Wallowa.com
OPINION
Wednesday, May 18, 2022
A5
Harlie Stein earns top producer honor
OTHER VIEWS
Stacy Green
T
he Mentor Match Teen Entrepreneur
Program finished the year with a pot-
luck and awards ceremony May 4.
Enterprise High School junior Harlie Stein
won Top Producer and Most Likely to be an
Entrepreneur awards for her efforts build-
ing BS Boutique into a successful jewelry
and accessories business that made over
$2,000 in revenue during the program.
Bayden Menton, a senior at Joseph Char-
ter School, earned Most Valuable Entrepre-
neur for his 100% attendance record and
leadership as president of the program.
Stein had the most successful launch
in program history, beating out the record
of $600, set last year by Zoey Leith’s
EZ 123 Kitchen, when Stein debuted at
the Joseph Holiday Bazaar in Decem-
ber. After two days at the small local crafts
fair, Stein pocketed over $1,000 selling ear-
rings, leather dog collars and customized
“Dude Shoes” that she embellished. Stein
also made sales at the rodeos she frequented
as a competitor, and found customers in
Idaho and California as well as Oregon.
“I just wore some of my jewelry and
accessories, and people liked them, so they
ordered,” Stein said. An Instagram account
and word-of-mouth rounded out Stein’s mar-
keting techniques. “I realized if I put my
things out there, people would be interested.”
Alona Yost’s Perfect Pet & Child Care was
second in revenues, earning just over $1,000.
“I had about six families I did regular child
care for, plus pet sitting of everything from
cats and dogs to horses, cows and goats,”
said Yost, who served as vice president. “I
learned about time management, and how to
break down my week hour by hour. It really
helped me learn how to get everything done.”
Contributed Photo
Participants in the Mentor Match Teen Entrepreneur Program attended a two-day leadership
and innovation tour to Walla Walla on May 9-10. They met with Chris Figgins, chief executive of
Figgins Family Wine Estates, to see the new facility the company is building. The entrepreneurs
also toured Nelson Irrigation and met with Jeff Smyth, a Wallowa High graduate, who founded
Sapere Consulting, and Enterprise High graduate James Hall, who founded Harvust, a
technology company that connects farmers to farm workers. From right, Landon Greenshields,
Bayden Menton, Maclane Melville and Alona Yost get a tour with Chris Figgins.
Landon Greenshields, an Enterprise senior,
created Landon’s Heavy Lifting, a service
business that provided help moving heavy
furniture, hay, wood and other heavy items.
“I learned how to charge for travel
time and mileage, and how to pay
employees properly,” said Green-
shields, who traveled as far as Flora with
a crew of two, for a job moving hay.
Menton, who broke all sales records
last year with his business Old School Cut-
ting Boards, took this year a little easier.
“I tried a new business, Moun-
tain High Microgreens,” Men-
ton said. “It wasn’t nearly as profit-
able, but it was something new to try.”
Other participants included Maclane
Melville and Levi Ortswam, a junior
and senior at Enterprise, whose busi-
ness, Steadfast Recycling, offered curb-
side recycling to residences and busi-
nesses in Joseph and Enterprise.
“It was hard to juggle sports and run-
ning a business, but I am glad I stuck with
it,” Melville said. “I had to learn how to
keep away from procrastination. When we
mapped out our week, hour by hour, I had
the most productive week I’ve ever had.”
Ortswam, an exchange student from
Nigeria, said learning about American entre-
preneurship was a great experience.
“This program helped me build confi-
dence in myself,” Ortswam said. “I learned
to do what I thought I couldn’t do, which
is creating and managing a business.”
The young entrepreneurs were visited
throughout the year by established business
leaders and entrepreneurs in the commu-
nity, including Natalie Millar, chief executive
of Terminal Gravity Brewing, and ShanRae
Hawkins, founder of Stingray Communica-
tions. Millar, a graduate of Wallowa High
School, is a certified public accountant, and
showed the teens how to write an income
statement. Hawkins shared her journey from
Joseph High School to landing a job as the
first director of marketing for what would
become the Old Mill District in Bend.
The Mentor Match Teen Entrepre-
neur Program is in its 12th year. The pro-
gram is open to juniors and seniors coun-
ty-wide, who are expected to create,
launch and run their own business.
———
Stacy Green, of Enterprise, is the creator
and adviser of the program, which is funded
and administered by local nonprofit Building
Healthy Families.
Let’s talk about the nutrition for older Americans
IT’S ABOUT
HEALTH AND
WELLNESS
Ann Bloom
ay is Older Americans Month, and
an appropriate time to talk about
the nutrition needs of seniors.
Older Americans Month was started
in 1963 with a declaration by then-Pres-
ident John Kennedy to recognize the
achievements and contributions of older
Americans, past and present, particu-
larly veterans. It is celebrated every year
in May with events and activities.
As we mature, our dietary needs
and requirements change. We do not
need the same amount of food as an
adult that we needed as a child, nor are
our requirements the same for an older
adult, as when we were younger.
MedlinePlus.gov, points out that nutri-
tion is about eating a healthy and balanced
diet, so your body gets the nutrients that it
needs. Nutrients are substances in foods that
our bodies need so they can function and for
cell repair. They include carbohydrates, pro-
teins, fat, vitamins and minerals, and water.
The calorie requirements, and number
of servings from the food groups (protein,
fruits, vegetables, dairy, and grains) depends
in large part on several factors: age, gen-
M
der, height and weight and amount of phys-
ical activity one gets in a day. In general,
people should strive to maintain a healthy
weight by eating nutrient dense foods —
foods high in nutrients relative to their cal-
ories — and avoid calorie dense foods —
foods high in calories and low in nutrients.
The idea is to enjoy a variety of foods from
each food group to reduce the chance of
developing chronic diseases such as diabe-
tes or heart disease. Choose foods with lit-
tle or no added sugar, salt, or saturated fat.
According to the Academy of Nutrition
and Dietetics website, some older adults
have a reduced ability to absorb Vitamin
B12, which may be due to the use of cer-
tain medications. Vitamin B12 is found
in meat, eggs, chicken, dairy, and forti-
fied cereals. It is important for nerve func-
tion and a lack of this vitamin can be asso-
ciated with depression and a decrease in
cognitive function in older adults. If you
think you may need a supplement, speak
with your healthcare provider. They are
in the best position to assist you with
any questions you may have regard-
ing supplements you may need, if any.
Further, older adults may need more cal-
cium and Vitamin D. As we age, there is a
reduction in bone mass. Calcium is import-
ant to help maintain healthy bones and
teeth. Calcium and Vitamin D are found
in dairy products such as milk, cheese and
yogurt and fortified soy milk. The recom-
mended number of servings per day from
the dairy group is three cups, or cup equiv-
alents. For example, eight ounces of low-
fat milk or one and a half ounces of cheese.
If you take a calcium supplement, or
multivitamin, look for one that has Vita-
min D in it. Vitamin D is also known as
the “sunshine vitamin.” Our bodies do
not manufacture this vitamin; it takes
direct sunlight obtained from being out-
side and having the sun touch our bare
skin for our bodies to produce Vitamin D.
Older adults may notice their sense of
taste change, or experience a lack of appe-
tite. This can be due to a variety of factors,
and should be checked by a primary care
provider. Malnutrition can lead to a weak-
ened immune system and muscle weakness.
Certain medications may have decreased
appetite as a side effect. This can lead to
weight loss and loss of muscle mass. If
this is the case, it is important to speak to
your health care provider. They can recom-
mend ways to correct the problem. If you
feel you aren’t eating enough, try eating
smaller meals more frequently or incorpo-
rating healthy snacks throughout the day.
Some older adults notice their sense of
thirst waning. Be sure to drink plenty of
water throughout the day to avoid dehydra-
tion. Avoid sugary beverages such as sodas
and sports drinks and drink water, low fat
milk or 100 percent vegetable or fruit juice
instead. Learn which beverages are the
healthier choices. Read nutrition fact labels
on products to check for added sugars.
Potassium is also an important nutri-
ent older adults need. Along with limit-
ing one’s salt intake it may help lower your
risk of high blood pressure. Fruits, vegeta-
bles, dried beans, and low-fat dairy are all
good sources of potassium. Use herbs and
spices to flavor your food instead of salt.
It is a myth that eating fat makes a per-
son fat. Fat is a nutrient that carries fat sol-
uble vitamins in our bodies. We need fat
in our diets. Choose foods containing poly
or monounsaturated fats found in nuts,
seeds, vegetable oils, avocados and fish.
Finally, there is fiber. Fiber helps with
digestion and regularity. Fruits, vegeta-
bles and legumes (dried peas and beans)
all contain fiber. Fiber may lower your risk
of Type II diabetes and heart disease, too.
As you age, it may become harder to
maintain a nutritious diet. For example,
you may find yourself eating alone due
to the death of a spouse or partner. If this
is the case, try inviting a friend or neigh-
bor in for a meal several times a week. Or
visit the senior center at Community Con-
nection for the congregate meal on Mon-
days, Wednesdays and Fridays at 11:30 a.m.
To learn more about nutrition and older
adults, or celebrating Older Americans
Month, contact Community Connection at
541-426-3840 or the Oregon State Univer-
sity Extension Service at 541-426-3143.
There is more information on senior nutrition
guidelines online from the American Com-
munity Living website at www.ACL.com.
———
Ann Bloom lives in Enterprise and has
worked for the OSU Extension Service for
15 years as a nutrition educator. She stud-
ied journalism and education at Washing-
ton State University.
The spirit of giving continues to carry on in Turkey
MAIN STREET
Rich Wandschneider
just spent two weeks in Turkey, a
place I lived in for most of five years
between 1965 and 1970. I’d only
been back once before this trip, a three-
week tour with a group of Rotarians and
spouses from Wallowa County in 2004.
We went from Istanbul to Ankara,
then Cappadocia, Tarsus and Anta-
lya on the Mediterranean, all by large,
comfortable, air-conditioned buses.
Cappadocia is the area of underground
cities, houses and churches carved into
sandstone; Tarsus the home of St. Paul,
and Antalya is now a large city among a
string of resorts — some of them exclu-
sively German or French — on the Med-
iterranean. The sea itself was as blue
and warm as it had been in 1965.
In 2004, I revved up my Turkish to
introduce people and translate, to speak to
Rotary Clubs and news reporters. It was
a grand trip, full of interesting people and
places and great food. I knew then that
I
another three weeks could peel back years
in my grasp of the language and culture.
This time I was alone from America.
I only touched down at the Istanbul air-
port — reputedly now the world’s larg-
est — and went to Ankara and an English
language-speaking university in the mid-
dle of high-rise buildings of glass, steel
and concrete. Ankara, with just over a mil-
lion people when I lived there 1968-70,
now has over five million, and Bilkent
has 12,500 students and hundreds of fac-
ulty members. It’s larger then than Wal-
lowa County, and has its own Starbucks.
My hosts were the professors and stu-
dents from the American Studies Depart-
ment at Bilkent, and a roommate from that
long-ago time when we lived, worked and
studied together in the city. Then, Turk-
ish was my everyday language, and the
shared taxis, the shish kebabs, the daily
fresh fruits and vegetables and the occa-
sional meal on the top —12th floor of the
Big Ankara Hotel — were my routines. My
job was to smooth the wrinkles for Ameri-
can Peace Corps volunteers working in Turk-
ish schools and institutions, to make their
experiences as good as mine had been as
a volunteer just a couple of years earlier.
The teaching language at Bilkent is
English, with professors who are Turkish
— and American, British and African. Stu-
dents for all colleges have to score well on
a standard, state-administered exam they
take as high school seniors. State univer-
sities — there are scores of them — are
free, and this private one is cheap by our
standards, and gives many scholarships. I
couldn’t see the 70% inflation and the high
unemployment from the university island.
Even on trips into the city to eat, shop
and drive by old neighborhoods, infla-
tion was invisible, and the high level of
purported government corruption maybe
showed up in the massive amount of con-
struction. I learned of a dissident’s life-time
prison sentence online, and learned too about
the Ankara and Istanbul mayors who were
from the same political party that stands in
opposition to the national government.
I learned from watching and listening
that educated women in Turkey still have
an edge. There are probably higher percent-
ages of women professors, doctors, and engi-
neers in Turkey than in the US. But there
are still forced marriages — one of the stu-
dents I came to know wrote about this.
But — after recent trips to Seat-
tle and Portland — what stood out
in this city of five million was that
there is no homelessness. Why?
The extended family is still strong, peo-
ple agreed, and health care is free for all over
65 — no deduction from Social Security,
no Medicare Plan B or D. Drugs, I learned
when buying eye drops at the school phar-
macy, are maybe one-fourth what we pay.
The government is building new high rises
on top of old ghettos, and somehow, the
inhabitants are compensated with cheap
new housing. Employment is also import-
ant: there were 15 cabin attendants on my
Turkish Airline flights, and street sweep-
ers rather than machines cleaned streets.
At this point I remember the “five pil-
lars” of Sunni Islam: 1. Declare that Allah
is the only God and Mohammed is his
prophet; 2. Pray five times each day; 4.
Fast from sun-up to sunset during the
month of Ramadan; 5. If healthy and finan-
cially able, make the “Hadj,” the pil-
grimage to Mecca. It is number 3., called
“Zakah,” that calls for charitable giv-
ing to the needy, that is important here.
Even secular Moslems seem to have
a spirit of giving bred into them. Small
gifts are ubiquitous. Ihsan Dogramaci, the
founder and benefactor of Bilkent, was
from a prominent Turkmen family. He
became a leading pediatrician and entre-
preneur, and his total wealth and energy
went into two universities in Turkey and
education and health care world-wide.
The spirit of giving is everywhere in
this country, just as it was in 1965.
———
Rich Wandschneider is the director of
the Josephy Library of Western History
and Culture.