Celebrating Kids Who Care Inspiring Young Activists Our Annual Holiday Gift Guide
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Free MetroParent Feeling festive in the Portland-Vancouver area December 2012 Holiday Highlights & Festive Fun Celebrating Kids Who Care Inspiring Young Activists Our Annual Holiday Gift Guide Contents Features Celebrating Kids Who Care .......................................................................... 8 Inspiring young activists Our Annual Holiday Gift Guide ......................................................……….14 This year’s best toys, games, music and more Holiday Highlights ......................................................................................... 28 Seasonal events throughout the area 8 14 Departments Parent Postings ............................................................................................... 6 Announcements, community events, fundraisers and other useful information Out & About .................................................................................................. 21 The Nutcracker Family Fare ..................................................................................................... 24 21 28 Sunshine Tavern Angels Among Us ........................................................................................ 26 December The Good Neighbor Center Family Calendar Family Calendar ...............................32 Advertising Sections Holiday Gift Guide .................................................................................... 14 – 20 Holiday Highlights ...........................28 Birthday Parties ................................................................................................. 39 In the Spotlight ................................32 Family Favorite .................................35 Exclusively on Metro-Parent.com: Online Article: Make Volunteering a Family Value Winter Break Camps & Classes: Check out No School? No Problem! on our Family Calendar pages. Our Parent 2 Parent Blog Family Fun Reviews Stay informed and connected all month long! • Sign up for our e-newsletter • Follow @Metro_Parent on Twitter • Like “Metro Parent (Portland, OR)” on Facebook metro-parent.com December 2012 5 Metro Parent Parent Postings Serving the Families of the Portland Metropolitan Area Metro Parent Let there be toys! P.O. Box 13660 The season abounds with Portland, OR 97213-0660 opportunities to add joy to the Phone: 503-460-2774; Fax: 503-331-3445 holidays for struggling families, Publisher including a number of groups Keith Goben, 503-460-2774 gathering new, unwrapped toys for [email protected] kids who otherwise might not get Editor their visit from Santa. Emily Puro, 503-922-0893 One is the Metro Toy Drive, Harpers Playground at Arbor Lodge Park [email protected] recently opened with wheelchair and which runs through Dec. 26. walker-friendly play equipment. Donate a toy when you pick up Managing Editor PHOTO COURTESY OF PORTLAND PARKS & RECREATION, PORTLAND, OR Calendar Editor your latte at any Starbucks, or host Teresa Carson a house party with a toy drive New places to play [email protected] theme. Get more information at Portland Parks & Recreation Contributing Writers metrotoydrive.com. (PP&R) recently opened three new Teresa Carson, Madeline Cox Landis, Sleep Country USA’s annual Toy playgrounds. Anne Laufe, Jack Schwab Drive for Northwest Foster Kids is A new play space at the East accepting toys though Dec. 16 at all Portland Community Center and Advertising Account Executives Sleep Country stores. Find your near- Pool (740 SE 106th Ave.) is perfect Westside/National/Outside Metro Area est location and learn more about for kids ages 2-12, with snazzy play Debbie Dille, 503-997-4044 the program at sleepcountry.com. structures, swings, slides and more, fax: 503-352-4373 Make your holiday giving go some constructed from recycled [email protected] even further by shopping for those materials. Another new playground Eastside/Vancouver/Washington toys at IKEA Portland, where $1 for kids from 2-12 recently opened Ali King, 503-331-8184 from every soft toy and children’s at East Holladay Park (12999 NE fax: 503-331-3445 [email protected] book you purchase through Dec. 29 Holladay), sporting a giant ladybug will be donated to nonprofits climber, slide, swings and other fun Design & Production Susan Bard promoting education around the touches. world. 10280 NE Cascades Pkwy. For distribution issues, The third new PP&R playground e-mail us at 503-282-4532. ikea.com/us/en/ – Harper’s Playground at Arbor [email protected] store/portland. Lodge Park (N Bryant & Delaware) – is an inclusive playground featur- For calendar submissions, e-mail us at [email protected] ing wheelchair and walker-friendly Unique gifts & family fun elements. Spearheaded by a local Metro Parent is published monthly by family whose daughter had diffi- Metro Parent Publishing, Inc. and is copy- Many local schools host festive culty using existing play equipment right 2012 Metro Parent Publishing, Inc. shopping events this month. These All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole at the park, numerous organiza- two – both happening Dec. 8 – or in part without written permission is tions and individuals supported feature live entertainment, food and prohibited. Metro Parent is distributed free the development of this unique of charge throughout the Portland, Oregon fun activities in addition to unique playground including the Timbers metropolitan area. holiday shopping experiences: Army, The Standard, the W. Glen French American International Metro Parent reserves the right to refuse Boyd Charitable Foundation, the advertising for any reason. Distribution School Holiday Market. French food, University of Portland Pilots and of this publication does not constitute an a wine specialist and over 45 local others. endorsement of the products or services vendors offering unique gifts includ- advertised herein. Learn more at portlandonline. ing handmade hats and handbags, com/parks/. Metro Parent does not discriminate on the bamboo clothing, French linens, basis of race, color, national origin, religion, jewelry, ceramics and more. Free ad- sex or sexual orientation. mission. 9 am-4 pm. 8500 NW John- Parent Education Although every effort is taken to ensure son. 503-292-7776. visit faispdx.org. the accuracy of published material, Metro Cedarwood Waldorf School’s Cloth Diapering 101. Learn Parent Publishing Inc. and its agents and Magical Winter Faire. An artisan about cloth diapering and get employees cannot be held responsible marketplace featuring handmade advice on diapering choices from for the use or misuse of any information contained herein. The contents of Metro gifts from natural, recycled and other parents. Free. Fourth Sat. of Parent and its website are for informational renewable sources. Meet the Faire every month, 11 am. Milagros Bou- purposes only and are not intended to Fairy, Sky Sprite and other magical tique, 5433 NE 30th Ave. 503-493- be a substitute for professional advice or beings. Free admission, charge for 4141. milagrosboutique.com. treatment. some activities. 10 am-4 pm. More parent education and parent sup- 3030 SW 2nd. 503-245-1477. port group information can be found cedarwoodschool.org. at metro-parent.com. 6 December 2012 metro-parent.com Celebrating Kids Who Care Inspiring Young Activists By Anne Laufe If you’ve ever worried that today’s kids are concerned only about themselves, their PHOTO COURTESY OF THE LEITNER FAMILY clothes and the latest electronic gadget, you’re in for a pleasant surprise. The local teens profiled in the pages that follow give selflessly of their time and energy to help others. Through projects as varied as their personalities, they’re using their passion and creativity to make the world a better place. What’s more, these remarkable teens represent just a small sampling of the amazing young activists at work in our community. (We had a very difficult time narrowing the pool to five!) We hope you find their stories both instructive and inspiring. Members of the Youth Not only can young people make a Ending Slavery board speak at a rally in downtown difference – they’re out there doing it Portland Oct. 6, 2012 every day! MITCHELL PHOTO BY KATHY Youth On a bright October morning in fall 2012, 300 people Walk to End Slavery, obtaining a permit to use Director Park, lining up a gathered in downtown Portland to participate in the speaker and publicizing the event. Ending Walk to End Slavery. Organized by a group of students Allison also spent a large portion of her summer vacation researching Slavery at St. Mary’s Academy, a private all-girls high school and writing copy for the Youth Ending Slavery website, which contains in southwest Portland, the walk was intended to raise abundant information about human trafficking in the United States and awareness about modern day slavery, both in the United abroad, as well as links to videos and resources and suggestions for ways States and around the world. other people can take action. Allison credits Isabella with designing the Allison Nasson, now a senior at St. Mary’s, first learned about human website and making it easy to navigate. trafficking in a human rights club at her school. After seeing a video on the Maria Fleming, who teaches Christian leadership and social justice at topic when she was a freshman, she was horrified – but motivated to learn St. Mary’s and also coordinates the voluntary community service program, more. started working at the school when Allison was a junior. She describes Al- “I learned more about forced labor