Portland, April 3rd, 2013. Excited supporters of the Edwards Center dedicated the new Aloha Community Center. The singers of the Voices Unlimited choir performed in the Community Center’s “Great Room”. The new center, dedicated by special guest Washington County Commissioner Dick Schouten and Edwards Center founder Dr. Jean Edwards, hosted over 100 supporters, families, funders, and community members for a lively open house and dedication ceremony. Portland jazz pianist Tom Grant (a family member of one of Edwards Center’s clients) performed, as did opera singers Janet Chvatal and Marc Gremm. Chvatal and Gremm then introduced the Voices Unlimited choir to unveil the new Edwards Center theme song to the packed house.
Exterior of Edwards Center’s Aloha Community Center
A longtime dream of its founders, this community center is a place where people with developmental disabilities can take part in a variety of activities including adult education, job training, nutritious meals, and community events. The building was built with a barrier-free philosophy, featuring accessibility accommodations for people with a variety of abilities, well beyond ADA requirements. However the vision for the center isn’t just a place where adults with autism, Down syndrome, cerebral palsy, and other conditions can feel welcome, but a resource for the wider community as well. By opening its services beyond its usual clients, Edwards Center is creating a place where people across a wide spectrum of abilities can interact and learn from each other.
Dr. Jean Edwards prepares her remarks before the dedication.
Janet Chvatal and Marc Gremm, two internationally known opera singers, perform during the dedication ceremony.
A packed open house proceeded the event.
About the Aloha Community Center
The 11,000 sq. ft. Aloha Community Center features four classrooms, a meeting space for community groups, a kitchen and dining room that serves nutritious, low-cost meals in partnership with Meals on Wheels People, and a cafe to enable job training for adults with developmental disabilities. Open 7 days a week, the center provides meaningful daily activities for people with developmental disabilities and increase interaction with the wider community. The center is part of a larger neighborhood development planned by Edwards Center called the Aloha Project. Later this year ten homes will be built on the adjacent property to support life-long, multi-generational family living for adults with disabilities.
About Edwards Center
Edwards Center has served adults with developmental disabilities since 1972, when there were few services outside of the state institution, the Fairview Training Center. Edwards Center began as a day program that served just 6 individuals and in 1975 opened the first group home in Washington County housing disabled adults in the community. Today they provide homes, jobs, and recreational opportunities in 18 locations serving over 300 Oregonians with disabilities in Washington and Clackamas Counties.
Edwards Center’s mission is to enhance the lives of individuals with developmental disabilities by helping them reach their highest potential through training, education, employment, housing and social opportunities in safe, healthy and stimulating environments.
Portland, Ore. April, 19th, 2013 — The Bank of America Charitable Foundation has just selected Dress for Success Oregon as its annual Neighborhood Builder winner in Portland, an honor that entails a $200,000 unrestricted grant as well as leadership development training to help nonprofit leaders gain valuable skills while applying funding where it is most needed.
Roger Hinshaw (left) and Monique Barton (right) from Bank of America present Barb Attridge (center) with a $200,000 check for Dress For Success.
Each year in the Portland area, Bank of America honors one local nonprofit with the Neighborhood Builder award — as part of its broader philanthropy commitment — and focuses the Builder nominees on high-performing organizations that have a significant impact in the community within the funding areas of jobs, hunger and housing. By design, the Neighborhood Builder program is a strategic investment that pairs leadership training with the grant, in order to maximize impact and reach.
“Nonprofit organizations provide much-needed services to our local communities but too often they lack the resources and opportunity to invest in their own long-term planning, growth and development,” said Monique Barton, Bank of America’s senior vice president of corporate social responsibility. “By recognizing Dress for Success Oregon as our Neighborhood Builder winner this year, we know they will make an even greater impact and help more women get the resources they need to find a job and establish economic stability
The mission of Dress for Success is to promote the economic independence of disadvantaged women by providing professional attire, a network of support, a mentor and career development tools to help women thrive in work and in life. The organization helps low-income women in Portland and southwest Washington specifically build their self-esteem, create a network of support, get a job, transition off of public welfare and make choices that lead them out of poverty, according to Barb Attridge, the organization’s executive director and co-founder.
“We’re honored to receive this generous grant and training from Bank of America, which will help us lay the groundwork for a stable and sustainable organization, while increasing the infrastructure so that we can continue our growth to meet demand,” said Attridge. “Our long-term goal is to build multiple service centers within Oregon and Southwest Washington to serve a broader population and help more low-income women get the training and resources they need to gain and keep employment.”
Last year, Dress for Success Oregon helped 1,450 local, low-income women and, with Bank of America’s grant, the organization hopes to increase this number to at least 1,500 women this year and even more next year.
The $200,000 grant from Bank of America will support Dress for Success Oregon’s growth, infrastructure and program expansion by enabling the organization to hire two new employees, implement a course on personal finance education and increase by 10 percent the number of women served by the organization. The grant will also help establish Dress for Success’ Career Center which will be the organization’s first permanent venue to hold regular educational workshops including financial literacy and job preparation courses.
Information provided by Dress for Success and Bank of America.
About the Builder program
According to the Bridgespan Group, Neighborhood Builders is the largest investment in nonprofit leadership development: 2.5 times the next largest program (in spending) and the third largest in number of leaders served. Since 2004, Bank of America has invested more than $165 million through the program, recognized over 730 nonprofits and trained nearly 1,500 nonprofit leaders. The Neighborhood Builders program is a capstone initiative building on the bank’s broader philanthropic commitment to addressing core issues that are critical to the economic vitality of local economies, with a particular focus on low and moderate income communities.
About Bank of America Corporate Social Responsibility
Bank of America’s commitment to corporate social responsibility (CSR) is a strategic part of doing business globally. Our CSR efforts guide how we operate in a socially, economically, financially and environmentally responsible way around the world, to deliver for shareholders, customers, clients and employees. Our goal is to help create economically vibrant regions and communities through lending, investing and giving. By partnering with our stakeholders, we create value that empowers individuals and communities to thrive and contributes to the long-term success of our business. We have several core areas of focus for our CSR, including responsible business practices; environmental sustainability; strengthening local communities with a focus on housing, hunger and jobs; investing in global leadership development; and engaging through arts and culture. As part of these efforts, employee volunteers across the company contribute their time, passion and expertise to address issues in communities where they live and work. Learn more at www.bankofamerica.com/about and follow us on Twitter at @BofA_Community. For more Bank of America news, visit the Bank of America newsroom.
Portland, April 10th, 2013. For more than 40 years, Jean DeMaster has worked tirelessly to get homeless and low-income families and individuals out of the cold, off the streets, and into housing. (Photo Courtesy of Human Solutions)
Jean DeMaster at the Family Winter Shelter
This week, DeMaster, Executive Director at Human Solutions, was selected by the Portland Metropolitan Association of Realtors® and was honored at the Portland First Citizen Banquet at The Nines Hotel. DeMaster is the 85th recipient of this distinguished award, created in 1928 to honor civic achievements and business leadership.
“When I see families in really desperate situations, I know if Human Solutions can help provide shelter and housing, they won’t be suffering anymore. When people are waiting outside in the cold for the shelter to open, and you know that what they really need and want is housing, it makes me want to work harder to be sure that housing can be available for them,” said DeMaster.
The turnaround is gratifying, she said. “Many of the families are so miserable because they are literally living in their cars or in abandoned buildings,” DeMaster said. “We are happy we can provide shelter for them. They are so relieved at that point. That’s what keeps me going.” Typically, families only stay in shelter for three to five weeks before being placed into housing.
Realtors® understand just how much a safe and attractive house means to families, and it’s one of the reasons DeMaster feels so honored to receive the 2013 Portland First Citizen award. “The families we work with are all very low income, but they have the same desire to find a home, and begin to rebuild their lives. I’m honored to be recognized by the Portland Metropolitan Association of Realtors®.”
Carla Piluso, a member of the Human Solutions Board of Directors since 1996 and its current chair, called DeMaster one of her personal heroes. “Jean is the champion for those who cannot always speak for themselves. Not only does she provide those in the greatest need with a voice, she gives them the strength and confidence to find, and intimately shout out, with their own voice. She has touched the lives of thousands,” Piluso said.
A Wisconsin native, DeMaster moved to Portland after college and fell in love with the area, rain and all. Putting her graduate degree in clinical psychology to use, she initially worked as a social worker at Head Start. She moved on in 1973 to serve as Executive Director for Children’s Club, a child care center for children of low-income families.
During that period, DeMaster volunteered her time to an issue that would serve as a common theme throughout the next 40 years – ensuring safe places for women and children to live.
Over her career, DeMaster has volunteered her time to many different organizations, but the volunteer work she is most proud of is her part in the founding and early beginnings of Bradley Angle House. Founded in 1975, Bradley Angle House is the West Coast’s first domestic violence shelter, as well as one of the first emergency shelters for survivors of domestic violence in the country. It still exists as a safe shelter for women and children today.
In 1976, DeMaster, along with Kay Sohl, founded Technical Assistance for Community Services (TACS), an agency designed to provide training and consultation services for nonprofit agencies. TACS still exists today as the Nonprofit Association of Oregon.
In 1983, DeMaster became Executive Director of Transition Projects, Inc., a position she held for 11 years. It would prove to be a pivotal move. It was there she met Don Clark, former Multnomah County Commissioner, Sherriff, and Director of Central City Concern. He was instrumental in her understanding of the City of Portland.
DeMaster was also able to once again work on the issue near and dear to her heart: providing safe places for women. She succeeded. In 1993, Transition Projects opened Portland’s first homeless shelter and transitional housing facility that was solely for women. In honor of DeMaster’s leadership, the shelter was named Jean’s Place.
DeMaster went on to serve as Executive Director of the YWCA of Greater Portland. Her biggest project wasraising $9 million for the renovation of the downtown YWCA building to enhance programs ranging from aging and disability services to transitional housing.
That knack for fundraising would serve her well in the next major step in her professional career: Executive Director of Human Solutions. For the past 10 years, DeMaster has led the organization as it provides housing and services to people in Mid and East Multnomah County – eliminating barriers to escaping poverty through emergency family shelter, job training, affordable housing, eviction prevention, and emergency shelter. On any given night, Human Solutions provides housing or emergency shelter for approximately 240 homeless families – and more than 700 homeless people.
DeMaster’s proudest accomplishment at Human Solutions is the Rockwood Building, a four-year, $19 million project including 47 units of affordable housing and a multi-service center to serve homeless and low-income people in the Rockwood area, which faces one of the deepest levels of poverty in all of Multnomah County.
Today, the Rockwood Building includes 15 units of housing for homeless families and 32 units for low-income families. The Mt. Hood Community College Head Start Program, a Loaves and Fishes Center, LifeWorksNorthwest, Metropolitan Family Service, and the Wallace Medical Concern share office space there with Human Solutions.
Currently, DeMaster is tackling a 67-unit project that will provide workforce housing to people just starting out in their careers. Next, she’d like to mirror the Rockwood Building in the Portland area by creating another multi-service building that would house expanded office space for Human Solutions as well as bring people in the community together. It’s an exciting time for the organization, and DeMaster’s enthusiasm for her work hasn’t waned over the past 40 years.
“I have enjoyed my work immensely. It doesn’t always seem like work; it just seems like what I want to be doing.”
Silverton, March 7th, 2013. Humane Education Advocates Reaching Teachers (HEART) is a national nonprofit which opened up a Portland office about a year ago. Since then, it’s been reaching out to kids and teachers and coordinating activities like this farm field trip for Meek Professional Technical High School students, many of whom had never been to a farm. The trip was the collaborative effort of HEART and the Green Acres Farm Sanctuary.
Gioia spends some time with the goats.
At the Green Acres Farm Sanctuary students met animals like Daisy, a 6- year-old POA Quarter horse mare and Nash, a 23-year-old Arabian gelding. The two were displaced as a result of a domestic violence situation.
Nailah is one of the students who benefits. The mission of HEART is to foster compassion and respect for all living beings and the environment by educating youth and teachers in Humane Education.
One of the students, Adam, remarked that this was the best field trip he had ever experienced. He was happy these animals could live free from harm at Green Acres and that he could be away from the hum of electricity and constant noise of the city.
Local Director HEART, Dani Dennenberg explained, “I have no doubt that the hearts and minds of these 15 young people were opened in a way that may have never happened without this trip. We are so grateful to the generosity America Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA) whose grant made this trip possible.”
Launched in New York in 2001, the Humane Education Advocates Reaching Teachers (HEART) program includes:
Humane Living Program An integrated character and humane education instructional program for students of all ages.
Teacher Training Professional workshops and classroom presentations that introduce humane and character education to teachers and provide them with the tools to implement this instruction in daily classroom lessons.
Humane Education Consulting Individual guidance and instruction to administrators and teachers on how humane education can be infused into school curricula.
Advocacy Raising awareness about and securing support for humane education in the educational and governmental sectors.
Portland, April 3rd, 2013. After a nationwide search and rigorous interview process, the board of Portland Children’s Museum is pleased to announce Ruth Shelly of Madison Children’s Museum as its new executive director.
board of Portland Children’s Museum is pleased to announce Ruth Shelly of Madison Children’s Museum as its new executive director.
“We are pleased to introduce and welcome Ruth as we look forward to an exciting new chapter in the life of the Portland Children’s Museum,” said Board President Shawn DuBurg. “Ruth is a lifetime advocate of locally focused organizational development, museum education, and outdoor play. She is enthusiastic about leading Portland Children’s Museum into its next decade of community service, and we are thrilled to have her as our next leader.”This announcement is the result of a thorough search, led by committed community leaders and board members. Interim Executive Director Carrie Hoops has led the organization since November 2013, and will facilitate the transition. Shelly will officially assume her new duties in mid-May, and friends and supporters of the Museum will have a chance to meet her on Saturday, May 11, at the Museum’s Be a Kid Again gala.“Portland Children’s Museum, the Opal School, and the Museum Center for Learning create a powerful combination that has the potential to demonstrate a new model of education for lifelong learners,” Shelly said. “The Museum’s location in beautiful Washington Park, enhanced by the prospect of its new Outdoor Adventure exhibit area, provides exciting opportunities to get kids outside for healthy physical and cognitive development. I look forward to working with the board, staff, and volunteers as we take this beloved community resource to its next level of excellence.”
Shelly is a lifelong museum professional who has worked as an exhibit director and administrator in museums across the country. In 2003, she returned to her native Wisconsin to serve as executive director for Madison Children’s Museum, where she led the museum’s move from small rented quarters to a donated 1929 department store building. Shelly and her staff exceeded the $10 million capital campaign goal.
Since opening in 2010, that museum has more than doubled its annual attendance, and nearly quadrupled its membership. With a fully accessible green roof, the museum is anticipated to be the first LEED-certified Wisconsin museum, and in 2011 won the National Medal for Museum and Library Service for its exemplary contributions to the community.
ABOUT PORTLAND CHILDREN’S MUSEUM Portland Children’s Museum is the museum that doesn’t act like a museum. You won’t find any velvet ropes inside, and playing with and touching our exhibits is strongly encouraged. Our main exhibit is the imagination of the children who play here. Every activity from permanent to travelling exhibits is designed to encourage children to play and wonder while they learn about themselves and the world around them. For more, visit portlandcm.org.
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