COMMUNITY
WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 18, 2020
HERMISTONHERALD.COM • A9
The Arc bingo goes dark during pandemic
Nonprofi t organization
taps into fi nancial
reserves to survive
The Arc of Umatilla County installs
offi cers, directors at annual meeting
By TAMMY MALGESINI
FOR THE HERMISTON HERALD
Guidelines
imposed
because of COVID-19 have
altered how people work,
socialize and participate in
recreational activities. Stay
home orders, social dis-
tancing and restrictions on
group gatherings have also
changed how people engage
in service organizations and
volunteer activities. This
series in the Hermiston Her-
ald highlights how area ser-
vice clubs and groups have
responded to the pandemic.
The familiar murmur
that precedes the exuberant
sound of someone calling
out “bingo” has been qui-
eted for the past 36 weeks
at games sponsored by The
Arc Umatilla County. The
nonprofi t organization was
forced to cancel its ongoing
fundraiser with the onset of
the COVID-19 pandemic.
Jan Schroth, outgoing
The Arc president, said the
group’s mission is to advo-
cate for the rights and full
participation of all chil-
dren and adults with intel-
lectual and developmental
disabilities.
“Together with our net-
work of members, we
improve systems of supports
and services; connect fam-
ilies; inspire communities
and infl uence public policy,”
the rest of the mission state-
ment reads.
Schroth said The Arc
Umatilla County typically
serves between 200-300
people and families through-
out the year. The global pan-
demic, she said, caused all
fundraising and programs
with the local organization
to come to a screeching halt.
The Arc’s annual Sum-
mer Recreation and Inclu-
sion Program was among
the coronavirus casual-
HERMISTON HERALD
The annual meet-
ing for The Arc of Uma-
tilla County was held on
Nov. 10, 2020, at The Arc
Building, 215 W. Orchard
Ave., Hermiston.
The meeting, which
included installation of
offi cers and directors for
the next year, was delayed
by fi ve months due to
COVID-19 restrictions.
Attendance at the meet-
ing was sparse yet produc-
tive, according to a news
release, and included a
report by outgoing pres-
ident Jan Schroth, which
emphasized the lack of
revenue and, despite mea-
sures to reduce expendi-
tures, a net loss of over
$12,000.
Directors for the next
year are Kirsten Kin-
sel,
Shalena
Myers,
Jolene Pooley, Tasha
Blenyenberg,
Nichole
Malmberg, TJ Smith, Jana
Smith and Miranda Rec-
tor. Offi cers include Kristi
Smalley (treasurer), Joyce
Beemer (secretary), Jan
Schroth (outgoing pres-
ident), Debbie Herrera
(vice president) and Anna
Dickman (president).
Hermiston Herald, File
Alisia Mendoza of Hermiston calls out bingo numbers while
running the game at The Arc of Umatilla County’s bingo night
in Hermiston in 2012. The nonprofi t has had to suspend bingo
in 2020 due to COVID-19.
ties this year. The free two-
week event, Schroth said,
is offered during summer
vacation to families who
have school-aged children.
“We are not having any
of our regular activities that
people have come to enjoy,
like dances and parties,” she
said. “We have not been able
to offer any trainings.”
In addition to the weekly
bingo games, which began
in November 1977, The Arc
hasn’t been able to book the
use of its West Orchard Ave-
nue building. Revenue from
rental fees, Schroth said, is
how the organization covers
costs associated with main-
taining the building.
General
membership
meetings, Schroth said, hav-
en’t been held since the onset
of restrictions on in-person
gatherings. And she said it
hasn’t been practical to hold
them online because many
of the members don’t have
access to computers or the
internet.
After a delay of fi ve
months, treasurer Kristi
Smalley said The Arc
was fi nally able to hold
its annual meeting. Atten-
dance at the Nov. 10 gath-
ering was sparse, yet pro-
ductive, she said. Despite
measures to reduce expen-
ditures, Schroth shared that
the group has seen a net
loss of more than $12,000.
By tapping into its fi nan-
cial reserves, Smalley and
Schroth said they should be
able to meet expenses for at
least the next few months.
The annual meeting
included the installation of
offi cers and directors, as
well as discussing what pro-
grams are resuming. Given
the sometimes fl uid parame-
ters regarding limitations on
public gatherings, people are
encouraged to check with
The Arc for up-to-date infor-
mation. Less than 20 hours
after announcing plans for
an upcoming The Arc Activ-
ity Night, the event was
canceled due to Gov. Kate
Brown’s Nov. 13 announce-
ment of a two-week “coro-
navirus freeze.”
Schroth, however, is
optimistic about The Arc’s
future. Looking ahead,
she said the board hopes
to resume larger in-person
activities.
“The people that come
to our activities miss the
opportunity to visit with
each other,” Schroth said.
Also, she acknowledges
that the lack of funding has
been hard. Schroth is a bit
concerned with the higher
utility bills that come with
the winter weather. While
they don’t know the time-
line, she said the board is
The Arc Umatilla County/Contributed Photo
Directors for The Arc Umatilla County for 2020-21 are (left
to right) Kirsten Kinsel, Shalena Myers, Jolene Pooley, Tasha
Blenyenberg and Nichole Malmberg (not pictured: TJ Smith,
Jana Smith and Miranda Rector).
The Arc Umatilla County/Contributed Photo
The Arc Umatilla County offi cers for 2020-21 include (left to
right) Kristi Smalley (treasurer), Joyce Beemer (secretary),
Jan Schroth (outgoing president), Debbie Herrera (vice
president) and Anna Dickman (president).
committed to resuming
its bingo games when it’s
deemed safe.
“The Arc has been in
Umatilla County since 1967
and we will continue to be
here and hopefully stron-
ger as we navigate this new
challenge,” Schroth said.
For more information
about The Arc Umatilla
County, including how to
make a donation, visit www.
thearcumatilla.org,
email
arc@eotnet.net or search
Facebook.
Wildhorse Foundation grants aid dental and
mental health programs in Eastern Oregon
HERMISTON HERALD
The Eastern Oregon
Healthy Living Alliance
has received a $1,500 from
the Wildhorse Foundation
to support dental and men-
tal health programs in East-
ern Oregon, the organiza-
tion announced in a press
release.
“This funding supports
the work EOHLA, Advan-
tage Dental from Den-
taQuest, InterMountain Edu-
cation Service District, and
community partners carry
out in providing dental ser-
vices, dental education, and
mental health fi rst aid train-
ing,” the release stated.
Funding to support den-
tal programs is being dis-
tributed to Healthy, Happy
Smiles (HHS) and Every-
body Brush! in partnership
with Advantage Dental and
the IMESD. The programs
include free dental screen-
ings, fl uoride varnish, fol-
low-up for students identi-
fi ed to have urgent dental
care needs and more, in addi-
tion to education outreach
events that include materials
on brushing, fl ossing, fl uo-
ride, orthodontics, tobacco’s
effect on the mouth, sugary
foods and drinks, and more.
The support for men-
tal health programs is being
distributed to Mental Health
First Aid, which according
to the release is “a nationally
evidence-based
program
that gives people the skills
to identify, understand, and
respond to individuals who
may be experiencing signs
of a mental health problem
or experiencing a mental
health crisis.”
Training sessions are
available for adults, youth
and teens, the release stated,
and focuses on teaching how
to apply “fi rst aid” and con-
nect people with appropriate
care.
The Eastern Oregon
Healthy Living Alliance was
formed in 2014 to support
health initiatives in Eastern
Oregon, and its board has
representation from each of
the 12 counties it represents.
The Wildhorse Founda-
tion receives 3% of the net
gaming revenues from Wild-
horse Resort & Casino run
by the Confederated Tribes
of the Umatilla Indian Res-
ervation outside Pendle-
ton, and uses the money for
grants to charitable causes
in Umatilla, Union, Mor-
row and Wallowa coun-
ties in Oregon and Benton
and Walla Walla counties in
Washington.
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WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 30, 2020
HermistonHerald.com
EasternOregonMarketplace.com
UPDATES
Hermiston
Herald
wins 2020
General
Excellence
award
Hermiston
The
Herald was notifi ed
shortly before its print
deadline on Tues-
day, Sept. 29, that
the newspaper has
won the 2020 Gen-
eral Excellence Award
for its category in the
Newspaper
Oregon
Publishers Associa-
tion’s Better Newspa-
per Contest.
The Herald placed
fi rst over newspapers
in size category D,
while the Hood River
News came in sec-
ond and the Newport
News-Times came in
third.
The annual con-
test for newspapers
in Oregon looked at
a sample of newspa-
pers in February, July
and November of
2019 to determine the
winners.
The Herald’s sis-
ter paper, the East
Oregonian, also won
fi rst place for Gen-
eral Excellence in its
size category, beating
out the Daily Astorian
and Grants Pass Daily
Courier.
also
Newspapers
submitted samples of
articles, photos, spe-
cial sections and front
judg-
for
designs
page
ing in individual cat-
egories. The Herm-
iston Herald placed
third for Best Cover-
age of Business and
Economic Issues, plus
second and third for
Best Spot News Cov-
erage. It was unknown
as of deadline which
qualifi ed
articles
the paper for those
awards.
The Oregon News-
Publishers
paper
a trade
is
Association
association of news-
papers in Oregon,
organized to promote
common
issues of
interest to print media.
For more informa-
tion and results from
the contest, see next
Hermiston
week’s
Herald.
Now you
to
can listen com
Staff photo by Jade McDowell
Volunteers pick up litter along the
railroad tracks in Hermiston during
the I Love My City event on Saturday,
Sept. 26, 2020.
herald.
ton ve
hermis
e lo
Spreading th
in English and Spanish!
for good deeds
teers
volun
‘I Love My City’ event rallies
GET INVOLVED
By JADE MCDOWELL
NEWS EDITOR
It’s been a rough year, but mem-
bers of several area churches were
determined to make it a brighter
one for Hermiston residents on
Saturday, Sept. 26.
“A lot of folks are just strug-
gling mentally so much because
of the quarantine, and this is just
our small way to bring some sun-
shine,” said New Hope Commu-
nity Church Pastor Chris Hankel.
Volunteers spread out across
the city, doing good deeds as they
went. Some cleared weeds out
Staff photo by Jade McDowell
of the landscaping along High-
way 395 or picked up litter along
Ace Hardware parking lot in Hermiston
Volunteers wash a car for free in the
the railroad tracks through town.
Saturday, Sept. 26, 2020.
during the I Love My City event on
Others held a free car wash, set
up drive-thru prayer booths, paid
for peoples’ laundry at local laun-
dromats or paid for meals in the
McDonald’s drive-thru.
The day of service was part of
a larger movement called I Love
My City, which local churches
partnered to form in 2016 to bring
hope to people after acts of vio-
lence rocked the town. They have
held several events since then,
during the I Love My City event
— Claudia Meza, who washed cars
including free gift-wrapping out-
To get information about
future events or to sign up to
participate, go to
www.ilovehermiston.com.
side of Walmart during the Christ-
mas season and an annual spring
cleanup. The spring cleanup was
canceled due to the pandemic, but
Hankel said they decided to bring
back a smaller version of it this
month.
He didn’t know exactly how
many people ended up volunteer-
ing on Saturday, but said he knew
there were about 100 that came
from New Hope.
churches
involved
Other
included Hermiston Assembly of
God, Faith Presbyterian, Rekin-
dle, Hermiston Seventh-Day
Adventist and Templo Fe Esper-
anza Y Amor.
“We love Hermiston and we
want people to know God loves
Hermiston,” Hankel said.
On Sept. 26, while helping
wash cars for free in the parking
Look for
the new
Trinity
“PEOPLE HAVE BEEN GRATEFUL
AND HAPPY AND THAT’S BEEN
THE BIGGEST BLESSING, SEEING
PEOPLE HAPPY.”
AUDIO PLAYER
at the start of
hermistonherald.com
and select
es ical
typ
news r stori
‘Not you
uage
lang
the
d’ you prefer
90-year-ol
for story playback
Hermiston woman celebrates
birthday with former students
around the world
See Love, Page A10
joined a virtual party over Zoom
for her 90th birthday. She spent
two hours greeting students by
them
with
name and reminiscing
er
anoth
It’s
their time in her classroom
about just
decades ago.
iston
By JADE MCDOWELL
every stu-
the Herm
“She remembered
way that
NEWS EDITOR
dent,” Yen Sullivan, a former stu-
our
shocked.”
was
“I
ing
said.
bring
is was
ld Doherty
Hera dent,
Teachers come and go through-
raised in Hermis-
out a student’s career, but many
her retire-
after es
edu- ton and returned
to you
stori
people have that one special
unity
but in between,
comm ment in 1995,
cator who shaped their life in a
most of her time teach-
Photo contributed by Kara Campbell
Mary Doherty is pictured in her classroom
INSIDE
in Bahrain during her tenure there.
A3 Hermiston School District
breaks ground on a new softball
complex
A3 Distance learning brings
challenges for schools’ support staff
she spent
way they’ll never forget.
overseas, in countries includ-
Mary Doherty is one of those ing
ing Venezuela, France, Belgium,
teachers.
Spain and Bahrain.
On Sept. 23, hundreds of Japan,
Doherty’s former students living
See Teacher, Page A10
countries
in more than 30 different
A7 Umatilla Electric Cooperative
moves to an independent model of
power purchases
A8 Hermiston City Council cre-
ates a local improvement district for
industrial park
13,700
copies
of the Hermiston Herald now mailed
directly to homes in west Umatilla
County and north Morrow County,
there has never been an easier way
to get your message into thousands
of local homes each week.
Reach new customers
in new ways with the help
of advertising professionals
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