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About Hermiston herald. (Hermiston, Or.) 1994-current | View Entire Issue (June 27, 2015)
SATURDAY, JUNE 27, 2015 HERMISTONHERALD.COM • A3 COMMUNITY Learning to ride iCan Bike program helps people with disabilities balance on two wheels BY SEAN HART HERMISTON HERALD After several days of prac- tice through the iCan Bike program, a teenager with autism rode a bicycle on her own. Krista Cliff, 16, Umatilla, was one of about 25 people with disabilities who par- ticipated in the weeklong training program that uses specially designed bikes to gradually teach the funda- mentals of balancing and rid- ing on two wheels. FDWFK \RX:LWK WKH UROOHUV they’re able to feel a little bit of imbalance, but, as they progress, they learn the bal- Her mother, Sandi Cliff, ance they need to get closer said she has two daughters WRULGLQJRQWZRZKHHOV´ with special needs, and both :KHQ WKH SDUWLFLSDQWV have learned to ride through have learned to balance, the program, which has been Bataillon said they progress offered in Hermiston for four to regular-wheeled bicycle years. She said both enjoyed with a single handlebar be- the program last year, and hind the seat that someone Krista wanted to come back else can hold to help stabi- again this year. lize the rider if needed. “I was looking forward to ³:H XVH WKH PRGL¿HG SEAN HART PHOTO coming again to help her get equipment to start them ear- PRUHFRQ¿GHQFHRQWKHELNH´ Krista Cliff, 16, who has autism, rides a bike at the iCan Bike ly on in the week, and the ul- Sandi Cliff said Thursday. program Thursday at Armand Larive Middle School with the timate goal is to have them “They didn’t want to take off help of Karen Timmons, from left, Abbi Feltner, Mindy Barron riding on two wheels by the on their own, so having the and Autumn Wiley. Feltner travels to host weeklong camps at HQGRIWKHZHHN´KHVDLG training and the bikes was various locations, and the others are local volunteers. He said about 80 percent helpful. The special bikes re- of the participants learn to DOO\PDNHDGLIIHUHQFH´ help people learn to balance experience. ride a bike, and Cassie An- Pete Bataillon, a staff better than by using train- “The roller bikes allow derson, a Hermiston teach- member from the nonprof- ing wheels. The bikes have for the riders to feel on er who volunteered to help it organization iCan Shine, rollers that touch the ground WKHLU RZQ´ KH VDLG ³:LWK with program, said she has which provides the bike on both sides of the back training wheels, you can seen many people succeed. program throughout the wheel, he said, but they can rock from one side to the She said about 20 people United States and Canada, be adjusted to provide less other side, and there’s al- participated in the camp last VDLG WKH PRGL¿HG ELF\FOHV support for a more realistic ways something there to year, and many more volun- teered to help. “For the participants, it’s learning how to do some- thing new. It’s physical ¿WQHVV ,W¶V YHU\ HPSRZHU- LQJ´VKHVDLG³7KHVHFRQG important group that bene- ¿WV IURP WKLV LV WKHUH DUH D lot of high school kids who are volunteers, so they’re learning to care. They’re learning to meet the needs of people that are different than themselves. They’re learning work skills and EXLOGLQJUHODWLRQVKLSV´ 9ROXQWHHU$XWXPQ:LOH\ 15, Hermiston, said she saw many participants learn to ride. ³7KH ¿UVW FRXSOH GD\V we had a lot of kids that were scared, and then throughout the couple days, they were on their bikes and ORYLQJLW´VKHVDLG³,WKLQN it’s an awesome idea. This is P\¿UVWWLPHYROXQWHHULQJ DQG , ORYH LW , ZRXOG GH¿- QLWHO\GRLWDJDLQ´ Highland street resurfacing project to begin next month Roadwork to take place from S.W. 11th to S.E. 8th One of Hermiston’s major east-west corridors is slated for a resurfacing project to be- gin in mid-July and conclude by the end of the month. The project will affect 19 blocks on Highland Avenue, from Southwest 11th Street on the west side of town to South- east Eighth Street on the east side of town. The project will be a ³FDSHVHDO´ZKLFKLQYROYHV placing a chip seal, to be followed up two weeks lat- er by a type II slurry seal, according to a city press release. A cape seal is a major preventative mainte- nance procedure and is ide- al for streets that call for a smoother texture than a chip seal because it combines the durability of a chip seal with the smoothness of a slurry seal on top. Although the ¿QLVKHG SURGXFW ZLOO ZRUN well for pedestrians and bi- cyclists, with a slightly tex- tured surface, there will be a rougher surface than usual during the time between the two phases, according to the press release. Pedestrians and bicyclists should use caution during this phase of construction. “This project will great- ly improve the long-term viability of Highland Ave- nue at an affordable price, because we’re proactively maintaining it before ma- MRUSUREOHPVVWDUWWRDULVH´ Street Department Superin- tendent Ron Sivey said. Although there will be VRPHWUDI¿FLPSDFWVDVDUH- sult of the project, the work has been scheduled for July to minimize the impacts to classes and events at Herm- iston High School, as well as the Umatilla County Fair. Book club. EO MEDIA GROUP GRAPHIC The city of Hermiston is slated to begin a street resurfacing project on Highland Avenue beginning next month. The graph- ic shows which parts of Highland will be under construction. Tonia Mulcare Auto Health Home Life Tonia Mulcare Family Insurance Agent 541/289-3300 • 800/225-2521 The Stratton Agency Hermiston/Pendleton • stratton-insurance.com Spaghetti Feed & Raffle Fundraiser for Doug Marquardt Sunday, June 28 th 4:00 - 7:00 pm Eagles Lodge $8.00 for adults, $5.00 for children 12 & under Family $25.00 Need volunteers to help with dinner and donations for the Raffle or food items. Contact Stacey Beaver 541-969-7110 BREASTFEEDING CLASSES One night class covers breastfeeding benefits, pumping and much more. Come to this FREE class taught by a certified lactation consultant, and learn techniques that make for a successful experience. Free, but please pre-register. July 1 & August 5 12:00 pm - 1:30 pm GSMC Conference Center 3 & 4 BABYSITTING BASICS 101 For babysitters ages 10-15. Learn childcare techniques, children's developmental ages and what to expect, basic first aid and infant and child CPR. July 11 • 9:00 am - 3:00 pm GSMC Conference Room $30 - includes lunch & all class materials. Must pre-register & pre-pay. HEALTHY FRIDAYS Free health screenings: blood pressure checks, weigh ins, body mass index, cholesterol and glucose. Second Friday of every month July 10 & Aug 14 2:00 - 4:00 pm GSMC Education Department Everything takes on a whole new meaning when you become a parent. With locations throughout Washington and Oregon, Mirasol Family Health Center serves hundreds of young families each year. We are now accepting new patients. Mirasol Family Health Center enjoyparenthood.org For information or to register for a class, call (541) 667-3509 or email healthinfo@gshealth.org