Donna Beegle

Speaker and author Donna Beegle will speak on “Understanding and Breaking Down Poverty and Diversity,” at Oregon State University at 7p.m., Oct. 19, in the La Sells Stewart Center.

Beegle, the daughter of migrant laborers, left school when she was 15 to get married. At age 25 she found herself with no husband, two children and little education or job skills. Her story of rising above her circumstances to eventually attain a Ph.D has been featured on PBS, and she is the subject of a yet-to-be aired documentary titled “Invisible Nation.” She is the founder and CEO of the nonprofit, PovertyBridge, which is dedicated to changing lives for people in poverty.

Beegle’s keynote address follows the 5 p.m. grand opening of the Associated Students of Oregon State University Human Services Resource Center, which takes place in MU East/Snell Hall. The resource center is a place for OSU students facing financial hardships or crisis to come for resources and support. The HSRC currently offers OSU students services such as MealBux, the OSU Emergency Food Pantry, graduate conference subsidies, emergency housing services, health insurance subsidies, and rental assistance.

Beegle also will hold a two-day day poverty institute, which takes place from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., Wednesday, Oct. 20 and 8 a.m. to 4 .m. Thursday, Oct. 21, in the MU Ballroom.

“This conference addresses an area of diversity that is often ignored, and that is the area of poverty,” said DeeDee Overholser, program coordinator for the Human Services Resource Center. “This Poverty Competency training is a must for faculty, staff and student leaders. This conference normally costs hundreds of dollars but it is being offered to OSU community at no charge. It is intended to lay the ground work of poverty competency on OSU campus and then have training perpetuated from within using the many talented people already on campus.”

To register for the conference go to http://oregonstate.edu/womenscenter. There is no charge for the events, but people may donate canned food or toiletries for the OSU Food Pantry.

See also http://oregonstate.edu/dept/ncs/lifeatosu/2010/center-serves-students-struggling-to-survive/