Portland, OR. Medical Teams International received a $350,000 grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to increase access to life-saving primary healthcare services for 120,000 Venezuelan migrants living now in Santa Marta, Colombia. Bill and Melinda Gates, pictured in Bangladesh, have a stated foundation goal: “In high-burden communities, millions of women and newborns die during childbirth and the first month of life – the majority, due to preventable causes. We channel our resources to understand and address underlying risks to keep women and their children healthy.”
In Columbia, a Venezuelan migrant named Stefanie is one of many trying to raise young children. The mass migration to Columbia started because Venezuela’s economic and political crisis has now reached a state of hyperinflation due to chronic resource shortages and government corruption. (Photo credit: Sarah Rawlins)
“Mothers are dying unnecessarily without access to care,” said Martha Holley Newsome, Medical Teams International President and CEO. “As an organization, we are called to go where we are needed most. This generous grant from the Gates Foundation will allow us to do exactly this, by providing life-saving care to the most vulnerable Venezuelans in Colombia like children and pregnant women.”
Nearby, an elderly couple is struggling to care for their handicapped daughter.
“The scale of what is happening in Venezuela is considered to be the largest humanitarian crisis in the world today. Persons displaced from Venezuela represent more people than the combined number that have fled from South Sudan and Myanmar. The situation is dire — an estimated 60 percent of medical assistance has been lost, with recent indicators of maternal mortality at an increase of 65 percent.
Since the crisis began, more than four million people have left Venezuela. By the end of last year, access to affordable food and medical care was nearly impossible for millions of people.
“Venezuelans report that the collapse of the economy has led to them being unable to meet their own very basic needs such as food, water, and medicine,” said Medical Teams Humanitarian Advisor Rachel Rigby. “In Colombia, we’re seeing people arriving with nothing, having had to use what little resources they had to pay to illegally cross the border.”
While the government of Colombia has been welcoming to new Venezuelan arrivals, the need for medical care far surpasses the country’s ability to provide them with basic assistance. Medical Teams will support the Colombian government by providing care for Venezuelan migrants and vulnerable Colombians. The program is focused on caring for pregnant and lactating women and young children, as well as ensuring vulnerable communities have access to life-saving medical care.
In addition to strengthening the Colombian health system by supporting local primary health care facilities, this grant will also help implement a Community Health Worker program to train volunteers to create social health behavior changes within their communities, map and monitor vulnerable populations, and provide referrals to local health facilities.
“Without Medical Teams’ help, these women would not receive any prenatal care and would have to find a clinic to deliver their baby in, while in labor,” Rigby said. “Young children are suffering from preventable and treatable illnesses, so our community health work program alongside targeted care is allowing families to learn how to prevent disease.”
From Medical Teams International:
For 40 years, Medical Teams International has worked in more than 35 countries and currently operates in Bangladesh, Colombia, Guatemala, Lebanon, Tanzania, and Uganda, collaborating with more than 50 local partners globally. Medical Teams has executed more than 26 U.S. government international assistance grants and implemented projects with the United Nations High Commission of Refugees, U.S. State Department Bureau of Population, Refugees, and Migration, United Nations Children’s Fund, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, and others on a diverse range of health and nutrition interventions. Medical Teams strives to implement innovative and efficient health interventions that save lives and promote a caring world.
Founded in 1979, Medical Teams International provides life-saving medical care for people in crisis, such as survivors of natural disasters and refugees. We care for the whole person— physical, emotional, social and spiritual. Daring to love like Jesus, we serve all people—regardless of religion, nationality, sex or race. Because every person—no matter where they are or how desperate their situation—matters. Find Medical Teams International at medicalteams.org and on social media using @medicalteams.
Portland, OR. The Portland Children’s Museum is remembering coworker, Leslie Schmadeke, who was hit and killed by a driver on Tualatin-Valley Highway on January 14th. Museum administers say, “Our staff & visitors mourn the loss of beloved Museum Experience Facilitator Leslie Schmadeke, who joyfully shared her gifts of origami & crafting with families for the last nine years. She will be dearly missed.”
The Portland Children’s Museum is partnering with TriMet to hand out reflective and glow-in-the-dark gear to families at the museum.
Employees will be providing bracelets, lights, and more. They call it a simple but meaningful way to honor Schmadeke’s life.
“I can’t remember a day when Leslie was down,” Ruth Shelly, the museum’s executive director, said. “She always came to work upbeat, ready to go, with some new craft in her bulging apron pockets, ready to share with the public.”
51-year-old Schmadeke was crossing TV Highway to get to the bus stop to go to work when she was hit. It was dark and foggy that morning, and investigators say the driver had poor visibility.
ODOT is working on implementing a few measures to make the route safer, including installing three rapid flashlights in areas identified as the most dangerous for pedestrians.
Portland Children’s Museum is located at:
4015 SW Canyon Rd, Portland, OR 97221
“Dr. King’s legacy of service continues to inspire and remind Oregonians that we all have a role to play in bettering the health of our communities,” says Angela Dowling, President of Regence BlueCross BlueShield of Oregon. “Regence and our employees are proud to celebrate our fifth year partnering with United Way in support of this mission.”
Clean Up and Green Up is a volunteer project at Portland Audubon.
The event is presented by Regence BlueCross BlueShield of Oregon and supported by Intel, Nike, Dunn Carney, Tonkon Torp LLP, Umpqua Bank, with special thanks to U.S. Bank.
From sprucing up libraries and school gardens to sorting books for kids to packaging donated food for families in need – MLK Weekend of Service offers countless opportunities for community members to give back and help build Dr. King’s vision throughout the Portland metro region.
“Our MLK Weekend of Service is an incredible opportunity for people to come together to honor Dr. King’s legacy,” says Cindy Adams, President and CEO of United Way of the Columbia-Willamette. “With over sixty volunteer projects and 1,500 volunteers across the region this year, community members can continue striving for the changes Dr. King championed – including ending poverty and advancing racial equity – and make a real impact for tens of thousands of children and families.”
This year’s event also kicks off United Way’s centennial celebration. Since 1920 your local United Way has been bringing the community together to do good. In addition to honoring Dr. King’s legacy, this MLK Weekend we also celebrate United Way of the Columbia-Willamette’s historic role in strengthening schools, families, and communities across the region.
The event runs from Friday, January 17 through Monday, January 20 with volunteer projects each day.
The event is organized by United Way’s volunteer program, Hands On Greater Portland.
MLK Weekend of Service is an integral part of United Way of the Columbia-Willamette’s 10-year agenda focused on reducing childhood poverty and advancing racial equity.
Here’s a list of some of the options for volunteer activities:
Friday: January 17:
Beaverton High School Student Success Week: Join us for painting, creating signage, interior planting
8:30 am-11:30 am
Location: Beaverton HS: 13000 SW 2nd St. Beaverton, OR 97008
Hands Dirty but Hearts Filled: Help spruce up the Day Center organizing bookshelves, cleaning furniture and windows, picking up around the property
9:30 am-12:30 pm
Location: 2nd floor of Sunset Presbyterian Church: 14986 NW Cornell Rd. Portland, OR 97229
VOSE Elementary School (Beaverton School District): Help spruce up the school grounds
9:30 am-11:30 am
Location: 11350 SW Denney Rd. Beaverton, OR
Saturday: January 18:
American Red Cross: Install free smoke alarms and educate households on fire safety
9:30 am-2:30 pm
Location: Portland Red Cross office: 3131 N Vancouver Ave. Portland, OR 97227
Schoolhouse Supplies: Sort books by grade level for the Free Store for Teachers
9:30 am-11:30 am
Location: 4916 NE 122nd Portland, OR 97230
Sunday: January 19:
Q Center: Join us for a day of beautification at the largest LGBTQ2SIA+ community center in the Pacific NW
9:30 am-11:30 am
Location: 4115 N Mississippi Ave. Portland, OR
The Children’s Book Bank: Sort, spruce up and bundle community donated books for children
10 am-11 am
Location: 1915 NE 7th AVE. Portland, OR 97217
Hillsboro Public Library: Help “weed” the library shelves and organize the supply closet
1:30 pm-3:30 pm
Location: Shute Park Library: 775 SE 10th Ave. Hillsboro, OR 97124
Monday (MLK Day): January 20:
Bink-A-Thon: Make blankets for children
9:30 am-1:30 pm
Location: Village Baptist Church, 330 SW Murray Blvd, Beaverton, OR 97005
SnowCap Community Garden Clean-Up: Help weed, prune, haul and spread cedar chips
9:30 am-12:30 pm
Location: 17805 SE Stark St. Portland, OR 97233
Oregon Food Bank (Portland): Repack food donations into family-size portions
10 am-11 am
Location: Portland location: 7900 NE 33rd Dr. Portland, OR 97211
Native Gathering Garden at Cully: Help with weeding and general upkeep of the garden
10:30 am-11:30 am
Location: 5810 NE 72nd Ave. Portland, OR
SOLVE: Clean up MLK Blvd
10:30 am-11:30 am
Location: Irving Park 707 NE Fremont St, Portland, OR 97212
P:ear: Cook meals & tidy up for homeless youth
1:30 pm-3 pm
Location: 338 NW 6th Ave Portland, OR 97209
Oregon Food Bank (Beaverton): Repack food donations into family-size portions
1:30 pm-3 pm
Location: Beaverton location: 1870 NW 173rdAve. Beaverton, OR 97006
The University of Portland is inaugurating an annual MLK Day event with local writer, activist, educator and spoken word artist Walidah Imarisha leading a discussion on the question, “Why aren’t there more black people in Oregon?”
The event is titled MLK Day ON 2020: Engage. Reflect. Serve. It also will feature guest singer Julianne Johnson, a 1983 graduate and Grammy Award-nominated recording artist and songwriter.
What: MLK Day ON 2020
When: 3:30-5:30 p.m., Monday, Jan. 20
Where: University of Portland’s Buckley Center Auditorium, 5000 N. Willamette Blvd. (Overflow room: Brian Doyle Auditorium in Dundon-Berchtold Hall)
In addition, numerous local organizations and institutions hold annual volunteer MLK Day of Service activities. There is no central directory, but you can find them by searching online.
Each of these projects will have a United Way staff member or Volunteer Leader available onsite to answer questions. If you need more information prior to the event, or if you know that your media outlet will be attending one of the projects, please call Kristen Lambert at United Way (contact info listed above).
At United Way of the Columbia-Willamette, we have a simple, ambitious vision – to invest in our region’s kids so they are free from poverty in order to be free to reach their potential. United Way of the Columbia-Willamette has been bringing our community together to do good for nearly 100 years. We’re uniquely positioned to connect and support the people, nonprofits, businesses and government agencies working hard to address poverty in our region. When we invest in our region’s kids, we free the future. For more information and to get involved please visit www.unitedway-pdx.org.
Portland, OR. Chinese Friendship Association of Portland (CFAP) is a non-profit organization, serving the local community. CFAP organizes multiple education and culture-focused events all year long, with their most popular event being the annual Lunar New Year (LNY) Celebration Gala. Activities will include a Chinese National Level face-changing performer, international Wushu champions performing their best routines. It all takes place on January 25th, 2020.
The performances will also include ballet professionals performing a national award-winning piece, and a variety of cultural performances by well-known groups and individuals.
This year will be the first time that the LNY celebration is held in Keller Auditorium. It will also be the first time that multiple Asian communities will come together to celebrate LNY.
There will also be art exhibits by well-known visual artists and craft workshops by popular culture organizations.
Art & craft activities begin when doors open at 6pm. Performances begin at 7pm and run through 9pm.
FEATURED PERFORMANCES
Xuan Cheng & Brian Simcoe from Oregon Ballet Theatre performing a national choreography winning piece.
Face changing Chinese national level performer -Long Yun who is the only female inheritor in China.
Routines from Wushu international champions
Magic show
A variety of cultural performances by well-known individuals, and popular local culture performing groups and dance schools.
ASIAN ART AND CULTURE
Art and calligraphy exhibits created by well-known artists such as a calligrapher, and other visual artists.
Craft workshops by popular local cultural organizations.
Art & craft activities begin at 6pm. Performances begin at 7pm and run through 9pm.
Oregon City, OR. There’s an update on the plans for a special Riverwalk along the Willamette Falls in Oregon City. Details were provided by Andrew Mason, the Executive Director of the Willamette Falls Trust. He explained that when the Confederated Tribes of the Grand Ronde purchased the former Blue Heron mill located adjacent to Willamette Falls last August, the news was welcomed by the Willamette Falls Trust which is spearheading the revitalization of the falls including the Willamette Falls Riverwalk project. (Tribe members have taken ceremonial fish at the falls for years.)
The Tribe has since applied for $975,000 in grants to assist with site assessments and clean up, and they are working with local architecture and landscape design firms to create a future vision for their property. Their land purchase and the results of Willamette Falls Legacy Project’s detailed cost estimating also sparked new thinking around what could be accomplished during the Phase One portion of the project.
After purchasing the property, Grand Ronde proposed an alternative approach to Phase One. If feasible, it would include a riverside path to a scenic overlook of the Falls, which differs from the previous plan to route people through the former mill. A focus of the proposal is to increase public safety during any construction happening on Grand Ronde’s property. It would also provide more opportunities to view the river along the way to the Falls overlook. Phase One of the Riverwalk still aims to restore habitat along the riverbank and prepare the site for future phases of construction.
The groundbreaking schedule initially planned for 2020, has shifted to accommodate looking into this opportunity. Project partners—Oregon City, Clackamas County, Metro and State of Oregon—will consider the proposal after the Grand Ronde team completes the design and construction cost estimate.
Andrew Mason explained, “We continue to receive unprecedented community and financial support. While additional funds will be needed to get us to the finish line on this visionary project, we’re grateful for the continued donations and volunteer hours given, including more than $7 million from donors within and outside our community, as well as $20 million from the passage of Metro’s parks and nature bond measure in November.”
Willamette Falls has always been the cornerstone Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde tribal culture. In 2018 the Grand Ronde Tribe received a permit from the Oregon Department of State Lands to construct a fishing platform on state lands at Willamette Falls.
The scaffold allows the Grand Ronde Tribe to safely harvest ceremonial fish at Willamette Falls at the time of year when their ancestors historically took the first fish from the Falls. The Tribe has taken ceremonial fish at the falls for the past three years.
Our mission is to champion and sustain a world-class Willamette Falls experience that offers year-round access to the grandeur of the Falls, historic and cultural interpretation, healthy habitat, public open spaces, and that showcases the hospitality of historic Oregon City.
Willamette Falls Trust is the organization bringing people and communities together to make the new vision for a world-class public space along the Willamette River in Oregon City, Oregon a reality.
We are raising the funds and creating the partnerships to support the first phase of transformation, which includes an overlook at the precipice of the Falls, a connection to Oregon City’s downtown, and opportunities to explore history.
We work closely with Willamette Falls Legacy Project—the public-sector collaboration that kick-started this work—and others, as we steward the collective vision for Willamette Falls. The project has the support of Governor Kate Brown, state legislators, local and regional council members—and has been designed with input from thousands of Oregonians.
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