Portland, OR. Do you have an old computer you’re not using? You can donate it to a nonprofit called Free Geek to help meet a 4,000% increase in the number of requests for computers so low-income people can get online. A good portion of requests come from students who suddenly need to get online in order to participate in K-12 education or college. Many people are reaching out on behalf of aging parents who are no longer able to visit their doctors and others are desperate for access to mental health or addiction treatment services.
If you donate, rest assured, your data will be secure. “Data security is our top concern when receiving donations – and we will thoroughly wipe (or physically destroy) any hard drives that we receive,” explains the organization. In the first weeks of the pandemic, the organization saw the demand for used laptops spike from about 300 requests per month to 3,000 per week. “Folks need the internet to be able to see a doctor, to pay their bills, do work so they can continue to get a paycheck or get an education,” said Hilary Shohoney, director of community development for Portland nonprofit Free Geek. “It touches every area of our life right now.” But an estimated 17% of Portlanders aren’t connected to the internet. In rural parts of the Northwest, that number balloons to nearly 40%. With the coronavirus pandemic all but canceling face-to-face interactions, the internet is no longer a luxury — it’s a necessity. “For us, the numbers changed exponentially,” Shohoney said. Here’s a link with info on donating: https://www.freegeek.org/get-involved/donate-technology
Free Geek accepts donations of computers and other electronics at its Portland facility. It offers a donation receipt you can use for tax purposes. (Photo credit, OPB)
On April 1st, Free Geek sold its first round of machines to students at PSU who didn’t have laptops for remote studying through its Low Cost Tech Community Program.
From Free Geek:
Free Geek continues to provide computers to those in need and we need your reusable laptops.
Our current focus is on receiving Macbooks and laptops with i-series processors. Secondarily we have a need for desktop computers, LCD monitors, mice, webcams and headsets. This is the aspect of our work that is essential at this time and we hope that most other hardware donations can wait until safety concerns and our capacity improve.
For hardware donations we offer the following options:
Public Drop offs (limited hours and quantity) In the parking lot on the northeast side of our building. We will have collection bins set outside the warehouse entrance. Please be prepared to unload your own vehicle and form a line if needed. For the safety of our community, we ask that you wear a face covering and maintain a 6 foot distance from staff and other donors at all times. If you don’t see John at the warehouse door when you arrive during one of the following times: please call the Warehouse Desk at (503) 232-9350 x 124. Receipts will be available by request, this can be expedited by attaching your name and email address to your donation.
Friday April 24, between 10:30am and 1pm
Saturday April 25, between 3pm and 5pm.
Thursday April 30, between 10:30am and 1pm,
Friday May 1, between 10:30am and 1pm
Saturday May 2, 2020 between 3pm and 5pm.
Drop off by appointment for 10 or more computers, or large loads of other equipment.
Please email [email protected] to let us know what you have and when you would like to bring it by.
Availability may be limited but we will work to accommodate your needs.
You can mail your donation to
Free Geek: Hardware Donation, 1731 SE 10th Ave, Portland, OR 97214.
We can pickup your equipment (limited availability, fees apply)
Currently this works best if can arrange for your items can be brought outside and, for larger volumes, secured onto pallets.
We can wait this out together, and be there for you in the future.
Free Geek’s mission is to sustainably reuse technology, enable digital access, and provide education to create a community that empowers people to realize their potential. Here’s more info on our donations: https://www.freegeek.org/get-involved/donate-technology
Portland, OR. The Northwest Film Center will showcase and celebrate its 43rd international and regional storytelling through film. The 10-day festival will take place on March 6-15, 2020 at various locations. Some goals of the Portland International Film Festival (PIFF) are, “to gather film lovers and makers, have people be open to new ways of creative expression, and shine a spotlight on artists who go against the status quo.” Disney Pixar’s Onward will have a free community screening at noon on February 7th. (More info below.)
A three-film opening night program on Friday, March 6th will feature an off-beat indie buddy film called The Climb. Below is a look at the film’s trailer:
Portland International Film Festival organizers hope that patrons will embrace the idea of Cinema Unbound for the first time. Through this concept, PIFF aims to challenge how cinematic stories are told. 2020 also features renowned visiting curators, esteemed guests, industry leaders, and jury members in attendance—all of whom represent major film festivals, museums, and distribution companies around the globe.
Here’s information about the festival from Northwest Film Center:
Ticket information listed below:
Advance Tickets: The Northwest Film Center, 934 SW Salmon St, Portland, OR 97205 Opens March 1 — daily from 12 noon – 6 p.m. Advance tickets by phone at (503) 276-4310
Festival Passes: Currently available for sale here
Members of the Northwest Film Center’s Silver Screen Club get discounts or free entry (at the Director level and above) to Festival screenings. To learn more about membership click here
Admission prices: $14 General; $12 Portland Art Museum Members, Students, Seniors; $10 children (12 years and younger); $9 Silver Screen Club Friends, Supporters, and New Wave.
Opening Night Film and Party: $25 general; $20 Silver Screen Friends, Supporters, and New Wave. PLEASE NOTE: Attendees can purchase tickets to Opening Night for either the Whitsell Auditorium or Cinema 21 location. Opening Night party to follow in the Portland Art Museum’s Fred & Suzanne Fields (Sunken) Ballroom.
Tickets to individual screenings will be available on February 7, 2020
FESTIVAL HIGHLIGHTS:
Thursday, March 5, 2020
The Eyeslicer Season Two by Dan Schoenbrun and Vanessa McDonnell
United States | 2019
7 p.m. | Whitsell Auditorium | 90 mins
11 a.m. – 8 p.m. | Northwest Film Center
11 a.m. – 8 p.m. | Movie Madness Miniplex
Recently featured in GQ’s Time Capsule for the 2010s, this bonkers-yet-thoughtful 13-episode TV show blends the boldest new American filmmaking into mind-expanding, mixtape-style episodes that feature work from over 70 filmmakers.
Three-film Opening Night program features The Climb, as well as shorts America and The Giverny Document (Single Channel). One ticket includes all screenings, which will screen back-to-back at both venues. Attendees are welcome to come to one, or stay for all three!
PIFF 43 Opening Night radically presents varying perspectives on what it means to be alive at this moment while reflecting on the past that’s shaped us. This multi-perspective Opening Night panorama dives deep into unexpected places, expounding upon notions of race, gender, time, and nowness. Funny, painful, powerful, and electric in equal measure, PIFF 43 Opening Night subverts the notion that any one film is worthy of “Opening Night” attention. Instead, we embrace the interplay between these three storytellers and their collaborators.
America Directed by Garrett Bradley
United States | 2019 | 29 mins.
A cinematic omnibus rooted in New Orleans, challenging the idea of black cinema as a “wave” or “movement in time,” proposing instead a continuous thread of achievement.
The Giverny Document (Single Channel) Directed by Ja’Tovia Gary
United States | 2019 | 45 mins.
Filmed on location in Harlem and in Monet’s historic gardens in Giverny, this multi-textured cinematic poem meditates on the bodily integrity and creative virtuosity of black women.
This buddy comedy starts with a simple premise—two lifelong pals struggle to bike up a French mountaintop—but what comes next is anyone’s guess. With incredible cinematic reinvention, ambitious long-takes, dramatic time-leaps, and a cappella interludes, the audience is invited along for the ride, no matter where it leads.
Saturday, March 7, 2020
Disney Pixar’s Onward Directed by Dan Scanlon
United States | 2020 | 91 mins.
12:00 noon – Whitsell Auditorium – Free Community Screening
5:00 p.m. – Hollywood Theatre – Silver Screen Club member presale until February 7, 2020.
Set in a suburban fantasy world, Disney and Pixar’s Onward introduces two teenage elf brothers (voices of Chris Pratt and Tom Holland) who embark on an extraordinary quest to discover if there is still a little magic left out there. Pixar Animation Studios’ all-new original feature film is directed by Dan Scanlon and produced by Kori Rae—the team behind Monsters University. Onward releases in theaters on March 6, 2020.
Trailer:
Sunday, March 8, 2020
Anthem: Homunculus Live Listening Party by John Cameron Mitchell
Time & Location: TBA
A creative, multi-media feast featuring a tangled story of visits to other planets, talking tumors, and song-filled telethons pitched to save the life of the protagonist, Ceann. This game-changing, audio-based story—performed LIVE—is based on Mitchell’s genre-busting podcast by the same name and defies all conventions and expectations, with audiences experiencing a wild, 6.5-hour extravaganza of over 30 songs ranging from indie-rock to dream pop to avant-garde.
Featuring the vocal talent of Glenn Close, Cynthia Erivo, Patti LuPone, Denis O’Hare, Mari Moriarty, Alan Mandell, Ben Foster and Shalewa Sharpe.
Creator and star John Cameron Mitchell and guests in attendance.
Presented by Luminary.
Thursday, March 12, 2020
The Armory Presents: Off-Center Stage
9 p.m. – 1 a.m.
Off-Center Stage is a series of late-night programming that will feature unconventional performances from musicians, visual artists, comedians, dance, and open-format shows for the 21-and-over crowd. Each show will take place on the stages and other communal spaces in the historic surroundings of The Armory.
PERFORMANCES AND PRESENTATIONS:
Reese Bowes — light/sound design and video projections
Auvie Sinclair — instrumental hip hop producer/beatmaker
Just Pretend — a live band featuring Darian Patrick, band member for Hedwig & The Angry Inch and In The Heights.
Disco Montana — live band fusing elements of pop, disco, country, and folk
Monday, March 9, 2020 | 7 p.m.
The Cinema Unbound Awards
Kridel Grand Ballroom, Portland Art Museum, 1119 SW Park Avenue
The Cinema Unbound Awards celebrates artists who are trying new things, thinking bigger, and pushing forward to transform filmmaking—and the world. We’ve assembled a small-but-mighty band of internationally renowned artists, creatives, and curators working against traditional constraints of cinema.
Honoring:
Astonishing Auteur Todd Haynes (Academy Award-nominated and Emmy-winning writer and director; Carol, Far from Heaven, Mildred Pierce)
Creative Powerhouse John Cameron Mitchell (Tony Award-winning writer, director, and actor; Hedwig & The Angry Inch, Anthem: Homunculus, Hulu’s Shrill)
Documentary Doyenne Julie Goldman (Academy Award-nominated and Emmy-winning producer of over 50 feature documentaries, including Life, Animated, Buck, Weiner)
Immersive Maestro Michel Reilhac (Filmmaker, Experiential Artist and Head of VR, Venice Biennale)
Animation Arts Wizard Rose Bond (Internationally-recognized, large-scale, site-specific animations)
Curatorial Mastermind Rajendra Roy (The Celeste Bartos Chief Curator of Film, MoMA)
PIFF 43 Closing Weekend centerpiece film First Cow
Directed by Kelly Reichardt
United States | 2020 | 121 mins
8:00 p.m. – Whitsell Auditorium
Returning to the Oregon wilderness for her seventh feature, Kelly Reichardt continues her examination of the American expansionist myth via the Western genre. John Magaro stars as a loner cook who teams up with a Chinese immigrant (Orion Lee) to create a new business—one that is dependent on a wealthy landowner’s prize milk cow, but without his knowledge. First Cow will open in Portland, Oregon, on Friday, March 20.
Trailer:
Saturday, March 14, 2020
The Personal History of David Copperfield
Directed by Armando Iannucci
United States | 2020 | 119 mins
6 p.m. – Cinema 21
The Personal History of David Copperfield re-imagines Charles Dickens’ classic ode to grit and perseverance through the comedic lens of its award-winning filmmakers—giving the Dickensian tale new life for a cosmopolitan age with a diverse ensemble cast of stage and screen actors from across the world. Emmy® winners and Oscar® nominees Armando Iannucci (In the Loop, The Death of Stalin, HBO’s Veep) and Simon Blackwell (In the Loop, HBO’s Succession) lend their wry yet heart-filled storytelling style to revisiting Dickens’ iconic hero on his quirky journey from impoverished orphan to a burgeoning writer in Victorian England.
Photo by Geoff Robinson Photography/Shutterstock
March 14-16, 2020
Berio’s Sinfonia by Rose Bond | IN PARTNERSHIP WITH OREGON SYMPHONY
Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall
Animator and Cinema Unbound Award honoree Rose Bond presents a program of eye-popping experiential animation set to and illustrating Luciano Bario’s monumental musical-cultural portrait of New York in the late 1960s. An incredible visual and sound experience for cinema-goers, animators, experiential designers, and music lovers alike.
Tickets available to the March 14, 15 & 16 shows via Oregon Symphony.
PANELS AND WORKSHOPS
Over the course of the two weekends, PIFF will host eight panels, three workshops, and one special un-conference. PIFF will also host multi-day happy hour networking events with industry professionals to provide assistance and services to independent filmmakers. Date, Time and Location TBA.
Docs on the Rise — Cinema Unbound Award honoree Julie Goldman and Academy Award nominee and Portland documentary filmmaker Irene Taylor Brodsky discuss opportunities for expanded creativity in emerging marketplaces.
The Sustainability and Ethics Un-Conference — A participatory town hall about fostering an inclusive and ethically conscious media-making community, with breakout sessions on topics such as power dynamics on-set, setting contractual boundaries, and practicing empathy in production.
Beyond Cancel Culture — Cinema Unbound Award honoree Rajendra Roy and curatorial colleagues discuss approaches to critically engaging with problematic narratives.
Interactive Media Performance by Reese Bowes
An evening of multi-format audio and visual experiences courtesy of guest curator Reese Bowes. who will also present two short film works by Portland-based filmmakers: Remembrance, by Sabina Haque, and Spooky Girls, by The Hand and The Shadow production company.
Date, Time and Location TBA.
Why I Love and Fear VR
Presented by Guest Curator, Cinema Unbound Award honoree, and Head of Venice Biennale XR Michel Reilhac
Prince’s Purple Rain (1984) date, time and Location: TBA
About the Northwest Film Center:
The Northwest Film Center is a regional media arts organization offering a variety of exhibitions, education programs, and artist services throughout the region. The Center presents a program of foreign, classic, experimental, and independent works year-round at the Whitsell Auditorium, located in the Portland Art Museum. For more information, visit www.nwfilm.org.
About the Portland Art Museum
The seventh oldest museum in the United States, the Portland Art Museum is internationally recognized for its permanent collection and ambitious special exhibitions drawn from the Museum’s holdings and the world’s finest public and private collections. The Museum’s collection of more than 45,000 objects, displayed in 112,000 square feet of galleries, reflects the history of art from ancient times to today. The collection is distinguished for its holdings of arts of the native peoples of North America, English silver, and the graphic arts. An active collecting institution dedicated to preserving great art for the enrichment of future generations, the Museum devotes 90 percent of its galleries to its permanent collection.
The Museum’s campus of landmark buildings, a cornerstone of Portland’s cultural district, includes the Jubitz Center for Modern and Contemporary Art, the Gilkey Center for Graphic Arts, the Schnitzer Center for Northwest Art, the Northwest Film Center, and the Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde Center for Native American Art. With a membership of more than 22,000 households and serving more than 350,000 visitors annually, the Museum is a premier venue for education in the visual arts. For information on exhibitions and programs, call 503-226-2811 or visit portlandartmuseum.org.
The Portland Art Museum welcomes all visitors and affirms its commitment to making its programs and collections accessible to everyone. The Museum offers a variety of programs and services to ensure a quality experience and a safe, inclusive environment for every member of our diverse community. Learn more at portlandartmuseum.org/access.
Portland, OR. Grab your pug and head to the Civic Taproom and Bottle Shop near Providence Park on Saturday, September 14th. The taproom will donate one dollar for every pint sold to the Pacific Pug Rescue. The fundraiser is for those 21 and over, and will support the nonprofit’s mission to rehabilitate and place unwanted, neglected and abused pugs in permanent adoptive homes. Dogs need to be well socialized and on a leash to attend.
Pints for Pugs at Civic Taproom, March 2019
The benefit will take place on Saturday, September 14th from 1pm – 4pm. The Civic Taproom and Bottle Shop located on 621 SW 19th Ave, in Portland. It’s free to attend and you’ll also have the chance to enter a raffle to win a gift basket. Treats and Pacific Pug Rescue merchandise will be available for purchase as well.
Pints for Pugs at Civic Taproom, March 2019
Organizers encourage you to attend Pints for Pugs to enjoy an afternoon filled with socializing, crafted beer, and prizes as you help raise money for pugs in need.
Here’s a video about the work of the Pacific Pug Rescue:
About Pacific Pug Rescue:
Pacific Pug Rescue is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization started in 2006. More than 100 Pug obsessed volunteers dedicate themselves to running the organization, including a passionate board of directors, some of whom have been volunteering for us since the beginning.
We rescue, rehabilitate and place unwanted, neglected and abused Pugs in permanent adoptive homes that have been carefully screened. The Pugs and former owners we work with are from throughout Oregon, Idaho and Washington and we rescue pugs regardless of age or medical condition, seeking to provide for their short and long-term needs. Prior to adoption, our Pugs are cared for by our dedicated foster families located in the Portland Metro area. While there and before adoption can occur, our Pugs receive medical care including spaying/neutering, dental checks, vaccinations, and microchips. In addition to saving Pugs, we strive to educate the public about the breed, including its personality, health issues and care, and about the importance of domestic animal population control.
Portland, OR. The results are in and some local nonprofits, like B’nai B’rith Camp, are cheering. #OregoniansGive raised $1,543,163 on Tuesday, Nov. 29th. There were 5,908 donors and 12,680 gifts which will benefit 190 nonprofits. #GivingTuesday is a global day of giving fueled by the power of social media and collaboration. Celebrated on the Tuesday following Thanksgiving, Black Friday and Cyber Monday, #GivingTuesday kicks off the charitable season, when many focus on their holiday and end-of-year giving.
Northwest Children’s Theater and School had the fourth most donations. (THE JUNGLE BOOK Directed by Sarah Jane Hardy. Produced by Northwest Children’s Theater and School. PHOTO BY: David Kinder)
Portland, March 12th, 2016. The Bank of America Charitable Foundation announced Willamette West Habitat for Humanity as its newest Neighborhood Builder recipient. The award combines $200,000 in flexible funding with leadership training for high-performing nonprofits and their executives.
Willamette West Habitat will use this new investment to launch its Critical Home Repair (CHR) program which offers home improvements for a low cost. The program will help preserve and ensure safe, decent, and affordable housing in our community.
“For more than 15 years, Bank of America has been both a philanthropic and volunteer partner with Willamette West Habitat for Humanity. We first came to partner with them when we sponsored a house early on. Through that experience, we saw first-hand that access to affordable, stable housing is critical to a family’s financial well-being, and that’s important for our overall community,” said Roger Hinshaw, Bank of America Market President for Oregon and Southwest Washington. “We’re pleased to again be partnering with Willamette West Habitat with this significant six-figure investment, so they can continue carrying out their important work throughout Washington County.”
Monique Barton, senior vice president of corporate social responsibility at Bank of America, added: “Over the years that we’ve partnered with Willamette West Habitat for Humanity, our employees have donated thousands of hours helping them build houses and carry out their important mission locally, throughout Washington County. Based on the extreme need we know exists, we’re pleased to now be directing our support to their Critical Home Repair program, a very worthy cause that has the potential to make a real difference.”
Since its inception in 1988, Willamette West Habitat for Humanity has served more than 100 local families. To complement its traditional homebuilding programs, Habitat launched its Critical Home Repair program in Washington County, including Beaverton, Hillsboro, Tigard and Tualatin, and in parts of Clackamas County including Lake Oswego, West Linn and Wilsonville. Critical Home Repair helps individuals and families address critical needs in their homes by focusing on safety, accessibility and meeting municipal codes. By offering this program to several homes in a given community, it helps elevate an entire neighborhood in terms of revitalization efforts.
“We’re excited our new Critical Home Repair program will give people the opportunity to address longstanding repairs that were otherwise unattainable so they can safely live in their homes for a long time to come,” said Mark Forker, executive director of Willamette West Habitat for Humanity. “We’re very appreciative to have partners like Bank of America that share our vision and help provide the momentum to accomplish our goals for our Critical Home Repair program and engage more of our volunteers.”
A common misconception associated with the Habitat for Humanity organization is that the nonprofit simply gives houses away, when in fact homebuyers make modest, no-interest loan payments to Habitat and pay property taxes like any other homeowner. In 2015 alone, Willamette West Habitat families paid over $193,000 in property taxes and for every eight homes built in Washington County, over $1 million is added to the annual property tax base. Homeowners or “partners” as they are referred to by Habitat, work alongside volunteers to build their house, and others’ homes, and earn “sweat equity” along with the appreciation of seeing their dreams come to life.
Since 2004, the Bank of America Charitable Foundation has invested $183 million to more than 900 nonprofit organizations and provided leadership resources to nearly 2,000 nonprofit leaders through Neighborhood Builder and the Neighborhood Builders Leadership Program. This long-term investment in nonprofit leadership development and capacity building is the largest philanthropic investment of its kind in the country. Neighborhood Builders is just one example of the Bank’s broader corporate social responsibility efforts to build vibrant communities and economies. By advancing partnerships with nonprofits addressing needs related to community development, basic human services and workforce development and education, Bank of America is working to increase financial stability and help individuals and families find the pathways out of poverty.
About Willamette West Habitat for Humanity:
Willamette West Habitat for Humanity works to eliminate barriers to a better, healthier, more financially stable life. With our help, Habitat homeowners achieve the strength, stability and independence they need to build a better future for themselves and their families. To purchase a Habitat home, families must have a steady income, be in need of decent, affordable shelter and be willing to contribute 500 hours of their own labor building Habitat houses. All houses are sold at no profit with an affordable mortgage. Since 1988, Willamette West has served 106 families locally. To learn more, visit www.HabitatWest.org or follow us at www.facebook.com/habitatwest.
About Bank of America:
At Bank of America, corporate social responsibility (CSR) is critical to fulfilling our core purpose of making people’s financial lives better. A commitment to growing our business responsibly is embedded in every aspect of our company, from our policies and practices to our services, products, governance and employee benefits. An important part of that commitment is forming strong partnerships across sectors, including nonprofit organizations serving community needs, bringing our collective networks and expertise to achieve greater impact. We’re proud of our employees’ volunteer efforts, support of diversity and inclusion, and environmental and social responsibility. Across our company, we’re focused on simplifying banking and investing, advancing better money habits and making an impact in communities around the world. Learn more at www.bankofamerica.com/about and follow us on Twitter at @BankofAmerica.
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