Bringing music to the community

Choir director encourages self-esteem, healing and support through singing

By Nick O’Connor
The Portland Upside
November 2009

Photo by Shannon Batts

Crystal Meneses’ childhood love of singing has transformed into a passion for using music to bridge generational gaps.

In the small auditorium at Ethos Music Center in North Portland, I’m listening to a choir of about 25 boys and girls sing “To Zion,” Lauryn Hill’s powerful love anthem to her unborn son. This recital is the culmination of a weeklong summer camp which my 8-year-old daughter attended, and I’ve heard her practicing the song around the house. But as 11-year-old Ella’s lead vocals soar, backed by the full choir’s angelic chanting of the phrase “marching, marching to Zion,” I’m struck more deeply than I know. Good gravy, I’m actually crying.

I return to interview the dynamic 27-year-old Ethos choir director, Crystal Meneses. At Ethos, Crystal leads both a kids’ choir and The Portland Women’s Intergenerational Choir. In its third year, the Intergenerational Choir has grown from about 15 singers last year, to more than 40 now.

How does Crystal feel about the large turnout?

“I was overwhelmed... My vision is being realized.”

I visit practice sessions of both choirs. Voice warm-ups are brief and the material challenging and diverse, ranging from an Italian aria to a medley from “Phantom of the Opera.” Crystal encourages boldness by telling her singers to “make mistakes loudly.”

For the interview Crystal is cheerful, happy to discuss her life in music. She speaks quickly, imparting a lot of information. Occasionally, she lets loose a big laugh.

“I’ve always been in a choir,” Crystal says. “I started in third grade.”

She began with the Greater Gresham Kids Kwire (later called the Mt. Hood Youth Choir), directed by Dr. Gayleen Martin. Continuing throughout her school days, Crystal sang with the Portland Symphonic Girlchoir, Sam Barlow High School’s Barlow Sound, and both the Portland State and Marylhurst University choirs.

At age 17 Crystal’s musical path took a mystical turn.

“We went to Doernbecher Children’s Hospital, to the ICU. I had always been shy about singing solos. But that day, something inside me said, ‘You can sing by yourself.’ It had never occurred to me to do that. And then a mom pulled me into a room and asked me to sing for her daughter, Karly, which I did. I thought she was sleeping peacefully.”

Crystal sang “Silent Night” and “Some Children See Him,” which she was getting ready to perform at The Grotto. Karly sat up and smiled at her.

“Later I found out she was in a coma and woke up.”

The Oregonian’s Margie Boulé wrote a story about the experience and asked if Crystal had ever heard of music therapy.

“That was the beginning,” Crystal says.

Crystal went on to study music therapy at Marylhurst University. Although she expects to receive her degree along with a teaching certificate by the end of this year, it will not be in music therapy, but a major she made up herself.

“I decided to switch my degree to ‘Music In The Community,’” she says. “I had a great mentor at Marylhurst named Christine Korb. She inspired me to research intergenerational community projects.”

Crystal further explains, “In my school practicum, I was leading sing-a-longs with young choir students and in wise-elder communities.”

I stop her to clarify the term “wise-elder community.” She and some fellow Marylhurst students didn’t like the terms “nursing homes” or “assisted-living communities,” so they chose something better.

She adds, “I’m Filipino and we don’t have old folks homes there. My dad freaked out when he saw the wise-elder homes.”

Crystal was directing the choir at Grout Elementary and at the same time, visiting the Odd Fellows’ wise-elder home directly across the street.

“I had been doing research on intergenerational studies, the attitudes of generations towards each other. I realized the dissonance. So I brought the kids over to the wise-elder home. The kids and adults wouldn’t look at each other, or talk. The kids were afraid to sit next to the elders or shake hands.”

For the first time she pauses. Her tone turns serious.

“Susan (the principal) and I got a grant together to fund my intergenerational project. I researched what to ask to get them talking and writing. What I did was create an intervention called ‘scripted musical dialogue,’ in which they made postcards to talk about music, art and everything. For example, I had students draw pictures of what they would look like when they got older.”

Both groups wrote musical postcards for five months, and Crystal hand delivered them to their “musical pals,” walking back and forth across the street like a letter carrier.

“Things happened,” she says. “Some musical pals passed away. Kids talked about their parents not being together. I was delivering mail and putting together a sing-along program that would engage both groups. I used songs from the wise-elders’ childhoods like ‘Daisy Daisy,’ and patriotic songs. The kids loved these songs. At the second sing-along, they were holding each other’s hands and laughing. I couldn’t get them to stop talking.”

Looking for a space for an intergenerational choir, Crystal came to Ethos in 2001.

“They said ‘Yeah, here’s a space, we’ll work with you, go ahead.’ Three people showed up to the first practice. Then one of them passed away and another one left, I think because a family member was sick.”

She had to put the intergenerational choir on the back burner.

“Then,” she shrugs, acknowledging fate, “I really started teaching.”

Without a credential, and while a part-time student at Marylhurst, Crystal has been teaching—often one-on-one—for almost a decade at elder homes, hospitals and treatment centers, and in the public schools.

“I do four to five schools a year. Sometimes they can only offer you an hour a week. Or I’m artist in residence for one or two full days, rotating all the kids through, maybe 25 minutes or a half hour per kid.”

For many children, she notes, this is the extent of their music education.

“As I did more music in the community, I realized it’s what I want to do. That’s where my heart and core are. My teaching style is influenced by my music therapy education. The skill crossover has been easy for me, and has given me a useful edge.”

And Crystal has benefited from the support of her family. Crystal’s mother and grandmother were teachers. And the musical steps of her brother Vincent have closely matched her own. Vincent is a performer, songwriting teacher and social entrepreneur. He opened a nonprofit called Organized Sound on the coast this year.

Yet Crystal’s natural talent for spreading self-esteem and support through singing is all her own.

“When you sing, your insecurities are right in front of you. You can look around and get instant support. I’ve always just wanted a safe place where women can sing, which this is about, not competition or being perfect.”

With fond memories of traveling internationally with her choir as a girl, Crystal wants the intergenerational choir to tour. And she would like to hold an intergenerational choir camp.

“I have a vision of 100 women of all ages singing together. I want to do outreach with the choir, want it to be a mentoring program, a group to be with and be part of.”

And she will do it. When I ask about obstacles, Crystal says simply, “I don’t let anything get in my way. Sometimes it just takes more time.”

_____


Ethos Music Center is a nonprofit organization that brings music and music education to underserved youth. Visit them online at www.ethos.org

Nick O’Connor contributes to Free Fun Guides at www.freefunguides.com He has rejected the motto “Keeping Weird and Just Doing It In The Rose City That Works.”

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Portlander sparks hope in African village

By Stephen Frey
The Portland Upside
November 2009

Stephen Frey’s visit to a village in Kenya, Africa, helps residents discover their untapped potential.

Last year, 18-year-old Portland native Stephen Frey traveled around Africa doing community development work. He wound up living alone in a Masai village where he and a group of local teenagers started a community development organization from the ground up. Here, in his own words, is how it happened.

It was with utmost confusion that I traveled to Kenya in February 2009 for what seemed to be a misguided, spontaneous 10-week detour.

My exhilaration to be on the journey was overshadowed by an uneasy feeling in my gut: I didn’t know what I was getting myself into. Sure, I wanted to do something useful to help. But what does that mean for an inexperienced 18-year-old kid?

Strangely enough, the feeling of uncertainty became my most powerful tool in connecting with the local people.

In the beginning I came to Africa to do a study/volunteer program in South Africa. It lasted five months, but I felt I was not meant to go home immediately afterward. For some unknown reason I felt I should go to Kenya instead.

One of the volunteer team members, Lantoo ‘Israel’ Sanchi from Kenya, invited me to live in his family’s Masai village for a while. Together we began tossing around ideas to help their community. Whether it came from intuition or plain insanity, the whole trip was a last-minute decision and we didn’t really know what would come out of it.

Once in Kenya, I immediately began questioning my reason to be there.

“What can I do to really help here?” I thought. “There are one billion people in Africa, 30 million in Kenya alone. What can one person do? I am an outsider. I don’t know the language, I don’t understand the culture… how do I even strike up a conversation?”

I felt powerless.

But coming from that outsider’s perspective helped me to see an untapped potential in the local people, a potential that is often overlooked.

While their fertile soil and immense quantities of land give them the opportunity to grow enough food to feed millions of people, the livelihood of many Kenyans has been squelched by continuous drought and economic decay.

Kenyans are smart. With enough economic training they could create business opportunities and lift their economy. Foreigners already come in to Kenya to harvest the natural resources. Why can’t the local people benefit from the land, too?

These thoughts sparked an idea. We needed something sustainable, which did not entail giving handouts as I had previously been trained to do. I realized I was not there to teach community members, but to create a platform for them to continue teaching themselves after I left.

So after arriving in the village, I befriended some of the other teenagers and began asking them zillions of questions. We brought the community together, looked at the available resources, and asked, “How can we make the most of what we have?” Through many discussions, they began to see their potential.

The final idea for the project came seemingly out of nowhere, about three weeks after my arrival in Kenya. The Masais crafted a vision for their community project and to express this vision, they called the group “Dupoto Naidimayu,” meaning “Prosperity Is Possible.”

And after many weeks of enthusiastic effort from the “Dupoto Naidimayu” team, the vision became a reality. We launched the Village Possibilities Centre to serve as a communal gathering point where people can find information they need to help themselves. Informational resources include home health care, sanitation and water purification, HIV/AIDS prevention, agriculture, irrigation, environmental preservation, economics, micro-enterprise, political awareness, modern technology, and college education options.

We found a way to get an Internet connection in the village and started collecting books for a library. We were also certified by the Kenyan government as a Community-Based Organization. The Centre now operates as a library, community forum, Internet café, computer school, and headquarters for the other community groups in the area. Soon they will start hosting workshops, classes and village gatherings on the topics above.

The project seemed to create a new posture and attitude in the community members. The whole atmosphere was pretty exciting. As people heard about our center, they said things like, “I’ve always wanted to do something like that,” and “this is what our community has been waiting for!”

We later found that large non-governmental organizations (NGO’s) were implementing the same model elsewhere in Kenya. That really blew us away because we were simply making things up as we went. Before our attempt, some community groups had started but faded out. Many of the local people already wanted to help their community but didn’t know where to start.

One of them, Nicholas Kisoso, expressed it well.

“Before this, we all used to sit around by ourselves, wanting to do something for our people, wondering if we were the only ones who wanted it.”

Nicholas now serves as the head of the local leadership team.

While the project snowballed and local involvement grew, I relocated back to the United States after only 10 weeks. Although I have handed over the reins to the local leadership team, I continue to stay involved long-distance. We plan for the project to continue growing for years to come.

As for my friend Israel Sanchi, his sights are set on becoming President of Kenya. He’s already started to run for election in 2012 as the local county commissioner, something never done by someone so young, in his culture.
_____

I remember looking out the window over the vast drought-stricken Kenyan landscape as the plane landed at Nairobi International Airport last February. I wondered then if I had a place there.
Looking back, I realize that my feeling of powerlessness helped me identify with the Masai tribe’s situation. As they learned to believe in their own ideas, they taught me to believe in mine. We unwittingly helped each other to go through the same process.

After all, the community project had been stirring in them for years. In my opinion, I didn’t do much. They were already capable. It just helped to have someone tell them they could do it.

The real project wasn’t books or computers. The Centre was only a manifestation of the real gift to the Masai: hope, a belief, a vision that seemed to have been lost in previous attempts at community improvement. The real work was accomplished in their minds. The building could burn down tomorrow and I wouldn’t be too upset. They’d rebuild, because the vision is in them now.

The Masai now possess the idea that they have power, they can do it, that they aren’t crazy to dream of a better life for themselves. Prosperity is possible­—even in Africa—when one makes the most of what one has.

_____

Learn more about the Kenya project at www.RiseUpVillage.org

Stephen Frey is now back with his family in Clackamas, Oregon. He is searching for like-minded people, ideas and opportunities. Please connect at stephenfrey5@gmail.com or FlashesOfTinfoil.com

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City Repair’s efforts inspire neighborhoods

By Edie Sidle
The Portland Upside
November 2009

Photo by Michael Cook

The “T-horse” vehicle is one of City Repair’s tools for helping citizens increase participation and build community in their neighborhoods.

In the 1952 short story, “The Sound of Thunder,” Ray Bradbury proposed that one butterfly could eventually have a far-reaching ripple effect on subsequent events. Indeed, a simple beginning will sometimes have a surprising impact.

When City Repair’s Mark Lakeman and others focused their efforts on making a Sellwood intersection a reflection of their neighborhood, little did they know the international influence the project would have ten years later.

After launching Share-It-Square in 1996 (see “Do-it–yourself neighborhood building” in the October issue of The Portland Upside), Mark and the other Sellwood residents wondered how to take the concept of public squares to other neighborhoods and thus mobilize their placemaking efforts.

They finally settled on a unique solution. Using an old truck, they created a “nomadic structure” with a traveling kitchen and its own shelter. They wanted to make it appealing and welcoming, something that would inspire and interest people. That was the birth of the T-Horse, still associated with City Repair today.

Then, and now, with the T-Horse as the focal point, City Repair invites a neighborhood to have a tea party. Neighbors bring homemade desserts, music and ideas to share so they can make connections in an informal atmosphere. The meet-and-greet plants the seed for neighbors to build community and increase participation in their neighborhood.

In the beginning, the T-Horse went from one neighborhood to another, setting the wheels in motion for possible projects. Eventually, placemaking in other neighborhoods began taking shape, with seven projects the first year, then eight the next, and twelve projects the year after that. Today, City Repair facilitates from 20 to 24 placemaking projects each year.

Most of the placemaking efforts culminate in the annual Village Building Convergence (VBC), a ten-day event that brings neighbors together to help design and build their own community amenities, including public squares, meeting houses, community kiosks, benches, and solar-powered and artistic innovations.

The VBC coordinators help participants through public outreach to involve neighbors and community decision-makers in planning and design meetings. They also help with the permitting process required by the city.

In addition to the T-Horse activities and Village Building Convergence, City Repair also sponsors community events that promote such aspirations as a citywide Earth Day Celebration and City ReWare Upcycle Markets, where treasures can be discovered at amazingly reasonable prices.

It’s not surprising that City Repair regularly receives invitations from municipalities as far away as Toronto, Canada. After all, underlying its practical goals are some pretty potent premises: to bring humanity back to our neighborhoods through the power of people and creativity, friendship and respect, organized group action, ecologically-sustainable choices and the localization of culture, economy and decision-making.

Above all, City Repair seeks to inspire, educate and activate people to become part of their community rather than aloof non-participants. It strives to improve communication in neighborhoods and to get people involved in decision-making that shapes their present and future communities.

That’s undeniably compelling and a good idea whose ripple continues to be felt to the edge of Portland’s urban growth boundary and beyond.
_____

See “Depave playground, reclaim nature” for an example of one of City Repair’s projects.

For more info, visit City Repair’s website at www.cityrepair.org or call them at 503-235-8946.

For years, Edie has been involved in “business writing” but more recently has been exploring creative writing, even trying her hand at poetry. She may be reached at edeegee@yahoo.com

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From “just looking” to “just found”

By Holly Shumway
The Portland Upside
November 2009

Panda, an 8-year-old Australian Shepherd mix, found a new home with the Shumway family.

It is not often that you find a panda in Portland, but on a cold day three years ago, my family did just that.

Snow falls as we huddle in front of the computer screen to “just take a peek” at the dogs and puppies available for adoption. My three children and I navigate the Oregon Humane Society’s website, as the mantra “just looking” plays in my head.

Scrolling through the pictures, my sons laugh at the names that seem so fitting, their furry faces staring back at us: Marshmallow, a fluffy Pomeranian mix; Charlie, a curly cocker spaniel; and Dusty, a dirty brown Labrador mix.

The boys click on every dog, trying to fit the two-dimensional images into our three dimensional lives. Each boy locks onto a different dog and begins his own personal mission to convince my husband and me that it’s perfect for us.

Their chosen dogs become real as each boy races around the house outlining where his dog would sleep, where it would eat, and how wonderful it would be for us to watch him walk his new friend everyday. The boys even remind us of the importance of exercise.

Listening to my sons’ antics, I scroll to the very last page of the dog listings and see a single older dog. The boys stop their pleading and sidle up beside me.

On the screen, an 8-year-old Australian Shepherd mix captures our undivided attention.

“Panda,” black and white and resembling a very canine panda bear, stares back as if waiting patiently for us to find her. Her message states, “Sweet older gal looking for a family.”

My oldest son exclaims, “We’re a family!”

In that moment, I know that our “just looking” has transitioned to “just found!”

Panda has been an amazing addition to our family and to our neighborhood. Little did we know that she would become a hearing aid to our deaf Jack Russell terrier, modeling behavior to sounds that he is unable to perceive.

The kids in the neighborhood soften at the presence of Panda. She is, as one little boy describes, “a reverse panda bear in dog clothing.”

Whatever Panda is, we know one thing for sure, we feel fortunate to be just the family the Oregon Humane Society was searching for.

_____

To learn more about the Oregon Humane Society and browse adoptable pets, visit their website: www.oregonhumane.org

Or expand your search to other shelters in the Portland area by using www.petfinder.com

Holly is balancing motherhood with graduate school. She spends most of her time writing papers for school, but makes time to capture the eventful and treasured lives of her family.

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From the editors

By Rob & Sara Bednark
The Portland Upside
November 2009

When someone wants to volunteer to write an article for The Portland Upside and asks us what subject we want them to write about, we invariably tell them, “Write about something that interests you or that you are passionate about.” When things become personal, words become alive.

It is exciting when the articles come in to see what our writers have come up with. This may seem unorthodox and the mix of articles is certainly unpredictable, but each issue has been a fascinating selection of stories and profiles of people, businesses and organizations.

Everyone has a passion, be it writing, going to garage sales, making coffee mugs or singing. By following those passions even when the path is not clear, great things can happen.

Crystal created her own “Music In The Community” college major so she could follow her urge to use music to bring people together (“Bringing music to the community”, p. 1).

By volunteering at Community Warehouse, Lin, Evy and April use their organizational and garage sale talents to help those who need to furnish their homes (“Secret to a happy life”, p. 6).

Stephen traveled to Kenya, Africa, on something of a whim and ended up helping a village connect with information that will continue to help them in years to come (“Portlander sparks hope in African village”, p. 1).

9-year-old Isaiah Walker’s curiosity about cultural backgrounds led to an International Day celebration at his church (“Cultural diversity celebrated”, p. 8)

And our passion to hear about positive stories around Portland led us to start The Portland Upside. We didn’t know how we would get here, but with the generous help of many volunteers, we have produced seven issues and over 65 articles to date.

Passion, indeed, brings words to life.
_____

All issues can be viewed on our website, www.PortlandUpside.com Contact us by email, editors@PortlandUpside.com, or by phone, 503-663-1526.

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Depave playground, reclaim nature

By Edie Sidle
The Portland Upside
November 2009

Hindi Iserhott volunteers with City Repair’s Depave project to remove asphalt from the playground at Vestal Elementary School to make room for gardens.

Depave/City Repair (see “City Repair’s efforts inspire neighborhoods”, p. 1) recently helped reclaim a significant portion of the playground at Vestal School on Northeast 82nd Avenue.

Early Saturday morning, August 8, after a series of speeches by dignitaries including Mayor Sam Adams, City Repair coordinators explained the depaving process and safety considerations. Approximately 70 volunteers had gathered for the series of warm up exercises designed to get them ready for the physical work of tearing up 15,000 square feet of asphalt and concrete comprising the Vestal School playground. The number of volunteers for the project was truly impressive considering the hard work ahead.

While paved surfaces are useful for some objectives, depaving can improve the beauty and usefulness of cityscapes through habitat restoration, urban farming, and the planting of trees and native vegetation.

Today the depaved area of Vestal’s playground is filled with topsoil and compost and will eventually become an outdoor learning garden for the community and school. The City of Portland has already installed a water meter and spigots. Women in Trades has also built a shed to service the garden project. Later, Portland Youth Builders will add a second shed. Fencing added in the coming months will make the garden almost ready to use.

AmeriCorps volunteer Laura Benjamin will manage the garden, involving parents, students, and teachers in its use. The school has formed a Vestal Garden Committee comprised of 20 students who will meet once a week to discuss plans for the garden.

Already the students at the school have been involved with measuring and doing basic math to figure out how to add raised planter beds. A fourth grade class is learning about vermiculture so that in the spring worms can be added to the compost. Other students are busy considering winter cover crops for the garden. Clearly, to participate in the miracle of growing plants in their backyard will be a much richer experience for Vestal School students than to stare at black asphalt.

True to the goals of depaving, the entire community has already greatly benefited from the garden. Pooled resources from the City of Portland Parks and Recreation, Friends of Portland Community Gardens, and East Community Gardens, will continue to bring citywide resources to bear fruit on a once barren patch of pavement.

_____


For years, Edie has been involved in “business writing” but more recently has been exploring creative writing, even trying her hand at poetry. She may be reached at edeegee@yahoo.com

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Friendly faces at the Ugly Mug

Story and photo by Briena Sash
The Portland Upside
November 2009

Since the Ugly Mug opened in Sellwood seven years ago, co-owner Kim Newdel’s coffeehouse has become a community of loyal employees and customers.

The old wooden door creaks as I pull it open to enter the Ugly Mug Coffeehouse. Coming off the busy street is like stepping into another realm.

The dimly lit shop is painted in warm yellows and oranges, cement floors stained and cracked. Heavy wooden countertops help create the cozy rustic atmosphere. Louis Armstrong serenades patrons sitting on the church pew and at scattered tables, reading books and papers and staring meditatively at laptop screens. Others chat and sip their lattes, chai teas and coffees from ceramic mugs.

A shelf lining the ceiling displays all sorts of mugs donated by Ugly Mug fans. Some have faces, others are molded into funny shapes, and many have been made by the customers themselves.

Freshly-ground beans and French-pressed coffee fills the air with a delicious aroma as the barista greets regulars by name. She knows most of the people approaching the counter, as well as their favorite drinks. Pam likes a mocha with whip in her own cup, Jay an Americano, Lloyd and Pauline favor medium skinny lattes.

The Ugly Mug Coffeehouse certainly holds its own in Portland’s epic coffee scene with its rich espresso and quirky atmosphere. But if you know a bit more about this locally owned neighborhood shop, you discover it is anything but typical.

Seven years ago when a young couple, Kim and Nigel, moved to Sellwood, they noticed a problem that needed fixing: there was no neighborhood coffee shop.

“I walked up and down the street,” Kim tells me, “stopping people and asking if they’d like to have a neighborhood coffeehouse.”

She received such an overwhelmingly positive response that they opened the Ugly Mug.

This is a true mom and pop shop. Nigel did most of the remodeling and woodwork, while Kim made everything from the curtains to the ceramic mugs from which customers enjoy their drinks.

“That’s why it’s called the Ugly Mug,” explains Kim with a laugh as she holds up one of her handcrafted mugs. It’s big and white with a green swirl and a few chips. It is certainly well loved.

“At the time there were no coffee shops around at all, not even Starbucks,” Kim says. “The first day we opened, there was a line out the door. We’ve never had a slow period here.”

Now Sellwood is full of coffee shops, but The Mug continues to have a big following of loyal patrons, many of whom have been coming since the doors first opened.

Why are people so loyal to the Ugly Mug?

When I started working at the Mug as a barista in June, I realized there is so much more to this coffeehouse than just, well… coffee.

Not only is it a cozy, comfortable place with delicious drinks, free Wi-Fi, famed Stumptown Coffee and scrumptious pastries. Nor is it simply the well-trained baristas impressing customers with their perfectly-pulled shots and whimsical latte art.

The Ugly Mug’s success has to do with Kim and her consciousness as a business owner. She cares about her customers, about quality and most importantly, about the community.

Kim supports her community by investing in the best local products she can find, including hormone-free Sunshine Dairy products, Kettleman’s Bagels, and delicious Voodoo Donuts. Where she can, she buys from businesses local to the Sellwood neighborhood.

“Most of our pastries come from Lilli, which is on 17th. Our chocolate, Holy Kacow, is even made in Sellwood,” she notes.

Kim is concerned not only about quality and local products, but also their environmental impact as well. She recently tested new biodegradable straws and she currently offers a ten-cent discount when you bring your own cup.

“Now I’m trying to figure out a way to encourage people to bring their own to-go mugs,” she explains.

Perhaps the best reflection of Kim’s approach to business is how she treats her employees.

“Most of our baristas stay with us for a long time. We all love each other. Until recently, our newest employee has been with us for over a year,” says Kim.

Indeed, their longest-term barista, Jen, has been at the Ugly Mug since the doors opened seven years ago! She is young and charismatic, with an infectious smile and a healthy dose of spice. Not only is it apparent that Jen loves her job, it’s very clear that people love Jen as their barista.

“She works magic,” a fellow barista told me. “She’s an awesome barista and has so much love for everyone. Not to mention everyone loves her!”

Loyal patrons and employees had a chance to express their affection when about two months ago a terrible accident landed Jen in the hospital and out of work.

“I was washing the sun tea pitcher when it shattered, cutting open my wrist. Luckily Maggie [an Ugly Mug regular and RN] was there. The paramedic told me that with this kind of cut it would have taken about two minutes to bleed to death. Maggie saved my life,” Jen professes.

“It was amazing to see the Ugly Mug community respond to Jen’s absence and misfortune. Not only were people asking about her, deeply concerned every day,” an Ugly Mug barista explains, “people were bringing in dozens of get-well cards.”

In response to Jen’s lack of income, Kim also printed out a meal plan where people could sign up for a day to bring Jen dinner. It filled up almost instantly as customers brought in wholesome home-cooked meals to offer her.

Kirsten, a fellow barista, came up with yet another plan to help out. She decorated a jar and called it “Jen’s ‘heart’ fund”, where people could donate money and kind words to help Jen recover.

“I came in to pick it up and found a piece of paper folded like an envelope,” Jen tells me, tears welling in her eyes. When she opened it up she found five hundred dollars cash, donated anonymously.

“I can feel so much love from everyone,” Jen says. “I know it’s helping me to heal faster”.

The Ugly Mug shines above the average coffee shop in most ways according to employee Kirsten Brady. Kirsten is not only an Ugly Mug barista, but also a talented artist.

This year, she and the Ugly Mug are hosting the second annual art-for-charity project, actively involving community volunteers who use their creativity to raise money for a designated local nonprofit. Last year’s art-for-charity project raised over two thousand dollars.

This year’s project, called ‘Think Inside the Box’, has over 70 participants signed-up to make dioramas out of cigar boxes. Participants are encouraged to be as creative and unique as they want. The diorama artwork will be on display and up for auction at the Ugly Mug through December. This year’s beneficiary will be Sanctity of Hope, a Portland nonprofit supporting the city’s homeless community through alternative means.

The difference, I discovered, while working at this Portland coffeehouse, is that it’s not just about coffee. It’s about community.

_____


The Ugly Mug Coffeehouse is located at 8017 SE 13th Avenue. Visit their website at
www.uglymugpdx.com or call them at 503.230.2010.

Briena Sash is an Ugly Mug barista, travel photographer, photojournalist, and longtime community volunteer. Read her blog at www.streetquotes.wordpress.com

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The Man Who Loves Trees

By Judith Arcana
The Portland Upside
November 2009

Photo by Julie Kelly

loves through the seasons:
bare trunk, fat buds, full green, wet red
and their names: sweet gum
cypress oak spruce willow maple
red bud forest pansy
and their parts: leaf cone flower
bark root branch boll twig needle
lacy fans of rough crochet, pods
like cigars, like rattling gourds.

He loves their cast-offs crisp on the ground
their sound under his boots on the trail
rustling, breaking down into dust.
He loves, later, their sawn boards:
wood, its grain a watery maze
polished, rubbed into light, glowing
still with heat from the heart of the tree
like his own heart, pumping dark liquid
out to the limbs, out to his own warm hands.


Judith Arcana writes poems, stories, essays and books. This poem, written for her partner Jonathan, first appeared in the Canadian journal STUDIO, online. Visit Judith’s website at www.juditharcana.com

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Leaf

Poem and photo by Mike Aspros
The Portland Upside
November 2009

A wind gust lifts
a maple leaf from its tree,
it hovers with clouds above the schoolyard,
falls like a heron to a pond—

skillfully without rippling the water.
The leaf lies face down
for many days,
far from the shadow of the tree.

The tree will always bloom new leaves,
but surely less yellow than these.


Mike Aspros is always wandering, looking, skirting the boundary line passing a “No Trespassing” sign following deer and owls through Oregon ash and white oaks. He may be reached at mike_aspros@yahoo.com

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Turning Leaves, Turning Inward

By Edie Sidle
The Portland Upside
November 2009

Photo by Julie Kelly

And so the leaves turn yellow—Fall is here.
The crisp night air refreshes and renews.
It is time for quiet introspection, listening to the quiet within.

The warmth of wool and fleece pulled from the back of the closet comforts us.
Putting away the picnic basket and the beach hat, we embrace the new season.
Fall is here… we are finished with our play… we are finished with our raucous laughter, we are finished with the carefree days.
It is time for wisdom, it is time for stories, hot cider and warm friendship. It is time for Fall.


For years, Edie has been involved in “business writing” but more recently has been exploring creative writing, even trying her hand at poetry. She may be reached at edeegee@yahoo.com

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Secret to a happy life

Local volunteers at Community Warehouse find a sense of purpose by helping others

Story and photo by Gayle Amorose
The Portland Upside
November 2009

Volunteer Lin Silver organizes donated goods at Community Warehouse that will be given to families in need.

“The happiest people in the world are givers.”

Taken from an interview of a disaster relief volunteer over 15 years ago, that quote has always stuck with me. It’s a wonderful summation of the reasons people devote time and energy to a cause, often for no money, little recognition, and the painful firsthand exposure to a myriad of societal ills. But despite the pitfalls, in a city like Portland, it’s easy to feel good by helping others.

For the past three years, I’ve been a volunteer with Community Warehouse, a local nonprofit that offers essential furniture and household goods to low income individuals and families.

As program manager Tom Elston puts it, “We take in free stuff, and then we give it away. How cool is that?”

Every Monday I make the trek across the Fremont Bridge to the warehouse, now located at the corner of NE Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard and Shaver Street. I sort through donations that arrive daily, and then repack them for clients. The warehouse serves about 70 households per week, supplying them with basic goods they don’t have the means to purchase, such as beds, kitchen tables, and pots and pans. Operating with a skeletal staff, Community Warehouse relies heavily on a dedicated roster of volunteers to carry out it’s mission.

In between taping together sets of dishes, and checking the shelves for a usable fry pan, I chat with another Monday volunteer, Lin Silver. She’s been with Community Warehouse for over six years and has become the unofficial “chaos organizer,” bringing order to the rows of industrial shelving that hold all the donated kitchen basics.

“Why do I volunteer here? Because I love the mission of the organization, and I love the fact that the work is hands-on. When I’m here packing orders and watching the clients coming in, I really feel like I’m doing something one-on-one to help them,” Lin says.

Donations deemed inappropriate for clients—a large armoire that doesn’t fit in a one-bedroom apartment, or a set of bone china sought after by collectors—are sold through the Community Warehouse Estate Store, adjacent to the warehouse. Run by volunteers, the store is open to the public five days a week. Proceeds from the Estate Store cover almost one third of the organization’s operating expenses.

Evy Bishop has been an Estate Store volunteer for two years. She heard about the organization through a co-worker who’s aunt, Roz Babener, is the founder of Community Warehouse.

“I was born with the garage sale junkie gene,” says Evy, “so it’s fun working in the store and seeing all the donated treasures that arrive.”

It appears that the majority of Estate Store volunteers not only donate their time to help run the store, but they also support it by shopping there, too.

“I also enjoy the interaction with staff and other volunteers, because everyone is so friendly and accepting. And talking with customers is interesting, because we get such a broad spectrum of shoppers,” she continues.

While Evy enjoys her role working with the public, other volunteers have found their niche behind the scenes.

April Doll made her initial contact with Community Warehouse as a donor. A professional organizer at the time, part of her job was to help clients find places to donate excess goods. One day while searching websites for volunteer opportunities, Community Warehouse came up and she started her stint packing orders in the warehouse two days a week.

“From the beginning, I’ve been totally inspired by what this organization brings to the community, “ says April. “And the people here are so nice, so patient, and so appreciative.”

Eventually, Community Warehouse invited April to help with the Estate Store’s online sales. Since she had no experience posting items on eBay, she faced a steep learning curve in the beginning, but now she’s hooked. April admits to sneaking frequent peaks at what the eBay auctions are doing while she’s at home on non-volunteer days.

“It’s such a great place to hang out,” April affirms.

Like April, the longer I volunteer the further I’m pulled in. After working on the warehouse side, I’ve recently switched my focus to the Estate Store. I’m also on the planning committee for the organization’s main fundraising event, The Chair Affair. In my experience, Community Warehouse offers the right combination for attracting and keeping volunteers: friendship, opportunity, and hands-on work that makes a difference in people’s lives.
_____

Find out more about Community Warehouse and the Estate Store at their website:
www.communitywarehouse.org Or contact them at 503-235-8786.

When not volunteering, Gayle Amorose runs her own redesign and staging business, Piece by Piece, and offers private dog training through Romp & Rastle. She enjoys writing whenever she can.

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Voices around town

What’s made you happy lately?

The Portland Upside
November 2009

“My fantastic relationship, and the fact that we almost have our music studio done.”

–Michelle M.
Portland, Oregon

“I started running this past summer, and surprisingly enough, that makes me pretty happy.”

–Doug Rosser
Irvington neighborhood
Portland, Oregon

“Being with my 2-year-old has made me the happiest. I also really enjoy being home, in our ‘hood’, hanging out with our neighbors.”

–Rick C.
Beaverton, Oregon

“The relationship I have with my family. It’s been really special and very supportive lately.”

–Kathy Lee
West Linn, Oregon

“My fireplace. My sober community. My 3 dogs and 2 cats all with names that end in ‘ee’ so I can make up funny songs for them. My spiritual community. Dark roast coffee. My hot tub with rotating LEDs with my sweet baby on misty cool, wet evenings. The Spa Channel on satellite TV.”

–Darren Littlejohn
SE Portland, Oregon

“My oldest daughter called me the other day and needed a ride. It’s nice to still be needed.”

–Ellen McCarty
Lake Oswego, Oregon

“Spending quality time with my family! We spent the last few nights doing holiday stuff together. Eating regular meals, carving pumpkins together, cooking together. I love taking time out for stuff like that.”

–LaVica Parsons
Damascus, Oregon

“My neighbor just took in a rescue kitty that was abused. He’s often sitting by my door, and when I open my door and see him, it makes me smile. Knowing where he came from, and yet he’s still out there trusting and opening his heart to everybody, that makes me happy.”

–Althea Vandries
Woodstock neighborhood
Portland, Oregon

“Friends and family. Spending time with friends and getting to know people.”

–Lea Andrews
Irvington Neighborhood
Portland, Oregon

“Going to the beach and spending all day in the sun. It was very restorative.”

–Katherine Ball
Old Town Chinatown
Portland, Oregon

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Sing a chorus for peace

By Olivia Johnson
The Portland Upside
November 2009

Members of the newly-formed Portland Peace Choir are dedicated to singing songs of peace.

The Portland Peace Choir is shaping a unique group of vocalists who promote equality, justice and peace through song.

The choir got off to its official start on September 9, and has been rehearsing two hours per week at Bothmer Hall in Southeast Portland. The choir meets in the donated space every Wednesday evening from 7 to 9 p.m. No auditions are required, just a passion for singing.

Janet Allison, one of the founders of the choir, was a member of the Rogue Valley Peace Choir in Ashland, Oregon. She has sung in Hiroshima, Japan at the anniversary of the dropping of the atomic bomb, and she has also performed for Martin Luther King III. Being a member of Ashland’s peace choir inspired her to help co-found a similar group here in Portland.

The Portland Peace Choir hopes to eventually share its music in similar settings. For now, the group is starting out by performing in as many different venues as possible, wherever people can be inspired by the music.

But making a positive impact on those who are listening is not the peace choir’s only mission.

They are also concerned with the well-being of each of their singers. When Janet was in the third grade, she auditioned for orchestra and was told that she had no music ability. She can relate to the many people she refers to as the “walking wounded,” who want to sing but are held back by either their own insecurities or the opinions of others.

“It’s a healthy experience for people who’ve been told they can’t sing to join this choir,” she says. “Everybody can sing, especially if they sing with lots of people!”

The choir welcomes all voices, although Janet stresses that most choirs suffer from a lack of male singers. The Portland Peace Choir is no exception. Perhaps if men were aware of how many single women there are in the choir, the statistics of an overruling soprano and alto count would change drastically, she adds humorously.

Currently the choir has about 40 members. Ages range from high-school students and young adults to middle-age adults and seniors. Janet says they hope to grow and especially to welcome young people and much-needed tenors and basses.

Marion Van Namen, a music therapist running a private practice in Southeast Portland, is the choir’s director and co-founder. Growing up in her native country of the Netherlands, Marion learned piano at a young age. She also plays the cello and the African drums. She trained in anthroposophy and music therapy for four years and has taught at various Waldorf schools in the United States. She also directs the community choir at the Portland Waldorf School in Milwaukie.

For their opening concert, Marion has selected a variety of songs ranging from The Freedom Song of South Africa to “Imagine” by John Lennon. Some of the songs are in Dutch, French, German, African and Native American languages. Sometimes a piano accompanies their voices but most of the time The Portland Peace Choir sings a capella.

“Music is universal,” Janet says. “You don’t have to know the language to understand the gesture.”

Chrystal Godleske, who was a member of the community choir at the Portland Waldorf School, heard about the peace choir from Marion and joined as soon as it started in September.

She says that the Portland Peace Choir has “more complex music than the community choir.”

She especially likes being a member because practices are “participatory entertainment, fun, and Marion makes everyone feel comfortable.”

The Portland Peace Choir will hold its first concert on November 22 at 4 p.m. at St. David’s Episcopal Church in Portland. The concert is free and open to the public.

“We want to connect with people on a heart level,” Janet says, “by bringing this music into the world.”
_____

For more information about the Portland Peace Choir visit www.portlandpeacechoir.org

Olivia lives in SE Portland and is working on her bachelor’s degree in Journalism and Theology at Multnomah University. She loves reading restaurant reviews, traveling, Frank Sinatra, and Stumptown coffee.

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Cultural diversity celebrated

9-year-old’s curiosity inspires International Day

Story and photo by Faye Powell
The Portland Upside
November 2009

Young Isaiah Walker (center) inspires and co-chairs the first International Day at his church, in which members wear clothing representative of their native backgrounds.

Sometimes it is the simplest idea that reaps the greatest rewards.

One afternoon last summer, parishioner Michael Montgomery wore a zigzag-patterned dashiki decorated with stylized Nigerian dancers to St. Philip The Deacon Episcopal Church’s annual picnic.

Nine-year-old Isaiah Walker, curious about Montgomery’s garment and taking note of the diverse crowd at the picnic, said, “Wouldn’t it be fun to have a day when everyone wore clothes of their ethnic and cultural backgrounds?”

Michael agreed and thus was born the idea of an International Day to recognize and celebrate the diversity within this Northeast Portland parish.

With Isaiah and Michael as co-chairs, the committee selected October 11, with its proximity to United Nations Day on October 24, as the day for the celebration.

Church organizers encouraged parishioners to wear clothing representative of their native backgrounds, as well as to bring a potluck dish of that culture. The 60 attendees represented heritages from Iran, India, Scotland, Ireland, Germany, Great Britain, Morocco, Japan, Native America, and several countries of Africa. In turn, each person took a few moments to describe something about his or her background.

Reverend Alcena Boozer, rector of St. Philip’s, described the day as a joyous occasion highlighting the variety of folk that came from the continents of Africa, Europe and Asia.

“St. Philip’s is probably the most diverse parish in Portland, and we really celebrate that,” Rev. Boozer said. “Rarely have I seen the people of this parish so joyful about learning something new. I was surprised at how many people eagerly participated.”

Chehreh Shirizi wore the most elaborate costume. Her multi-layered skirt with its beaded headdress is a typical tribal costume of her native Iran.

Vivian Childs, raised in India, wore a sari and described the intricate manner in which many yards of silk are pleated, folded and tucked to create an elegant garment.

Betty Smith, former co-owner of the first African-American clothing store in Portland, wore one of her own creations, a boldly-patterned turquoise dress and headpiece. Many others wore dresses and shirts that demonstrated the variety of styles, colors and patterns of Africa.

For Karol Kennedy, whose own heritage includes ancestors from Africa, Ireland, Scotland, and Asia, the day brought people closer together while showing the children the diversity of their church community.

“When they then see people walking down the street in different garments, they can relate to them…and not be fearful,” she said.

Long-time parishioner Millie Jackson also appreciated the opportunity to teach children a little about different cultures.

Co-chairman Isaiah was happy to see everyone enjoying the day.

“I’m wearing my granddad’s top from Japan. I like seeing everyone talking to one another,” he added.

Michael Montgomery noted, “I think it is such a wonderful opportunity to show and share our cultural diversity.”

According to the United States Census, Portland’s population is 77.9% white, 6.6% African-American, 6.8% Hispanic/Latino, 6.3% Asian, plus smaller numbers of American Indian/Alaska Native and others. Additionally, 4.1% identify themselves as belonging to two or more races.

Founded in 1911 as an African-American parish, St. Philip The Deacon was officially recognized by the Oregon Diocese as an Episcopal parish in 1919. It has been in its current location on NE Knott since 1923. Over the years as populations have shifted, St. Philip’s has become more diversified.

According to Rev. Boozer, a lifelong member of the congregation and its pastor for 16 years,
“International Day signified to me that, although we come from all over the globe, we are all children of one God, and the variety of gifts that come to people were represented in the food we brought.”

She added that she wasn’t surprised at the diversity of the congregation but was surprised by how many people eagerly participated and how much sheer fun everyone had. In addition to learning about one another’s heritages, people were able to experience the joy of feeling a part of such a diverse community.

Colorful clothing, a multicultural banquet and sharing of ancestral stories promoted greater awareness and appreciation of all of the traditions within the parish and a stronger sense of unity among its members. What community, whether spiritual or secular, wouldn’t be enriched by the opportunity to connect with those whose ethnic and cultural heritages differ from one’s own!

_____

St. Philip The Deacon Episcopal Church is located at 120 NE Knott St., Portland. For more information, go to www.stphildcn.org or contact Rev. Boozer at 503-281-5802.

Faye Powell is a retired librarian and freelance writer. She can be reached at
phaysee1@gmail.com

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Alpaca Pair and Go By Train

Watercolor and line drawing by Joyce Lovro Gabriel
The Portland Upside
November 2009

Art director at Pacific University by day, on her own time Joyce is absorbed with the art of craft and the craft of art. She enjoys mediums from pen and ink to oil, but her favorite is watercolor...with pears and birds often front and center.

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Food appreciation from farmer to table

Interfaith organization creates innovative partnerships to educate communities about food and health

By Jenny Holmes and Alison Warren
The Portland Upside
October 2009

Photo by Carolyn Nelson

During a summer program, children learn cooking skills from professional chefs, in one of several programs focused on food and health provided by Ecumenical Ministries’ Interfaith Food and Farms Partnership.

Ecumenical Ministries of Oregon’s Interfaith Food and Farms Partnership (IFFP) has been empowering faith communities, farmers and neighborhoods to create innovative partnerships for just and sustainable food systems since 2005. Through its cooking classes, farm to congregation projects, food assessments and The Congregational Wellness Project, IFFP educates people about food and health.

This year IFFP worked with Hacienda Community Development Corporation (CDC) to provide cooking classes to families and middle school kids. The kids are part of Expresiones, a Hacienda CDC after-school and summer enrichment program designed to increase family participation and school attendance and reduce youth risk factors such as gang involvement, dropping out of school and alcohol abuse.

The cooking classes are taught by chefs from Bon Appetit Management Company which is committed to creating and supporting sustainable food systems. Bon Appetit donated chef time, supplies and food for the classes as a way to give back to the community and contribute to a better food system.

Chef Micah Cavolo, a parent himself, recognizes that many kids don’t understand how the food system works. The Expresiones kids have been fortunate to be involved in growing a community garden and using some of their community-grown vegetables in the cooking classes. Chef Cavolo sees this as a great way for kids to start making the connection between the garden and their plate.

“I feel that to have a successful sustainable future, you need to engage and nurture the future and in my world I do that through food. The only thing more rewarding then being a chef is being a teacher also. Lucky for me they are rolled up into one job,” says Cavolo.

Pairing small scale and immigrant farmers to congregations is another way IFFP provides producers and consumers an opportunity to understand one another. The project includes farmer tables as well as community-supported agriculture (CSA) for congregations.

Yua Lo is a small farmer who has benefited from the Interfaith Food and Farms Partnership. A refugee from Laos, Yua arrived in the United States as a 7th grader in 1978. She adjusted to a new culture, learned English and attended middle-school, all while caring for her younger siblings. Later Yua’s family moved to Stockton, California to pursue farming. When she and her husband moved to Oregon 11 years ago, they planned to give up farming, but in 2001, Yua felt called back to the fields.

Today she is a savvy grower and smart businessperson. Not only is Yua steadily growing her family farming business through her relationships with local churches, where she provides flowers and vegetables. She has also provided important congregational connections to the Hmong community including new Hmong farmer table partners.

Small immigrant farmers who face language and cultural barriers find the supportive atmosphere of the congregations very encouraging. In addition, congregation members learn about different cultures. Farm families producing on a scale too small for other marketing opportunities get a new opportunity through the partnerships.

Alex Velikoretskikh (pronounced “vel-i-kor-et-ski”) is one of these farmers. Alex was born in Russia and has always been a gardener and farmer, even as a young boy in the Ukraine. He immigrated to the U.S. with his wife and children in 2007. Ten in all, the Velikoretskikh family lives in the southeast Foster Powell neighborhood of Portland. Using hand tools and simple irrigation techniques, they grow potatoes, squash, tomatoes, peppers, beans and green onions on two plots, one on Sauvie Island and the other on Southeast 39th near Holgate.

Besides supporting immigrant farmers, congregations are encouraged to increase low-income access to healthy farm grown food through donations for an extra CSA share, and by buying leftovers at farmer tables for donations to food banks or a community meal. These partnerships raise awareness in the faith community about the importance of supporting local farmers and building justice and equity in the food system. Small farmers also benefit from the new economic opportunities.

Another unique partnership exists between First Presbyterian Church, Alder House, Julia West and a local farmer. For the past four years First Presbyterian Church has had a farmer sell produce after their Sunday service. To reach out into the community and increase access to the fresh food for all, the church also uses its kitchen to teach microwave cooking classes to residents of Alder House, a low-income single-room housing complex, and to clients of Julia West, a drop-in center for homeless individuals in downtown Portland.

The classes have been well received by participants such as Janice Potter. Janice “really loved the recipes the class provided and found them to be very helpful.”

One of her favorites was the rhubarb crisp, a recipe given out as part of the IFFP program. Janice used the coupons provided by the class to connect with the farm table at the church and buy the rhubarb she needed for the recipe. The coupons have also given Janice the chance to eat fresh lemon cucumbers, tomatoes and beets.

She’s a shining example of how this class helps people to think differently about food and eat well, even without having a regular kitchen. The classes also provide a unique way to build community through sharing skills and eating together. As one participant stated, it was the people who made it worthwhile for him.

The Congregation Wellness Project, another IFFP program, is equipping congregations to do assessments of their facilities and practices to determine how they can create environments where healthy choices for food and physical activity become easy. Some congregations that have done an adaptation of the School Wellness Index have realized that their land can be used for community gardens.

The belief that everyone one should have access to healthy foods and an environment that supports health forms the foundation of all IFFP programs. IFFP is doing its small part to partner congregations with communities to support health and a sustainable food system for all.

_____


For more information visit www.emoregon.org/food_farms.php

Jenny Holmes is the Environmental Ministries Director at EMO and Alison Warren is a Program Associate. If you are interested in participating in their programs, contact them at jholmes@emoregon.org and awarren@emoregon.org or by calling 503-221-1054.

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Do-it-yourself neighborhood building

City Repair brings neighbors together, beautifies the city and inspires others

Story and photo by Edie Sidle
The Portland Upside
October 2009

Share-It Square, a neighborhood gathering place which includes a bulletin board and chalkboard at SE 9th Av and Sherrett St in Sellwood, spurred the formation of City Repair.

Placemaking, food forests, free boxes, de-paving, permaculture, deep dialogue, bioswales, and cob—you might take some wild guesses about what these terms mean, but Hindi Iserhott with City Repair uses them everyday while working with Portland communities.

First and foremost, Hindi explains, City Repair is about organized group action. Formed in 1996, City Repair came about as a result of an unfortunate experience. A boy was hit by a car while bicycling in a Sellwood neighborhood. Fortunately he recovered, and the event spurred the residents in the area to come together to make the intersection safer while defining their community in a unique way.

Some of the Sellwood residents admired the public piazzas common in Europe but mostly missing in the United States. Others thought about the neighborhood’s straight lines and grids defined by the layout of the streets, and they wanted to soften their intersection.

At the same time, City Repair founder Mark Lakeman had been coordinating “Moon-Day T-Hows,” in the same neighborhood. These wildly-popular Monday evening dessert potlucks convinced many of the residents of the importance of having a gathering place for the community.

The synergy of the two events brought the neighbors together to address their concerns. One Sunday afternoon, the residents took action by painting a design on the intersection of Southeast Ninth Avenue and Sherrett Street. They were so excited about their results that they sent a letter with a picture of their accomplishment to the Portland Department of Transportation (PDOT).

PDOT responded by demanding they remove the painting from the intersection. While stalling for time, neighborhood activists managed to gain the support of then-Portland-Mayor, Vera Katz. Eventually they also won over council members who birthed a new ordinance to legalize the efforts of the forward-thinking community group. Thus the colorful and out-of-the-ordinary Share-It Square was created.

Since then, Share-It Square has evolved to include a solar tea station, free box with “treasures” for the taking, kid’s play corner, and an artsy sitting place aka bus-stop bench. Residents will soon add a food forest. As you approach Share-It Square, you just have to stop. It’s not every day that you see such an interesting and lively intersection.

Geri Ota lived on the intersection of Southeast Ninth and Sherrett from 2000 until 2005. She fondly remembers how neighbors gathered to do something to make their community beautiful. She says she has never lived in a community like Share-It Square, which comes together to plan and then paint the intersection on an annual basis.

“I love that community... So many people came out to participate and it was such a satisfying experience to come together,” she says, recalling the annual Square renewal event.

Through donated labor and supplies, the neighborhood residents still get together each year to renew the efforts that first began some dozen or so years ago. Neighbors have a potluck and the green thumbs in the group share food from their gardens. New neighbors are welcomed, resulting in a feeling of true connection in the neighborhood.

“There was so much enthusiasm and it was a lot of fun,” Geri recalls. It was “good, hard work that was well worth it,” she adds.

It didn’t just end with one project in one neighborhood. Through the tenacious efforts of Mark and others, the Sellwood project morphed into a nonprofit, volunteer-based organization that annually spearheads 20 projects in Portland and works with other cities—Albuquerque, Asheville, St. Paul, Eugene, Oakland, and Tucson, to name a few. In six years City Repair has inspired 50 other communities nationwide to consider similar initiatives.

Mark, a trained architect, grew up in Portland in a household with two architect parents. His visionary mother focused on village design while his Yale-educated father, a City of Portland planner, played a prominent role in the development of Portland’s Waterfront Park and Pioneer Square. While growing up, Mark and his brother were immersed in talk about inner-city culture, urban sprawl, community commons, and placemaking. He jokes that the rides in the family car amounted to a “rolling architecture school.” It paid off.

Indeed, City Repair facilitates the process of helping individual communities accomplish their placemaking goals. By helping them to organize, develop consensus, address conflict, and engage in deep dialogue, people can speak sincerely and listen with open minds. Residents develop decision-making processes and other group skills that people can use effectively in their everyday lives.

City Repair seeks to focus on an organic approach. The organization centers its efforts on promoting sustainability and permanence, empowering people and community, and building friendships and partnerships instead of just doing projects.

City Repair allows each community to engage in creative problem-solving through an inclusive and participatory process. Yes, it takes longer, but the results are profound. With a flexible and adaptive facilitation process, City Repair helps each community define what works best for them and what they want to achieve rather than what is outlined in a preconceived, one-size-fits-all urban plan.

Having spent time with indigenous societies, Mark also believes in the importance other cultures hold for food, music and celebration. Before the work begins, City Repair incorporates into each project just such a life celebration in order to downplay the usual goal-driven way of doing business. City Repair also helps in the purchase of straw, sand, clay and other materials used in each placemaking project.

Most people are in favor of improving their community and the organic nature of the City Repair projects make it seem like fun. Yet these community projects have surprisingly significant effects.

A recent study by Dr. Jan Semenza and Tanya March of Portland State University demonstrates in a measurable way the value of City Repair’s community work. The survey conducted of resident participants within a City Repair project site found 53 percent rated their neighborhood better than before, 30 percent mentioned increased social interactions, and 44 percent rated their present neighborhood as an excellent place to live.

For Mark, even with these impressive findings, it is not about trying to make Portland like another city or better than another city, it’s more about working with whatever is at hand, whatever individuals bring to the table and their active creative participation. The important result is that when we give of ourselves, it means more to us. It’s also about reflecting the true community, not someone else’s definitions of what a community should be. Mark sincerely values human capital, people pushing the envelope to the edge in order to create a new paradigm where society shifts to a community focus.

Just as we are coming full circle to value locally-grown produce and local businesses in order to become more sustainable, it makes perfect sense to look into individual communities to improve our quality of life. And when all is said and done, it’s people that make our communities better, shape our ideas and our work at the local level. People are the vitality of our neighborhoods and the true foundation of City Repair.

_____


City Repair puts out a Request for Proposals in November. For more information, visit City Repair’s website at www.cityrepair.org or call 503-235-8946.

For years, Edie has been involved in “business writing” but more recently has been exploring creative writing, even trying her hand at poetry. She may be reached at edeegee@yahoo.com

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Kids Club pulse of community

Story and photo by Nicole Morales
The Portland Upside
October 2009

Jackie Johnson (left) and Tia Bennett. Tia, the Activities Director at Cherry Blossom Estates, developed an after-school club for kids in the housing complex that has united its diversity.

Cherry Blossom Estates, home to 85 families, is doing something different—progressively different—from other apartment complexes that are home to low-income families. While most housing complexes are content to simply rent out and maintain their units, Cherry Blossom provides for a full-time Activities Director. The director’s responsibilities range from ensuring the children are fed and have a place to go after school to teaching English as a Second Language (ESL) to the adult residents.

I recently visited the community—located just off 102nd Avenue and Washington Street in Southeast Portland—to find out how Tia Bennett, Activities Director, has transformed a once barren-walled clubhouse into the communal pulse of the complex. Tia directs and supervises the Kids Club, an after-school program for approximately 30 five- to twelve-year-olds, and has expanded the program to include Teen Time for the older youth, where teenagers can chill by the pool, play volleyball or just have a safe space to talk. Most recently Tia initiated a community cleanup crew in which youth screen the apartment complex grounds and pick up garbage.

Tia’s involvement doesn’t stop there. She regularly updates a resource book for residents and recently helped to establish the complex’s Neighborhood Watch program. She is currently working on implementing med van visits for the senior residents.

Here’s what I learned when I sat down to talk about Kids Club with Tia and long-time resident Jackie Johnson.

Upside: You were specifically hired on as the Activities Director?
Tia: Yes, and I try to make something available for everybody.

Upside: Do you see yourself as a teacher, as a parent, or as a mentor?
Tia: I would say all of the above. I do the teaching, the ESL instruction, the tutoring, the activity planning, and the resident help. I really do feel like a mentor to the children and adults here.

Upside: The adults, too?
Tia: I do ESL tutoring for the adults. Our community is very diverse because of the many nationalities here. They all just come together and that’s my favorite part of it.

Upside: What was it like at Cherry Blossom when you first arrived?
Tia: When I came in, the clubhouse was pretty much empty and it was a really dark brown. It didn’t really have much going for it. They told me, “Do what you want with it—we want it to be kid friendly.” They gave me a budget and I made it a classroom setting.

Upside: Not all classrooms are as warm and inviting as this. (Sunshine yellow and cherry red walls complement the kids’ colored name-bug projects that drape one corner of the room. Popsicle puppets that resemble their creators line the doorway.) What happened when you began five years ago?
Tia: The first year it sat empty. I had to go door to door and tell people, “Come into the clubhouse, learn ESL, send your children, it’s free.” Once the children started coming, it was very segregated. They didn’t talk or play together. They came to the clubhouse and all sat at their different tables by nationality. And a few times, they would say, “Well you can’t sit here, you’re not [my nationality].” This just broke my heart.

Upside: And now?
Tia: Now, they’re just best friends. And I really think the kids have brought the adults together. Every year we have these events. For instance, we started out with five people for the first Thanksgiving Harvest party and then the next year we had 25 people. And just this last barbecue we had over a 100 people! It’s just amazing how you see all the cultures come together.
Jackie: The clannishness has dissipated. The example that Tia refers to of the kids coming together translates to the adults and that’s why I’m personally so excited about what goes on here. I grew up with “old world thinking,” and that would probably describe a lot of the parents’ thinking that reside here. So I have a real keen appreciation of what Tia does with the kids.

Upside: How do you define yourself within the program, Jackie?
Jackie: Very much an advocate for what happens here and very much an advocate for the whole goal that Jim, the owner, has.
Tia: Jackie gives me suggestions. She’ll see things outside that I don’t see and give me ideas, like the need for a safety class.

Upside: Jackie, you were here before Jim purchased the property?
Jackie: Yes, I’ve been here since 2000. At that time it had two owners and the managers changed every six months. So there was no time for continuity, there was no time to build anything. This clubhouse sat empty most of the time.

When I first met Jim (the owner of Cherry Blossom Estates), he told me about his childhood. He said that he grew up in income-restricted housing and he made a commitment to himself that if he ever was able to give back, he would.

Upside: (I emailed Jim Keefe, who lives in California, and asked him some questions about his role in Cherry Blossom Estates.) How has your childhood inspired you to want to help youngsters and their families have a positive living and learning environment?
Jim: I grew up in a government-assisted housing project in Massachusetts. [My brother, three sisters, and I] needed to be outside… since there was not a lot of room inside. I feel that I greatly benefited from after school and summer youth programs in our local community. These programs always had a strong educational component and access to education changed my life. Now that I am able to do so, I believe that I have a duty to sponsor programs like ours at Cherry Blossom and to staff them with enthusiastic and caring people like Tia.

Upside: What do you hope to achieve with the club?
Jim: Our educational programs have four main goals: to supplement resident access to educational resources, to insure that our children are fed and have a place to go after school, to link our resident families with other resources in the area and to foster goodwill at our community.

Upside: Was Cherry Blossom Estates’ Kids Club your first attempt at implementing an educational program for youth?
Jim: No. Our programs…are modeled after those being done on a larger scale by Project Access, Inc., a nonprofit [that strives to increase communal resources and improve the livelihood for low income families]. It was founded by my partners ten years ago.

Upside: How do you define your role with the club?
Jim: Cherry Blossom Estates is owned by a partnership with two general partners: my company and Affordable Housing Access, a Southern California nonprofit. Our role is to provide funding and overall management for the program.

I believe that our programs at Cherry Blossom should stand on their own. I would rather see you focus on and celebrate the daily achievements and successes of our children. Lots of people I never knew (let alone never thanked) put the programs that helped me in place. I am content to simply return the favor for the children we can help.

Upside: A prime example of Cherry Blossom’s communal cohesiveness was when one of Jackie’s neighbors couldn’t find her child anywhere on the complex. Along with the three police officers called to the scene, all of the residents got involved in the search.
Jackie: It was very touching to see the diverse community rally around a common need.

Upside: Turns out the young girl had hid under some blankets in the bedroom.
Tia: It was like our very own Amber Alert. (Laughter).

We live in a big city and I’d always wanted to know what it felt like to be in a smaller community… just by living here I get that feeling like the TV show Cheers, “where everybody knows your name.”

Jackie: My hope is that someone will read about this and realize they can do what Tia has done with the club. There are so many diverse income-restricted communities. The seeds that Tia plants on a regular basis at Cherry Blossom can be planted anywhere.

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Nicole Morales strives to connect people via multicultural education and writing. She teaches ESL at a private university outside of Portland and welcomes your inquiries at
nmorales.writes@gmail.com


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