Friendship Line | Firearm Suicides | Reuniting Families In Texas | Anti-Trump Sign
Last year, Heidi Van Schoonhoven, owner of La Grande Dry Cleaning, put this sign in her store's window.
The Central Oregon Health Council recently partnered with the San Francisco–based Institute on Aging to bring a friendship line to the region. The phone service connects local seniors who might be feeling lonely with trained volunteers to talk to. Unlike a suicide hotline, the friendship line allows volunteers to call and check in on program participants. Angela Jensen, a behavioral health specialist with the Central Oregon Health Council, joins us to discuss the program.
In 2017, more than 400 people in Oregon died in firearm suicides. Bend Bulletin reporter Markyian Hawryluk explored the rural-urban divide in firearm suicides in a recent article. He joins us.
Recently, employees from Catholic Charities of Oregon traveled to Texas to help immigrant detainees who were being reunited with their children. We talk to Kat Kelley, director of Strategic Initiatives for Catholic Charities of Oregon, about the work she did at the border.
A year ago, the owner of La Grande Dry Cleaning posted a sign outside her storefront. It read: “White supremacy is wrong. Trump condones white supremacy. If you still support Trump, your business is not welcome here.” The sign has since been changed, but not before nearly 2,000 Facebook reviews flooded her business page — some offering support but many condemning the statement. We talk to Heidi Van Schoonhoven, the owner of La Grande Dry Cleaning, about the impact her political statement has had on her business.
[Copyright 2018 Oregon Public Broadcasting]
