffer health-
care-related bankruptcies this
year alone and 600 people will
die because they lack affordable
health care. Let’s work together to
spread the word that we can “Heal
the Healthcare Blues.”
The 5th annual Inner City Blues
Festival will take place Saturday,
April 16 at the North Portland Ea-
gles Lodge, 7611 N. Exeter Ave.,
off Lombard Street. Doors will
open at 5:30 p.m. and the show
will begin at 6 p.m. and last until
midnight.
Admission is $20 in advance or
$25 at the door. For tickets, visit
the website tickettomato.com
or stop by Peninsula Station,
8326 N. Lombard; Music Mil-
lennium, 3158 E. Burnside Ave;
Geneva’s Pure Perfection: 5601
N.E. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd;
or the Musician’s Union Local 99,
325 N.E. 20th Ave.