A6
COMMUNITY
East Oregonian
Thursday, March 11, 2021
COMMUNITY BRIEFING
Hermiston
grads eligible for
scholarships
Ag entrepreneur
award seeking
applicants
HERMISTON — The
Hermiston Education Foun-
dation is accepting appli-
cations for eight $2,500
post-secondary education
scholarships. The awards
are for seniors from Herm-
iston High School attending
colleges and universities in
academic programs.
Important factors in the
evaluation of applicants
include scholarship, extra-
curricular and community
service activities, leadership,
and financial need. All appli-
cations must be received by
April 30. Successful appli-
cants will be notified of selec-
tion no later than May 12.
Applications are available
at the Hermiston High School
counseling office. For addi-
tional information, contact
Hermiston Education Foun-
dation, P.O. Box 1096, Herm-
iston, OR 97838.
HERMISTON — The
board of the John Walchli Ag
Entrepreneur Award is seek-
ing applicants for the annual
award. Applicants must be
25 years old or less and be
engaged in agriculture either
directly or in an agricul-
ture-related field. This is a
cash award based on entrepre-
neurship and may be used at
the discretion of the recipient.
The award is given annu-
ally to remember and honor
John Walchli, who was a
lifelong farmer. He was
an innovative, honest, fair
and generous supporter of
community projects, as well as
an agricultural entrepreneur.
Applications are available
from school counselors or ag
teachers in all schools in west
Umatilla County, or from
board members Mike Mehren
at 541-561-4762 or Chuck
Wilcox at 541-571-2523.
Applications are due no
later than April 10, and can
be mailed to John Walchli Ag
Entrepreneur Award, P.O. Box
595, Hermiston, OR 97838..
Kaitlynne Jensen
earns prestigious
fellowship
WALLA WALLA, Wash.
— Politics major Kait-
lynne Jensen, a sophomore
from Milton-Freewater,
has received the prestigious
Newman Civic Fellowship
from Campus Compact, a
Boston-based nonprofit work-
ing to advance the public
purposes of higher educa-
tion. She joins just 212 college
students from across the coun-
try to form the 2021-22 cohort
of Newman Civic Fellows.
“I am looking forward
to getting to work alongside
people who share the same
passion and love for social
change and service that I do,”
said Jensen in a press release.
“I am especially excited to
be able to focus on a project
of my choosing and be given
the guidance, support, and
resources I need to make it
happen.”
The Newman Civic Fellow-
ship is a yearlong program that
promotes personal, profes-
sional and civic growth.
The students selected for the
fellowship from Campus
Compact member institutions
are leaders at their schools
who demonstrate a commit-
ment to finding solutions
for challenges facing their
communities.
Each year, fellows partic-
ipate in virtual training and
networking opportunities to
provide them with the skills
and connections needed to
create large-scale positive
change. The fellowship also
provides students with path-
ways to apply for scholarship
and post-graduate opportuni-
ties.
Jensen kicked off her
college career by participat-
ing in Whitman’s Summer
Com mu n it y O ut rea ch
Engagement (SCOR E)
program, an in-depth learn-
ing experience focused on
community needs in Walla
Walla and how organizations
can work collaboratively to
address complex issues. Since
then, she has helped register
high school students to vote,
addressed a city council meet-
ing about injustices in funding
distribution, and led a fund-
raiser to donate menstrual
products to local nonprofits.
Her community involve-
ment further extends to work-
ing with Whitman Teaches
the Movement, a civil right
education initiative, Bilingual
United, a Spanish-speaking
volunteer organization, and
as a weekly mentor to a fourth
grade student. She also serves
as a resident advisor for Whit-
man’s Stanton Hall.
“Kaitlynne is extraordi-
nary in her civic leadership for
many reasons,” wrote Whit-
man College President Kath-
leen Murray in her nomination
letter. “Her parents raised her
just 12 miles down the high-
way from Whitman College
and introduced her to the
simple yet consistent acts of
helping neighbors and gener-
ously donating to the local
food bank. Learning about
real needs in her community
and about the nonprofit orga-
nizations and their missions at
a young age has had a forma-
tive impact on Kaitlynne’s
personality, skills, values and
plans for her future.”
Heppner Ranger
District offers
summer youth jobs
PENDLETON — The
Heppner Ranger District is
recruiting four students between
the ages of 15 and 18 for summer
employment in the Youth
Conservation Corps (YCC).
Work can include noxious
weed removal, fence removal
and construction, trail main-
tenance, meadow restoration,
campground maintenance, slash
piling, marking timber, removal
of tubing from tree seedlings,
and fireline construction around
logged units on the Heppner
Ranger District.
The program will last six
weeks beginning June 21.
Youths are paid the Oregon
minimum wage rate of $11.50
per hour (effective July 1, the
wage rate will increase to $12
per hour). No previous experi-
ence is required.
To apply, all interested candi-
dates must complete and submit
a signed application. Hardcopy
applications can be picked
up at Forest Service offices in
Heppner and Pendleton and at
local high schools. Addition-
ally, the application is available
online at https://www.fs.fed.us/
sites/default/files/ycc-applica-
tion-english-v2-exp-1-31-2020.
pdf. Applications will be
accepted from March 15, until
2 p.m. on April 15. Completed
applications can be emailed to
rebecca.weseman@usda.gov
or turned in to the Heppner
Ranger District office via mail
or hand delivery at 117 S. Main
St., Heppner, OR 97836.
Applicants must: be at least
15 years old on the start date of
May 1, and not reach the age of
19 during the term of employ-
ment in the program; have a
Social Security number, or have
made application to obtain one;
and obtain parental or legal
guardian consent to enroll in
the program.
Selections will be made
based on a review of applica-
tions. All applicants will be
notified by mail of their selec-
tion status no later than April 23.
For more information about
the YCC program, contact
the Heppner Ranger District
at 541-676-9187. Additional
information about the Umatilla
National Forest is available
at https://www.fs.usda.gov/
umatilla.
Callers and questions will be
welcomed on a “first come,
first served” basis. Live closed
captioning will be available for
the video portion of this event.
Registrants will receive a link to
the virtual event via email.
To call in for the meet-
ing without registering, dial
877-853-5247, and use meeting
ID 811 7856 3418. The passcode
is 295308.
The live event on March
25 will cover earned benefits
and other resources available
to Vietnam veterans and their
families, including disability
compensation, Agent Orange
exposure and presumptive
diseases, health care and behav-
ioral health services — as well
as more recent changes to bene-
fits such as the Blue Water Navy
Vietnam Veterans Act of 2019.
Trained and federally
accredited veteran service offi-
cers and other benefits experts
will be on hand to provide
direct assistance to partici-
pants, including filing a claim
for benefits or an appeal if they
have been denied previously.
In addition to providing
information, the purpose of the
event is for the directors of both
agencies to hear directly from
Vietnam veterans about their
experience accessing bene-
fits and challenges they have
encountered.
Gift card program
helps National
Guard families
SALEM — Oregon
Department of Veterans’
Affairs (ODVA) Director Kelly
Fitzpatrick will host a live
virtual town hall for Vietnam
veterans on Thursday, March
25, at noon via Zoom. Fitzpat-
rick will also be joined by a
special guest, Renaye Murphy,
executive director of the Port-
land Regional Office of the
Veterans Benefits Administra-
tion (VBA).
Register online at oregon.
gov.odva/Connect/Pages/
Townhalls.aspx. Questions for
Director Fitzpatrick or Director
Murphy may be submitted in
advance by emailing orvetsben-
efits@odva.state.or.us before
Monday, March 22.
Registration is recom-
mended, but not required.
Callers and questions will be
welcomed on a “first come,
first served” basis. Live closed
captioning will be available for
the video portion of this event.
Registrants will receive a link to
the virtual event via email.
To call in for the meet-
ing without registering, dial
877-853-5247, and use meeting
ID 811 7856 3418. The passcode
is 295308.
The live event on March
25 will cover earned benefits
and other resources available
to Vietnam veterans and their
families, including disability
compensation, Agent Orange
exposure and presumptive
diseases, health care and behav-
ioral health services, as well as
more recent changes to benefits
such as the Blue Water Navy
Vietnam Veterans Act of 2019.
Trained and federally
accredited veteran service offi-
cers and other benefits experts
will be on hand to provide
direct assistance to partici-
pants, including filing a claim
for benefits or an appeal if they
have been denied previously.
In addition to providing
information, the purpose of the
event is for the directors of both
agencies to hear directly from
Vietnam veterans about their
experience accessing bene-
fits and challenges they have
encountered..
Veterans encouraged Boardman farmers
named state corn
to attend virtual
yield winners
town hall
SALEM — Oregon
Department of Veterans’
Affairs (ODVA) Director Kelly
Fitzpatrick will host a live
virtual town hall for Vietnam
veterans on Thursday, March 25
at noon via Zoom. Fitzpatrick
will also be joined by a special
guest, Renaye Murphy, exec-
utive director of the Portland
Regional Office of the Veterans
Benefits Administration (VBA).
Register online at oregon.
gov.odva/Connect/Pages/
Townhalls.aspx. Questions for
Director Fitzpatrick or Director
Murphy may be submitted in
advance by emailing orvetsben-
efits@odva.state.or.us before
March 22.
Registration is recom-
mended but not required.
ST. LOUIS — The National
Corn Yield Contest, sponsored
annually by the National Corn
Growers Association, recog-
nizes farmers from across the
country for their efforts and
exceptional results. Two Board-
man-area residents were among
506 state winners.
Nolan Mills, of Boardman,
placed first in the state in the
H:Strip-Till, Minimum-Till,
Mulch-Till and Ridge-Till Irri-
gated classes with a yield of
267.4469 bushels per acre. The
hybrid used in the winning field
was Pioneer P1089AMTM.
Vern Frederickson, of
Boardman, placed first in the
state in the I:Conventional
Irrigated Class with a yield of
249.4356 bushels per acre. The
hybrid used in the winning field
was Pioneer P1077AMTM.
The winning fields were
located in Oregon.
Although the past year
posed numerous tests for all
sectors of the American public,
farmers continued to drive
agricultural production in the
face of incredible obstacles.
Through their efforts, NCGA
members contributed valuable
data that will help all growers
face current challenges and
those still to come.
Whether entrants set a
national record or strive to
beat their personal best, every
NCYC participant contrib-
utes to the body of agronomic
research. This valuable infor-
mation helps farmers feed and
fuel the world, while preserving
natural resources for Americans
in rural and urban areas alike.
The 2020 contest participa-
tion included 7,844 entries from
48 states. Of the state winners,
27 growers — three from each
of nine classes — were named
national winners, representing
12 states.
Tunesmith Night
livestream features
a trio of musicians
ENTERPRISE — The
Wallowa Valley Music Alli-
ance is forging ahead into the
virtual world of music lives-
treaming for the remainder of
the 15th season of Tunesmith
Night, a showcase of origi-
nal music. The show, featur-
ing songwriters Tracy Spring,
Havilah Rand and Karyn
Ann, will be streamed live to
YouTube and the Music Alli-
ance website, wvmusicalli-
ance.org, on Saturday, March
13, at 7 p.m. and also shared
on other social media. View-
ers will be encouraged to show
their support for the program
via online donations.
The unique appeal of
presenting three songwriters
sharing their original work in
an intimate round-robin format
will take on a bit of a different
twist by having each performer
safely situated in their own
location, participating via the
magic of the internet.
— EO Media Group
Trust God to put the
pieces back together
MARC
MULLINS
PASTOR MARC’S REMARKS
O
n a beautiful morn-
ing the day before
Easter in 1982, I
was walking to my office
located at the First Chris-
tian Church in Forest
Grove. The previous spring
had been a time of physical
and emotional exhaustion
for me. Early one morn-
ing I was awakened with
severe chest pain. I rushed
to the local hospital clinic
for a series of tests. Diagno-
sis? I was experiencing the
symptoms of stress.
Nearly one year after
that ordeal, my curi-
osity was aroused as I
drew near the city park
between my home and
the church. Children were
leaving the scene of the
annual Easter egg hunt
that had just concluded at
the park.
As I approached the
park, I noticed a small
child lingering near the
garbage cans. Not more
than 5 years old, he
held a paper bag nearly
one-quarter of his size.
Periodically, he would
stoop down and pick up
something that lay at his
feet. Each item was care-
fully placed in the bag
which he clutched in his
left hand.
I approached and
spoke to the boy. “Hi!
What’cha doin’?”
He responded with a
glance toward my feet.
“Nuttin’ much … just
pickin’ up pieces of
broken egg shell.” Now
both hands clung tightly
to the cotton string
handles of the bag.
Intrigued by his
response, I asked, “What
are you going to do with
them?”
“I’m gonna take ‘em
home and glue ‘em back
together.”
Amused, I asked if he
hadn’t heard the story of
Humpty Dumpty.
“Yeah,” he replied,
“but Humpty Dumpty
didn’t have a daddy like
mine who knows how to
put things back together!”
I gleaned a wonder-
ful insight from my little
friend those 39 years ago.
Like that boy’s father, our
Creator can help us piece
the broken parts of our
lives back together into
wholeness. The previous
year, my life was phys-
ically and emotionally
damaged from overwork
and stress. By the time
I met that boy, however,
I had experienced full
recovery.
The counsel of a wise
doctor, and my compli-
ance with his prescrip-
tion, had helped bring
healing and peace.
Each year, as Easter
draws near, I recall that
encounter nearly three
decades ago with a small
boy in a city park. As I
trace my journey in life
from then until now, I
humbly give thanks to
God. For our Creator not
only knows how to help
us rebuild the ruins of our
lives, ours is a God who
“makes all things new!”
———
Marc Mullins is a musi-
cian, singer, songwriter,
and pastor of the First
Christian Church in Pend-
leton.
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FREE
Colorectal Cancer Pre-Screening Kits
Available March 15th & 29th
Colorectal cancer, the 2nd leading cause of cancer death,
can be detected early through screenings such as a
colonoscopy or a Fecal Immunochemical Test (FIT).
The Tri-Cities Cancer Center will provide free Fecal
Immunochemical Tests (FIT) that are FDA cleared to screen for
colorectal cancer at our satellite office in Hermiston. FIT is a
simple, self-administered test that checks for hidden blood in
your stool and provides quick results.
FREE Colorectal Cancer
Screening Kits Available
Where:
Good Shepherd Medical Center,
600 Northwest 11th Street, Suite E-23, Hermiston, OR
When:
Monday, March 15th & 29th, 9am-2pm
• Open to anyone ages 45+
• Instructions on FIT
• Receive FREE FIT for at-home screening
Hermiston, OR/Kennewick, WA
(509) 783-9894 • TCCancer.org
March is Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month