Portland, February 2nd, 2016. Concordia University hosted the 5th Annual Governor Victor Atiyeh Leadership in Education Awards and Carl Talton was honored as a community leader who has made significant contributions to improving education in the Pacific Northwest and his S.T.E.A.M advocacy. (Photo credit, Andie Petkus)
Those who value his contributions took time to sing Carl Talton’s praises in this tribute video.
Carl Talton received a standing ovation from the hundreds of attendees.
Talton has dedicated his life to enriching and improving the lives of Portland residents. He has a 40-year record of community service, initiating and serving on the boards of numerous organizations focused on economic growth, housing development, health issues and education.
He is a founding member of the STEAM Coalition of Northeast Portland, which works to prepare students of color for STEAM jobs – those in the fields of Science, Technology, Engineering, Art and Technology. He is also a founding member of the Northeast Community Development Corporation, an affordable housing developer whose mission is to improve the quality of life for the culturally diverse population of inner north/northeast Portland.
The award, given each year in early spring, is designed to honor leaders for their unique and important contributions to significantly improving education in the Pacific Northwest or beyond. Named after Oregon’s esteemed former Governor Victor Atiyeh for his life-long passion and leadership for education.
Design Partner at Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers, John Maeda, was this year’s keynote speaker.
Artist, graphic designer, computer scientist, educator and technical advisor to startups, John Maeda is leading a national conversation about the role artists and designers play in a new creative economy and the business impact of design. In recognition of his work bridging design, computer science and business, “Esquire” magazine named Maeda one of the 75 most influential people of the 21st century.
The proceeds from this event will benefit Concordia student scholarships and the 3 to PhD initiative, a public-private partnership between Concordia University, Faubion School, and Portland Public Schools as we develop a new national model to create safer, healthier, more educated communities.
Concordia University is a private nonprofit, liberal arts university in Portland, Oregon. The school of approximately 5,400 undergraduate and graduate students is affiliated with the Lutheran Church–Missouri Synod and the Concordia University System. Located in Northeast Portland, the school also has branch campuses across Oregon and operates the Concordia University School of Law in Boise, Idaho. The university has four colleges and eighteen majors. Athletic teams, known as the Cavaliers, are members of the Cascade Collegiate Conference and compete at the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) level.
Portland, February 7, 2016. Thinking about taking the plunge? Go for it! As a polar “plunger” you register to participate in one of the five plunges around the state. Then you raise a minimum of $50 in pledges from friends and family. On plunge day you run or jump into the water and get out as fast as you can. You decide how far you want to go in. It’s all done for fun and to raise money for a great cause. The Corvallis Plunge is excited to welcome back some returning OSU sororities and fraternities: Delta Gamma OSU, Kappa Kappa Gamma~Oregon State University, Chi Theta Phi, & Oregon State Phi Kappa Psi.
Do you have what it takes to be a SUPER Plunger? This crazy group raises $3000 each to earn the privilege of plunging every hour for 24 straight hours. It’s an elite bunch, but they’re always looking for new members.
The Sweet Home Police Department and the Albany Police Department are tied for the largest teams to take the Plunge on February 13th in Corvallis.
The Corvallis Polar Plunge has some other veteran teams returning in 2016 including the Willamette Roller Derby/Sick Town Derby Dames, West Albany High School & Polk Smurfs.
The top fundraiser for 2015 was Alicia Lynch. She was a Super Plunger and raised $6,300 for Special Olympics Oregon.
The plunge last year raised $412,00 and organizers are hoping for more this February. It’s all to benefit Special Olympics.
About Special Olympics:
The mission of Special Olympics Oregon is to provide year-round sports training and athletic competition in a variety of Olympic-type sports for children and adults with intellectual disabilities, giving them continuing opportunities to develop physical fitness, demonstrate courage, experience joy, and participate in a sharing of gifts, skills, and friendship with their families, other Special Olympics athletes, and the community.
Portland, February 6th, 2016. Building facades were glowing with animated projections, light was dancing off the Willamette River near OMSI during the inaugural Portland Winter Light Festival. The festival, organized by the nonprofit Willamette Light Brigade, attracted premier artists who brought excitement to the city during a time of year when it is often quiet.
Chad ‘Fez’ Gaetz of GuildWorks and the Alchemy Arts Collective designed Helianthus Enormae – The giant luminous sunflower.
Hosted by OMSI, no tickets were needed for this event on the East Bank of the Willammette River.
There were many associated events. Clever Cycles had a one-of-a-kind bike parade with battery-powered lights.
For a different view, some took a free ride on the Portland Spirit right to the festival’s hub.
The free event showcased light art and performance from Northwest artists as a series of light-based installations, projections, performances and activities that expand the boundaries of art and technology.
The Portland Winter Light Festival is partnered with 14 Affiliate Events, featuring an array of artists, performers, and interactive experiences during the four nights of the festival.
Featured this year:
ZGF & Uncorked Studios – Wayfinding Towers Clever Cycles – Lighted Bike Parade Night Shade Shadow Theater – Shadow puppet performance Oregon Shadow Theater – Shadow performance Hollywood Theater – Neon Sculpture PNCA – Projector installation Portland Spirit – Free rides and entertainment from Portland Opera Regional Arts & Culture Council (RACC) – Video Projection PSU School of Art & Design Students – Installation Oregon Rail Heritage Center – Illuminated building The Cosmic Messenger – Interactive lighted sculpture TriMet – Dana Lynn Louis, Circus Luminescence, & Last Regiment of Syncopated Drummers
From Portland Winter Light Festival:
The Portland Winter Light Festival (PWLF) is an event of the Willamette Light Brigade, a non-profit organization. The PWLF is a free, community-wide, annual winter arts attraction and cultural event that will transform, illuminate and animate Portland’s nighttime urban landscape each February. It’s focus is a series of light-based installations, projections, performances and activities that expand the boundaries of art and technology.
We gratefully accept donations year round to help the Portland Winter Light Festival grow. Your individual donation is tax deductible as the Willamette Light Brigade (WLB) is a 501(c)(3) non-profit
Portland, January 21st, 2016. Trail Blazer Al Farouq Aminu hit the hardwood to celebrate the grand opening of the Friends of the Children 8,500 square foot youth service and community center. It’s a place that can make a difference. Officials say neighbors in the Rockwood region of East Multnomah County have to battle violence and crime. Many struggle to cope with the chronic stress that results from being poor and disadvantaged. Friends of the Children directly addresses such social problems through its successful mentorship program that focuses on changing the lives of the most vulnerable children in our communities.
Trailblazer Al Farouq Aminu shared his vision with Friends of Children Founder Duncan Campbell.
The center also has places for kids to learn and Marie Marshall was lending a hand in the science lab.
The needs are great for youth and community services in this region. According to a 2014 Multnomah County report, Rockwood is top among a handful of metro area neighborhoods that face issues such as low-income, high unemployment, low voter registration, higher teen pregnancy and gang violence.
“For too many children in our community, their zip code determines their opportunity to succeed in life,” explains Megan Lewis, Friends’ executive director. “Sixty percent of the youth in our programs come from homes where at least one parent did not complete high school and 50 percent have a parent who struggles with substance abuse. While we have already been making an investment in East County – more than tripling our presence since 2010 – this facility will continue that momentum and allow mentors to spend more high-quality time with the young people in our programs.”
The new facility will provide a broad scope of opportunities for program youth, including a teaching kitchen where children can learn the essentials of healthy cooking, a full-size gymnasium that will promote the value of physical activity and computer and video rooms – featuring a green screen – to encourage the young people to explore and create in a digital environment.
All these features, combined with the direct one-on-one relationships between the mentors and youth, will allow Friends of the Children to continue to have a positive impact whose outcomes include: 83 percent of its youth graduate from high school, 93 percent avoid the justice system and 98 percent avoid early pregnancy.
From Friends of the Children:
Friends of the Children–Portland is the founding chapter of a nationwide organization dedicated to breaking the cycle of generational poverty through salaried, professional mentoring. Founded in Portland in 1993, it selects the area’s highest risk children and commits to working with those children from kindergarten through graduation. Currently, Friends–Portland serves 425 youth in 120 schools across Multnomah, Washington, and Clackamas Counties in Oregon, and Clark County in Washington.
Portland, January 28th, 2016. The Pittock Mansion just secured a $29,000 grant for Pittock Connect, the next phase of the Visitor Experience Plan. Pittock Connect will include a new app which visitors can use to learn as they tour. The new technology will expand the educational value of the Pittock while maintaining the fun that makes Pittock Mansion Museum appealing to those who are unlikely to be reached by other cultural and educational institutions.
Soon visitors will be able to access in-depth historical information via a new Pittock app. It will include improved directional signage and added narrative and interactive enhancements to the permanent exhibit.
To launch Pittock Connect administrators will make their website more user-friendly by improving its design and creating platforms for users to interact. Next, they will connect visitors with dynamic content from Pittock Mansion Society’s extensive archives with an app.
To launch Pittock Connect administrators will make their website more user-friendly by improving its design and creating platforms for users to interact. Next, they will connect visitors with dynamic content from Pittock Mansion Society’s extensive archives with an app. After being invited to access the app in the ticket area, surrounding park, or through online searches for Pittock Mansion, users will be able to dig deeper into topics that pique their interest as they learn about Pittock Mansion and Portland history through photographs, illustrations, quotes, biographical material, and more. The app will highlight multiple perspectives, including those of the women and minorities who played a large part in the daily life of early 20th century Portland.
The Pittock development team successfully secured funding support for Pittock Connect fromThe Jackson Foundation and an anonymous family foundation. These foundations provided sufficient funding to begin and we will continue to work to secure the remaining funds needed. Officials intend to have the updated website and Pittock app ready for the general public by the end of 2016.
They are excited to enrich the Pittock Mansion experience and create a valuable, modern resource for all who want to learn about regional history.
Every January they clean the house from top to bottom – from polishing the marble floors, to dusting the banisters in the grand staircase, to clearing the copper gutters on the roof!
The Pittock Mansion will reopen to the public on February 1st.
The north entry features a bronze bust of Henry Pittock. The 1906 original plaster bust was donated by Caroline Pittock Leadbetter and was cast in bronze in 1993.
From the Pittock Mansion:
The Pittock Mansion was home to Portland pioneers Henry and Georgiana Pittock from 1914 to 1919. During the late 1800s and the early 1900s, their lives and work paralleled the growth of Portland from a small Northwest town site to a thriving city with a quarter million population. With its eclectic architectural design and richly decorated interior, including family artifacts, the Pittock Mansion stands today as a living memorial of this family’s contributions to the blossoming of Portland and its people.
On a hike of Larch Mountain, one of Henry Pittock’s companions suggested they sit down and rest. Henry responded “those people who stop on the way never get very far.”
English-born Henry Lewis Pittock journeyed on a wagon train from Pennsylvania to Oregon in 1853 where, at the young age of 19, and in his own words, “barefoot and penniless,” he began working for Thomas Jefferson Dryer’s Weekly Oregonian newspaper. In 1860, at the age of 26, he married 15-year-old Georgiana Martin Burton of Missouri. Six years prior, Georgiana had crossed the plains from Keokuk, Iowa to Oregon Territory with her parents. Georgiana’s father E.M. Burton was a flour mill owner and one of early Portland’s well known building contractors.
Together, Henry and Georgiana began a long life of work, community service, and devotion to family, which would last 58 years and celebrate six children and eighteen grandchildren.
A consummate businessman, Henry Pittock took ownership of the Weekly Oregonian in 1860, changing its format to the daily paper we read today. He went on to build an empire incorporating real estate, banking, railroads, steamboats, sheep ranching, silver mining, and the pulp and paper industry.
Georgiana dedicated herself to improving the lives of the community’s women and children. She helped found the Ladies Relief Society in 1867, whose Children’s Home provided care, food, and shelter for needy children. Georgiana also worked with the Woman’s Union, and played a key role in building the Martha Washington Home for single, working women.
The couple was known for their quiet reserve, helpful demeanor, and love for the outdoors. Georgiana cherished gardening, and kept a terraced flower garden at the mansion covered with every kind of flower imaginable. She frequently adorned her house with cut flowers, and is recognized for originating the tradition of Portland’s annual Rose Festival.
A vigorous outdoorsman, Henry rode horses in the Rose Festival parades, and was a member of the first party to climb Mt. Hood, one of the spectacular peaks visible from the mansion. Henry and Georgiana were at the pinnacle of their successful lives when they commissioned architect Edward Foulkes to design and build their new home overlooking Portland, the city they loved.
They began planning and designing their new home in 1909. The mansion was completed in 1914, replete with stunningly progressive features including a central vacuum system, intercoms, and indirect lighting. The house also creatively incorporated Turkish, English, and French designs. In keeping with their loyalty to their home state, the Pittocks hired Oregon craftsmen and artisans, and used Northwest materials to build the house. The final estate included the mansion, a three-car garage, a greenhouse, and the Italianate gate lodge servants’ residence, all situated on 46 acres of land almost 1,000 feet above downtown Portland.
At 80 and 68 respectively, Henry and Georgiana moved to their new home. The hard-working couple who had lived in the heart of Portland as it developed from a forest clearing to a bustling business center, now resided high in the hills, with a breathtaking vista of their beloved Portland. It was a warm and gracious house for both the adults and children of the family.
Pittock grandchildren enjoying the mansion’s grounds, circa 1922.
Georgiana died in 1918 at the age of 72, and Henry in 1919 at 84. The Pittock family remained in residence at the mansion until 1958, when Peter Gantenbein, a Pittock grandson who had been born in the house, put the estate on the market.
The threat of demolition at the hands of land developers, and the extensive damage caused by a storm in 1962, brought concerned citizens together to raise funds to preserve the site. Seeing this popular support, and agreeing that the house had tremendous value as a unique historic resource, the City of Portland purchased the estate in 1964 for $225,000. Fifteen months were spent restoring it. The mansion opened to the public in 1965, and has been a community landmark ever since.
A house of historical significance and visual magnificence, the Pittock Mansion today offers us a uniquely personal opportunity to peek into the past, and study our world as it was – from the viewpoint of one Portland family.
Portland, January 27th, 2016. The Sneak Peek Charity Preview Party was back for its third year offering the opportunity to support local charities and take advantage of a rare Sneak Peek at the entire auto show before the crowds.
KGW’s Cassidy Quinn did her live shots from the event.
The Auto Show Executive Director, Greg Remensperger, told crowds the event was a great kickoff for the show.
The kids loved Optimus Prime from the Transformers franchise.
Visitors were able to get up close and personal with the new Prius.
Is this the color you’d choose for your Bentley?
This year the show had added an exciting new opportunity: people who bought a ticket had the chance to win a 2016 Lexus IS 200T.
The charities which benefited including Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation, Boys & Girls Club of Portland, Meals on Wheels People, Providence Cancer Center and the Victory Academy all helped sell the tickets to the event.
Portland, January 1st, 2016. The Gerding Theater at the Armory was crowded with merrymakers ready to make 2016 a year to remember. Members of Junior League and their friends and family flocked to the renovated community space in Portland’s Pearl District to celebrate the new year (photo credit, Phototainment).
The two-tiered lobby was the location for the New Years countdown.
With Michael Burns, Sarah Burns, Kate Carmack and Scott Carmack at The Gerding Theatre at the Armory.
Tina Dossett Tunney, Leslie Ramsey Nevius, KaDo Gorman and Bonnie J. Stewart at The Gerding Theatre at the Armory.
From the Junior League of Portland:
The Junior League of Portland is an organization of women committed to promoting voluntarism, developing the potential of women, and improving communities through the effective action and leadership of trained volunteers. Its purpose is exclusively educational and charitable.
Portland, January 23st, 2016. Fertile Ground 2016 is a 11-day arts festival held January 21st through 31 in Portland. This city-wide festival is focused on new work in the Arts. It features world premiere projects (like Box of Clowns presents Mustache Party! The Dalí Show) staged readings, developing works and a myriad of other arts events from the Portland creative community. The 2015 Festival included more than 75 Portland-generated new works. From fully staged world premieres in theatre to lunchtime readings and more. You can see a complete list online.
Daisy Dukes Shorts Night is a workshop production by PDXPlaywrights (photo credit, StephanieRoberts)
There’s a fully staged world premiere at Milagro Theatre Group. Broken Promises is by Olga Sanchez, Directed by Francisco Garcia and Choreography by Gabriela Portuguez.
There’s a theatre workshop by Whink Productions exploring Buried Fire, Music & Lyrics by Dave Fleschner, Book by Wayne Harrel, Directed by Judy Straalsund (photo credit, Amanda Gresham).
CoHo Productions presents The Yellow Wallpaper By Sue Mach, Conceived by Grace Carter
Between Worlds is presented by The Circus Project (photo credit, Micah Reese)
Groovin Greenhouse is presented by Portland Bellydance Guild (photo, credit Phoebus-Foto)
From Fertile Ground:
Unlike a typical fringe festival, Fertile Ground features the finest new work of our LOCAL artists, performers and resident theater companies, ensuring that the artistic and financial benefits of the festival stay in Portland. Where other New Works Festivals are curated by one theater company and typically feature a string of staged readings, this festival is collaboratively shaped by variety of aesthetic voices. Fertile Ground features a full range of artistic experience, giving audiences a greater depth and breadth of work from which to choose in a concentrated time frame. From Portland’s oldest and largest producing institutions to its newest, smallest or self-produced companies, the Fertile Ground Festival offers the breadth of creation. For this reason we feel this festival is nationally unique, providing a new model for creating and sharing new work that will be of substantive value to the national theater and arts.
Fertile Ground was launched by the Portland Area Theatre Alliance (the service organization for Portland theater artists and organizations) in 2009 to provide a platform for Portland theater companies to showcase their commitment to new work; and to invite regional and national artists, artistic leaders and arts aficionados to discover for themselves that Portland truly is fertile ground for creativity, innovation, and daring acts of performance. Fertile Ground has grown its scope of offerings to encompass the open field of arts creation to include dance, comedy and visual arts. Fertile Ground aspires to provide a forum where art lovers near and far will come to appreciate that Portland truly is fertile ground for creativity, innovation, and daring acts of performance.
Portland, January 15th, 2016. It’s the closing weekend of Artist’s Repertory Theater’s much heralded production of The Miracle Worker. The dramatic telling of the story of Helen Keller and her teacher, Annie Sullivan, has thrilled audiences. (Photo credit, Owen Carey) To promote the show and a local nonprofit making playgrounds more accessible for children with disabilities, Harper’s Playground, Artists Repertory Theater donated 20% of ticket sales from several performances of The Miracle Worker to Harper’s Playground
For children with disabilities, most of our playground equipment in our public parks is unusable, effectively excluding them from participation. The Harper’s Playground project seeks to remedy this by providing an accessible and inclusive environment for children and adults of all abilities.
Administrators at ART learned that Agatha Olson, who plays Helen, has been involved with Harper’s Playground and her family knows the founding family, as well.
The Miracle Worker features Agatha Olson as Helen Keller with Val Landrum as Anne Sullivan (photo by Owen Carey)
The Miracle Worker featuring Joshua Weinstein, Agatha Olson, Val Landrum, Amy Newman (photo by Owen Carey).
From ART:
Artists Repertory Theatre Portland’s premier mid-size regional theatre company is led by Artistic Director Dámaso Rodriguez and Managing Director Sarah Horton. Founded in 1982, Artists Repertory Theatre is the longest running professional theatre company in Portland. For the 2015/16 season Artists Rep offers eight bold and entertaining plays written by internationally acclaimed playwrights, and guided by esteemed directors. Artists Rep productions feature the work of a core group of accomplished Resident Artists, each with a shared history and a shorthand for collaboration, working alongside guest artists from Portland and beyond. Artists Rep’s mission is to engage diverse audiences in fresh, thought-provoking and intimate theatre. We are committed to world-class acting, directing, design and stagecraft that support new playwriting and aspire to embody great literature, moving audiences to truly feel — to experience — storytelling in a way that only the best live theatre can.
From Harper’s Playground:
Harper’s Playground at Arbor Lodge Park, Portland’s first and only fully inclusive playground, opened in 2012 and has become a destination for families across the city and region. Click here for a map and address, and we hope to see you there soon!
Harper’s Playground’s next project at Gateway Park (Northeast) is currently in the final design phase and will begin construction in 2016. Click here to read more!
We are also beginning to fundraise and build community support for a new fully inclusive playground at Couch Park (Northwest). Click here for more about that project!
Portland, January 17th, 2016. There’s still time to join your friends and neighbors honoring the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. by volunteering over MLK Weekend. Last year, according to the United Way of the Columbia-Willamette, over 1,600 people in our area volunteered over the three-day weekend. Out at Gilbert Heights Elementary teens were sprucing up the community garden for Camp Fire Columbia. For the ninth year in a row, United Way of the Columbia-Willamette and Hands On Greater Portland are teaming up to make it easy for you to take action across Multnomah, Washington, Clackamas, and Clark Counties and make a difference through volunteer service. Here’s a link to volunteer opportunities.
Each week a group of students from the Camp Fire program tends the garden to learn about local plants and vegetables, planting, maintaining gardens and healthy eating.
Open School students and employees from event sponsor Umpqua Bank worked side by side assembling STEM science kits.
The volunteers had some help from Portland Mayor Charlie Hales.
Last year, local volunteers contributed a total of 6,416 hours through 72 different volunteer projects throughout the four-county region. United Way’s Hands On Greater Portland team, the organizer of the weekend’s festivities, estimates the value of the volunteers’ service at $136,982, based on the estimated value of a volunteer’s time at $21.35* per hour.
Volunteers from across the four counties collaborated on a variety of projects from painting, stocking shelves, restoring books for preschoolers, preparing food boxes, and beautifying school gardens and parks.
Approximately 45 of the volunteer projects were directly related to helping low-income kids and families, supporting United Way’s overall strategy to break the cycle of childhood poverty in our region.
“United Way is proud to recognize the life and legacy of Dr. King, and provide a space where residents across our four counties can link arms in service to move critical work necessary to strengthening our region,” said Keith Thomajan, United Way of the Columbia-Willamette’s President and CEO. “Dr. King believed that everyone plays a role in making America what it ought to be. By making service a part of our daily lives, we can help realize Dr. King’s dream and improve the lives of low-income kids and families across our region.”
Today, we kicked off MLK Weekend of Service with NW Natural at The Children’s Book Bank where volunteers cleaned hundreds of books that will be distributed to youth in our community. Thank you NW Natural for being a sponsor of MLK Weekend of Service and making a difference!
You can help kids and families by packaging food, cleaning up schools, making blankets for children in need, and more. Or, choose from a wide variety of projects that fit your interests, from socializing animals to beautifying parks.
Volunteers were helping to transform Living Cully Plaza on NE Killingsworth into a space for the community.
Volunteers were cleaning bikes for kids at Community Cycling Center.
17 hardy volunteers braved the elements at Portland Memory Garden in honor of Dr. King.
Here’s a video about the history and future of MLK day. Corporation for National and Community Service
“Life’s most persistent and urgent question is, ‘What are you doing for others?'” – Martin Luther King, Jr.
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