Ted Kulongoski Lives on Food Stamp Diet for a Week

Ted Kulongoski

Pol Light #83 is when Ted Kulongoski lived on a food stamps budget for Hunger Awareness Week in Oregon during the week of April 23, 2007. Ted Kulongoski served as the Governor of Oregon from 2003-2011.

The practice of temporarily living on a food budget equal to what the needy receive in the form of food stamps is sometimes referred to by groups as a food stamp challenge. As a sitting Governor, at the time Ted Kulongoski became one of the highest profile political figures in the 21st Century to publically take a food stamp challenge.   The average person on food stamps in Oregon in 2007 received $3.00 per day, so in keeping with that Ted Kulongoski and his wife Mary Oberst decided to jointly live on $42.00 worth of food for the week of April 23, 2007 to raise Hunger Awareness.

Here are some articles about Ted Kulongoski living on food stamps for a week.

• Ore. governor starts week on food stamps - USATODAY.com
• A Governor Truly Tightens His Belt

Pol Light does not endorse political candidates. We present a brighter side to politics when they are found on either side of the aisle. We don't have to agree with all of a person's politics to recognize these bright moments.

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Photo: The photo of Ted Kulongoski is in the Public Domain.

John Kitzhaber Helps Save Woman's Life

John Kitzhaber

Pol Light #70 is when John Kitzhaber helped save a Portland woman's life by giving her CPR, when she had went into cardiac arrest on May 5, 2014.  John Kitzhaber is presently the Governor of the State of Oregon. He has served three terms as Governor during the years 1995-2003 and from 2011 to present.


KPTV - FOX 12

On May 5, 2014, Governor John Kitzhaber was on his way to dinner and driving through downtown Portland, Oregon at about 5pm, when he noticed a woman passed out along the side of the road. He asked his driver to stop and then went over to administer first aid to the woman. He gave her CPR and other medical attention until paramedics arrived to take her to the hospital. Governor John Kitzhaber is a former emergency room physician.

Paramedic Alan Ferschweiler, who arrived on the scene of the medical emergency, told The Oregonian newspaper,

"He was surprisingly calm, and you could see he went right back to the days where he was an emergency room doctor. To go and assist the governor and take over this patient from his is pretty surprising. It definitely took us off-guard (Huffington Post, John Kitzhaber, Oregon Governor, Performs CPR to Save Woman's Life, May 6, 2014)."

A news article at KGW.com - News Channel 8 in Portland has more information on Governor John Kitzhaber helping save a woman's life on May 5, 2014.

Pol Light does not endorse political candidates. We present a brighter side to politics when they are found on either side of the aisle. We don't have to agree with all of a person's politics to recognize these bright moments.

The photo of John Kitzhaber is in the Public Domain.

Gordon Smith's Mental Illness Awareness Campaign

Pol Light Moment #61 ocurred on January 23, 2013, when Gordon Smith helped launch the OK2TALK campaign to help prevent suicide among young adults and teenagers who have a mental illness. Gordon Smith represented Oregon as a United States Senator from 1997-2009.

Gordon Smith is currently the CEO of the National Association of Broadcasters. He had a key role in their efforts to start a public service ad campaign called OK2TALK, that was released nationwide on January 23, 2013, in both English and Spanish. "OK2TALK, features the stories of young adults struggling with mental illness (Source).

Here is a video of Gordon Smith explaining his passion for fighting mental illness.

Garrett Smith (Gordon Smith's son) had a mental illness and committed suicide on September 8, 2003, as a 21 year old college student. Gordon Smith said, "History is a hard teacher. I suspect we were like many typical American parents who viewed issues of the mind only in the abstract. If only then we had known what we know now, our son would still be living (Source)."

Gordon Smith has previously done several other things to raise awareness of mental illness following the death of his son. He wrote the book Remembering Garrett, One Family's Battle with a Child's Depression. In addition, the Garrett Lee Smith Memorial Act was signed by President George W. Bush in 2004. This bill provided $82 million for suicide-prevention and awareness programs at colleges (Source).

Pol Light does not endorse political candidates. We present a brighter side to politics when they are found on either side of the aisle. We don't have to agree with all of a person's politics to recognize these bright moments.

The photo of Gordon Smith is in the Public Domain.