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Read Across America Day Where will you be on Monday, March 3, at 10 a.m.? How about joining teachers, students, administrators and support tff in Bethel and 4J, and community members in visibly demonstrating a commitment to reading by participating in a -"Stop, Drop and Read" activity? All over town, folks will take 20 minutes to enjoy a good book either together or on their own. Television stars Ming-Na (Dr. Chen on ER) and Esai Morales (Lt. Tony Rodriguez on NYPD Blue) are this year's co- chairs of Read Across America, which takes place annually around the time of Dr. Seuss' birthday. Locally, Mayor Torrey has proclaimed Monday, March 3, as National Read Across America Day and is hoping that City employees will also participate in the event. Staff in the City Manager's Office are working with representatives of the Eugene Education Association to match classrooms with employees who wish to donate 20 minutes of their time to this wonderful national and community event. For more information on the event, contact Paul Duchin at the 4J School District, duchin paAi.lane.edu , or Mary Walston at 682-5406. City of Eugene's Volunteers In Policing Program Selected for"Best Practices"Site Visit As part of an effort to encourage people to volunteer for law enforcement agencies, Attorney General John Ashcroft and International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP) President Bill Berger launched the Volunteers in Police Service (VIPS) initiative in May 2002. The goal of VIPS is to provide support for resource-constrained law enforcement agencies by tapping civilian volunteers to supplement their community's law enforcement professionals in order to free up officers for frontline duty. The Eugene Police Department's Volunteers In Policing Program is one of over 300 volunteer programs included on the VIPS website, http://www.policevolunteers.orq. National VIPS Project Director Vincent Talucci will be in Eugene on February 20 to meet with Eugene Police Department employees and volunteers to conduct a site visit. The purpose of the site visit is to gather"best practices" information ,m law enforcement agencies with well-established volunteer programs that will serve as the foundation for a -.comprehensive Resource Guide on Law Enforcement Volunteer Programs. The Eugene Police Department's Volunteers In Policing Program is one of 16 agencies in the USA that have been selected for a site visit. The Eugene Police Department's Volunteers In Policing Program was initiated in 2000, after the Eugene City Council approved funding for a full-time volunteer coordinator. Nearly 50 volunteers currently serve in a variety of capacities ranging from storefront volunteers who help staff the department's four police substations,to uniformed volunteers who serve on the Seniors On Patrol Team, addressing neighborhood crime and safety issues. In 2002, 79 volunteers contributed nearly 10,000 hours of service. For more information, please contact Came Chouinard, Volunteers In Policing Program Coordinator, at 682-5355. University Students Get Fire Safety Training On Saturday, February 8, Eugene Deputy Fire Marshals Reggie Augsburger and Marshal Lampkins provided fire safety training to designated risk managers for the UO's fraternity and sorority houses. 11,. More than 30 students attended the half-day class at the Fire & EMS tt"- ' 7414- drill drill field at 2nd & Chambers. The training included a classroom lecture debunking common myths about fire, hands-on training in fire extinguisher operation, and escape exercises involving a simulated fire - g yi environment. The Fire & EMS Department has provided this type of training for a number of years, but this is the first time it has been conducted at the drill field. The effectiveness of the training will be evaluated during upcoming inspections of the Greek houses on -ampus. For more information, contact the Eugene Fire Marshal's EUGENE CITY COUNCIL NEWSLETTER PAGE 2 cc021303.wpd February 14,2003