REGION
Friday, November 2, 2018
East Oregonian
Shoebox presents share gifts, love of Christ
National Collection
Week is Nov. 12-19
By TAMMY MALGESINI
East Oregonian
Most kids in the United
States wouldn’t be very
excited if they opened a
Christmas present and found
a toothbrush. However, chil-
dren in countries beset with
war, poverty, natural disas-
ter, famine or disease are
often thrilled when they
receive such gifts through
Operation Christmas Child.
Each holiday season
shoeboxes are filled with
personal hygiene items,
toys, clothing, school sup-
plies and more by a min-
istry of the international
relief organization Samar-
itan’s Purse. The gifts are
distributed to needy chil-
dren across the globe. Barb
Wattenburger, the area drop-
off location team leader, has
heard stories about kids hav-
ing to share personal hygiene
items in orphanages in third
world countries. Something
as basic as a toothbrush, she
said, can bring a smile to the
face of a child.
“They received a box and
it included toothbrushes.
The kids were just ecstatic
because they had their own
toothbrush,” Wattenburger
said. “You can’t even under-
stand that in this country.”
As National Collec-
tion Week approaches, area
churches, businesses, ser-
vice clubs and individuals
have been busy gathering
items and packing shoe-
boxes. Dave and Dorothy
Smith, owners of O So Kleen
in Hermiston, have turned
the project into an employee
team-building activity.
While involvement isn’t
mandatory, Dave Smith said
all of his employees partic-
ipated this year. Earlier this
week, the O So Kleen got
together for breakfast and
packed boxes.
“We had an hour of food,
fun and fellowship before
we went to work for the
day,” Smith said.
The Smiths initially
got involved with Opera-
tion Christmas Child while
Contributed photo
Employees at O So Kleen in Hermiston show off the shoebox gifts they packaged
for Operation Christmas Child, which provides presents to needy children across
the globe.
Operation
Christmas Child
National Collection Week
drop-off sites
Pendleton
•Calvary Chapel, 1909 S.W.
Athens Ave.
•Nov. 12-13, 15-17; 4-6
p.m.
•Nov. 14, 19; 11 a.m.-1 p.m.
•Nov. 17; 7:30-9 a.m.
•Nov. 18; 1-3 p.m.
Denise Skeen, 541-443-
living in Richland. Chil-
dren at the church that the
couple attended helped in
increasing awareness and
enthusiasm for the proj-
ect — presenting the shoe-
box packages in front of the
church before they were sent
to the collection center for
shipping.
“It impacted me seeing
that the children were the
ones giving to other kids,”
Dorothy Smith said.
When the couple moved
to Hermiston, Dorothy
served as the children’s
ministry director at New
Hope Community Church.
While the church had been
involved in the shoebox
gift project, Wattenburger
said it soared when kids got
involved with helping.
Wattenburger said her
interest in the program is
2882, 541-377-2103, denise@
ccpendleton.com
Hermiston
•New Hope Community
Church, 1350 S. Highway 395
•Nov. 12-17, 19; 11 a.m.-1
p.m.
•Nov. 13, 15; 5-7 p.m.
•Nov. 18; noon-2 p.m.
Barb Wattenburger, 541-
626-3159
Milton-Freewater
•Milton Adventist Church,
1244 N. Elizabeth St.
•Nov. 12-16; 5-8 p.m.
•Nov. 17; 9:30 a.m.-12:30
centered around reaching
out to children — to let them
know they are loved. It opens
the door to share about Jesus
Christ, she added.
“A gift is a tangible way
that shows that we love them
and that God loves them,”
Wattenburger said. “There
are people in the community
that follow up with the kids.
They aren’t just throwing a
box at them and driving up
to the next place.”
After gifts are distrib-
uted, local ministry partners
in many of the countries
invite the children to enroll
in “The Greatest Journey,” a
12-lesson discipleship pro-
gram. The idea is to estab-
lish longterm relationships
with the children and their
families.
Since 1993, Operation
Christmas Child has deliv-
By JAYATI
RAMAKRISHNAN
East Oregonian
Crafts show fills
TRAC Center
PASCO, Wash. — Hand-
crafted items, original art-
work, specialty foods and
more offers people a chance
to find unique Christmas gift
items.
In its 23rd year, Custer’s
Christmas Arts & Crafts
Show is Friday from 10 a.m.
to 8 p.m., Saturday from
Wife faces felony
charges for allegedly
assaulting husband
that she punched him three
times in the face while she
was driving and he was the
Natasha Mable Wat- passenger. Roberts said
son of Pendleton faces fel- Watson bloodied her hus-
ony charges for
band’s nose that
time.
allegedly assault-
ing her husband
Police
also
during a two-
interviewed
neighbors, Rob-
week span.
erts said, and
Pendleton
virtually all of
Police Chief Stu-
art Roberts said
them said they
witnessed Wat-
officers are famil-
iar with Watson,
son
punching
and her arrest Watson
her husband. He
the night of Oct.
said one even
26 led to the revelation of recounted Watson hold-
ing a child and delivering a
multiple assaults.
Roberts said Watson’s blow to her husband’s face.
Roberts described the
husband used Facebook
Messenger that night to tell situation in the home as
a family member his wife “volatile” and said Wat-
assaulted him, and he sent son’s alcohol use and
a digital photo of his inju- abuse plays a role.
ries. The family member
The district attorney’s
office presented evidence
called police.
Watson was reluctant in the case Wednesday to
to let officers inside the a grand jury, according to
apartment, Roberts said, court records, which issued
and after she did, they saw an indictment with the fol-
where she slapped her hus- lowing charges: one count
band on the face. Rob- of misdemeanor fourth-de-
erts said the victim “mini- gree assault, two counts
mized” the severity of the of felony fourth-degree
pain, so police arrested assault and three counts
Watson for the misde- of harassment, also misde-
meanor domestic violence meanors. The state alleges
charge of harassment.
the crimes took place on
“For assault, we have to Oct. 13, 17, 18 and 26.
Watson remains in the
prove substantial pain,” he
jail. She has an arraignment
said.
Officers later ques- on the charges Monday.
tioned the husband, who
You can find local
told them Watson punched information and help with
him in the face some days domestic and sexual vio-
before in front of their two lence at https://www.
young children, accord- o c a d s v. o rg / f i n d - h e l p /
ing to Roberts, and before by-county/umatilla.
By PHIL WRIGHT
East Oregonian
p.m.
•Nov. 18; 1-4 p.m.
•Nov. 19; 9-11 a.m.
541-938-3066,
miltonad-
ventist@gmail.com
——
For more information, about
Operation Christmas Child
and National Collection Week,
contact Barb Wattenburger,
the area drop-off location team
leader, at 541-626-3159 or pau-
landbarbw@gmail.com. Also,
information on what and how to
pack a shoebox gift is available
at www.samaritanspurse.org.
ered 157 million shoe-
box gifts to children in 160
countries. This year’s goal is
to reach another 11 million
kids, said Cassie Roberts,
a media relations associ-
ate with Samaritan’s Purse.
In 2017, Wattenburger said
1,871 boxes were collected
in the Hermiston area and
1,092 in Pendleton.
A donation of $9 is
requested to offset shipping
costs. Wattenburger said
money is available if people
can’t afford that. For more
information about Operation
Christmas Child, including
guidelines for shoebox gifts
and an option to virtually
“Build a Box,” visit www.
samaritanspurse.org/occ.
———
Contact Community Edi-
tor Tammy Malgesini at
tmalgesini@eastoregonian.
Hermiston FFA brings home medals
Four Hermiston High
School students attended
the Future Farmers of
America national conven-
tion last week, competing
against students from 43
other states.
The competition was in
Indianapolis, Indiana, and
featured students from all
around the nation, testing
their skills in a variety of
subjects.
Hermiston’s Veterinary
Sciences team consisted of
Kennidy Baker, Adriann
Stewart, Isel Tejeda Urenda
and Jenna Wallace. Baker
took home a gold medal,
Stewart and Wallace got
silvers, and Tejeda Urenda
received a bronze medal.
Overall, the group made the
silver team.
“With FFA, once you
compete at the national
level in a certain category,
you’re never allowed to
compete in it again,” said
Baker, a junior.
Tejeda Urenda, a senior,
said each state’s compe-
tition is structured dif-
ferently, and Oregon fol-
lows a layout similar to the
national level. The chal-
lenge, she said, is that the
state and national compe-
titions are almost a year
apart.
Page 3A
Photo courtesy of Hermiston School District
Kennidy Baker, left, Isel Tejeda Urenda, Adriann Stew-
art and Jenna Wallace won medals at the FFA National
Convention in Indianapolis last week.
Baker and Tejeda Urenda
said there are many tasks
and categories in which
students have to compete.
In the identification com-
ponent, students have to
be able to identify 43 par-
asites, around 130 tools,
and 150 animal breeds, and
will be quizzed on them at
random.
There’s a math sec-
tion, where students have
to solve problems, such as
how much medication to
give an animal based on
their weight. A written por-
10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Sun-
day from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
at the TRAC Center, 6600
N. Burden Blvd. It’s located
off Interstate 182 Exit No. 9,
Pasco. It features more than
150 vendors. The entry fee
is $7, which includes admis-
sion all weekend. Children
12 and under are free.
For more information,
call 509-924-0588 or visit
www.custershows.com.
tion asked students to dis-
cuss opioids and how vet-
erinarians have to consider
human abuse of the drugs
when administering them
to animals.
There was a multiple
choice test, a practicum
portion, and an extempo-
raneous speaking portion.
In the latter, students had
to work in a group to pre-
pare a presentation about
“fear-free feline medicine,”
which discusses the ways
vets can reduce stress and
anxiety for animals going to
the veterinarian. That anxi-
ety, in turn, leads to longer
recovery times for animals.
Though not all of the
students want to become
veterinarians, some hope
the skills they’re learning in
FFA will transition to their
desired careers.
“I’d like to be a rumi-
nant nutritionist,” said
Tejeda Urenda. “Develop-
ing feeds for cattle, lambs,
anything with a four-cham-
ber stomach.”
Baker does want to be a
veterinarian, and has started
looking at colleges.
“This is what I want to
do with my life,” she said.
Hermiston man dies in
motorcycle crash
East Oregonian
A Hermiston man died
in a motorcycle crash early
Thursday morning.
Oregon State Police
Sgt. Seth Cooney said the
driver was Michael James
Wilson, 62, of Hermis-
ton. Although there were
no witnesses, Cooney said
officers think around 1:55
a.m., Wilson drifted off the
roadway and drove into a
ditch where he struck a
culvert and was ejected
from the motorcycle.
Wilson was travel-
ing southbound on High-
way 207 when the wreck
happened at Milepost 19,
near Buttercreek Road.
Cooney said that area
is known for being a
high-traffic area for deer
crossing, and there have
been other crashes there
due to deer.
Cooney said about 10
minutes after the crash
another driver came by
and saw a headlight on
SUBMIT
COMMUNITY
NEWS
Submit information to:
community@eastorego-
nian.com
in a nearby field from the
motorcycle, but it took a
bit longer to locate Wilson.
Wilson died at the
scene. Oregon State Police
received help from Morrow
County Sheriff’s Office,
Umatilla County Sheriff’s
Office, Ione and Boardman
fire departments, Uma-
tilla County Fire District
and Oregon Department of
Transportation.
11/2-4
Cineplex Show Times
$5 Classic Movie
11/7 • 12pm
Barefoot in the Park
THE NUTCRACKER AND
THE FOUR REALMS (PG)
12:00* 4:40 7:00
2:20* 9:40
BOHEMIAN RHAPSODY
(PG13)
12:50* 3:50* 6:50 9:50
HUNTER KILLER (R)
1:20* 4:00 6:40 9:20
HALLOWEEN (R)
12:10* 2:30* 4:50 7:10 9:30
GOOSEBUMPS 2:
HAUNTED HALLOWEEN (PG)
12:20* 2:40* 5:00
VENOM (PG13)
7:20 10:00
* Matinee Pricing
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