Portland Society Page Celebrates First Anniversary by Giving Big Brothers/Big Sisters “Bright Spot Award”

Portland Society Page Celebrates First Anniversary by Giving Big Brothers/Big Sisters “Bright Spot Award”

by | Nov 11, 2012 | Events, Features, Fundraisers, Uncategorized | 3 comments

Portland, November 7th. After publishing 384 stories about local nonprofits and racking up over 120,000 page views, PortlandSocietyPage.com is marking its first anniversary by handing out the “Bright Spot Award” to Big Brothers/Big Sisters Columbia Northwest. The award recognizes an event which captured the imagination of our readers, and in this case prompted them to give our Big Brothers/Big Sisters story the most “thumbs-up” votes of any article on the website. We made the announcement at a gathering for The Baltazar Ortiz Community Mentoring Initiative where we visited with Danielle, who’s pictured with me, Editor Elisa Klein, and her program little sister, Kyara. It was a chance to learn more about the new program.

The Baltazar Ortiz Community Mentoring Initiative (BOCMI) is an innovative program that will help at-risk Hispanic teen-agers re-engage with their schooling and take ownership of their futures and enable Hispanic children in 3-6 grades develop a one-to-one mentoring relationship that will help them improve their academic achievement.

The Baltazar Ortiz Community Mentoring Initiative (BOCMI) is an innovative program that connects Hispanic teens who serve as mentors to younger neighborhood children helping them to improve their positive social skills and academic achievement.

The Baltazar Ortiz Community Mentoring Initiative is a partnership between Big Brothers Big Sisters, Hacienda CDC, and Multnomah County. The mentoring takes place at the Multnomah County Health Clinic located at the Baltazar Ortiz Community Center.

Emanuel and Jerry enjoy the program. The Baltazar Ortiz Community Mentoring Initiative is a partnership between Big Brothers Big Sisters, Hacienda CDC, and Multnomah County. The mentoring takes place at the Multnomah County Health Clinic located at the Baltazar Ortiz Community Center.

Moses and Torrence are part of the program. The teenage volunteers meet with their Little Brothers and Sisters once a week, for one hour -- save the last week of the month.

Moses and Torrence are part of the program. Teenage volunteers like Torrence meet with their Little Brothers or Sisters once a week, for one hour. Together they participate in activities which might include playing sports, doing homework, learning a new hobby or working on a craft project; organizers say it’s beneficial for both.

Jacqui and Estrella are learning first hand BOCMI is a win-win situation The program design prevents both teen mentors and their matches from becoming “latch-key” kids.

Jacqui and Estrella are learning first hand BOCMI is a win-win situation. The organized activities prevent both teen mentors and their matches from becoming “latch-key” kids.

Abby Herrera, Bryan Ortega, Christina Starr and Drea Robideau

Abby Herrera, Bryan Ortega, Christina Starr and Drea Robideau help the kids become successful.

We were pleased to honor Big Brothers/Big Sisters with PortlandSocietyPage.com Bright Spot Award. In addition to added community exposure for the nonprofit and a monetary donation, the award includes a chance to publicize an upcoming event with an advertisement which now appears on the sidebar of our site. The ad has information about Big Brothers/Big Sisters’ 10th annual Start Something Breakfast which is coming up on Thursday, November 15th.   Tickets are still available.

PortlandSocietyPage.com is a the only website devoted to nonprofit news in Portland. If we publish an article about your favorite nonprofit, please give it a “thumbs up”. Each story we post has as a “like” button at the bottom. Just press that button and you’ll help select our next “Bright Spot” recipient. There’s an ongoing tally which can be seen on the right-hand side of the page.

About PortlandSocietyPage.com:
Launched in the fall of 2011 as a free public platform for nonprofit news, PortlandSocietyPage.com is thriving. We have the most comprehensive nonprofit event calendar in our area. Our coverage is always free. We’re also looking for advertisers! Please let us know if you’d like to reach our terrific readers with your marketing message! The PortlandSocietyPage.com website has additional information about this opportunity. Here’s a link: http://www.portlandsocietypage.com/advertise/

Portland, Oregon Chef’s Table Celebrates Top Recipes

Portland, Oregon Chef’s Table Celebrates Top Recipes

by | Oct 3, 2012 | Features, Lifestyle, Uncategorized

Portland, September 30th. Here’s a lifestyle story…Veteran food Writer Laurie Wolf marked the release of her new book with friends and foodies. Portland, Oregon Chefs Table: Extraordinary Recipes from the City is the first cookbook to gather Portland’s current top chefs and restaurants under one cover.

Laurie had the help of her daughter, Olivia at the booksigning.

Laurie had the help of her daughter, Olivia at the book-signing.

Portland, Oregon Chefs Table: Extraordinary Recipes from the City is the first cookbook to gather Portland's top chefs and restaurants under one cover.

With over 70 recipes for the home cook from more than 60 of the city’s most celebrated restaurants, Portland, Oregon Chefs Table is a celebration of what the New York Times calls the city’s “Golden Age” of dining and drinking.

Lisa Schroeder from Mother's Bistro and Mirna Attar from

Lisa Schroeder of Mother’s Bistro and Mirna Attar of Ya Hala

The book-signing took place at Pastaworks on Hawthorne which has a walk-through enterence to the Powells Books next door.

The book-signing took place at Pastaworks on Hawthorne which has a walk-through entrance to the Powell’s Books next door.

Author Laurie Wolf and PortlandSocietyPage.com editor, Elisa Klein

Author Laurie Wolf and PortlandSocietyPage.com editor, Elisa Klein (Laurie’s our neighbor – we’re fans!)

Karen Parkin, Graeme Parkin, D'Mark Mick and Cathy Mick

Karen Parkin, Graeme Parkin, D’Mark Mick and Cathy Mick

Bruce Wolf is Laurie's husband and the award winning photographer for the book. He's pictured with Rick Gehrke and Kate Wagle

Bruce Wolf is Laurie’s husband and the award winning photographer for the book. He’s pictured with Rick Gehrke and Kate Wagle

The Book is available on line at at bookstores including Powell’s.

Featured chefs included:
Amber Webster of 23 Hoyt,
Jobie Bailey of DOC,
Kevin Gibson of Evoe,
Chris Israel of Grüner,
Erik Van Kley of Little Bird Bistro,
Tracy Olsen of Random Order Coffeehouse & Baker,
Ben Bettinger (or sous) of Rum Club,
Erin Eberlein-Sage (pastry chef) of Screen Door,
David Gaspar de Alba of Yakuza Lounge,

Here’s some additional information:

Review:

“Laurie Wolf’s book has made me fall in love with Portland all over again. I moved to this city precisely because of the fantastic food scene, and seeing it captured so vividly through Laurie’s writing, the pitch-perfect recipe selection, and Bruce Wolf’s gorgeous photography simply confirms the premise that Portland is paradise. Now anyone can experience the charms of the city, and even enjoy the flavors in their own kitchens.” Martha Holmberg, founding editor of MIX magazine, and author of Modern Sauces

Review:

“In the same vein as Under the Tuscan Sun and A Year in Provence gave the reader a sense of place via the foods of the area, this beautiful book conveys what is most wonderful about Portland.” Marcy Blum, celebrity event planner

Synopsis:

Celebrating Portland’s best restaurants and eateries with recipes and photographs,Portland, Oregon Chef’s Table profiles signature “at home” recipes from over 40 legendary dining establishments. A keepsake cookbook for tourists and locals alike, the book is a celebration of Portland’s farm-to-table way of life.

About the Author

Laurie Wolf was the food editor at Child magazine for eighteen years. She is also an accomplished food stylist whose work has been featured in Vogue, New York, Glamour, and more. She is the author of Candy Countdown and The Do It Myself Cookbook, among others. Visit her at foodfiendpdx.com. Bruce Wolf, an award-winning photographer, has shot commercial photography for numerous clients, including Martha Stewart, Vogue, New York, Architectural Digest, Viking, Jenn Air, G.E., and more.