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Crying that won’t stop.
Messy diapers.
Even picking up an infant can seem like a daunting … if not TERRIFYING task for a new dad. But there is help.
St James Family Center is offering a free, monthly seminar for new dads. They go through the basics like picking up the little bundle for the first time … all the way to major issues like dealing with loss or medical issues.
All of the contact and sign up info can be found here.
Jim Clark / The Outlook - Eamonn (yellow) gets a regular boost from his buddy Granjean
Today we told you about Claudio Granjean, a Detective Sergeant with the Gresham Police who invests a few hours a week with a sixth-grader named Eamonn. Eamonn’s father is serving overseas and at home he’s the only boy amongst mom and four sisters. Granjean got involved with the Face to Face mentor program specifically to help Eamonn.
The two spend time talking about life, school … and occasionally talking trash while playing a basketball game on Granjean’s I-Pod Touch.
There are lots of kids like Eamonn who could use a buddy a few days a week. For more info about Face to Face mentoring, check out this link.
**Editor’s Note: So sorry for the delay on this post everyone! Long story … we’ll spare you the details and stick to a simple mea culpa**
Here is the link to the Clackamas Emergency Foundation . . . these are the guys we told you about who make sure that emergency responders have some petty cash on hand in case victims need a few bucks to get home . . . give out smoke detectors to people in need . . . make sure schools have AEDs.
Brides Against Breast Cancer collect and sell THOUSANDS of wedding gowns a year
Thrift store. Used clothing sale. Rummage sale. Quick, what images come to mind?
Vera Wang? Didn’t think so.
But it’s the case in Beaverton this week. Brides Against Breast Cancer will hold their biggest used gown sale of the year.
The concept started several years ago and has grown into a nationwide effort. Brides have their big day and then, rather than stuffing the tule and lace into a box on the top shelf of their closet, they donate it to BABC. The gowns are then sold at a significant discount and the money goes to Breast Cancer patients.
Win-Win-Win.
We love those.
For info on the sale or to donate your own gown (head’s up, it has to be a 2005 or later model) go here.
For those of us in Portland, a medical emergency is a terrifying thought … but we know that if we are ever in need of that kind of help, there are several hospitals, ambulances and EMTs a few minutes away.
But what if they weren’t? Imagine you lived in one of the more rural pockets of the state and needed medical help fast.
It turns out that most rural medical emergency staff are volunteers who have to pay for their own training. And with the current economic crunch, those volunteers are being squeezed tighter than ever.
The Apple A Day campaign is hoping to change that. They’re asking donors kick in $365 a piece (or a buck a day . . . roughly the cost of one piece of fruit) to offer scholarships and stipends to these wonderful volunteers.
Here’s a hang up that faces many people. You get fired, laid off, furloughed or lose your job in some other circumstance and apply for unemployment.
You get approved, but in order to draw that weekly check you have to spend 40 hours a week looking for work. Sounds fair. but what if you have a highly specialized skill set and no one in your field is hiring? You either have to find a job outside your field or risk running out of benefits as you chase cold job leads.
Or is there a third option?
There is (of course you knew that was coming).
The Self Employment Assistance Program allows people to build their own business while drawing their unemployment benefits. If you qualify and have an idea that passes inspection by small biz coaches, you can turn 100% of your attention to building that company.
Do you know the difference between a tax DEDUCTION and a tax CREDIT? Neither did we.
A deduction cuts down on your TOTAL taxable income. So if you make 30K … and have 5K deduction . . . the government only taxes you on 25K.
A CREDIT counts against your total bill. So if you owe 25K in taxes . . . and have a 5K credit . . . you only write a check for 20K.
So why a tax lesson on a blog about good news? because Thursday marks the anniversary of the Oregon Cultural Arts Tax Credit. Donations to the Oregon Cultural Trust are tax credit worthy. So you can support great groups like the Portland Actor’s Conservatory and save big bucks come mid-April. For more info, check out this link.
Good ideas are great. Volunteers making sure that good ideas actually HAPPEN (even if there’s no funding) are even better.
At the Jason Lee K-8 school, about 80% of the kids are on free and reduced lunch. They get done with school in the early afternoon and need something constructive to fill the time before mom and dad get home.
Josh Springer had the brilliant idea to start a SUN-school community center . . . but the money wasn’t available. So, as a new addition to the Jason Lee team he focused on what they COULD do. And his idea was a simple tutor club. Kids meet after school for help with their homework, and, at the same time, get some one-on-one time with positive older role models.
In a perfect world, there would be cash to pay a staff to work with these kids. But we don’t live in a perfect world.
Or do we?
Springer says volunteers (a mix of local high school kids and community members) have been POURING in to help with the program. Springer says he hopes that the successful program will help kids already slipping behind in this young school year, catch up and stay with their classes.
They have more space available so if you’re interested contact Springer here.
