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Wednesday, april 13, 2022
HerMisTOnHerald.COM • A9
JILLI
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her, helping her lead an adult life,
Kristi Smalley said.
Kristi Smalley is on a board that
oversees the EOSSB. As such, she
helps watch over the decisions of
that organization, which is a per-
sonal matter to her because her
daughter receives assistance from it.
Four EOSSB personal service
workers supervise Jilli Smalley
on activities, including her regular
walks and her employment.
EOSSB helps people live regular lives
Laura Noppenberger, executive
director, and Kristi Avery, Umatilla
County lead personal agent, said
EOSSB exists to help people with
intellectual disabilities who are 18
and over. They receive assistance in
their own homes and communities.
“We advocate for services and
COUNTY
Continued from Page A1
put in their bodies as ask-
ing about whether vaccina-
tion mandates were right.
They largely agreed they
were not.
“No. No. No,” Timmons
said.
Beers and Bonifer ref-
erenced the Nuremberg tri-
als and a necessary stand
against
tyranny.
Oth-
ers said it was an issue of
choice, with some variation
in regards to the need for
choices to benefit society.
The other questions
were met with the same
amount of agreement, most
often with each candidate
giving opinions that related
back to stances of per-
sonal freedoms and limited
government.
Speaking to their opin-
ion on critical race the-
ory, for example, candi-
dates were unified in their
opposition, with Beers say-
ing that it “causes segrega-
tion” and Bonifer stating it
“causes division.” They all
said parents should have
the right to teach on this
topic, not schools.
They also sided on indi-
vidual or local choice when
it came to where children
would attend school, and
whether vouchers should
be given to families. Some
candidates pointed out that
this and the question about
critical race theory were
not really a county commis-
sioner issue.
More relevant to their
campaigns,
candidates
were asked for their opin-
ions on the most import-
ant issue or role for county
commissioners.
Bonifer
emphasized
transparency,
speak-
ing on the need for offi-
cials to stand up for what
is right. Addressing mental
health and drug use are two
important issues, he said.
Bower spoke on the
importance of workforce
development, as well as
tackling redundancy in
government.
Nelson said family was
the most important thing,
and government needs to
promote efforts that will
support families.
Timmons said govern-
ment needs to make sure
people are getting the ser-
vices they require. Elder
care and veteran services,
for instance, are needed,
she said.
Young argued for the
need for infrastructure,
medical services and bet-
ter roads.
Beers said there was
need for the county to
address drug use, mental
health, veteran care, home-
lessness and crime.
Pullen spoke of farmers
and the importance of help-
ing ease burdens created by
excessive legislation.
Shafer stated there are
problems of drug use and
homelessness that need to
be solved through new and
existing services.
Barton said he wished
for programs that would
encourage youth engage-
ment, giving young people
opportunities to learn and
stay out of trouble.
At the end, they met
each other and visitors to
the forum, nodding as can-
didate Young said, “We
have the same agenda” and
they all want to do what is
best for Umatilla County.
Kathy Aney/Hermiston Herald
Jilli Smalley, who has autism and a seizure disorder, loves her job at the
Hermiston Pizza Hut where she has worked as a dishwasher for 11 years.
resources for those people we serve,”
Avery said. “We help people live bet-
ter, more positive lives. It’s interesting,
and there’s something new every day.
And the people we help are great.”
Noppenberger said she has
worked for the EOSSB since it
began, two decades ago. Among the
many things she had done for others,
Noppenberger said helping a person
obtain a ramp for her home was one
of the most satisfying.
Avery said she has helped many
people during the 20 years she has
been with the organization, including
helping one Milton-Freewater resi-
dent move out of her parent’s home
and into her own place.
People, they said, can receive a
wide range of assistance. A helper
may, for example, go to a person’s
home to set up medication, aid in
laundry, create meal plans or go to
the store.
EOSSB helpers also may assist
with employment, as with Jilli
Smalley, they stated.
“A lot of the people that we serve
have jobs in the community, so they
might need support with getting to
work, staying on task, being dressed
appropriately for the job, getting
ready to go and being successful,”
Noppenberger said.
“We help them work if they want to
work,” Avery said. “They learn how to
handle money, work on being health-
ier and navigate health matters. And
if they want to travel, see things or do
activities, we help with all of that.”
Each person’s plan, Noppen-
berger and Avery said, is tailored to
meet specific needs, as each person’s
needs will be different.
“Essentially, we’re navigators,
cheerleaders, helping to connect peo-
ple with the resources in their com-
munity to be successful,” Noppen-
berger said.
Noppenberger said that the
EOSSB is one of 14 brokerages in
Oregon, paid for with state tax dol-
lars and federal funds. It serves 471
people in the counties of Hood River,
Wasco, Sherman, Gilliam, Wheeler,
Morrow, Umatilla, Grant, Harney,
Union, Baker, Wallowa and Malheur.
The organization has 30 staff
members, who are mostly based in
their homes, near the people they
serve. The EOSSB’s one office is in
Hood River.
As EOSSB employees live near
the people they serve, they said, they
are better able to assess their needs
and help them.
The Smalleys said they are grate-
ful for this help.
Chamber of
Commerce
PO Box 1 • 101 Olson Rd. • Boardman, OR 97818 • 541-481-3014
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