Portland, OR. Impact NW, an organization that fights homelessness by supporting struggling families, continues to operate despite going fully remote as of March 13th, 2020. Their staff now provides rental and energy assistance online and conducts home visits via video call.
Development Director Ada Dortch explains that Impact NW’s academic support programs have had to do the most adaptation due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Dortch explains that, due to school closures, staff members have had to shift their focus away from general community support work towards individual case management. Each family is affected differently: school closures, mass layoffs, and pay cuts have raised new challenges for people trying to keep a roof over their heads. “We work with each family to meet their needs,” Dortch explains. “Everyone has been impacted in some way [by COVID-19].”
Soon, kids will be able to participate in in-person school workshops like this!
Despite these obstacles, Impact NW has had a surge of support from individuals as well as larger corporate donors. “We are only as strong as our community and our supporters,” says Dortch. She also points to the creativity and dedication of staff members as a major factor in the organization’s success in these tumultuous times.
For those looking to make themselves a part of this wave of contributions, Dortch suggests donating to the No Place Like Home drive for household supplies, which she cites as a major cause for concern among families who are struggling during the pandemic. In addition, Impact NW will hold a virtual fundraiser this September. Readers can expect to hear more about this event once the details are fully hammered out.
Impact NW has always responded to our community’s most pressing needs.
Formed in 1966 by neighbors in Portland’s Buckman neighborhood, community members came together to combat poverty and deteriorating conditions in Southeast Portland. The agency was originally named Portland Action Communities Together, Inc. (PACT).
Early Impact NW initiatives included employment programs, family counseling, food buying clubs, and a tool lending library. We helped develop Southeast Portland’s first Senior Center, Youth Service Center, and free health clinic. In the 1990s, we piloted Multnomah County’s first Parent-Child Development Services program and the Schools Uniting Neighborhoods (SUN) program. Throughout our organizational history we have always aimed to help people thrive and remain safely housed.
The organization was renamed Portland Impact in the 1980s, and later Impact NW as we expanded our services outside the Portland Metropolitan area.
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. Pittock Mansion’s current exhibit, Mount Hood Perspectives, is now available to view online. The exhibit is a juried community art show featuring the artistic interpretations of Portland’s most famous natural focal point by local photographers and artists. The gallery features photographs, like Joe Whittington‘s The Pearly Gates, which can be purchased through the site’s secure web store.
You can also take an interesting and educational virtual tour of the Pittock Mansion, which includes some “off-limit” staff areas. Check out this link: Pittock Mansion Virtual Tour.
Supporters hope the tour will whet your appetite for an in-person visit when the historic mansion reopens.
Pittock Mansion’s Mount Hood Perspectives was created by curators to draw visitors. Outreach for the exhibit includes this explanation: Mount Hood is a key part of Portland’s skyline, seated atop the Cascade Range to the east of the city. Residents and visitors alike look forward to when the clouds part and the mountain is visible, admiring how its snowy slopes vary from hour to hour, season to season. Discover artistic interpretations of this Portland icon by local artists. Click through the artists’ names below for more information and to view their online portfolios.
“It was particularly hard to close the Mansion during this exhibit because the art show features the work of local artists,” Curator Patti Larkin explains. “So we are excited that this exhibit is now available online for people to enjoy, while also providing an opportunity for individuals to support a section of our community that has been hit hard by the current situation.”
All the artwork is on display at the mansion, but the COVID19 closure has made viewing impossible right now.
Jarred Decker’s “St. Johns Fog” is an Aluminum chromaprint.
Harley Talkington’s “Bloom With A View” was created with Soft Pastels.
The exhibit is scheduled to be on view both online and when the Pittock Mansion reopens. Any artwork that is purchased will be available for pick-up after the exhibit closes. Shipping options are also available.
From Pittock Mansion:
With picture-perfect views of rivers, forests, bridges, and mountaintops – and 23 treasure-filled rooms – no other place in town offers a more breathtaking view and more revealing glimpse of Portland’s past. Portland pioneers Henry and Georgiana Pittock built Pittock Mansion in 1914 and it now stands as a living memorial of the family’s contributions to the blossoming city of Portland and its people. Situated on 46 acres of land almost 1,000 feet atop downtown Portland, the Pittock celebrated its centennial year in 2014.
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