Portland, OR. The Northwest Film Center and the Portland Art Museum (PAM) continue their virtual offerings like the YouTube viewing of the film Monsters and Men, (pictured above) directed by Reinaldo Marcus Green.
PAM leaders say they’re also creating a plan to reopen. For the past three months, the Portland Art Museum has been closed due to COVID-19. Now head of visitor services, Lisa Hoffman is announcing a plan to reopen. Beginning July 16th, the Museum will reopen some of its galleries and welcome a limited number of visitors. The popular Volcano! and Art and Race Mattersexhibitions will now be extended through the end of the year. Exhibits that were slated for the summer and fall, including Frida Kahlo, Diego Rivera, and Mexican Modernism and Ansel Adams in Our Time, will open at later dates.
Over the summer, more galleries in the museum will be reopened as conditions allow.
The museum still has many virtual options in the meantime:
Here’s more information about The Northwest Film Center’s virtual screening of Monsters and Men, directed by Reinaldo Marcus Green. The film, Monsters and Men is screening for free on YouTube via NEON.Monsters and Men is an important cinematic attempt to reckon with one of the central challenges of our moment and it’s free.
Portland Art Museum:
The mission of the Portland Art Museum is to engage diverse communities through art and film of enduring quality, and to collect, preserve, and educate for the enrichment of present and future generations.
Portland, OR. The Portland Japanese Garden reopened to the public on June 11th. According to Garden leaders, it’s the first of the cultural organizations in Portland to reopen and could not come at a more important time.
Using guidelines for outdoor recreation areas issued by federal and state health authorities, Portland Japanese Garden leadership says it is following best practices for guest and employee safety. Among the new safety adjustments are timed entry admissions, one-way routes through the Garden, and limiting the number of people in spaces.
Founded shortly after the end of World War II, the organization is dedicated to ideals of peace and cultural understanding. “We were established specifically to cultivate inner peace as well as peace between peoples and cultures,” said CEO, Steve Bloom. “Between the coronavirus, the economy, and the heightened awareness around pervasive racial injustice, there are a lot of personal and social challenges everyone is working through. We stand with Black Lives Matter because we recognize that people of color have borne a disproportionate share of these hardships and we reaffirm our organization’s values of inclusivity, anti-racism, and cultural understanding.”
The Garden closed to the public March 19th just before Governor Kate Brown issued stay-at-home orders. Since then, the garden was unable to earn revenue from ticket sales, therefore temporarily laid off nearly 90% of its staff while Through the closure, the Japanese Garden continued to post “One Minute of Serenity” videos as a way to share some much-needed calm during an uneasy time. Now with the reopening, the Garden hopes that those who are able to leave home will come back to the Garden early and often to support and sustain it. “Portland is an incredible city and places like Portland Japanese Garden are what makes it so special,” says Bloom. “We are here for the community and because of the community. It’s community support that makes our existence possible.”
Portland Japanese Garden is a nonprofit organization originally founded in 1963 as a place for cross-cultural understanding following World War II. A hallmark in the City of Portland, the Garden was founded on the ideals of peace and mutual understanding between peoples and cultures. Portland Japanese Garden is considered the most authentic Japanese garden outside of Japan and the foremost Japanese cultural organization in North America.
Portland, OR. You can’t see kids shoulder to shoulder learning at the Hoyt Arboretum this summer, but there’s still lots to do. Although the Visitor Center is closed, the Hoyt Arboretum trails in Washington Park remain open from 5 A.M. to 10 P.M. every day. Online workshops replace the usual programs due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Programs include Birding by Ear, Virtual Nature Journaling, and Exploration Wednesday.Birding programs have become the most popular, according to Anna Goldrich, Executive Director of Hoyt Arboretum Friends. Where the classroom in the Visitor Center could only host up to 15 people, around 50 have been logging on to the virtual birding program.
The youth program “TreeTime!” geared toward two to six-year-olds, has also moved online. The program schedule remains the same, taking place at 10 A.M on Mondays. Instead of walking through the park, however, the meeting takes place on Zoom.
Event calendars and sign-ups are located on the Hoyt Arboretum Website.Access to programming is payable on a sliding scale to accommodate those facing financial difficulties.
Volunteers trimming bamboo during a previous work party (Photo credit, Hoyt Arboretum)
The visitor center is currently closed to the public.
Memberships have recently increased in appreciation for Hoyt Arboretum’s virtual programs. Without the Visitors’ Center gift shop, wedding rentals, and field trips, Hoyt relies more heavily on members and donors. While funding sources diminish, expenses riseto maintain the park. In normal circumstances, approximately 2000 hours of volunteer work would have taken place between April and June. Hoyt must now divert funds toward landscape work and equipment.
From Hoyt Arboretum:
Portland’s museum of living trees, Hoyt Arboretum thrives thanks to a long-term partnership between Portland Parks & Recreation and the nonprofit Hoyt Arboretum Friends. With over 6,000 trees and 12 miles of trails free and open to the public year-round, the Arboretum is maintained by a dedicated community of volunteers and members. A beautiful destination for recreation, it’s also an important resource for education, research, and conservation.
Portland, OR. Girls Inc. held a virtual celebration of girls’ empowerment on Friday, June 5th which raised over $395,000. The funds are earmarked for the organization’s STEM, health, and life skills programs which benefit girls ages 6-18. There were 900 attendees at the virtual benefit. Because of COVID-19, this was the first year the event was online. Power of the Purse has raised over $5 million dollars over the last 15 years.
In previous years Girls Inc. had a live runway show, like the event in 2016. (Girls Inc. girl, Lana, are pictured with Carol Risley, Designer, and Daria Eliuk, Purse-o-nality)
Every year notable Portland leaders, artists, entrepreneurs, and philanthropists work with local purse designers to create one-of-a-kind handbags to raise money for Girls Inc. of the Pacific Northwest. Each piece is a unique work of art that is auctioned off during a live fashion show featuring Girls Inc. youth.
The organization provides many opportunities for girls like the, “Rappel for Her,” event, during which participants rappel down a downtown skyscraper. (This photo of “Rappel for Her” in August of 2019, Provided by Girls Inc.)
About Girls Inc.:
In partnership with schools and at Girls Inc. centers, we focus on the development of the whole girl. She learns to value herself, take risks, and discover and develop her inherent strengths. The combination of long-lasting mentoring relationships, a pro-girl environment, and research-based programming equips girls to navigate gender, economic, and social barriers, and grow up healthy, educated, and independent. Informed by girls and their families, we also advocate for legislation and policies to increase opportunities and rights for all girls.
Portland, OR. Self Enhancement, Inc. provided the first free coronavirus testing to the African American community on June 6th. An estimated 300 community members came to the Northeast Portland headquarters of the nonprofit for the free tests. Tony Hopson Sr., director of the nonprofit, has been pushing for more testing since April when it became clear the virus was disproportionately affecting African Americans.
Non-symptomatic people and those who have been near large crowds recently were also encouraged to come to be tested.
Self Enhancement, Inc., was able to serve walk-ups on top of the scheduled appointments.
Earlier in the week, Patrick Allen, Oregon Health Authority director, apologized to communities of color for the disproportionate effect the virus has had on “Black and African American, Asian and Pacific Islander, Native American, and Latino, Latina, and Latinx people, in the U.S., and here in Oregon…A centuries-long history of racism and oppression have led to the very health conditions that exacerbate the impacts of COVID-19. And we at OHA were, frankly, too slow to recognize that threat and act on it,” Allen said in a statement. “For that, I’m truly sorry.”
At least one Oregon tribe, the Confederated Tribes of the Warm Springs, has seen more than 20 positive COVID-19 cases as of the end of May. Some of the state’s largest workplace outbreaks have been at fruit-packing plants, where employees are predominantly Latino.
The public health agency announced Wednesday it was expanding its recommendations for people who should get tested to include all people of color in Oregon, and a spokesman said the agency is helping to facilitate the testing Saturday.
About Self Enhancement, Inc:
Self Enhancement, Inc (SEI) is dedicated to guiding underserved youth to realize their full potential. Working with schools, families, and partner community organizations, SEI provides support, guidance, and opportunities to achieve personal and academic success. SEI brings hope to individual young people and enhances the quality of community life.
Portland, OR. As of June 5th, the Oregon Community Foundation (OCF) has offered $19.8 million in grants to 773 different nonprofits. $15 million has been contributed for relief since the start of the pandemic. 481 people have stepped forward recently to donate; here’s a link to the list of donors.
Organizations like the Sisters of the Road Café (pictured above) in Portland’s Old Town neighborhood, provide area-sourced meals plus opportunities for the homeless. They have seen an increase in costs due to COVID-19 in order to continue serving their community in the safest way possible. An Oregon Community Recovery grant helps Sisters to meet their Hot Meals Barter Program expense and dedicate funds to unforeseen costs during the pandemic.
In collaboration with a large network of statewide partners, OCF is mobilizing resources through discretionary dollars, donor-advised funds and pooled community funds.
Here’s a video about the fundraising efforts of the Oregon Community Fund.
With input from a network of volunteers, community leaders and partners, OCF is deploying funding and resources to nonprofits to help them fill gaps in funding during the crisis, providing resources where and when they are critically needed, focusing most on Oregon’s most vulnerable populations. Organization leaders say, “Demand for funding has been high, and our team is reviewing applications as quickly as possible. Grants are announced each week.”
Portland Refugee Support Group (PRSG) provides bags of food, household supplies and WinCo gift cards to more than 100 refugee families in the Portland metro community. An Oregon Community Recovery grant is helping the PRSG assist refugee families with emergent needs.
In addition, OCF donors also continue to award COVID-related grants from donor-advised funds, and Supporting Organizations of OCF continue to support organizations in their COVID-related needs. Here’s a link to the list of the organizations which have received help.
Oregon Community Foundation puts donated money to work in Oregon. Since 1973, OCF grantmaking, research, advocacy and community-advised solutions have helped individuals, families, businesses and organizations create charitable funds to improve lives for all Oregonians.
Portland, OR. Are you interested in supporting organizations in Oregon working on restorative justice, law enforcement reform and anti-racist initiatives? There are many options. You can learn more about these organizations in Oregon that are working on restorative justice, law enforcement reform and anti-racist initiatives. (Some have held gatherings like the Portland NAACP event on May 29th, pictured above called a “Eulogy for Black America”.)
The list of organizations is dynamic and continues to grow but includes nonprofits like The Portland African American Leadership Forum which helps the black community build civic participation and leadership, as well as Urban League of Portland, which is one of Oregon’s oldest civil rights and social service organizations, empowering African-Americans and others to achieve equality in education, employment, health, economic security and quality of life.
Portland, OR. The William Temple House Thrift Store will reopen on Monday, June 1st at noon. Administrators are reassuring the public they will be following best practices to keep everyone safe. “We are taking safety precautions to keep shoppers and staff safe…Face coverings are required to shop at the store,” the organization stipulated in a news release. The Thrift Store is located just off NW 23rd Avenue in the Nob Hill shopping district and profits from the store support the work of the nonprofit. William Temple House is a nonprofit offering mental health counseling, healthy food, and more to individuals and families in the Portland region.
Additionally, William Temple House is also starting to take donations.
Advocates say they’re seeing more requests for emergency clothes these days, so donations are appreciated.
From William Temple House:
Here’s information on How to Donate Items:
Donations are generally accepted every day except Mondays during store hours. We may limit the number of items we accept due to sanitation and space constraints. For larger donations, we recommend calling 503.222.3328 to make sure we have space to receive your items that day.
The new business hours are as follows:
10 am to 6 pm Monday through Saturday
11 am to 6 pm Sunday
When dropping off your items, please plan to unload items yourself and leave them outside the Thrift Store donation dock to maintain proper social distancing. Our donation pick-up service will not be available at this time.
Portland, OR. The Rose Parade on Saturday, June 6th will be a virtual parade featuring shoe box-size floats created by community members. Organizers say the event will be a celebration of marching bands, equestrian units, and other Rose Festival parade favorites. It will be a Facebook Live streaming event (here’s a link for the festivities), but viewers do not need a Facebook account to watch.
Participants were invited to use materials from home to build parade floats and submit a photograph or video for a June 6th video streaming presentation.
On May 22nd, the Portland Rose Festival kicked off its 2020 season with a virtual opening night concert and fireworks streamed on Facebook. This year, most Rose Festival events and activities have been suspended, so organizers had to find creative ways to celebrate despite the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Porch Parade encouraged people to decorate outside their homes.
Taking inspiration from the holiday tradition of loading the family in the car and touring neighborhood light displays, the Rose Festival has created a spring-time version with a Porch Parade.
Dignitaries formed a procession to tour selected homes that have registered at ParadingInPlace.com.
Porch Parade decorations are to remain on display May 16 through May 31.
You can check out the map at this link: View the Map
Residents with rose gardens visible from the street or sidewalks were also encouraged to register.
The Royal Rosarians “Roses for Hope” rose garden celebration included in the Porch Parade map features rose gardens visible from the street. Although viewable all summer, the Rosarians Roses for Hope will conclude with a virtual Rose Garden celebration on June 16, at 6:30 p.m. (via Zoom). #ROSESforHOPE
From The Rose Festival:
The Portland Rose Festival Foundation is a 501(c)(3) non-profit that serves families and individuals with programs and events that promote the arts, education and volunteerism. We value environmental responsibility, diversity, patriotism and our historic & floral heritage.
Portland, OR. The Oregon Humane Society (OHS) received a record-breaking donation of $51,560 from Lithia Subaru of Oregon City on May 5th. The gift will help provide care for the thousands of animals who come to OHS each year. Pictured above is Ryan Vaughan, General Sales Manager for Lithia Subaru of Oregon City during a “socially distanced” check presentation for OHS.
“This generous donation is critical as we work to care for animals during these challenging times,” said Sharon Harmon, OHS President, and CEO. “We are so grateful to Lithia Subaru of Oregon City for their ongoing support. They recognize the special connection people have with animals and have been a valued partner for more than a decade.”
Lithia Subaru selected OHS for the sixth year in a row as the beneficiary of their “Share the Love” event, where $300 from every vehicle purchased or leased from Nov. 14, 2019 to Jan. 2, 2020 went toward the cause.
“We are proud to continue supporting such an important organization,” said Ryan Vaughan, General Sales Manager for Lithia Subaru of Oregon City. “We simply could not provide this level of assistance without the support of our amazing customers.”
The national “Share the Love” event, now in its 12th year, is expected to bring $170 million to local and national charities, proving there is no limit to the amount of love we can all share.
From Oregon Humane Society:
The Oregon Humane Society is the Northwest’s oldest and largest humane society, with one of the highest adoption rates in the nation. OHS receives no government funds for its adoption, education and animal cruelty investigation programs. Visit oregonhumane.org for more information.
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