Volunteers enriched by Mexico experience
E c 3 3 i a '.li o t z a 11
U of O f»sw3?apar Library
Lumens, OR 9/4J3
Adrienne Swanson (center) plays a game with Mexican children.
VOL. 118_______NO. 36______ 8 Pages
Wednesday, September 8,1999
Morrow County, Heppner, Oregon
Appreciation dessert planned at Legion Hall
Jun* Crowell (right) Legion Auxiliary secretary/ treasurer with grandson Anthony Rietmann, and
Jean Jepeen, Legion scholarship committee and Girls State.
Anyone who has read the
children's story, "If You Give a
Mouse a Cookie," knows that
sometimes a small situation has a
way of snowballing into a very
big one.
Such it is with the lone Legion
Hall renovation project.
The project, which originally
started out as a floor refinishing
project, ended up something
much greater indeed.
When contemplating
refimshing the hall's floor,
members at first planned to go
around the existing old oil space
heating system. But, at the urging
of Legion Auxiliary member,
Jean Jepsen, the old oil heating
system was removed in order to
do a more complete job on the
floor.
However, what Jean and the
Legion and Auxiliary members
didn't count on was the condition
of the chimney flues.
When the old system was
removed, the flues were
inspected and, consequently,
condemned. The Legion then
decided to replace the old system
with new propane heaters.
The new heating system, in
turn, prompted new insulation
and windows to weatherize the
building and retain the heat, a
new electrical system and fans to
circulate the air.
i
The Legion undertook an community meetings, bingo,
ambitious fund raising project to receptions, roller skating, dances,
renovate the hall. Jepsen
proms, reunions and weddings as
contacted
L.J.
"Jerry"
well as a meeting hall for the
McElligott's son, Vince, who is
Legion and Legion Auxiliary.
deputy director of development
The Legion membership,
at Colorado State University,
however, is dwindling, and its
who helped them apply for a membership aging. "We do have
Meyer Memorial Trust grant.
a few younger members," said
Not only did they receive the McElligott, "but they're mostly in
grant, but the fund raising their 40s. This causes a problem
campaign was successful beyond with activities, even selfhelp
their wildest dreams. The Legion work." Many of the members
not only had enough money for also live out of the lone area.
The Auxiliary has also done its
renovation of the floors, but also
enough for a more extensive part over the years in helping
support the hall, from cleaning
renovation project as well.
However, renovation of the hall the building to putting on fund
has, in turn, resulted in a increase raising dinners during WWII to
in insurance premiums required current day quilt raffles.
One such quilt will be raffled
on the building.
"We just have a continuing ■ off this Sunday, September 12,
problem of maintenance of the ■ during a dessert beginning at 4
building," says McElligott, Past p.m., sponsored by the Auxiliary.
According to Jepsen and
Commander of the
lone McElligott, the appreciation
American Legion Post #95. "We dessert is being put on for the
got it fixed up and we can't quit community and for anyone who
there. We have to keep going to contributed to the remodeling of
keep it up as long as we can. We hall as well as for anyone who is
have been trying to maintain this interested in its conservation.
for years, knowing it is a
community building."
The hall does indeed have a
NEWS DEADLINE
prominent place in the heart of
5 p.m. Monday
the lone community, over the
years serving as a place for
20 %
1 OFF
on selected
lawn & garden
Items
(through September)
M o r r o w C ounty G rain G ro w ers
Lexington 989-8221 • 1-800-452-7396^
forianniquipm*m,*ii(tourwrt$it*itwww.iTKg|n«t
<
Often the giver is just as
enriched by the experience as the
recipient. So it was with two
local girls and their chaperone
who traveled to Mexico this
summer as a part of a program
sponsored by the Baker Diocese
of the Catholic Church. Allison
Halvorsen
and
Adrienne
Swanson, both lone, and their
chaperone.
Mary
Ann
Elguezabal, Heppner, traveled to
Tijuana, Mexico, to aid a church
community and came away with
an appreciation and respect for
the people there.
Adrienne and Allison first
learned about the project at St.
William's Church in lone from
several of their friends who had
gone previously. Adrienne, who
is a member of St. Williams and
Allison, who is a member of lone
United Church of Christ, but who
is almost as much at home at St. Allison Halvorsen calms a baby at a Tijuana orphanage.
William's, each raised $500 to be
able to join the group.
1 he experience for the Morrow
County trio began July 9, when
they left lone for Klamath Falls
with Mary Ann in the driver's
seat. Upon their arrival at
Klamath Falls they met others
who were to accompany them on
their journey and set off by van
to Tijuana. They stopped in San
Francisco for a night’s rest and a
little sightseeing and then again
in Los Angeles before arriving in
Tijuana July 12.
The well-know volunteer
project draws people from all
over the world. "I didn't know
this project was so famous," said
Mary Ann, who added that
volunteers came from Austria,
Germany, Spain, Italy, France
and New Zealand, as well as
from all over the U.S. and ran the
gamut from high school and
college students to priests, nuns
Mary Ann Elguezabal, Allison Halvorsen and Adrienne Swanson
and physicians.
Once they arrived in Tijuana, prepare to leave for Mexico.
same in any language," laughed
the group stayed at a kind of
dreams did I ever think I would Mary Ann, who is of Irish
boarding house. Each morning
descent and whose maiden name
the volunteers dispersed to their get down to visit him." Through is Doherty. Mary Ann says she
Father Valencia, their group was
various jobs, which ranged from
able to visit three of the took Spanish in high school, but
cleaning
up debris
after orphanages, which, says Mary really learned the language (and
construction, building fence and
sometimes, what not to say) as an
painting to helping at school and Ann, were in a more middle class 18-year-old bride living with her
neighborhood than in the area
playing with the children.
new husband. Juan, in Coahila in
Both Adrienne and Allison where they worked. "It was nice northeast Mexico.
to
get
that
other
view
,"
she
says.
were amazed at the positive
While a smile may be the
attitudes of the children, many of "It was good to see there is hope same, many other things are
whom lived in extreme poverty. for the children.”
The orphanages, which were strikingly different. The girls
As with other local volunteers
clean
and well kept, contrasted found out the hard way that in
who had gone to Mexico, Allison
Mexico, they could not flush the
and Adrienne commented that sharply with the life of many of toilet paper down the toilet.
the people there had so little, but the children they helped. "As They could not drink the water,
seemed so happy, while many Mother Teresa says. 'We can do nor rinse their toothbrushes off in
young people in the U.S. have no great things, we can only do it and couldn't even open their
small things with great love,"'
everything but happiness.
mouths during a shower During
"It was cool to see how happy says Mary Ann. "I had to keep an excursion to the beach, they
repeating
that
to
myself,
because
the kids were," said Adrienne.
discovered they couldn't wear
"You could please them just by you could spend a lifetime tank tops, short shorts or two-
working
there
and
still
not
be
playing with them. They have
The
poverty
is piece bathing suits because of the
nothing and are happy and we done.
more modest Mexican society.
have everything and are still not overwhelming. But. the spirit of
While the experience gave the
the people is so positive Their
happy."
girls a big dose of compassion
faith
in
God
is
so
strong."
"You could see the border
"Their religion means a lot to and tolerance, they also had a lot
from the roof of our place," said
of fun and met some good friends
Allison. "Houses were built right them and that was a big during the marathon trek to
difference,"
echoed
Adrienne.
up to the fence, taking up every
Mexico and back. They amused
inch of space. The houses were "Everyone had a picture of our themselves by playing games,
about 10x12, like shacks. Most of Lady of Guadalupe. We saw that visiting between the vans with
everywhere-in
the
the children came from tiny picture
houses,
on
the
streets,
in walkie-talkies and just talking.
houses, like tin boxes, but they
"The long trip didn't bother us,
were clean and nice inside. They businesses-everywhere.
because
(living in the country)
The girls were also surprised at
have bum barrels for water and
we were used to it," said Allison,
the
level
of
responsibility
that
the showers were outside-in the
"but the kids from the city just
small houses they were more like circumstances demand of very went nuts.
young children there One such
buckets."
"Most of the other people in the
"We also went to a really nice child, around seven years old, van knew each other," she added
was
not
only
responsible
for
house," added Adrienne. "There
"We didn't know anyone, but by
was a big difference between the feeding, dressing and bathing his the the time we got to Tijuana,
three
year-old
sister
because
of
houses. They were either one
we knew everyone."
way or another. There was no the parents' long work hours, but
also doted on the little girl and
middle class."
In Tijuana, Mary Ann was able worried over her well-being
to meet with a pnest she had While the younger children
A meeting concerning possiole
known m Nyssa, where she grew attended school at the church, the
renovation of the former Heppner
up. Father Valencia, who was in older children. 15-16 years old,
charge of several orphanages in became teachers. Some of the swimming pool site has been
Tijuana, had worked for a year as older children asked Adrienne scheduled.
Anyone interested in
a substitute priest for the Baker and Allison to help them teach
participating in the project is
Diocese in Nyssa. Father English to the younger children
Adrenne says that Mary Ann, invited to meet at the pool at 7
Valencia had previously invited
who
is fluent in Spanish, was p.m. on Tuesday, September 21.
her to come to Tijuana, but, says
often
a big help translating ”1
For more information, call
Mary Ann, "Never in my wildest
told the kids that a smile is the Becky Breazeale. 676-5735
Pool renovation
meeting slated