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About East Oregonian : E.O. (Pendleton, OR) 1888-current | View Entire Issue (May 26, 2018)
OFF PAGE ONE Saturday, May 26, 2018 East Oregonian Page 13A GAP: ‘You are needed. You are wanted. People are relying on you.’ Continued from 1A The OCF report, titled “Toward a thriving future: Closing the opportunity gap for Oregon’s kids,” sug- gests a wide variety of solu- tions are needed to improve upward mobility for chil- dren born on the wrong side of the gap. Those suggestions include providing programs to encourage post-second- ary education, strengthen- ing families through parent education and helping chil- dren build “social capital” via involvement in things like sports, clubs and religious organizations. STRENGTHENING FAMILIES Closing the opportunity gap is the main goal for the aptly named Head Start. Pro- grams it offers includes parent education classes, home vis- its, Court-Appointed Special Advocates for foster children, matching grants for housing and preschool classes. “Our goal is to serve chil- dren and families to make sure they’re getting the best start,” Brenaman said. There are a lot of families out there that need help — according to the OCF report, 47 percent of Oregon’s chil- dren are being raised in fam- ilies at or below 200 percent of the federal poverty line, which for a family of four is $48,000 a year. The makeup of the family unit makes a dif- ference, too. More than one in three single-parent families is in poverty, for example, com- pared to less than one in 10 married-parent families. Head Start also offers parenting classes and sup- port groups open to anyone, regardless of income. Par- ents are taught to use their strengths to deal with things like discipline and bedtime routines in a healthy, devel- opmentally appropriate way for their children, and can network with other parents. Mary Lou Gutierrez offers cooking classes where par- ents and children learn to cook nutritious, low-cost meals together. “I’ll tell them this recipe only takes $8 or $10 to feed a family of six people and they’ll say, ‘What?!’,” she said. “Because they’re spend- ing more than that on food that’s not even healthy.” Kim Ables, who super- vises Head Start’s Family EO file photo Angie Treadwell, second from right, with the Oregon State University Extension Office, helps students measure ingredients for a pumpkin breakfast cookie recipe in December 2016 during the Cooking Matters for Families cooking class in Umatilla. Staff photo by E.J. Harris Student ambassadors Gema Juarez, center left, and Gina Olsen, center, have a question and answer session with a group of Hermiston High School students during a tour Tuesday at BMCC’s Hermiston campus. Support & Connection pro- gram, said stress caused by trying to feed a family or keep a roof over their head can contribute to child abuse, so the program she supervises strives to connect families with all the resources they need to help out with food, rent, etc. so they can focus on the future instead of just day- to-day needs. “We have folks who have started out homeless and are now going to college,” Ables said. “It’s that idea that if you can stabilize them, we find they fly, really.” EDUCATIONAL OPPORTUNITIES While parents are meant to be their children’s first and most influential teachers, schools can help fill in the gaps for children who aren’t born into a financially stable home with two married, col- lege-educated parents — the ideal, statistically speaking, for reaching the middle class. Melody Bustillos, a coun- selor at Hermiston High School, said only about 14 percent of adults over 25 in Hermiston have a bachelor’s degree or above, so many stu- dents who are looking to pur- sue a college degree don’t necessarily have a parent who can give guidance from per- sonal experience. “We basically assume all our kids need help,” she said. The high school has three clubs to help with that: Col- lege Club, which is open to any student interested in a post-secondary education; the College Savers club, which is income-based; and Generation College, for stu- dents who would be the first in their family to graduate from college. This week the school brought seniors planning to study at Blue Mountain Community College this fall to BMCC’s Hermiston and Pendleton campuses, where students were given a tour by current BMCC stu- dents. Those ambassadors answered questions from the high school students about things like placement tests and online classes. Bustillos said Genera- tion College advisors are unique to most high school programs because they stick with students all the way through their college gradua- tion, answering questions and offering support as needed. “It’s not enough to just get them accepted,” she said. “You can’t just turn them loose and figure every- thing’s OK. ... We talk a lot about high school gradua- tion rates and about getting kids accepted into college but I feel like we rarely talk about helping these kids get a degree.” The school also offers programs like the Columbia Basin Student Homebuilders Association to provide stu- dents who aren’t so interested in college to build skills and connections they can turn into a trade job after high school. Bustillos said it’s obvious to anyone who works in edu- cation that students’ home life has a big impact on their edu- cation. She said school coun- selors try to teach students how to “leave their baggage at the door” while at school. Students living in poverty and other less-than-ideal cir- cumstances are capable of creating a better life for them- selves as adults, she said, but it takes curiosity, hard work and a “coachable” attitude. COMMUNITY SUPPORTS The Oregon Community Foundation found that chil- dren in some communities find it easier to escape pov- erty than others. Children in Eastern Oregon counties tend to fare better than those on the west side of the state in mov- ing up the income ladder, but Umatilla County and Mor- row County are the excep- tions to that rule. The report notes that “Communities with higher upward mobility tend to be more racially and economically integrated and have less income inequal- ity, more social capital, more two-parent families and high- er-quality schools.” The report suggests that most Eastern Oregon chil- dren may have more upward mobility in part because of the social capital piece. A 2006 study cited in the report called “The production of social capital in US coun- ties” — which ranked social capital based on per-capita membership of civic organi- zations, fitness centers, reli- gious institutions and more — showed Wallowa County ranked the highest in the state on the social capital index, followed by Baker and Grant counties. Umatilla and Mor- row counties ranked on the lower end of the scale for the state. One organization in Hermiston created since then is Made to Thrive, a nonprofit that provides at-risk children with the money, transpor- tation, equipment and sup- port needed to participate in sports and other extracurricu- “That’s the great thing about this community, is we’re all collaborating to give these kids so many avenues to success.” — Kriss Dammeyer, director of Made to Thrive, a nonprofit that provides at-risk children with money, transportation, equipment and support needed to participate in sports and other extracurricular activities lar activities. “It’s really something spe- cial to see a child who has never gotten to participate in anything light up when you tell them they get to partic- ipate and whatever barrier has been keeping them away, we’re going to knock down,” said Kriss Dammeyer, the nonprofit’s director. She said she has seen many at-risk children who gained valuable, life-long social skills from participat- ing in sports, dance, or music lessons. They start skipping school less often, have fewer angry outbursts and learn about commitment. “Their team is depending on them,” she said. “That’s what we explain to them. You are needed. You are wanted. People are relying on you.” Participation in extracur- ricular activities also helps youths build their social network. “They surround them- selves with a more diverse group of friends,” Dammeyer said. The OCF report also noted participation in reli- gious organizations and clubs can have similar effects, and many churches also have programs for youth and for strengthening families. Dammeyer, Bustillos, Bre- naman and the Oregon Com- munity Foundation report all agreed that community mem- bers can play an important role in disadvantaged chil- dren’s’ lives by setting a good example and helping them overcome barriers. “That’s the great thing about this community, is we’re all collaborating to give these kids so many avenues to success,” Dammeyer said. TEST: ‘We want our first responders to be protected’ Continued from 1A Roberts said the juve- nile became agitated, tried to get away and suffered inju- ries to his face in the scuffle with police. Officers called for Pendleton paramedics, and when they arrived the juvenile spat in their faces. The ambulance crew took the juvenile to St. Anthony Hospital, Pendleton, where he refused to cooperate or allow medical staff to draw his blood for an HIV test. Roberts explained Oregon law allows the attending phy- sician to determine the risk level of exposure to a blood- borne pathogen. A finding of “substantial exposure,” Rob- erts said, allows the doctor to administer preventative treat- ment to the paramedics. That didn’t happen here. Roberts said doctors are cau- tious about prescribing the HIV preventative, because a patient can take it only once every six months. Exposure to saliva or blood is not uncommon for first responders, Roberts said, but the city’s pursuit of the HIV test was. Kerns explained the refusal opened the door for the city to seek the test under rel- atively new Oregon law. Oregon Revised Stat- ute 433.080 “allows for an employee that is exposed to a blood-borne pathogen to request that the source con- sent to testing for the purpose of letting the exposed person know if it was a serious expo- sure,” Kerns said of the law, passed in 2017. Oregon’s law, she added, is a version of the federal law that allows emergency respond- ers to find out whether they were exposed to life-threaten- ing diseases in the line of duty. Kerns filed a petition May 16 in Umatilla County Cir- cuit Court on behalf of the two paramedics to have a judge order the juvenile to submit Wine & Chocolates! June 2 Taste wine from Echo Ridge Cellars, paired with Arrowhead Chocolates. A scenic 4-hour evening ride. Departs Elgin at 4 p.m. What are you doing for Father’s Day? Train Robbery - Saturday or Sunday Book online, eaglecaptrainrides.com or call 800.323.7330 to an HIV test. The law also required Kerns obtain a state- ment from the public health administrator declaring the facts in the request are true. Jim Setzer filled that role. He is the administrator of the Umatilla County Public Health Department and pro- vided an affidavit in the case. “This was all new to all of us,” he said. Speaking Friday, Setzer said he found the two city employees had a risk of occu- pational exposure and that is what he told the court. Setzer in the affidavit stated that he reviewed police and accident reports that stated the juvenile’s saliva landed in the eyes of one paramedic and in the mouth of another. The juvenile also was bleeding from his face at the time. Neither city employee knew of previous exposure to HIV, according to the affida- vit, both provided blood sam- ples, and the window closed for the preventative treatment for HIV exposure. Know- ing the juvenile’s HIV sta- tus, Setzer continued, would allow the paramedics to know if they needed to begin medi- cal treatment. Setzer said he made no recommendation to the court but laid out the situation as he understood it. “We want our first respond- ers to be protected,” he said, and hoped the need for the law was “infrequent going forward.” Circuit Judge Eva Tem- ple heard the matter May 18 in Hermiston with all par- ties calling in. Temple asked the juvenile if he would con- sent to the test, according to court records, and he said he would. Temple ordered him to appear for that test May 21, at the Umatilla County Pub- lic Health Department, Pend- leton. Kerns said the city is awaiting the results. “The city is just interested in doing everything we can to ensure the safety of our employees,” she said. Roberts echoed that and said the main reason for test was so the two paramed- ics could have some peace of mind. THE PARENTS OF THE SENIOR CLASS OF 2018 WOULD LIKE TO THANK EVERYONE FOR THEIR SUPPORT OF THE 2018 SENIOR CLASS GRADUATION FESTIVITIES! The generosity and support given to our youth make celebrations possible. Thank you to the donations committee, individuals, businesses, and groups that contributed money, time and items to make this year extra special! The seniors will be going to Wahooz in Boise for a true all-night, safe, and sober event! SAFE AND SOBER SPONSOR $1500+ : ABBY’S LEGENDARY PIZZA Buckaroo Pride Sponsor $500-$1499 • Dr. Andrew & Susan Bower • Tum a Lum • WP Farms • Pendleton City Club • Buck Boosters • St. Anthony Hospital Senior Class Sponsor $150-$499 James & Janelle Gau Pioneer Title Stratton Insurance Agency Tim & Susan O/Rourke Corey, Byler & Rew Dickey & Tremper Holton Secret Lab Gordon’s Electric Westgate Mini Storage Bob, Roalynn & Shawn Pace Kruse Construction Round Up City Plumbing Dirk Irwin, DMD G&R Auto Truck Repair Farm Equipment Headquarters Hodgen Frazier Offi ce Supply TK & Jen Kennedy Rotary Club of Pendleton Celebration Sponsor up to $150 Hallman Law Offi ce Katherine Jackson Chris Fritsch Glenn Scott Wheatland Insurance Greg & Brenda Bonner Vegetation Solutions Tom & Patricia Winn Joseph Bostwick Jack and Kathy Shaw George & Donna Murdock Jim & Penny Whitney Grable, Hantke Law Group, LLC Zeigler Transmission & Auto Repair Pendleton Veterinary Clinic Dan Cengia State Farm Insurance Elite Taxis Louie & Alice Coelho Amerititle Lorry & Helen Case Deserae Hall First Community Credit Union CLASS OF 2018 In-Kind Donations (total value $4000!) Oregon Grain Growers-The Distillery Prodigal Son Joes’ Mexican Fiesta Keystone Big John’s Pizza Dickey’s BBQ Pendleton Athletics Wal-Mart Dickey & Tremper Eastern Oregon Business Source Pendleton Country Club Quicky Lube The Tire Factory Hamley’s Steakhouse The Furniture Lady Becky Dunlap, JAFRA Beauty Products Western States/Caterpilar
