A6
COMMUNITY
East Oregonian
They are our neighbors, their
lives are equal in value to ours
STEVEN
KOSKI
GUEST COLUMN
A
wrong idea has taken root
in the world — that some
lives are less valuable than
other lives. There’s a lot of concern
regarding fi nding good solutions
for those who are houseless in our
community. It’s interesting to have
these conversations at a time when
Christians remember Mary and
Joseph about to give birth to Jesus
seeking shelter and being told there
was no room for them.
We need to have healthy debates
about the best solutions for our
houseless neighbors and for our
community — just as we would
about education choices for our chil-
dren, open space protection for our
parks, and aff ordable housing that
might help prevent houselessness in
the fi rst place.
What we ask our community
to change is the way we talk about
our houseless neighbors in demean-
ing and dehumanizing ways. We
ask you, our community, to change
seeing and treating our houseless
neighbors as if their lives are less
important than our lives — as if
houselessness is the only thing that
defi nes them.
A question we keep hearing is,
“What do we do about homeless
people?” as if they are a problem
to be solved and not people who
deserve love and respect. What if
we asked, “How can we fi nd solu-
tions where everyone has a chance
to fl ourish?”
An underlying assumption lurks
in this rhetoric, implying that some
people choose to be homeless. No
one chooses to be homeless.
Roughly 90% of those experi-
encing homelessness fi nd them-
selves in that situation due to
unforeseen life circumstances.
They are typically houseless for
less than a year and then thrive
again through access to available
supports.
Roughly 10% experience home-
lessness as a chronic condition.
The chronically houseless are
often talked about in dehumaniz-
ing ways. Many are living with a
mental illness. A person struggling
with schizophrenia, for example,
doesn’t choose to live with that
illness and deserves our compassion
and not our judgment.
Many who are chronically
houseless suff er from post-trau-
matic stress because of repeated
traumatic events in their lives.
Trauma is not a choice. Imagine
if we had the kind of compassion
that stood in awe at the trauma
and burdens that those who are
houseless have to carry, rather than
standing in judgment over how
they carry it.
Substance abuse is often a factor.
Some will argue that’s a choice
but substance abuse is often an
attempt to cope with devastating
mental illness or trauma. Dealing
with mental health issues or sobri-
ety are hard enough when you are
not living on the streets and next to
impossible when you lack support,
stability and resources.
The answer to the question,
“What do we do about this?” is easy.
We off er as much compassion as
possible. Everyone deserves a warm
and safe place to sleep. Mahatma
Gandhi reminds us, “The true
measure of any society can be found
in how it treats its most vulnerable
members.”
Father Greg Boyle founded
Homeboy Industries, which is the
largest and most successful gang
intervention and rehabilitation
program in the world. Father Boyle
believes what changes people is not
eff orts to rescue or save, but kinship.
He said, “The measure of our
compassion is our willingness to see
ourselves in kinship with others.”
As we continue searching for
good solutions and sharing valid
concerns, we ask our community to
remember that those experiencing
homelessness are not a problem to
be solved but our neighbors whose
lives are just as important as each
of ours.
———
This piece was written by Steven
Koski, lead pastor of the First Pres-
byterian Church in Bend. Signing on
to the letter were Rev. Chris Kramer,
Nativity Lutheran; Rev. Jen Stuart,
Bend Church; Rev. Jed Holdorph,
Trinity Episcopal Church; Rev. Jane
Hiatt, Unity Community of Central
Oregon; Rev. Andrew Bansemer,
Grace First Lutheran; Rev. Scott
Rudolph, UU Fellowship of Central
Oregon; and Rev. Erika Spaet,
Storydwelling.
Thursday, January 27, 2022
COMMUNITY BRIEFING
Professional
violinist to play
inspirational concert
PENDLETON — An inspira-
tional concert featuring profes-
sional violinist Jaime Jorge is
coming to Pendleton.
Jorge immigrated with his
family from Cuba. His mom
wanted him to be a violinist,
and while he took lessons, Jorge
dreamed of becoming a missionary
doctor. During his second year of
medical school, Jorge felt a calling
to leave medical school and pursue
music ministry.
The free event is Friday, Jan. 28,
7 p.m. at the Pendleton Seventh-day
Adventist Church, 1401 S.W. Good-
win Place. From high school audi-
toriums and cathedrals to church
buildings and Carnegie Hall, Jorge
has performed around the globe.
For more information about the
local concert, call 541-276-0882.
For more about Jorge, visit www.
jaimejorge.com.
Lions Club collects
cans, bottles
PENDLETON — The Pend-
leton Lions Club hosts a can and
bottle drive to help fund local
projects. The event is Saturday,
Jan. 29, noon to 3 p.m. at the Pend-
leton Convention Center, 1601
Westgate.
For more information, contact
pendletonlionsclub@gmail.com or
541-238-5466.
Helix announces second
quarter honor roll
HELIX — Middle school and
high school students earning honor
roll status for the second quar-
ter 2021-22 in the Helix School
District include:
• Helix Middle School: 4.0
GPA: Kennady Alvarado, Natalie
Boland, Kallie Joe Campbell,
Paige Coiner, Brinley Curtiss,
Emilee Dean, Sophia Estrada,
Campbell Kinnaman, Andrew
Kubishta, Makayla Makin, Nola
Miller, Ellie Morris, Elizabeth
Ottosen, Cara Phillips, Paxton
Rasmussen, Sophia Rock-Vil-
lanueva; 3.75-3.99 GPA: Hiram
Coiner , Lane Levy, Evan Reeder,
Marissa Smith, Callahan Sovince;
3.25-3.74 GPA: Sophia Ander-
son, Jace Hales, Ethan Harlow,
Avery Hayes, Kate Hill, Melinda
Kadyk, Lillianne Madden, Malae-
loa Malumaleumu, Emmy Nava,
Kaylee Rand, Colter Raymond,
Kyara Thomas, Emma Ware.
• Griswold High School: 4.0
GPA: Dean Boland, Victoria
Morris, Elizabeth Reeder, Ethan
Reeder; 3.75-3.99 GPA: Ellery
Flerchinger, Blake Harper, Kerry
Jensen, Sam Kubishta; 3.25-3.74
GPA: Kolby Ash, Karsten Bracher,
Ryan Chalmers, Ainsley Curtiss,
Brandon Hoff man, Darla Holden,
Sasha Kovalak, Brianna Makin,
Anitohi Mercer, Matyson Olson,
Sean Phillips, MayaBella Texidor.
St. Anthony off ers
CPR/AED course
PENDLETON — St. Anthony
Hospital, Pendleton, is off ering
courses to certify people in CPR
and AED.
The combined course follows
the American Heart Association
guidelines for CPR, AED and
choking for adults, infants and
children. After successful comple-
tion of the class, participants will
receive an American Heart Asso-
ciation provider card good for two
years.
The upcoming class is Thurs-
day, Feb. 17, 1-4 p.m. in the hospi-
tal’s conference room 2, 2801 St.
Anthony Way, Pendleton. The
registration fee is $40.
To register or for additional
information, visit www.sahpend-
leton.org and click “Classes &
Events.” For questions about fi rst
aid certification, call 541-278-
4585.
Fishtrap to receive
$10,000 grant for
youth writers
ENTERPRISE — Fishtrap is
among the 23 arts organizations
statewide that each will receive
$10,000 grant awards to support
their educational projects in part-
nership with Oregon schools
through the coming fi scal year,
the Oregon Arts Commission Arts
VISIT US ON THE WEB AT:
www.EastOregonian.com
Learning fund announced Tues-
day, Jan. 25.
Shannon McNerney, executive
director of Fishtrap, said the grant
is critical to the group’s funding
and they have received similar
grants for several years.
“It’s a cornerstone for our youth
funding,” she said. “It’s one of the
key components.”
McNerney said Fishtrap plans
to use some of the money to bring
in a playwright writer in resi-
dence this spring, as well as use
the money to fund the scholar-
ships Fishtrap provides to youths
of about $550.
The OAC’s announcement
said Fishtrap will use its grant
to support the continuum of arts
learning opportunities it off ers to
youths across Eastern Oregon. In
2021-22, it hopes to engage 500
young rural writers ages 7-18 with
its youth writing programs.
“We’re looking forward to
getting kids writing again,”
McNerney said. “We miss their
faces and look forward to seeing
them this spring and summer.”
Former town of
Maxville subject of
presentation
JOSEPH — Gwendoline Trice,
founder and executive director of
the Maxville Heritage Interpretive
Center in Joseph,
will give a virtual
presentation on
Maxville from
6-7:30 p.m. Thurs-
day, Feb. 3.
According to
a press release,
Trice will discuss
Trice
the histor y of
Maxville — a former logging town
north of Wallowa — the current
work of the interpretive center in
Joseph and the future expansion
and planned purchase of the 240
acres that includes the original
Maxville city township.
Register for the free event at
us06web.zoom.us/webinar/regis-
ter/.
The Joseph Center for Arts and
Culture and Beyond Toxics are
hosting the event.
— EO Media Group