CC Minutes - 10/09/06 Meeting - Laserfiche WebLink

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M I N U T E S Eugene City Council Regular Meeting Council Chamber—Eugene City Hall October 9, 2006 7:30 p.m. COUNCILORS PRESENT: Jennifer Solomon, David Kelly, Betty Taylor, Gary Papé, Bonny Bettman, George Poling, Chris Pryor. COUNCILORS ABSENT: Andrea Ortiz. Her Honor Mayor Kitty Piercy called the meeting of the Eugene City Council to order. 1. CEREMONIAL MATTERS Proclamation Honoring Holt International Children Services Gary Gamer, chief executive officer of Holt International Childrens Services, introduced Pammy Chow of Holt International Childrens Services, her daughter Jade Chow, and Jade’s grandparents, Mary and Jack Karns. Mayor Piercy read a proclamation recognizing the work of Holt International, and proclaiming the month of October 2006 to be Holt International Month. She called upon Eugene citizens to recognize the work of Holt International. Mayor Piercy presented a copy of the proclamation to Mr. Gamer, who thanked the Mayor and the City of Eugene for recognizing the agency’s work. He noted that the Mayor, an adoptive parent herself, was very concerned with the issue of international adoption. Mr. Gamer recalled the inception of the agency 50 years ago when founders Harry and Bertha Holt began to work with orphaned children in North Korea. Over the years, there continued to be a need for the agency’s services in many parts of the world, such as Africa. He said that Holt International was the pioneer in international adoption and also helped with family preservation, domestic adoption, and crisis services in the countries of children’s origins. He reported that in 2005, Holt International helped 30,000 children around the world. Mr. Gamer said that Holt would soon commemorate its 50th anniversary and would convene a conference October 18-21 with the theme “Looking Forward: A Global Response for Homeless Children,” which he anticipated would be attended by people from around the world. The conference would include a gala celebration on October 19 to which he invited the council and members of the community. Jade Chow thanked the council for the proclamation making October Holt International Month. She asked the council to imagine what it would feel like not to have a child to love or to be a child without love. She said that would have been the situation for her and her mother if not for the work of Bertha and Harry Holt. th She was proud to be an adopted 8 grader from China. Ms. Chow said, “adoption is forever.” Mr. Papé noted his and the Mayor’s tour of the Holt campus outside Seoul, and said that Holt was much more than an adoption agency, as he personally witnessed. He commended the work of Harry and Bertha Holt and wished the agency well in its upcoming celebration. MINUTES—Eugene City Council October 9, 2006 Page 1 Regular Meeting