A6
RECORDS/COMMUNITY
East Oregonian
‘I’m OK’ is a
child’s best gift
SARAH
HAUG
LIGHT OF UNIT Y
“H
ey, Mom! Let
me just say
fi rst off that
I’m OK.”
More than one of my
children has begun a phone
conversation this way.
This particular child was
smart to have alleviated
my fears so quickly. Many
parents have received far
worse calls than I did that
day, with the news that my
son had spun his car on the
highway and come to rest in
the median.
While I was incredibly
grateful that he was OK, I
was painfully aware that
the call could have been
my worst nightmare. Every
day, in the back of every
parent’s mind, is the fear of
a conversation that doesn’t
begin with “I’m OK.” Our
current world both preys
on and stokes that fear,
even before the arrival of
COVID-19.
Some of those fears are
valid. Of course they are.
Others are not. Maybe even
most are not.
How do we, as parents,
negotiate those fears? How
do we, knowing what’s out
there, allow our children
to walk out of the house
every morning? How do we
avoid turning ourselves into
helicopter parents and/or
panic-monsters?
It isn’t by giving them
a cellphone with the GPS
enabled, though I’ve done
that. It isn’t by making them
wear helmets, seat belts or
masks, though my children
wear all those too. If only it
could be so simple.
How then?
It’s by letting go.
It’s by accepting that
our children’s lives are not
something we control.
It’s by knowing that
every child is a gift from
God, given to us to love in
a world where bad things
happen.
Sometimes those bad
things are a consequence
of the way God created
the universe. A gentle rain
becomes a fl ood. A breeze
becomes a hurricane. All
life ends ultimately in
death.
Other times, those bad
things are a consequence
of free will, something else
God has given us. Every
day, humans make deci-
sions, big and small, that
negatively aff ect others:
Drunken drivers run stop
signs; powerful people are
swayed by their material
desires; co-workers come to
work sick.
We grow through adver-
sity, and the only thing
we truly control is what
we do with what we are
given. The Baha’i Faith
has a prayer that helps me
every day. It begins, “O
Lord! Unto Thee I repair
for refuge, and toward all
Thy signs I set my heart.
Whether traveling or at
home, and in my occupa-
tion or in my work, I place
my whole trust in thee.”
The car was totaled.
My son was fi ne.
It is left to me to be
grateful for that gift.
———
Sarah Haug is a member
of the Baha’i Faith and has
called Pendleton home since
2002. You can fi nd her most
days walking on the river-
walk with her husband, Dan.
Thursday, March 18, 2021
COMMUNITY BRIEFS
Josephy Center
plans ambitious
virtual fundraiser
JOSEPH — The Josephy
Center for Arts and Culture
invites the public to a virtual
fundraiser on April 15 at
6:30 p.m. in support of the
Key to Our Future capital
campaign to purchase and
renovate the building.
The event, hosted by
special guest Andy Lind-
berg (actor and host of the
podcast “Kick Ass Oregon
History”), will include a
short presentation about the
campaign, donor recogni-
tion, testimonials from local
artists and residents, and
prizes. The goal is to raise
$50,000 — to be matched
by MJ Murdock Charita-
ble Trust — in less than one
hour.
To participate in the
fundraising event, register
online at www.josephy.org/
capital-fundraiser or call
541-432-0505. Registration
is free of charge.
Like many other events
this year, the center’s virtual
fundraiser format is in
compliance with COVID-
19 safety restrictions.
“The Josephy Center is
a gathering place; and, as
much as we’d love to fund-
raise with everyone under
the same roof, having a
virtual event now means
that we will have endless
opportunities to gather
safely in the future,” said
Executive Director Cheryl
Coughlan in a press release.
Longtime Library Direc-
tor Rich Wandschneider
relayed the importance of
the capital campaign in
this way: “The Josephy
Center began as an idea in a
borrowed building. Now the
building is a place of joy and
beauty that helps further our
understanding of the past
and celebrates all people
— from the Nez Perce who
have lived here for thou-
sands of years, to the young
people of Wallowa County
fi nding their way with color
and clay. Now the building
can be ours and that idea can
keep growing.”
The Key to Our Future
two-phased campaign is
focused on making the Jose-
phy Center a permanent
home for arts and culture
in Wallowa County, as well
as restoring and expanding
the center to elevate visitor
experience and fi t the grow-
ing needs of the community.
Phase One focuses on the
building purchase, critical
safety repairs and accessi-
bility for all. Phase Two
focuses on the renovation
and expansion of the build-
ing, which will increase
functionality, accessibility
and programming.
Pendleton natives
earn WGU degrees
SALT LAKE CITY,
Utah — Joseph Gros-
Jacques, Kadysha Wood and
Tabitha Keeler, all of Pend-
leton, have earned degrees
from Western Governors
University (WGU). The
online, nonprofi t university
has graduated over 218,000
students from across the
country since its inception
in 1997.
GrosJacques received a
Master of Science, Manage-
ment and Leadership. Wood
earned a Master of Science,
Curriculum and Instruction.
Keeler was awarded a Bach-
elor of Science, Network
Operations and Security.
WGU h a s r e c og-
nized 14,146 undergrad-
uate and 15,640 graduate
degree recipients who have
completed their degrees
since July 2, 2020. Their
areas of study include busi-
ness, K-12 education, infor-
mation technology, and
health professions, includ-
ing nursing. The average
time to graduation for those
earning a bachelor’s degree
was 2 years, 3 months, while
the average time to degree
for graduate programs was 1
year, 4 months. The average
age for those who graduated
is 37 years old.
IMESD employee
gains notice with
radon testing work
PENDLETON — Larry
Glaze, the director of oper-
ations and facilities for the
Intermountain Education
Service District, has become
somewhat of a radon expert
over the course of his work
the past few years, accord-
ing to a press release. In
2015, the Oregon Legisla-
ture passed a new require-
ment for Oregon schools,
mandating that all schools
be tested for radon by Janu-
ary 2021. However, school
radon testing information
and protocols were not very
prevalent.
According to the U.S.
Environmental Protection
Agency, radon is a naturally
occurring, inert, colorless
and odorless radioactive gas
that can cause lung cancer.
Outdoors, radon disperses
rapidly and, generally, is
not a health issue. Most
radon exposure occurs
inside homes, schools and
workplaces when the gas
becomes trapped indoors
after it enters build-
ings through cracks and
other holes in the founda-
tion. Indoor radon can be
controlled and managed
with proven, cost-eff ective
techniques.
To help the IMESD’s
school districts meet the new
testing requirement, Glaze
developed a radon testing
and measurement program
to t rain maintenance
employees from Eastern
Oregon’s districts, allow-
ing districts to complete the
testing as mandated. Many
of the districts requested
that the IMESD complete
the radon testing for them.
In the past three years,
Glaze and his small facilities
team have tested 21 school
districts for the presence of
radon.
All of Glaze’s work has
gotten noticed — he was
recently asked by the EPA
division out of Seattle to
present on Tuesday, March
16, webinar entitled “Radon
in Schools: EPA Tools for
Schools and Case Studies”
hosted by The Conference of
Radiation Control Program
Directors and The American
Association of Radon Scien-
tists and Technologists.
— EO Media Group
VISIT US ON THE WEB AT:
www.EastOregonian.com
MEETINGS
Editor’s note: Due to concerns about the coronavirus,
many activities have been postponed or canceled. Contact
the venue before attending any public gathering to ensure the
event is still scheduled, and at the place listed.
Reserve your lane online at wildhorseresort.com!
THURSDAY, MARCH 18
ECHO CITY COUNCIL, 4 p.m., Old VFW Hall, 210 W. Bridge St.,
Echo. (541-376-8411)
FRIDAY, MARCH 19
No meetings scheduled
MONDAY, MARCH 22
HERMISTON CITY COUNCIL, 7 p.m., Hermiston Community
Center, 415 S. Highway 395, Hermiston. Meeting will be live-
streamed on the city’s YouTube channel, https://bit.ly/Hermis-
tonYouTube. Citizens also can listen by phone or off er comment
remotely by dialing 206-462-5569, meeting ID 322-962-8667. A
limited number of chairs will be available; social distancing proto-
cols will be observed. (541-567-5521)
IRRIGON COMMUNITY PARKS & RECREATION DISTRICT, 7 p.m.,
Irrigon Fire Station, 705 N. Main St., Irrigon. (541-922-3047)
MILTON-FREEWATER CITY COUNCIL, 7 p.m., Milton-Freewater
Public Library Albee Room, 8 S.W. EIghth Ave., Milton-Freewater.
(541-938-5531)
NIXYAAWII COMMUNITY SCHOOL BOARD, 4:30 p.m., Nixyaawii
Community School via teleconference, 73300 July Grounds Lane,
Mission. Via teleconference at meet.google.com/tmv-tbwh-kwu.
(Carrie Phinney 541-966-2680)
UMATILLA BASIN WATERSHED COUNCIL, 6 p.m., Pendleton
City Hall community room, 501 S.W. Emigrant Ave., Pendleton.
(Michael T. Ward 541-276-2190)
AT
FAMILY PACKAGE
MON–THU
$
45
Prices subject to change.
BRING THE
WHOLE GANG
AND ENJOY
BOWLING
& PIZZA!
Includes:
h 90 Minutes Bowling
h Shoe Rental
h One Large Pizza
(up to 3 toppings)
Package is good for up to six people.
TUESDAY, MARCH 23
UMATILLA PLANNING COMMISSION, 6:30 p.m., Umatilla City
Hall, 700 Sixth St., Umatilla. (Brandon Seitz 541-922-3226 ext. 103)
UMATILLA-MORROW COUNTY HEAD START, 11:30 a.m., virtual
meeting, 372 E. Main St., Hermiston. (Monina Ward 541-564-6878)
WEDNESDAY, MARCH 24
BUTTER CREEK IRRIGATION DISTRICT, 8 a.m., online, via tele-
phone conference, Echo. Agenda and call-in information will be
made available on request. (Nathan Rau 509-820-3231)
LOTTERY
Monday, March 16, 2021
Megabucks
10-19-26-30-31-46
Estimated jackpot: $3.1
million
Lucky Lines
02-08-09-14-17-24-26-32
Estimated jackpot: $42,000
Win for Life
12-13-37-52
Pick 4
1 p.m.: 4-2-9-8
4 p.m.: 1-8-3-6
7 p.m.: 8-1-7-1
10 p.m.: 1-0-6-8
Tuesday, March 17, 2021
Mega Millions
10-41-46-52-69
Mega Ball: 8
Megaplier: 2
Estimated jackpot: $93
million
Lucky Lines
02-05-11-16-20-21-28-31
Estimated jackpot: $43,000
Pick 4
1 p.m.: 3-0-5-5
4 p.m.: 2-1-4-0
7 p.m.: 8-8-0-1
10 p.m.: 2-0-2-2
Wednesday, March 18,
2021
Pick 4
1 p.m.: 6-8-7-7
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