A8
Enterprise, Oregon
BHF Series
Help
wanted:
Mentors
Editor’s note: This is
the fi rst of a two-part series
featuring the mentoring
programs at Building Healthy
Families, the local organiza-
tion dedicated to providing
family support programs in
Wallowa County. BHF is
currently in search of mentors,
and in this opening piece the
Chieftain speaks with Maria
Weer, executive director of
BHF and three of the pro-
gram’s mentors about the
need for mentoring and the
mentoring experience.
EHS graduate a top runner.
Rate hike, cold
temperatures lead to
higher electricity bills
By Steve Tool
Wallowa County Chieftain
Soaring electric bills from Pacifi c
Power, some three times their normal
amount, are causing complaints as
well as prompting concern over the
ability of some to pay the bills.
Pacifi c Power media representative
Tom Gauntt said the company under-
stands the concern and offered several
explanations for the recent uptick in
power bills.
“At the fi rst of January we had a .6
of 1 percent increase,” he said.
Residences with usage of more
than 1,000 kilowatt hours per month
face a rate hike of slightly more than 2
cents per KWH, from 10.043 cents per
KWH to 12.073 cents per KWH.
$1
The
severity of
this winter
has caused
electric
bills to
triple for
some
Wallowa
County
residents.
Steve Tool/
Chieftain
See RATES, Page A14
CITIZEN KUDOS
Chamber honors business, civil
leaders at annual banquet
Wallowa County Chieftain
See MENTOR, Page A5
February 1, 2017
Pacifi c Power prices on the rise
By Steve Tool
“January is National Men-
toring Month. It’s something
we’ve intended to put a little
more emphasis on,” said Ma-
ria Weer, executive director
of Building Healthy Fami-
lies.. While BHF has several
mentoring programs and a
number of mentors, the need
for more volunteer mentors is
acute.
The organization’s several
mentoring programs include
a
mentor
match teen
entrepre-
neurship
program, a
one-on-one
program
for at-risk
youth, and
a reading to
c h i l d r e n ’s
Weer
reading pro-
gram,
as
well as an athletic mentoring
program.
“One of the things that can
help kids get through tough
times is a positive connec-
tion to an adult — ideally a
parent, but if it’s not a parent,
or someone in an addition
to a parent, sometimes it’s a
mentor. We have lots of men-
toring opportunities,” Weer
said.
She noted that children
who score 4 or higher on the
Adverse Childhood Experi-
ences test were at signifi cant-
ly higher risk for not gradu-
ating from high school, drug
use and even heart attacks.
However, those children who
felt they had an adult in the
community who cared about
them were much less likely to
experience problems.
“I don’t think people know
how effective even an hour a
week can be,” Weer said.
Finding a good fi t in the
mentoring program is crucial
to mentoring success accord-
ing to Weer.
Wallowa.com
Issue No. 42
Kathleen Ellyn/Chieftain
Gail Swart poses with Chamber President Joe Wanner as she is honored with the Chamber of Commerce President’s Award.
By Kathleen Ellyn
Wallowa County Chieftain
A
n enthusiastic sell-out
crowd lightened the
dark days of January
with a perennial boost
of pride at the Cham-
ber of Commerce Citizen Awards
Sunday night.
It was an opportunity, as Adrian
Harguess said in the invocation, to
“honor what is good and right in
our community.”
And honor this crowd did,
giving every single award winner a
standing ovation and cheers.
The Chamber Banquet is not a
solemn occasion, it is a celebration
and part of the fun is surprising the
nominees – all of whom were in the
dark about their nominations this
year.
Unsung Hero
The Unsung Hero Award winner
for the evening, Ralph Swinehart of
Enterprise, for instance thought he
had come to witness nominator Rick
Bombaci getting an award and was
taken entirely by surprise.
Swinehart volunteers in dozens
of clubs and organizations, including
the Historic Landmarks Committee,
The Rotarians Lostine River Run,
as a board member of the Nez Perce
Homelands project, an Independent
Order of Odd Fellows member who
was key to the restoration of the Odd
Fellows Hall, and many more.
See HONORS, Page A14
Kathleen Ellyn/Chieftain
Maria Weer, executive director for Building Healthy Families, with her crew around her.
‘‘
As leaders the
greatest gift
we have to give
back to the
community is
our time.”
Kathleen Ellyn/Chieftain
A surprised Ralph Swinehart (right) poses with nominator Rick
Bombaci as he revels in the award of Chamber of Commerce Unsung
Hero at the Chamber event Sunday, Jan. 29.
Joe Wanner
Chamber president