Community News October 2019

PTA advocating for children

 The National Parent Teacher Association (PTA) has worked toward bettering the lives of every child in education, health and safety for more than 120 years.

Founded in 1897 as the National Congress of Mothers by Alice McLellan Birney and Phoebe Apperson Hearst, National PTA is a powerful voice for all children, a relevant resource for families and communities, and a strong advocate for public education.

As the largest volunteer child advocacy organization in the nation, they are the conscience of the country for children and youth issues and have established programs and called for legislation that improves children’s lives, such as:

Creation of Kindergarten

Child labor laws

Public health service

Hot/healthy lunch

Juvenile justice system

Mandatory immunization

Arts in Education

Today, the issues that affect our children extend beyond their individual schools. PTA’s nationwide network provides parents with the forum and tools to collectively influence decisions that affect children at their schools, and throughout their districts, within their states, and across the nation.

PTA’s mission is to make every child’s potential a reality by engaging and empowering families and communities to advocate for all children.

To find out how you can join contact your local school or PTA.org.

Biggest Used Book Sale

The Friends of the Multnomah County Library hold their annual Fall Used Book Sale, Oregon’s biggest and best used book sale, October 4-7 featuring 40,000 items at great prices.

Hardcover and quality trade paperbacks start at $2, mass market paperbacks and children’s books at 50 cents and $1, CDs at $1, and DVDs at $2. There are comic books, graphic novels, audio books, LPs, video games, pamphlets, sheet music, and maps – all sorted and in excellent condition. Proceeds of the sale benefit programs of the Multnomah County Library.

It’s all at the Lloyd Center DoubleTree Hotel Exhibit Hall, 1000 NE Multnomah St. The event is easily accessible by TriMet/MAX. Vouchers providing $3 parking in the on-site garage are available to all attendees.

Friday, October 4, 6-9 pm, members only; Saturday, October 5, 9 am-9 pm; Sunday, October 6, opens 11 am, educators discount day, 50% off with school ID; Monday, October 7, 9 am-3 pm, 50% off everything. The weekend’s activities include Literary Trivia on Saturday night from 6 pm-9 pm, featuring a no-host bar and prizes for the winning teams.

In addition to general inventory, the Collector’s Corner on Friday and Saturday offers a variety of unusual, scarce and surprising finds, including signed and gift-quality books in a variety of genres, ephemera, quality vintage vinyl records, DVDs, and affordable non-book novelties. For Fall, the theme of Searching for the elusive… in a book features a strong selection on Portland and Northwest, fiction, children’s books, fantasy and sci-fi, and fascinating people and places.

For more information or to become a Friends of the Library member, visit friends–library.org or call 503.224.-9176.

LWV ballot measure forum

The November 5 special election includes six measures on Portland area ballots.

The measures include: Continuing current tax levy for Portland Public Schools; Bonds for Metro parks and nature; City charter changes protecting the Bull Run watershed, and City charter changes authorizing city participation in emergency mutual aid agreements.

Learn about these measures at the nonpartisan LWVPDX voter forum, Monday, October 21, 6:30-8:30 pm, at Multnomah County Boardroom, 501 SE Hawthorne Blvd. Video recordings of the forum will be posted on the League of Women Voters of Portland website (lwvpdx.org) on about October 23.

Explanations of all six measures, including one for Troutdale and another for Sauvie Island, will be on the League’s election information website, Vote411.org beginning on October 1.

Mt. Hood Trails presentation

Come to the Holman Auditorium at the Mazama Mountaineering Center, 527 SE 43rd Ave. at 7 pm Friday October 25 to enjoy learning about the past, present, and future of the trails on Mt. Hood with Tom Kloster and Steve Kruger.

The evening will begin with renowned Oregon nature photographer Tom Kloster giving us a history of trails on Mt. Hood.  His presentation is richly illustrated with photographs from his own collection of historical photos, as well as with his own work.  Do you know what the first trail was on Mt. Hood, and how it came to be?   How did people get to the trails, when there were no roads leading up to Mt. Hood? Who built trails, and why?

The second half of the evening will focus on the current Mt. Hood trail system, how it is—- and is not— maintained, and what plans for future trails are in the works. Steve Kruger, executive director of Trailkeepers of Oregon, will be giving this part of the presentation, bringing us up to date on what needs to be done for our current trails, which ones we could lose, and proposed trails we could help to build.

All of you who love to hike and climb on Mt. Hood, could qualify to become a Mazama, Sponsored by the Conservation Committee, this event is free, with a suggested donation of $5 to the work of Trailkeepers of Oregon gladly accepted.

Proposed new license plate

 Oregon Wildlife Foundation has launched the Watch for Wildlife campaign to get Oregon’s next wildlife license plate approved by Driver and Motor Vehicle Services (DMV). Oregonians can show their support by ordering one online ad the address below.

The plate features a mule deer and the Cascade Mountain Range and was conceived by the Foundation and partners to raise awareness about wildlife-vehicle collisions on Oregon’s highways and roads.

Mule deer are an iconic western species whose numbers are already in decline due to habitat loss, They are further imperiled as they cross busy Highway 97 in central Oregon during their annual migration.

“Preventing animal collisions on roadways is important to all Oregonians,” said Tim Greseth, executive director of the Oregon Wildlife Foundation. “The Watch for Wildlife license plate will help. We can reduce collisions, reduce roadkill, and improve habitat connections for wildlife. It’s a win-win.”

The DMV’s process to establish a new specialty license plate requires the plate sponsor to sell 3,000 vouchers. The voucher is redeemable for the plate once the sale requirement has been met and the plates are in production.

The $40 plate vouchers are sold exclusively through the Foundation’s website.

Go to bit.ly/2l99nSv for more information and to make your purchase.

So far, the Foundation has sold more than three hundred plate vouchers to people from across the state and momentum is building.

Once the plate is established, proceeds from its sale and renewal go into the Foundation’s Watch for Wildlife Fund, a dedicated source of funding for projects that improve wildlife passage for all species throughout Oregon.

Funds will be awarded to projects through the Foundation’s established grant-making process.

Watch for Wildlife is not specifically about protecting mule deer, but the high rate of vehicle collisions in central Oregon make it a perfect example of a species that needs safe passage options.

Examples of projects that could be funded with Watch for Wildlife license plate proceeds include a wildlife underpass currently being constructed on Highway 97 near the town of Gilchrist in central Oregon, and the Harborton Frog Shuttle, an all-volunteer effort that helps threatened red-legged frogs migrate to and from their wetland across busy Highway 30 in NW Portland.

 

Oregon Wildlife Foundation has been funding projects to conserve wildlife and improve access to Oregon’s outdoors since 1981. To learn more, go to myowf.org

 

Mann house subject for development

 Innovative Housing, a non-profit that helps find affordable housing for low-income families, submitted a proposal to convert the historic Mann mansion in the Laurelhurst neighborhood into affordable housing.

The home was originally built in 1910 and is on the National Register of Historic Places. The property has sixty-one bedrooms, thirty-nine bathrooms, a commercial kitchen and amenities like an auditorium and exercise rooms. The Mann Home was Portland’s first residential facility specifically designed for the elderly. It was initially supported by pioneer developer and banker Henry Winslow Corbett and Amanda Reed, whose estate established Reed College.

Families would be approved for this potential affordable housing based on income as the city attempts to take on the growing housing crisis.

 

Hillary Rodham Clinton and Chelsea Clinton in conversation with Cheryl Strayed

 Saturday, October 19, 5 pm

Revolution Hall, 1300 SE Stark St.

“If history shows one thing, it’s that the world needs more gutsy women.” — The Book of Gutsy Women

Join Hillary Rodham Clinton and Chelsea Clinton as they celebrate the women who have inspired them throughout their lives. The Book of Gutsy Women: Favorite Stories of Courage and Resilience is the first book the two women have written together. They welcome readers into a conversation that began when Chelsea was a little girl. They will discuss the women throughout history who have had the courage to stand up to the status quo, ask hard questions, and get the job done.

Inspired by women whose tenacity blazed the trail, the two global leaders lay out a vision for how these stories of persistence can galvanize women and men, boys and girls around the world.

There’s Greta Thunberg, the sixteen-year-old climate activist whose Asperger’s syndrome has shaped her advocacy; civil rights activist Dorothy Height; LGBTQ trailblazer Edie Windsor and swimmer Diana Nyad, who each kept pushing forward, no matter what.

Writers like Rachel Carson and Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, historian Mary Beard, who used wit to open doors that were once closed, and activists like Harriet Tubman and Malala Yousafzai, who looked fear in the face and persevered. There are so many more.

This groundbreaking celebration of gutsiness is a call to action –not just for women, but for everyone, especially now.

In the book, the authors write, “Ensuring the rights, opportunities, and full participation of women and girls remains a big piece of unfinished business of the twenty-first century. Finishing it is going to take all of us standing shoulder to shoulder, across the generations, across genders. This is not a moment for anyone to leave the fight, or sit on the sidelines waiting for the perfect moment to join.”

The Clintons will be joined in conversation by Cheryl Strayed, author of Wild and Tiny Beautiful Things.

Tickets are available at revolutionhall.com.

Goodbyes at SE Uplift

 Molly Mayo is departing as Executive Director of SE Uplift Neighborhood Coalition. She has been with the group since 2017 and has played a critical role in the success and development of the organization.

Mayo’s work at SE Uplift has been deepening relationships with community organizations and neighborhood groups.

Under her guidance, SE Uplift has new tenants in the building and is able to provide meeting space to many different organizations.

She also led the Board of Directors through the process of developing a new mission statement for SE Uplift that removes exclusive language.

Fiscal Sponsorship Manager, Gaby Saldaña-Lopez and Summer Intern, Lashawn McCarthy will also be leaving SE Uplift.

Saldaña-Lopez served as a Community Engagement Liaison and Fiscal Sponsorship Manager for the past year. Under her management, SE Uplift re-opened the Fiscal Sponsorship Program to community groups and has accepted four new projects including Portland United Against Hate and Sankofa NW.

She represented SE Uplift at community events and built new partnerships with community members.

During the end of her tenure, she helped plan the Cultural Exchange Market which brought together vendors, community organizations, neighbors and stakeholders for a fun day of exploring different cultures, snacking, shopping and playing games.

Lashawn McCarthy was interning at SE Uplift during the summer and has returned to school at Warner Pacific University.

Danny Mankin will be serving as Interim Executive Director for the next several months while the organization conducts a search for the next Executive Director.

The recruitment and hiring process will be managed by a professional consulting firm.

If you have any questions or concerns during this transition process, contact danny@seuplift.org.

 

Recycling tips for October 2019

By Bonita Davis, Master

Recycler and SE Resident

Find yourself talking about recycling at a dinner party, in line at the grocery or just chatting with friends on a regular basis? In this city, it is not uncommon.

Recent media attention has elevated the discussion to new levels.

Media images of plastics in our oceans, series and feature articles in major newspapers and magazines, plus new documentaries have brought attention to the consequences of growing consumption and the changing markets for recyclable materials.

While we have the greatest environmental impact by reducing and reusing what we consume, the physical evidence of leftover containers, packaging, and unwanted items in our lives can spur us to try to find somewhere to put (responsibly) the stuff we no longer want.

Recently, in a chance encounter, I met Julie, who is passionate about waste reduction.  Careful to reduce and reuse, Julie still finds herself with lids, bottle caps and random plastic in her home, and it concerns her.

Many of us have probably found ourselves wishing more things we use could be recycled.

Julie has discovered the company Terracycle, and is using their mail-in recycling program for her difficult-to-recycle bits of plastics and select food wrappers, and gladly spends about $134 annually to mail in her filled Zero Waste Box.

Formed as a company in 2001, Terracycle got their start composting leftover food from Princeton University, producing a liquid fertilizer product called Vermicompost.

Out of financial necessity, the product was bottled and sold in reused cola bottles and rejected spray bottle tops, then marketed as “waste in waste.”

Schools and non-profits collected the bottles and shared the proceeds in what was dubbed the, “Bottle Brigade.”

Over time, the company partnered with large corporations to sell their product, use their bottles, and assist companies in finding waste solutions.

Perhaps you have seen examples of their upcycled pencil pouches and tote bags made from stitched together juice pouches, or fused together plastic bags called “re-Totes.”

Later, the company began producing plastic pellets from post-consumer plastics and moved from manufacturing to licensing products.

In 2012, Teracycle partnered with tobacco companies to create a collection and recycling system for the cellulose acetate filters found in cigarette butts. The filters are refined then converted into shipping pallets, benches and ashtrays.

Recently, recovered beach plastics were successfully recycled into new shampoo bottles, adding to their current list of over two hundred products. Currently, Teracycle collects some fifty difficult to recycle products, including packaging.

Portlanders have great options for curbside recycling, plus options for recycling beyond the curb at local businesses and fantastic non-profits that depend on our reusable items.

The Find-a-Recycler tool at oregonmetro.gov  or the Metro Recycling Hotline, 503.234.3000, can help you locate those resources.

Take a few minutes and check out terracycle.com to learn more about their programs and fundraising brigades.

For Julie, it is one more thing she can do to minimize waste after her efforts to reduce, reuse and recycle locally.

RUMMAGE SALE at Montavilla United Methodist Church , Friday and Saturday October 11 and 12, from 9 am-3 pm each day at 232 SE 80th Ave.  Sponsored by the Montavilla United Methodist Women.  A benefit for ministries  benefitingwomen, youth and children.

HOME PROJECTS WORKSHOP – Tuesday , Oct. 1, 6:30-8:30 pm , 2900 SE Stark St. Suite A. DIY Weatherization Workshop – Saturday, Oct. 26, 10 am- 12 noon, SE Portland Tool Library, 1137 SE 20th Ave. Portland Home Energy Score Workshop Tuesday, October 6-7:30 pm at CEP Office, 2900 SE Stark St Ste A.

VIKING PANCAKE BREAKFAST SUNDAY OCTOBER 20 – A delicious all-you-can-eat meal with Viking pancakes, scrambled eggs, sausage, fresh fruit, strawberry compote, lingonberries, orange juice and coffee or tea served in the charming Bergen Dining Room at Norse Hall, 111 NE 11th Ave. from 8:30 am-12:30 pm. Adults $8, Children ages 3-10 $4, Under age 3 are free. Parking is free. Best breakfast in town.

NO IVY DAY – Portland Parks & Recreation invites you their annual No Ivy Day Saturday October 26. Revel in the celebration of invasive plant removal and community participation in our treasure natural areas.  Join ivy removal work parties throughout Portland’s natural areas from 9 am-12 pm. Following the work party a celebration will follow from 12-1:30 pm with refreshments and a chance to connect with other community members. RSVP as a volunteer, site host or a donor. Contact Mary Verrilli at 503.823.9423 or mary.verrilli@portlandoregon.gov to find a location near you.

PORTLAND SINGS! COMMUNITY SING-ALONG – A casual, fun group-singing opportunity for anyone wanting more singing in their life. Sunday, October 20 from 2-4 pm at Artichoke Music, 2007 SE Powell Blvd. Sliding scale $8 – $15. For more info PortlandSings.com.

EARTHEN FLOORS AND HOW TO MAKE THEM – Workshops in SE Portland October 26 and 27. Earthen floors are the oldest type of flooring. Sukita Reay Crimmel, author of Earthen Floors: A Modern Approach to an Ancient Practice, will teach you how to use Claylin. For the Do It Yourselfers as well as contractors, this hands-on training offer the most comprehensive guide to creating your floor. Earthen floors are unique in the way they look and feel as well as how they are created and maintained. Sign up and find out more. Contact Sukita at: mudgirl@sukita.com.

COMPASSION FATIGUE & THE ART OF SELF-CARE FOR HEALTHCARE AND MENTAL HEALTH PROFESSIONALS

Sunday, October 20, 3-5 pm, at People’s Coop, 3029 SE 21st Ave. Make time for a professional check-up and gather in a supportive, interactive and relaxed environment to begin the conversation about the demands of our work. In the workshop, you’ll learn about the impact of compassion fatigue, gain self-awareness and recognize symptoms to revive and restore yourself between sessions and lessen negative effects on your well-being, both professionally and personally.

For more information:503.674.2642 info@peoples.coop

 

Community News October 2019

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