MEMO BLOG Memo Calendar Memo Pad Business Memos Loaves & Fishes Letters Home
FEATURE ARTICLES
Centenarians celebrate clean living
It takes a Barn Bash to raise a statue
What is the secret to being married sixty years?
Russell Academy rockets to the top
Summer Fun Guide 2011
Clowning around at Elmer's

About the MEMO
MEMO Archives
MEMO Advertising
MEMO Country (Map)
MEMO Web Neighbors
MEMO Staff
MEMO BLOG

© 2011 Mid-county MEMO
Terms & Conditions
Memo Pad...

To fully serve the community, the Mid-county Memo offers this section to showcase upcoming special events, celebrations of milestones in our readers' lives, those seemingly small accomplishments that often do not receive the recognition they deserve, and everyday events that should be shared with friends and neighbors.

Memo Pad submissions for August issue are due Friday, July 15. For best results, e-mail Darlene Vinson at editor@midcountymemo.com. Or mail submissions to 3510 N.E. 134th Ave, Portland, OR 97230. To leave a phone message, call 503-287-8904. The fax number is 503-249-7672.

Sunday Parkways brings bicycles east
According to event promoters, more than 12,000 people participated in the Sunday Parkways bicycle event in May. Ed Benedict Park in outer Southeast Portland was a site for non-bicycle activites.
This year, the east Portland version of Sunday Parkways occurred May 22 on a particularly cool spring day with clouds and rain - not ideal for outdoor events. Nonetheless, according to Spokesperson Linda Ginenthal of the Portland Bureau of Transportation - the event's promoter - it drew the same crowd as last year, approximately 12,000 people.

During the event, pedestrians and bicyclists were invited to traverse all or part of a circular route along local streets from which auto traffic was prohibited for five hours. The route touched on Gilbert Heights, Earl Boyles, Ed Benedict, Bloomington, Lents, and Glenwood parks, where there were special activities. Others, particularly community groups, set up tables along the route.

This year, instead of using Southeast Harold Street as part of the route, which generated some complaints last year, pedestrians and cyclists were directed down a long stretch of the Springwater Corridor. There were also some program changes. Instructors from the Portland Bureau of Parks & Recreation led exercise classes for much of the day at Ed Benedict Park. The Market Place, a collection of community groups and public and private agencies that provided information and giveaways last year at Ed Benedict, was shifted to the grounds of Ron Russell School this year. Ginenthal said the changes seemed to catch some participants by surprise, but a sizable number participated with enthusiasm.

Parkrose grads head to college, scholarships in hand
Senior awards night at Parkrose High is a happy and boisterous evening, preceding graduation. It is when faculty grants departmental awards and community-based organizations celebrate scholarship recipients they support.

Departing College and Career Counselor Meg Kilmer, declared the event a success, “We have more students attending college than in previous years and thankfully, more people and organizations supporting them with scholarships.” She encourages graduates of Parkrose High to make a donation to a new Alumni Scholarship fund established at the high school. “Tax-deductible donations can be sent to our bookkeeper, Jan Clemmer,” Kilmer said. “I'd like to see an alumni committee review our senior scholarship portfolios and select the recipients next spring. We have so many worthy students who will appreciate and need this kind of support.”

Scholarships awarded by individual colleges are too numerous to list. Community-based scholarships received by the Parkrose High School Class of 2011 include:

Mt. Hood Community College Full Tuition Scholarships: John Brown and Marianna Pleshakova.

Portland Community College Future Connect Scholars: Sean Bahrman, Rosio Bravo-Mendez, Minh Huynh, Charlie Juarez, Ben King, Thao Le, Anh Nguyen, Nguyen Nguyen, Phuong Nguyen, Fatu Saryon, Hayden Sexsmith, Celeste Stickel, Angel Tran and Jerry Watson.

National Honor Society Scholarship: Alyssa Weston (Gonzaga University) and Susan Pham (University of Portland)

Movimiento Estudiantil Chicano de Aztlan, or MECha Club Scholarship: Wilhelmina Munoz-Solis.

Bronco Boosters Parent Organization Scholarships: Bryanna Phillips (University of Puget Sound); Ian Francheschi, Anh Nguyen, and Angel Tran (Linfield College). Comcast Leaders & Achievers: Kim Nguyen (Lewis & Clark College).

Kaiser Permanente Scholarship: Yian Saechao (Seattle University).

Central East Rotary Club Scholarship: Dominique Garrison (University of Oregon).

Karen Kane, from left, a Rotary Club of Northeast Portland scholarship committee member, presented Parkrose High graduating seniors Kim Nguyen, Vivian Doan, Shayna Jackson with $1,000 each in college scholarship funding along with committee chair John Wade. These three were among dozens who received scholarships at the annual senior awards night.
COURTESY MEG KILMER, PARKROSE HIGH SCHOOL COLLEGE and CAREER CENTER DIRECTOR
Parkrose Business Association: Shayna Jackson (Occidental College); David Lange, Kim Nguyen, Nguyen Nguyen, (Clark College); Gabriella Wolpert (MHCC); and Angel Tran.

Northeast Portland Rotary Club Scholarship: Vivian Doan (Portland State University); Shayna Jackson; and Kim Nguyen.

Pacific NW Federal Credit Union Scholarship: Jessica Phan (Linfield College) and Piraya Supa (Portland State University).

Lisa Branch Memorial Scholarship: Ivanna Tucker (Linfield College).

Nick Calcagno Memorial Scholarship: Jeremy Ibrahim (Portland State University).

Louise Ratto Calcagno Memorial Scholarship: Haley Lusby (Lewis & Clark College).

Wellman Family Scholarship: Aurora Dan (Portland State University).

Michele Gibson Memorial Scholarship: Tan Nguyen (PCC) and Fatu Saryon.

Dueltgen Family Scholarship: Jessica Davison (Willamette University).

Parkrose Faculty Association: Jenna Worden (University of Oregon); Jessica Davison and Kyle Thomas (Concordia University); Gabriella Wolpert (MHCC).

Oregon School Employee Association Scholarship: Ian Franceschi.

Parkrose Athletic Boosters Athlete of the Year Scholarships: Jeremy Ibrahim (Portland State University) and Kim Nguyen.

Mr. Bronco Scholarship: Evan Lindsay (MHCC).

Promising Futures Scholarships: Brianna Rowley and Dessa Salavedra (Portland State University).

Careers that Work Scholarship: Carinna Tucker (Heald College).

PHS grad to perform at Oregon Bach Festival
Brianna Newman, a 2011 Parkrose High graduate, has been selected to participate in the Stageland Family Youth Choral Academy at the annual Oregon Bach Festival in Eugene. She auditioned in late spring and is one of only 85 students nationwide chosen for this prestigious choir.

Newman will participate in 12 days of rehearsals under the tutelage of renowned conductor Anton Armstrong of St. Olaf College in Northfield, Minn. The festival concludes with a concert at Hult Center for the Performing Arts in Eugene. To learn more, visit oregonbachfestival.com.

From farm to school
American Farm Bureau Foundation for Agriculture board members serve fresh produce to Portland Christian Elementary School students as part of it agriculture awareness program.
COURTESY AFBFA
Portland Christian Elementary School hosted the American Farm Bureau Foundation for Agriculture on Friday, June 3. The school was selected for this experience after a successful Oregon Ag Day in March.

The AFBFA is a non-profit organization that strives to build awareness, understanding, and a positive public perception of agriculture through education. Students were rewarded with a lunch of fresh produce from local farms.

Local high school seniors among the best and brightest
The Comcast Foundation, founded in 1999 to provide charitable support to its local communities and to empower and enrich lives has awarded its annual Leaders and Achievers® Scholarships to four area high school seniors.

Phuong Le, Centennial; Daisy Quinonez, David Douglas; Kim Nguyen, Parkrose; and Emma Utti, Reynolds; each received a one-time award of $1,000.
“Comcast is proud of its Leaders and Achievers® scholarship recipients. They represent some of the best and brightest high school seniors who also demonstrate civic involvement in the communities we serve across the country,” said Charisse Lillie, vice president, Community Investment of Comcast Corporation and executive president of the Comcast Foundation. “We are thrilled to support their educational efforts with these scholarships.”

A total of 65 recipients from Oregon and SW Washington were honored at a ceremony at the World Trade Center in downtown Portland last month. Portland Trail Blazer legend Terry Porter was a special guest. He spoke of attending community programs as a child, much like ones many of the recipients volunteer with, and how grateful he is to have had that support. He strongly encouraged the students to keep on lifting themselves up to a higher potential, and with that they would lift their communities and everyone else up.

Grants provide van for food deliveries
SnowCap Community Charities has received $73,500 in grants to purchase a delivery van to upgrade the agency's mobile food pantry program.

Grants included $25,000 each from Walmart Foundation and the Cornerstone Church in Gresham along with $7,500 each from Providence Foundation and Trust Management, $5,000 from Autzen Foundation and $3,500 from the Collins Foundation.

The new vehicle, a Sprinter refrigerated cargo van, will enhance service to four elementary schools and 10 public housing projects in east Multnomah County. This program reaches families in need who have barriers to transportation or childcare issues that prevent them from visiting SnowCap for regular pantry service.

MHCC engineering student wins NASA scholarship
Mt. Hood Community College engineering student Duncan Meyers was named a National Community College Aerospace Scholar by NASA.
COURTESY MT. HOOD COMMUNITY COLLEGE
Duncan Meyers is a rising star.

At 32 years old, he has held more than 40 jobs in 23 different industries-from clean room tech to security officer to ice cream truck driver. And that's just in the past 12 years. Remarkably, he has used every one of those experiences to prepare himself for a career in engineering.

Meyers, an engineering student at Mt. Hood Community College, took a giant step closer to achieving his dream recently when he visited the famous Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, Calif., as one of NASA's National Community College Aerospace Scholars.

Meyers was one of 80 students chosen from 300 applicants around the country after a long competitive evaluation. His prize: to travel to JPL and work in teams to design and present ideas for a theoretical Mars rover mission to melt bits of the planet's surface to pave runways for eventual manned landings. The team also had to come up with ways to fund the mission.

“I didn't know what to expect at JPL,” Meyers said, “other than the cutting edge of technology and a lot of very smart people, of course. But what I really learned from this experience was the NASA proposal process- how to present an idea to NASA engineers and win a contract. That's going to serve me very well in my future as an entrepreneurial engineer.”

He hopes to gain engineering experience in multiple disciplines over the next few years. Meyers has been a tinkerer and inventor since he was a kid. He plans to transfer to Portland State University after graduation from MHCC next June.

For information on the MHCC engineering program, please contact Clyde Jensen, dean, at 503-491-7365, or clyde.jensen@mhcc.edu.

Non-profit adds new faces, energy to board
Longtime Gresham resident Linda Kidby has been elected chair of the Board of Directors of SnowCap Community Charities. She succeeds James Liefeld, whose term on the SnowCap board has expired after eight years of service. Kidby has been an ardent SnowCap supporter, especially in areas of finance and fundraising.

Other officers include John Anderson, mediator, vice chair; the Rev. Tom Hiller, secretary; and Darryl Hill, retired insurance executive, was installed as treasurer. He has been a long-term finance committee member but is new to the board of directors.

Other new board members are Judith Huck, owner of Classique Floors; the Rev. Patricia Berger, pastor of Covenant Presbyterian Church; Diane Liefeld, retired nurse and master gardener, now heading SnowCap's community garden program; and Tom Weldon, past chair of the annual dinner auction fundraiser. Judy Alley, executive director, said the new board reflects SnowCap's deep base in the community.

Explore the Columbia Slough
Paddlers enjoy all that the Columbia Slough has to offer during a past Columbia Slough Regatta. The event is Sunday, July 31 this year.
Mid-county Memo Photo/Tim Curran
Join the largest one-day paddle in Oregon and celebrate the Columbia Slough. The Columbia Slough Regatta returns for its seventeenth annual festival in honor of Portland's hidden waterway. The Columbia Slough flows gently from Fairview all the way out to St. Johns, parallel to the Columbia River. The area that it flows through was once the historic floodplain of the Columbia River, though the construction of levees in the early 1900s has since disconnected the Columbia Slough from the Columbia River. Despite human changes, this wetland waterway provides important habitat for bald eagles, turtles, fish, and otters, as well as enthusiastic kayakers and canoeists.

At this year's Regatta, it is anticipated that over 400 people will meet at Northeast Mason Street and 150th Court on Sunday, July 31 to launch into the safe slack water of the Columbia Slough. Usage of this launch site has been graciously donated by property owners Tri-State Construction, and it is a new site in the event's sixteen-year history. Despite the name, the Columbia Slough Regatta is not actually a race, more of a leisurely wildlife-watching paddle. Participants will be able to paddle east to reach the Big Four Corners natural area, which includes Mason Flats and Alice Springs. This particular area has often been called the most beautiful and most wildlife-rich area in the Slough.

Individuals and families are welcome to bring their own boat anytime from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., or to reserve a complimentary 45 minute rental from event host the Columbia Slough Watershed Council. Other activities include community information, paddling safety information, food for purchase, and free t-shirts. A $7 suggested donation helps to support the council's education, restoration, and recreation programs within the watershed.

For more information, please visit columbiaslough.org or call 503-956-8558.
Memo Calendar | Memo Pad | Business Memos | Loaves & Fishes | Letters | About the MEMO
MEMO Advertising | MEMO Archives | MEMO Web Neighbors | MEMO Staff | Home