COTTAGE GROVE SENTINEL • OCTOBER 24, 2018 •
Beds for Freezing Nights gears up for winter
By Caitlyn May
cmay@cgsentinel.com
Local organization
hopes to help more
homeless stay warm
this winter
In 2009, Beds for Freez-
ing Nights opened in Cottage
Grove under a simple prem-
ise: providing a warm place
for people who had nowhere
else to go when the nights grew
cold.
Th e organization was follow-
ing the example of the Egan
Centers, started by St. Vincent
DePaul in Eugene to house the
homeless between Nov. 15 and
March 31, when temperatures
routinely dip below 30 degrees
at night.
Th e center was named for
Major Th omas Egan, a home-
less veteran who froze to death
without shelter in the cold of
winter.
Beds for Freezing Nights
didn’t house any guests its fi rst
year but now, nine years later,
it’s gearing up for the winter
and asking for volunteers to
help with a guest load that has
only grown.
“Last year we averaged 17.6
guests a night,” said board
member Christine Moats. “We
had 176 stays and had between
12 and 24 people rotating in
and out per night and 48 undu-
plicated guests.”
Guests include anyone who
cannot fi nd shelter when the
overnight average is 29 degrees
or below — a stat that’s mon-
itored by several members of
the board and a policy that has
led to confusion in the past.
“People will say the center
should have been open but
they’re looking at the tempera-
ture in the hills where it’s cold-
er,” Moats said. “Or they’ll say
the Egan Center was opened
so we should be. But that’s the
temperature in Eugene. It has
to be an average of 29 degrees.”
Th e number of people seek-
ing a warm place to sleep has
climbed steadily, according to
Moats. Th e increase has led to
the need for more funding and
volunteers. Th e organization —
which used to be run out of the
local Catholic Church — op-
erates in the First Presbyterian
Church on Th ird Street and is
completely funded by dona-
tions.
“Most of that goes to insur-
ance,” Moats said. “Th at’s our
largest expense. We do off er
coff ee and some snacks too.”
Ideally, the Beds for Freezing
Nights board would staff each
night with three volunteers but
for the last few years, it’s been
two people manning one of the
three shift s.
“At least one person is CPR
certifi ed and we like to have
one male and one female but
more women have stepped up
to volunteer,” Moats said.
Th e number of homeless
individuals in Lane County
has increased with the latest
point in time count — a statis-
tic released once a year based
on volunteer head counts of
homeless individuals — Lane
County has the second highest
rate of homelessness in the state
behind Multnomah County
which houses Portland.
While the center was activat-
ed for just 10 nights last year, it
still garnered its share of com-
plaints.
During a recent forum for
city council candidates, the
issue of homelessness led to a
discussion of Beds for Freezing
Nights and the reported behav-
ior of some of the guests with
one candidate relaying a story
about residents fi nding needles
in the area and children not be-
ing able to play outside.
“We have heard some com-
plaints from the neighbors
of the church,” Moats said.
“Guests are allowed to go out-
side and smoke but they’re re-
minded to be quiet. We address
those things as they come up.”
To become a volunteer, do-
nate or for more information
on Beds for Freezing Nights,
visit www.freezingnights.com.
PeaceHealth off ering infl uenza shot clinics
As fl u season approaches,
PeaceHealth Cottage Grove
Community Medical Center
echoes the U.S. Centers for
Disease Control and Preven-
tion’s recommendation that ev-
eryone age six months and old-
er get a yearly vaccine against
the infl uenza virus — and the
sooner the better.
“We are experiencing an ear-
ly fl u season this year so we’re
recommending getting the fl u
shot as soon as possible,” said
Th ea Petersen, MD, a family
physician with PeaceHealth
Medical Group at Cottage
Grove Community Medical
Center.
“Remember, getting the fl u
shot not only helps protect you,
but everyone in our communi-
ty, especially children, older
adults and pregnant women,”
Dr. Petersen said.
PeaceHealth is off ering two
upcoming walk-in fl u clinics
at Cottage Grove Community
Medical Center at 1515 Village
Drive.
No appointment is neces-
sary.
• Adult fl u clinic for patients
age 19 and older: Wednesday,
Oct. 24, from 1 to 4 p.m. in the
Community Room.
Or call 541-767-5200 to
make an appointment for other
times.
Th e fl u vaccine contains in-
activated virus particles that
cannot cause an actual infl uen-
za infection. However, it is rel-
atively common for some peo-
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-day
ple to feel achy or run a fever
aft er receiving the vaccine — a
result of the immune system
responding as it builds protec-
tion in the body. Th ese minor
symptoms last only a few days,
and are much milder than
full-blown infl uenza, which
may include fever, cough, sore
throat, runny or stuff y nose,
body aches, headache, chills,
fatigue and diarrhea and vom-
iting.
“Getting a fl u shot is not 100
percent eff ective at preventing
the fl u, but if you were to get
sick, your symptoms would be
less severe and you’re less likely
to pass it on to others,” Dr. Pe-
tersen said.
According to a recent report
from the CDC, 80,000 people
died from fl u complications in
the 2017-18 fl u season, making
it one of the deadliest seasons
in at least 40 years.
In addition to fl u shots, there
are steps all of us can take to
keep ourselves and our family,
friends, coworkers and neigh-
bors healthy, said Bob Pelz,
MD, medical director of in-
fection prevention for Peace-
Health Oregon.
“Community
members
should be vigilant about thor-
oughly washing their hands
throughout the day and cov-
ering their mouths when they
cough or sneeze,” he advised.
“Sick individuals — both
adults and children — should
stay home from work or school
in order to prevent spreading.”
Community members invited to
help track criminal activity
Th e
Cottage
Grove
Prowler Tracker Network’s
(CGPTN) goal is to give
Cottage Grove residents
a place to report and keep
track of criminal activity.
Using this forum, neigh-
bors can look out for each
other and raise awareness
of suspicious behavior in
the area.
Th e key to this group’s
success is numbers: See it,
post it and get instant feed-
back in order to make Cot-
tage Grove a connected,
informed and safer com-
munity.
To fi nd out more infor-
mation, fi nd the private
Cottage Grove Prowler
Tracker Network group
on Facebook by search-
ing facebook.com/groups/
CGPTN/.
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5A
Pet tips
‘N’ tales
By Mary Ellen
“Angel Scribe”
‘Diesel’ runs the family
“Our family’s six-year-old Labrador, Diesel, appears to
have consumed a magic pill as a puppy to expand into
his over-sized height and 110-pound weight,” jokes Terri.
“We joke that his puppy chow must have been named,
‘Miracle Grow.’ His massive body and tail are weapons of
household destruction. He is table-height and can clear
any table with one wiggle or swish of a tail. Our daugh-
ters, Abby and Ava, love playing with their furry broth-
er who is a combination of joy and rambunctious that
makes us smile every day.”
Labs love water, but Diesel steps it up a notch; he is pas-
sionate about fi shing with his daddy, Jereme. As soon as
the dog sees a fi shing pole he can't contain his joy. It is a
win/win for Diesel because car rides and hiking are his
other favorite things. When asked, “What do you want to
do?” his bark response sounds like, “Go!”
When he cat-ches his family snacking, he lets them
know that he wants to “share” by sitting directly in front
of them, all the while his front paws do a little jig dance.
Diesel is not the family’s only pet but the craziest, causing
them to laugh hysterically as he does “zoomies” around
the house for no reason.
“He’s a big lovable, wiggly, goofb all who thinks he be-
longs wherever we are,” said Terri. “He squeezes himself
on our bed along with our two cats. As mellow as he is,
he is also protective. When my husband is out of town,
Diesel sleeps with his head on dad's pillow positioning
himself so he can see into our daughters’ room.”
As much as Diesel loves car rides, he is forbidden to go
with his older dog brother, Reilly, to the vet clinic.
“Diesel is too protective. He won’t let the veterinarian
examine his elderly brother. He winds himself around
Reilly so the vet can’t get close,” said Terri. “Our two dogs
Terri and her daughters Abby, Ava and elderly Labrador,
Reilly, are used to Diesel running the show.
and two cats have taught our children compassion and
about the unconditional love that only comes from pets.
“Th ree years ago, we lost our 11-year-old dog, Maggie.
Her passing taught the girls about death and the import-
ant place that dogs hold in a family. We all mourned, even
Diesel.
“When we lived in Georgia, both Diesel and Reilly
were bitten by copperhead snakes. Reilly was bitten in the
back leg, Diesel in the face, which tells you a lot about
their personalities. Right aft er it happened, I thought Die-
sel had a tennis ball in his mouth. Th en I saw that he was
swollen. He is such a big-love bug, that I bet his feelings
were hurt that something would bite him. We rushed him
to the vet and he did great.”
In the spirit of optimism, Terri had to rename her dog
and cats' massive shedding to “magical fi bers of joy and
love.”
“Our four fur babies have taught us unconditional love,
acceptance, to hold our heads high, be confi dent, and ask
for what we need,” said Terri. “Th eir ’presents’ gift our
family with comfort, laughter and pure joy. We wouldn't
trade them for anything in the world. Also, our UPS driv-
er fi nally admitted, ‘Your dog smiles at me!’”
TIPS:
Th e Furminator brush is a helpful tool to pet house-
holds because it cat-ches 80 percent of the fur before it
hits the fl oor and breeds into dust bunnies.
Th e Humane Society of Cottage Grove says, "Stop put-
ting dogs in truck beds. 100,000 dogs die each year from
jumping or bouncing out of moving vehicles. Th ey are a
danger for vehicles driving behind them as they land on
them from this unsafe method of transporting."
“I love my cats because I love my home, and little by
little they become its visible soul.”
—Jean Couteau
WE LIVE IN THE SAME TOWN WE WORK IN
“WE MAKE SHIFT HAPPEN!”
www.automotivespecialties.biz
DUSTIN TULLAR & RUSS OWENS
541-942-8022 • COTTAGE GROVE
Share your fun, amazing or crazing pet tips and tales at an-
gelscribe@msn.com or Follow Pet Tips ‘n’ Tales on Facebook at
www.facebook.com/PetTipsandTales. Adopt loving pets online at
www.PetFinder.com. For spay or neutering, call the Humane So-
ciety at 541-942-2789.
