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Screening of Gus Van Sant Film Raises $10,000 to Support Legacy’s John Callahan Garden

Director Gus Van Sant and members of John Callahan's family celebrated the movie depicting Callahan's life, Don't Worry, He Won't Get Far on Foot.

Portland, OR. Thanks to Willamette Week and Cinema 21, Legacy Health raised $10,000 to support the John Callahan Garden at Legacy Good Samaritan Medical Center during a screening of a movie based on Callahan’s life. “Don’t Worry, He Won’t Get Far on Foot” was directed by Gus Van Sant, who attended the screening and posed for a photo with some of John Callahan’s family members. Five hundred people were at the June 12th screening and an after-party at Courtney Taylor’s Odditorium drew some 200 guests.

Callahan, who died in 2010, was a cartoonist for Willamette Week and a fixture in Northwest Portland. He had been a patient at the Legacy Rehabilitation Institute of Oregon (RIO) after he became a quadriplegic in a 1972 car wreck and later volunteered there.

“Don’t Worry, He Won’t Get Far on Foot” is based on Callahan’s autobiography and premiered at the Sundance Film Festival. It will be in released in local theatres on July 13th.

Joaquin Phoenix plays John Callahan in the film and Jonah Hill, his AA sponsor.

The garden bearing his name is nestled within Legacy Good Samaritan Park on Northwest Marshall St., between 21st and 22nd Avenues. It features an art installation that includes Callahan’s cartoons interwoven with his life story. RIO therapists use the garden to work with patients recovering from strokes and spinal cord injuries.

From Legacy:

Founded in 1875, Legacy Good Samaritan Medical Center is a nationally acclaimed, full-service hospital with renowned doctors in heart care, cancer care, neurology, ophthalmology, weight-loss surgery and more. Located within the hospital, Legacy Rehabilitation Institute of Oregon (RIO) provides comprehensive inpatient medical and therapy programs for adults from across the Pacific Northwest.

For more information about supporting Legacy Good Samaritan Medical Center, please contact Rena Whittaker, executive director of the Good Samaritan Foundation, at 503-413-5585 or rwhittak@lhs.org.

Elisa Klein

I’ve been a professional journalist and writer since 1987, (and long-time reporter for KOIN-TV.) As a nationally published reporter, with a Master’s Degree in Journalism, I love to report positive news and information. Journalism has also connected me with another non-profit where I served as a leader; the Northwest’s biggest writer’s organization: The Willamette Writers.