Portland, October 27th. Proprietors of The John Palmer House, Susan Dunn and Maggie Kolkena, opened the doors of their 1892 grand Victorian for Spellbound, Portland Story Theater’s 4th annual fundraiser. Ticket holders crept around the lavishly renovated private home in the Historic Mississippi District whilst sipping white wine Corpse Reviver cocktails. Guests had an intimate look at the entire home, which some claim is haunted, as storytellers regaled them with what they claimed were true stories of the supernatural. (Photo Credit, Scott Bump)
Construction on the John Palmer House was originally started in 1890. John Palmer’s wife died just four years after moving into the home (some say her ghost still haunts its halls.)
Inside John Palmer House
“When Lynne contacted us with the idea of holding a Halloween event at the house, we were delighted!” says current co-owner Maggie Kolkena. “We were looking for ways to give back to our community and we’d been thinking of doing something like this, something involving the arts.” This will be the fourth year in a row that The John Palmer House has hosted this event for Portland Story Theater. The bulk of the proceeds support the work of Portland Story Theater, with a portion donated to a local community charity on behalf of The John Palmer House. “The John Palmer house is the perfect place to hold an event like Spellbound,” says Lynne Duddy, co-founder of Portland Story Theater. Lynne grew up a few blocks away from the Palmer House and the moment she saw the house being renovated a few years ago, she thought it would be the ideal setting for a story theater experience in honor of All Hallows Eve.
Lizzie and Maggie embody the era.
Jeff Burke entertains supporters
Featured in Portland Story Theater’s Urban Tellers Invitational, Mary Welch, enthralls listeners with a performance style that has passion and presence.
Tamara Lynne is the founder of Living Stages and is an outstanding practitioner of Theatre of the Oppressed (Teatro do Oprimido), which is a process of community action, reflection, and transformation through artistic expression.
The John Palmer House is a lavishly ornate Victorian that has been beautifully restored and updated by the current owners, Susan P. Dunn and Margaret Kolkena. For many years the home was used as the Multnomah Conservatory of Music. The Sauter Family purchased the John Palmer House in the late 60’s and used the home as a Bed & Breakfast. In 2008, the home was purchased by the current owners. The property is listed in the National Register of Historic Places (1977) and is designated a Portland Historical Landmark (1972). www.johnpalmerhouse.com/
Portland Story Theater is a 501(c)3 and was launched in 2004 to bring the urban community together to hear and tell true stories that stimulate the mind and rouse the heart. Portland Story Theater uses a unique collaborative approach to co-create story theater that is drawn from real-life experiences. Authentic. Honest. Urban. Portland Story Theater is building empathy, compassion, understanding by transforming our community narrative one story at a time. www.portlandstorytheater.com/
About the performers:
There are all kinds of master craftsmen in the world, Lawrence Howard is a master at crafting stories. One of
the original co-founders of Portland Story Theater, he delivers stories that resonate with adult audiences. This year he’ll be telling a story about being chased by a big black dog….or was it something else? Lawrence is best known for his Armchair Adventurer series, and will be taking “Shackleton’s Antarctic Nightmare” to Off Broadway in New York. www.lawrencehoward.name/
One of the original co-founders of Portland Story Theater, Lynne Duddy is the creator and a performer of the new works solo festival, Singlehandedly, which will be celebrating its 5th anniversary this Spring. Her performance art has been described by The Oregonian as “raw, revealing, and vulnerable” but the stories she tells at The John Palmer House have proven to also be creepy and disarming. This year she shares a true story about an eerie experience between the dream world and reality. www.lynneduddy.com/
Nobody tells a scary story quite like Jeff Burke. Best known as the proprietor of Hipbone Studio, which is celebrating its 25th anniversary this year, unleashes his darker side at this event at the John Palmer House. Jeff has participated in several Urban Teller showcases and is an avid supporter of art in the Portland community. He also teaches figurative drawing at his studio in NE Portland. www.hipbonestudio.com/
Tamara Lynne draws upon some extraordinary experiences she had in Wales to create an unforgettable tale of doubt and indecision. http://www.teatrocambio.org/
Featured in Portland Story Theater’s Urban Tellers Invitational, Mary Welch, enthralls listeners with a performance style that has passion and presence. She likes to say she is a recovering bohemian, but that is always at the risk of having people question just how recovered she really is… Mary is also a visual artist and her work can be viewed at www.myartwhimy.com/
Portland, October 13th. More than 400 guests gathered in the Grand Ballroom of the Portland Art Museum for Food, Wine & Wishes, a gala auction and dinner to benefit Make-A-Wish Oregon. The event raised $265,000 to grant local wishes for children with life-threatening medical conditions. Guests enjoyed wine tastings from some of Oregon’s premier wineries including: Sokol Blosser, David Hill Vineyards and Elk Cove Vineyards. ( Photo credit, Eugene W. Wong)
Jamie Morris and Make-A-Wish CEO Laila Umpleby (right) present Kathryn Morris the Katie Star Award
Members of the Board of Directors, Ambassador Board and Junior Board: Members of the Make-A-Wish Boards gather for a champagne toast
Wish recipients Ella Grace Edmonson and Lily Moser auction off Ella’s art
Wish recipient Denton Holmgren with Make-A-Wish Oregon Board Chair Ross Carey
Make-A-Wish Oregon grants wishes to children with life-threatening medical conditions to enrich the human experience with hope, strength and joy. By granting a wish to a child during a time of turmoil for the entire family, Make-A-Wish is often the light at the end of the tunnel for wish kids and family members. Since 1983, Make-A-Wish has granted more than 2,500 wishes in Oregon and Southwest Washington.
Portland, October 6th. It felt a bit like Oscar night in Portland as Incight pulled out all the stops for a the star studded “Hooray for Hollywood” gala. At Pure Space in the Pearl District, long-time Incight supporters Charlie and Shawn Engelberg were dead ringers for Audrey Hepburn and George Peppard from Breakfast at Tiffany’s. The fundraiser supports the organization’s mission of empowering people with disabilities to become contributing members of society. More than 330 people attended the 6th annual benefit during which Incight raise more than $180,000, a 20% increase over last year.
Dan Heine, CEO of The Bank of Oswego, along with his wife Roberta are red-carpet ready.
At the center of it all, Vail Horton CEO of Keen Healthcare and Co-Founder of Incight visits with Charlie Hales and his wife, Nancy.
Keynote Speaker, John Register sharing his passionate message about “Hurdling Adversity”.
Dazzling guests with a show-stopping performance at the end of the evening was renowned Cher impersonator, Heidi Thompson, seen here with Incight Executive Director Dan Friess dressed as Rhett Butler from Gone with the Wind.
The words of Yoda, “Do or do not, there is no try” served as the auction theme. Costumes included: Cher, Olivia Newton John, John Travolta, Doc Holiday, Marilyn Monroe, Audrey Hepburn, Clark Gable, and Christopher Reeve to name just a few. Sony Bono even made a cameo to cap a milestone evening for Incight.
Sponsored by Safeway and The Standard, the evening celebrated and shared Incight’s year of growth and program expansion successes with their sponsors and donors who make it all possible. All proceeds will support Incight’s education, employment, networking, and independence programs for people with disabilities. Incight believes that everyone can move beyond their boundaries.
Incight also welcomed John Register, a Desert Storm Veteran and Paralympic Athlete, to be the event’s keynote speaker and share his inspiring story of Hurdling Adversity. Incight Executive Director Dan Friess as Master of Ceremonies and Johnna Wells as Auctioneer maintained the energetic atmosphere for an incredible evening not soon to be forgotten.
“We were very humbled by the tremendous outpouring of generosity from those who attended the 2012 Hooray for Hollywood Gala,” said Incight Executive Director Dan Friess. “This event allows us to further address the critical need around improving the quality of life for people with disabilities.”
The Kresge Foundation matched donations up to $25,000 at the event. Kresge has been supporting Incight since 2010 with a grant to increase post-secondary education rates for people with disabilities.
About Incight: Incight was founded in 2004 by Vail Horton, CEO of Portland-based KEEN Healthcare Company, along with Scott Hatley, with the dream of changing two statistics: increase the 16% education attainment of Americans with disabilities and decrease the 76% unemployment rate. They collaborated on the creation of a program that would, ultimately, affect these statistics.
Incight’s mission is to cause the success of education, employment, networking, and independence for people with disabilities. Through all this, Incight’s main goal is achieved; empower people with disabilities to become contributing members of society. Since its inception, Incight has awarded 619 college scholarships, developed 25 scholarship match partnerships at area universities, created 132 jobs and internships, hosted 500 job seekers at employment events, distributed 6,000 college resource guidebooks, served 2,900 plus through Incight Events/trainings and in 2011 received the Spirit of Portland Award. For more information about Incight, visit www.incight .org.
Portland, October 6th. Legacy Emanuel Medical Center’s 100th Anniversary Celebration included remarks from former ER Doc. Oregon Governor, John Kitzhaber. Guests had a chance to tour emergency vehicles including the Life Flight helicopter, AMR and Metro West ambulances, as well as Portland Fire & Rescue fire engine. (Photo credit, Dodge & Burn Studios)
Hundreds turned out for the celebration
Hands-on demonstrations included the virtual reality pain management system used in the Legacy Oregon Burn Center, and the da Vinci surgical robotic system used in the operating room.
Supporters were also encouraged to visit the Oregon Historical Society to see a new exhibit featuring items from the hospital’s past.
Take a trip back to when surgery cost $15 and nurses canned fruit for hospital meals. “100 Years at Legacy Emanuel” at the Oregon Historical Society examines the stories of those who were born, saved and trained at Emanuel.
The first nursing graduates pose. Legacy Emanuel has been central to the health and growth of the greater Portland area for 100 years — since its 1912 opening in a converted three-story house.
About Legacy Emanuel:
Founded by the Rev. Carl Renhard as a way to help the emerging community, Legacy Emanuel has developed into a pioneering medical center in the region for critical and advanced care. The Oregon Historical Society exhibit features a collection of photos, stories and artifacts that illustrate the history of medicine in Oregon.
Currently, Legacy Emanuel Medical Center occupies a vital role in the metropolitan area and in the region as a medical center with around-the-clock expertise for critical health conditions. With leading care for trauma, burn and intensive care, as well as serving as the initial hub for Life Flight and other critical care transport, Legacy Emanuel is central to serious care. Legacy Emanuel is a medical pacesetter, with specialists in virtually every health care.
Washington County Fairgrounds, October 17th. Jackie Hampton and Tina Bodaghi of Western Family Foods and Laurie Reser of Reser’s Fine Foods were among the Meals on Wheels supporters who raised more than $37,000 in just one hour to provide hot meals to seniors in the Washington County area. It was the organization’s first annual Harvest Breakfast presented by Key Bank. (Photo credit, Julie Piper Finley)
Jason McCleskey, Vice President and Washington County Retail Leader for Key Bank
The capacity crowd of business leaders and volunteers gathered in the Cloverleaf Building at the Washington County Fairgrounds to hear volunteers Laurie Reser, Reser’s Fine Foods, and Tina Bodaghi and Jackie Hampton, Western Family Foods, share their experiences of delivering Meals on Wheels to local seniors. All three are long-time volunteers for the organization. The event received a broad base of support from the business community within Washington County and generated both much-needed funds as well as new volunteers.
Laurie Reser of Reser’s Fine Foods
Key Bank was the event presenting sponsor. Other sponsors included: Frontier Communications, Regence BlueCross BlueShield, Liberty Northwest Insurance, Avamere, Providence St. Vincent Hospital, Ron Tonkin Family of Dealerships and Western Family Foods.
About Meals on Wheels People:Since 1970 the Meals on Wheels People has provided a nutritional and social lifeline for seniors through 35 meal sites in Multnomah, Washington and Clark counties and Meals on Wheels delivery to homebound seniors. With the help of nearly 10,000 volunteers, the nonprofit organization now serves 5,000 meals daily and 1.2 million meals each year. Visit: www.mealsonwheelspeople.org.
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