 |
Corder denies charges, defends his actions
PUD set for March
ballot
Film will feature
historic legends
Spruce Goose and Walter Cronkite
| The
prolific volunteer |
Polly Siler takes one day off to regain her energy,
opening the rest of her week to people she helps |
By Gunnal Olson, Newberg Graphic
reporter
E-mail Gunnar at golson@eaglenewspapers.com
|
 This Thanksgiving as families went around the
table and shared with one another what they’re thankful for, Polly Siler of Newberg
gave thanks for her ability to help other people.
“I just feel really blessed,” Siler said. “God has given my
family so many experiences that I’ve been able to use for good.”
Siler is a prolific volunteer, often putting in hours equivalent to a
full-time job. If a resume were written of all her services, a three-ring binder might be
needed to house the stack of paper.
Among the organizations she helps are:
— Love INC, where as the co-director she “helps churches help
people.”
— Lifespan Respite Program, where as a council member she “provides
referrals for respite care providers for families caring for loved ones with
disabilities.”
— IEP partner, where she helps “parents of special-needs children
organize their thoughts to help form a plan with the schools.”
— Care Team at Newberg Foursquare Church, where she helps “meet
people’s needs in practical ways.”
— Parents Special Ed Advisory Board for the Newberg School District,
where she works “with other parents of special ed children to help communicate and
educate those who deal with special needs daily.”
Siler is also a surrogate parent, which means she provides a voice at school
meetings for children who are either wards of the court or whose parents can’t
attend.
If one were to break down the volunteer work Siler does into two categories,
they would be: helping others help people, and assisting the disabled.
On Wednesday Siler spoke of two experiences that bring to light her
motivation for being the full-time volunteer she is.
The first is her oldest son. Tim, 18, was born autistic. She said she delved
into researching the developmental disability, and soon knew more than most parents with
autistic children.
“I found there were a lot of parents of disabled kids who didn’t
know how to help,” Siler said. So she has helped them help their kids.
Her favorite volunteering memory involves helping an autistic boy. He liked
to kiss his arm, she said, but this wasn’t considered socially
acceptable.
Siler said she figured out that it wasn’t the kissing itself the boy
desired, but a sensory need; he wanted pressure on his mouth.
“You have to figure out how autistic people can get what they need in a
socially acceptable way,” she said.
Her solution: a water bottle.
The second of these inspiring experiences is her own. As a young mother
— of two, by then — she found herself in bed more often than not with a rare
muscle disease. She said she received an outpouring of support, from meals to house
cleanings.
“I understand how people can make a difference in your life when they
help you out,” Siler said.
She recalled wanting to still help out, and asking God how she was supposed
to volunteer from bed. She knew God would heal her, she said, so that she could help
others.
“It’s what God wants me to do — help people out.” |
|
From Nov. 29,
2003, Newberg Graphic
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