A2 • HERMISTONHERALD.COM
WEDNESDAY, MARCH 4, 2015
LOCAL WEATHER
EBERT:
Today's Weather
Local 5-Day Forecast
continued from page A1
people. I just can’t do it 40
hours a week. When you have
four heart attacks and (al-
most) die, you get to thinking
life’s pretty short. I wanted to
see my family and do some
other things.”
In addition to her health
problems, Ebert has had to
overcome many other obsta-
cles in her life.
Ebert abused alcohol for
years, but she kicked the
habit in her early 50s. She is
looking forward to celebrat-
ing 14 years of sobriety next
week. She survived being
sexually assaulted. She lost
a husband and a grandchild
within two months of each
other and overcame the grief.
She spent 11 years in a rela-
tionship where she was the
victim of domestic violence
and didn’t even realize she
had been abused until she was
out of the situation, when she
moved to the area and attend-
ed a training to volunteer for
DVS.
“I took the training, and it
really opened my eyes,” she
said. “When they showed me
the cycles (of abusive situa-
tions), I knew that was me. I
think education is really the
best thing in the world. It re-
ally would have saved me
a lot of trouble before those
11 years. I just thought we
couldn’t get along, like most
people.”
Like herself, many peo-
ple do not realize they are in
a domestic violence situation
or that resources are available
to help them escape, she said.
After training as a volunteer
for DVS, Ebert applied for
and eventually received a
full-time position as an advo-
cate for the organization and
worked for years helping peo-
ple understand what was hap-
pening and what they could
do to improve their lives.
“When they come in and
they are not convinced, we
can help them see,” she said.
“We can do abuse assess-
ments, so they can see it them-
selves. My job as an advocate
was to empower our clients to
HOUSING:
continued from page A1
the house from its basic
framing stages to the near
completion of the insula-
tion process. Students in the
program conducted the tours
and explained each stage of
the construction process.
Herrera explained they
had worked with a number
of contractors and craftsman
to get the exact look and de-
sign they hoped will attract
buyers. She said they have
worked with those same
contractors and tradesman to
incorporate elements of the
Wed
Thu
3/4
55/29
do what they needed to do to
get out of domestic violence
or sexual assault situations.
We don’t make decisions for
them, but we help them be
strong enough to make the
right ones. We get them re-
sources to get out and stay in
touch with the community.
You’ve got to have a good
heart and know that you can
do it and be able to convince
them they can.”
Ebert helped victims at
DVS shelters, at the hospital
and through the Oregon De-
partment of Human Services
in various positions with the
organization. Last year, she
was one of two recipients of
the Oregon Attorney Gener-
al’s Excellence in Victims Ser-
vices Award. Reluctantly, she
retired from DVS last month.
“I honestly stayed there
probably a month and a half
longer than I should have be-
cause I just couldn’t let it go,”
she said. “I know that my job
was to help other people let
God help them. I feel very
blessed that I did some good.
It’s probably one of the best
things I’ve ever done in my
life. I already miss it.”
While she worked as an
advocate, Ebert gave presen-
tations on her experiences
and about escaping unhealthy
situations, and she said peo-
ple always approached her
afterward seeking guidance.
After she retired, Ebert decid-
ed to continue to turn the neg-
ative events from her past into
positive inspiration for others
as a motivational speaker.
“I believe it’s a God-given
knack. I think God just gives
me the right thing to say at the
right time,” she said. “I guar-
antee, every time I speak, at
least one or two people will
disclose that they need help,
and that’s what needs to hap-
pen. People need to be edu-
cated.”
Ebert said she understands
people’s situations because
she experienced them herself,
and she tries to help people
understand the reality of what
they are experiencing. Al-
WKRXJKLWFDQEHGLI¿FXOWVKH
said, anyone can move for-
ward and create a better life.
“No matter what you’ve
got going on in your life, you
can overcome it,” she said.
“Sometimes, you just need an
advocate showing you what
you can do.”
For more information
about Ebert’s next step as a
motivational speaker, contact
her at 541-571-7708.
house that are top of the line.
Herrera said the home
features a vacuum system
that runs throughout, includ-
ing in the garage. The house
DOVR IHDWXUHV HQHUJ\ HI¿-
cient windows, an insulated
heating and cooling system
known as inside ducts, dou-
ble-layered insulation in the
FHLOLQJ ZDOOV DQG ÀRRU DQG
a tankless water heater that
heats water only when need-
ed.
Some of the other “wow”
factors, Herrera said, include
a surround-sound system that
runs throughout the house,
tile in the entry and other ar-
eas that they designed them-
VHOYHV DQG HQHUJ\HI¿FLHQW
lighting.
Susan Badger-Jones, out-
reach manager for the Ener-
gy Trust of Oregon, said, by
the time the house is com-
plete, it will have an energy
score of 72 out of 200. She
said a house of similar size in
Oregon has an average score
of 112, and a house built to
code would have a score of
about 98.
“This house is consider-
ably better,” she said.
The eventual owner of
the house will have a month-
ly energy bill of about $74,
which Hermiston School
District Deputy Superin-
To help or
get help
For more information about
Domestic Violence Services, or
to donate to or volunteer for
the nonprofit agency that pro-
vides emergency services to
victims of domestic violence
and sexual assault, call 541-
276-3322 or visit domesticvi-
olenceservices-or.org.
- C ONCLUDED
Sat
3/6
61/34
Sun
3/7
63/34
3/8
65/37
67/39
Mainly sunny. High
around 55F. Winds
light and variable.
Times of sun and
clouds. Highs in the
low 60s and lows in
the mid 30s.
More sun than
clouds. Highs in the
low 60s and lows in
the mid 30s.
Mainly sunny. Highs
in the mid 60s and
lows in the upper
30s.
Sunshine. Highs in
the upper 60s and
lows in the upper
30s.
Sunrise Sunset
6:30 AM 5:47 PM
Sunrise Sunset
6:28 AM 5:49 PM
Sunrise Sunset
6:26 AM 5:50 PM
Sunrise Sunset
6:24 AM 5:52 PM
Sunrise Sunset
7:22 AM 6:53 PM
SEAN HART PHOTO
0LFNLH(EHUWVWDQGVRXWVLGHWKH+HUPLVWRQRIÀFHIRU'RPHV-
tic Violence Services, where she worked as an advocate for
victims of domestic violence and sexual assault for almost 10
years. After retiring last month, the 65-year-old plans to con-
tinue using her personal experiences as a victim and ability to
help others by becoming a motivational speaker.
Fri
3/5
Oregon At A Glance
Portland
60/36
Salem
60/35
Eugene
La Grande
50/27
Bend
51/21
59/33
Medford
64/32
Pendleton
52/30
Hermiston
55/29
Ontario
51/28
Burns
45/24
Klamath Falls
56/26
Area Cities
City
Albany
Ashland
Astoria
Baker City
Bend
Brookings
Burns
Coos Bay
Corvallis
Eugene
Hi
59
63
55
49
51
62
45
59
60
59
Lo Cond.
36 sunny
33 sunny
36 mst sunny
23 sunny
21 sunny
42 sunny
24 sunny
37 sunny
35 sunny
33 sunny
City
Florence
Grants Pass
Hermiston
John Day
Klamath Falls
La Grande
Lakeview
Lincoln City
Mcminnville
Medford
Hi
59
63
55
46
56
50
52
58
59
64
Lo Cond.
37 sunny
34 sunny
29 sunny
26 sunny
26 sunny
27 sunny
24 sunny
42 sunny
35 sunny
32 sunny
City
Newport
Pendleton
Portland
Redmond
Roseburg
Salem
Springfield
The Dalles
Tillamook
Vale
Hi
56
52
60
55
61
60
59
58
59
52
Lo Cond.
40 sunny
30 sunny
36 sunny
26 sunny
36 sunny
35 sunny
31 sunny
35 sunny
38 sunny
29 sunny
City
Houston
Los Angeles
Miami
Minneapolis
New York
Hi
77
68
82
10
44
Lo Cond.
38 t-storm
47 sunny
72 pt sunny
-6 mst sunny
31 rain
City
Phoenix
San Francisco
Seattle
St. Louis
Washington, DC
Hi
65
67
55
25
49
Lo Cond.
42 mst sunny
48 sunny
37 mst sunny
10 sn shower
36 rain
National Cities
City
Atlanta
Boston
Chicago
Dallas
Denver
Hi
72
42
19
53
22
Lo Cond.
52 cloudy
30 cloudy
0 pt sunny
25 rain
4 sn shower
Moon Phases
UV Index
Wed
First
Full
Last
New
Feb 25
Mar 5
Mar 13
Mar 20
©2010 American Profile Hometown Content Service
tendent Wade Smith said is
VLJQL¿FDQWO\ORZHUWKDQZKDW
the average homeowner of a
house that size would pay.
“Folks will see some seri-
ous savings,” he said.
Hermiston resident John
Lauck said he couldn’t be-
lieve how much the stu-
dents had accomplished in
so little time. He said he
also couldn’t believe how
innovative they were in the
design and the features in-
cluded.
“I think it looks fantas-
tic,” he said. “I think it’s a
great program. They’re truly
creating an immersive expe-
rience for kids.”
Thu
3/4
3/5
3
Moderate
2
Low
Fri
3/7
Sun
3/8
3
3
3
Moderate Moderate Moderate
The UV Index is measured on a 0 -
11 number scale, with a higher UV
Index showing the need for greater
skin protection.
Hermiston resident and
HHS teacher Kirby Warner
brought his family to tour
WKHKRXVHIRUWKH¿UVWWLPH
and, before even stepping
foot inside the main part of
the house, he said he was al-
ready impressed.
“I think this is great,” he
said. “I know some of these
kids as a teacher at the high
school. It’s fun to see all
they have accomplished out
here.”
Berger said he wanted
community members to see
all the hard work that went
into the structure before
students put up the drywall,
and the walls are sealed for
Sat
3/6
0
11
good. He said the home will
look much different at the
next open house, which will
be closer to when they sell
the home.
“Our next step in the
process will be to roll out
the sheet rock, and we start
on that tomorrow,” he said
Monday.
6WDQ¿HOG +LJK 6FKRRO
student Nathan Hurty, also a
homebuilding student, said
KHFDQ¶WZDLWWRVHHWKH¿Q-
ished product.
“In 20 years, I can look
back at this house and say, ‘I
built that,’” he said to a cou-
ple as they gave them a tour
of the home.