Stairways on hillsides were originally built to allow residents to reach the many small streetcar lines that ran through our neighborhoods. Hint: it's definitely easier to go down than up, and if still counts as exercise!
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Thanks for Spreading the Word!
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A hearty vote of thanks to those of you who stepped up to man our information tables at two street fairs, Alberta Street Fair and the Fremont Fest (see photo at right).
Fremont Fest - Penny Kavan, BG , Suzanne Silverstein, Scott Clift, Walt Quade,
Marcia Tate.
Alberta Street Fair- Jane & John Braunger, Irene Hecht, Mary Lyn Villaume, Frank Baldwin, Patty Lindy, Walt Quade,
Marcia Tate.
Additional thanks to Marcia Tate who organized the tabling events.
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Now Let's Spread the Word Some More
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As autumn begins and thoughts turn to taking a Spanish class or signing up for Zumba Gold or adding a new volunteer activity, let's all get serious about providing a little education ourselves. We're talking about all of us helping spread the word about the Village movement in general and our Village in particular.
Jane Braunger and a cadre of volunteers are poised to offer basic information sessions about our exciting new Village venture by coming right into our homes to present the basics in a "Village 101."
All we have to do is provide our homes for an hour or so and invite 5 to10 friends and neighbors to enjoy a cup of tea or a glass of wine as they are introduced to NE Village PDX. Jane can be reached at janebraunger@gmail.com or 503-528-9768. She hopes to be inundated with your e-mails and calls!
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September General Meeting
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Our next general meeting will be at 7 p.m. Wednesday, September 9, at Rose City Park United Methodist Church, 5830 NE Alameda, just east of NE Sandy and NE 57th. Please plan to attend and bring a friend or neighbor.
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New Services from Villages NW Change Some of Our Committees' Plans
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Several recent initiatives of Villages NW, our Hub organization, promise to change the course of work for our own Village's newly formed Volunteer Committee and possibly for the Membership Committee. These initiatives are the work of so-called Affinity Groups comprised of representatives from the various Villages who are responsible for volunteers, membership, transportation, and like areas.
Villages NW now has a contract in place to partner with The Ride Connection to vet and train volunteer drivers for all the Portland-area Villages. More recently, the Hub has announced its intention to use Verified Volunteers to conduct background checks for all non-driver volunteers who will provide at-house services or do financial or confidential tasks. The Hub also will establish a volunteer training program that it will offer periodically and that the Villages could use when necessary. There is also talk of creating volunteer application forms and a training manual, as well as volunteer job descriptions.
All of the joint efforts the Hub is organizing can be extremely helpful, but of course each Village has to edit, add, and subtract to create the manual or policy or form that is suitable for its mission and purpose.
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Young revelers march past our booth at Fremont Fest.
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Another Membership-Related Initiative
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Early on, those of us creating Villages realized that our volunteers cannot serve
all the needs of our elderly members. For example, we cannot provide the personal care a licensed healthcare professional offers: help with bathing, taking medications, and the like. Each Village needs to assess who we can and can't help.
Villages NW is currently establishing a permanent advisory council of people from the Villages (retired or semi-retired social workers, senior social services professionals, care managers, elder care attorneys, gerontologists, nurses, and other individuals with professional expertise working with older adults) to evaluate problems and offer advice in dealing with them.
The Hub is requesting two volunteers from each Village to sit on this advisory body. If you are interested, please send an e-mail with information about your background and availability to Anne Andler, info@villagesnw.org. Time is of the essence!
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More Village Builders Step Up
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Kudos to three more donors who stepped up during the summer to help us reach our $7,500 fund raising goal: the money we anticipate needing before we open our doors to service-receiving members. Their generosity brings the total contributed to $4,810, or 64 percent of the way to our goal. Thanks to:
- May Wang (Visionary)
- Susan Roberts (Sustainer)
- Don Tarbutton (Partner)
If you haven't added your contribution, you can still help us hit our target by sending a check in the following categories:
Visionary ($250+)
Sustainer ($100 - $249)
Partner ($50 - $99)
Friend ($10 - $49)
Please make your check payable to Villages NW fbo NE Willage PDX and send it to:
NE Village PDX
c/o Margaret Baldwin
P.O. Box 18175
Portland, OR 97218-0175
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