April 1999     

Last Dance Congratulations, Erich Pedestrian Safety NALSA SABER Graduation Pledge Seven-Year Reflection Small Claims and Cinnamon Rolls Church of the Earth Y2K Nuclear Threat Tribal Members Speak INS Are Thought Police In re Robin E. LOVE, Debtor Selected Crime Beat Reports Living Large: Downtown Haiku Variations The Light William Stafford perspective Spring Wave Poetry Notes

Talk about no good deed going unrewarded! One Friday morning in late February this year, Erich Paetsch, one of our own third-year students, stopped to help a woman change a flat tire on her car. As he was leaving, she said something to him in Chinese. When he asked what it meant, she said that he would be brought good luck.

That night, as Erich was working on the computers down in the student lounge basement for the PILP auction, Jen Criss and Jen Mitchell, the on-scene coordinators, started hollering over the headsets to Erich that he had just won the car from the raffle!

At first, Erich couldn’t understand what they were saying. Once it hit him, he stood struck with that "deer in the headlights" look, while his wife Heather periodically hugged him, trying to assist him in wrapping his mind around the whole concept. It was all very exciting!

In the afterglow of the days and weeks that followed, Erich and Heather sold the car, paid off some debts, and put some money aside for a down payment on a home they hope to buy in the near future. Erich says that it was a remarkable feeling to sign the checks clearing all their debts.

As for the raffle itself, it raised over $5,000, about the same as it did last year. All of the money will go to the Loan Repayment Assistance Program (LRAP), which will begin distributing some of the funds next fall!

As for future raffles, we are assessing the success and logistics of putting on another car raffle, and are also exploring other options, such as raffling off ecotrips, laptops, bicycles, etc.

This, by the way, is an appropriate moment to mention that if anyone knows of leads or possible contacts for donations of cars or other items, we welcome the information. For logistical reasons, future raffle items, including cars, must be donated. Please contact Sarah Glorian at glorian@lclark.edu or 768-6782 with any information.

Next year this could be you!