Category Archives: Concordia News

By Marsha Sandman | CNA Media Team

When Annette Pronk arrived in Portland from the upper Midwest in 1997, she spread her wings and planted her roots.

She was no stranger to the housing pressures many Portlanders experience. In fact, she moved between three Concordia properties – while she strived to find affordable housing – before she discovered housing stability in Cully.

With this burden lifted, Annette began to explore her new community.

She connected with her new neighbors, attended meetings in people’s homes and listened to stories of others facing housing insecurity as she once had.

“Sharing our stories and our lived experiences opens us up to take the next step, together,” Annette explained.

“I’m a big believer in creating space for community conversation, whether it be about racial justice, community resiliency, housing stability or root causes to houselessness.”

In an effort to pay it forward, she developed her skills as a community leader with the Cully Housing Action Team (CHAT). “This grassroots community-led group became a source of inspiration to me,” she said. “It lifts up the collective power to improve the common good through campaigns such as ‘Save the Oak Leaf.’” That mobile home park preservation effort prevented several families’ displacement at the hands of developers.

CHAT also campaigned to bring funding to the 141-unit Las Adelitas housing project underway at the former Sugar Shack property.

Resilient and resourceful, Annette also serves on the boards of the Cully Association of Neighbors and Verde. The latter is a Cully-based nonprofit that serves low-income communities of color by building environmental wealth and assets such as the Thomas Cully Park.

She is a lover of nature, holds a platinum level Backyard Habitat certification and is a Master Recycler.

As a solo parent and cancer survivor, Annette is quick to identify with the silver lining in any situation. That skill serves her well while she leans into building community resiliency against pending disasters. One effort is advocating for the Cully Neighborhood Emergency Team to broaden its capacity to work alongside the Latinx community.

“I see myself as a conduit of resources and information,” she noted. “How can I remove barriers to help folks feel prepared, feel connected?

“You do not have to sit on a panel or be an expert. All you have to do is be yourself. Try to offer a kind hello to someone,” Annette added.

“Be willing to listen with an open heart and mind. Be willing to share resources – one day at a time.”

After living east, south, north and west, Marsha Sandman is home at last. And she wants to hear your story. Contact her at MarshaJSandman@gmail.com.

By Peter Keller | CNA Chair

Hello neighbors. I’m writing this as we just slammed the door on 2020 — like a scary monster was chasing us! 2021 is off to a frightening start too, but I think we can see the light. There’s so much to say about 2020, but let’s move on to 2021 and focus on our corner of Portland, Concordia.

You might be asking why I volunteered to be the CNA board chair. Well, I’ve enjoyed reading the CNews since 1997 when I bought my first home in Concordia and I’ve always found it to be informative, interesting and a great way to feel connected to the neighborhood.

Over the years I’ve often considered getting involved but didn’t feel like I had the time. Like many of you, I found that I have some extra time… and I decided it’s time to get involved.

The CNA chair position could have gone to anyone in the neighborhood who met the qualifications.

If you’re interested in getting involved with the board, visit ConcordiaPDX.org/2020/11/chairscorner-dont-forget-to-also-vote-in-cna-election, where outgoing chair Astrid Furstner outlined the process and qualifications in her column.

We have filled all positions for 2021 as of our Jan. 7 board meeting and special election. I’d like to welcome Joseph Fraley to the East 2 position and Matt Boyd to the Southwest 2 position! I look forward to serving with the 2021 CNA board, and we look forward to serving you.

While I am charged with writing this column, it’s not about me. It’s about we, Concordians. My plan for this column is to cover topics that come before the CNA board and other neighborhood topics of interest. I also plan to have other board members pen this column periodically so you can hear some other perspectives.

I’d like to thank Astrid Furstner, our departing chair. She has made this transition seamless and has worked tirelessly as CNA chair for the past year in addition to her full-time job and full-time job as a mom. I’d also like to thank Ali Novak, Donn Dennis and Steve Elder for their service on the CNA board.

I’m excited to take on this challenge, and I look forward to serving the neighborhood and the opportunity to meet and interact with more of you, my neighbors.

“There is a crack in everything.
That’s how the light gets in.”
– Leonard Cohen

Native Portlander Peter Keller has lived in Concordia since 1997. He runs a small marketing agency with partner Max, out of their home studio. He loves exploring outdoors with and without his dogs.

The Concordia Neighborhood Association (CNA) Board of Directors has three new members, joining three re-elected directors and six at mid-term.

Leading the board for a one-year term beginning in January is Peter Keller as chair. John Fitzgerald and Brittany van der Salm were elected to two-year terms. Re-elected to two-year terms were Amelie Marian and Sonia Fornoni.

The two-year Southwest 2 position was not filled during the election, and plans call for the CNA board to appoint a Concordian to fill it at the Jan. 6 meeting. The only criteria is that you are 14 years or older and that you live, work or own property between 22nd and 33rd avenues and between Killingsworth Street and Alameda.

If you’re interested, contact Chair@ ConcordiaPDX.org.

By Astrid Furstner | CNA Chair

‘Tis the season! Can you believe we made it to the end of the year? Seeing as this is my last Chair’s Corner, I would like to thank and acknowledge those who have made a contribution this year.

The 2020 board and committee members: Chris Baker, Robert Bowles, Matt Boyd, Kathy Crabtree, Donn Dennis, Joel Dippold, Steve Elder, Sonia Fornoni, Tamara Anne Fowler, Tami Fung, Will Goubert, Ike Harris, Lloyd Kimeldorf, Gina Levine, Amelie Marian, John McSherry, Vanessa Miali, Ali Novak, Truls Neal, Heather Pashley, Gordon Riggs, Marsha Sandman, Erik Van Hagen, Nancy Varekamp, Karen Wells, Carrie Wenninger, Dan Werle, Tara Williams and Garlynn Woodsong.

Our neighbors and volunteers who have attended meetings, sent emails, called or offered words of advice: Miguel Acuna, Mary Barrett, Tanya Bushnell, Bette & Wayne Bauer, Sigrid Casey, Allison Cassing, Belinda Clark, Isabel Clop, Keith Daellenbach, Gabrielle Drinard, Ben Earle, Kimasue Garrison, Jeff Geisler, Ann Griffin, Marilee Hankins, Molly Hanlon, Nathan Hanzelka, Elizabeth Hildebrand, Jeff Hurt, Bernadette Janet, Christina Lane, Jordana Leeb, Michael Morrow, Michael Nagy, Greg RochPlease remain involved ford, Shawn Seebach, Thea Sanchez, Pat Sheans, Jack Slocum, Madeline Small, David Sussman, Elizabeth Swanson, Benjamin Taylor, Addie Virta and Erwin Washington.

I’m sure I have missed a few and to those I apologize.

Isn’t this amazing? So many neighbors have cared about Concordia and have reached out to participate at some level. At our November annual meeting, we had 34 people in attendance – that is impressive!

I hope you all keep up the participation and continue to be involved.

At our November meeting, we held elections and I am pleased to announce that Peter Keller was voted as our 2021 chair. See Page 4 for the other new board members.

Congratulations! I am certain that Peter’s enthusiasm for the position and care for Concordia will be evident in the meetings.

While I will not be the chair, I will still be your neighbor. I hope to say hello to you while out for a walk. My hope is that you continue to reach out to your neighbors – old and new.

Keep looking out for one another. Be kind and understanding. Together we build community. Together we are strong. Together we are Concordia.

I am thankful for my time of service, but more important, I am blessed to be among such great neighbors!

Many blessings to all.

Astrid Furstner is a mother, a wife, an immigrant, a local artist and an artisan. She lives with her luthier husband, Brent, and her artist-in-the-making daughter, Luciana. Together, they call Concordia their home.

By Karen Wells | CNA Media Team

While on a neighborhood bike ride, I noticed a brightlycolored mural at the corner of 15th Avenue at Sumner Street. Bold flowers bloomed on a sun-bright yellow background.

A caption, “Empathy is not Allyship” runs along the border. Names of slain African Americans encircle three of the six vibrant blossoms.

The artist – find him at Instagram. com/jamjamart – chose six blossoms as images of peace and hope. Imagine they represent the people: Asian, Black, Latinix, Native, white and the ancestors.

Witnessing the names, caption and visual intensity of the mural sparks the question regarding the current social justice movements: “Empathy is not enough?”

A child as young as 2 shows empathy toward another child who is crying. They try to soothe by offering a toy or hugging. This feeling of empathy pushes them into action to aid someone outside of their immediate world.

Feeling empathy can be a starting point for social justice engagement and change.

I followed up by contacting the muralist and spoke with several neighbors, including the homeowner who commissioned the mural. Several themes surfaced.

At the top of the list: adults are more complicated than 2 year olds. We want concrete reasons why we should feel empathy toward others, especially those who are outside our social circles.

Next, there is concern: is it OK to feel empathy? Then follows self-doubt as to how to proceed, and inaction.

This introspection can feel bothersome — easier to do nothing or simply become absorbed in feeling empathetic. Use empathy to embrace being an active ally.

Take a moment to suspend the notion that you know all there is to know about being an ally. Take a moment to breathe this in. Let it wash over you.

You can always start tomorrow, yet starting today supports neighbors who are trying to live their best lives today.

• Good news: it’s OK to start with small actions. Here are some to get you started:
• Check your privilege at the door, show up and listen
• Engage, speak up, stand up to demoralizing comments of others
• Volunteer your time, donate resources
• Get informed, examine different viewpoints, look for common ground, educate yourself on the needs
• Be authentic in your actions

Think about this quote from Angela Davis, PhD. “I am no longer accepting the things I cannot change. I am changing the things I cannot accept.”

Empathy is not enough? Thanks for asking.

Editor’s note: Karen has several resources to offer to further explore this theme. Check Facebook.com/groups/ ConcordiaPDX, where she’ll post them in mid-December.

CNA respects the views and beliefs of all cultures and faiths. The views expressed by this writer do not necessarily reflect the views of CNA.

Karen Wells is a retired early childhood communit y educator, health and safety trainer.

By Garlynn Woodsong | CNA Board Member, SW1, CNA LUTC Chair

“Our house is on fire; we should act like it.” Those are the words of Greta Thunberg. She’s the Swedish school-age climate activist known for protesting the inaction and insufficient response of governments to the threat of climate change. And she’s referring to the urgency to act on climate change immediately.

In Concordia, we’re certainly no strangers to the ill effects of climate change. Smoke from last summer’s wildfires caused us to shelter in place for two weeks. There is wide scientific consensus the wildfire season was worsened by global warming.

But if our house and our forests are metaphorically and literally on fire, what can we do about it?

One thing we can do is embrace urbanism. In this sense, urbanism describes the interaction between inhabitants of urban areas (that’s us) and their built environment (that’s the buildings and transportation systems that surround us).

The author Peter Calthorpe, in his book “Urbanism in the Age of Climate Change,” finds the average American household today travels around 24,000 miles each year by car. The UrbanFootprint software that Peter and I codeveloped shows the average Concordia neighborhood household only drives 10,985 miles per year, or 62% less than the average American household.

That means that the average household here is:

• Consuming at least 62% less gasoline – 569 gallons rather than 1,482 – each year, assuming our vehicle fleet is exactly as efficient as the average American vehicle fleet. And that may not be the case. As city dwellers, our vehicles are likely to be more efficient
• Emitting 62% less in greenhouse gases – 4,731 pounds per person per year, rather than 11,182 pounds.

By the way, within the neighborhood, residents of the East district – between 33rd and 42nd avenues – drive the most each year, at 5,356 miles per person per year. Northwest district residents – west of 33rd Avenue and north of Killingsworth Street – drive 4,588 miles Southwest district residents drive the least, at 4,115 miles per year per person.

This all makes intuitive sense, as the Southwest district straddles Alberta Street, with all of its walkable destinations. The East district includes fewer sidewalks or retail destinations, and the Northwest district is just slightly farther away from everything.

These internal differences within the neighborhood are slight, however, compared to the 11,000 miles driven by the average American person each year.

Embracing urbanism means leaning into our low-carbon lifestyle. That’s made easy by the inherent high-quality urbanism of our neighborhood. By default, we’re encouraged to walk, ride bicycles, take transit and drive short trips for our most regular journeys.

For those of us with the means and the desire to do more, we can always do better. We can fuel switch our cars. And we can add solar panels to our roofs for space and water heating to move away from fossil fuels in our homes.

We can also welcome new neighbors to our neighborhood, confident every new resident of Concordia is somebody who is saying “yes” to the low-carbon urbanism that we already enjoy.

Garlynn Woodsong lives on 29th Avenue, serves on the CNA board and is an avid bicyclist. He also is a dad who is passionate about the city his son will inherit. He is the planning + development partner with Cascadia Partners LLC, a local urban planning firm. Contact him at LandUse@ConcordiaPDX.org.

By Nancy Varekamp | CNews Editor

Do you want to help make the holidays a bit brighter for some of the Concordians hit hardest by pandemic quarantining?

Sojourn Church is calling for letters, cards and art to deliver to the 39 longterm care residents at Fernhill Estates.

Crystal Endreola is organizing the effort of Sojourn Church members – and all Concordians – to provide her with items to distribute later this month at the facility.

“Everyone’s feeling isolated during the pandemic,” she explained. “I think that’s heightened during the holidays.” It not only affects people like the Fernhill Estates residents, but people who enjoy volunteering.

“I think everyone is dying to do something. I know I’m eager for an opportunity like this.”

Crystal lives near the care facility that’s two blocks southwest of the park. Last December, she planned a party for the residents with others in a Facebook group of local parents. “We took our kids, played music, had food — all the wonderful things we can’t do this year.”

She hopes there will be enough items contributed to provide more than one to each resident and even the 40 employees who care for them – physically, medically and emotionally. Contact Crystal at Crystal@SojournPDX.org or 818.564.7311 for details and/or to contribute items.

“Fernhill Estates said we can contribute gifts for the residents too,” Crystal reported. Those might include calendars, gloves, scarves, lap blankets and other items to cheer residents during the continuing quarantine.

People of all ages and locations are welcome to contribute their efforts to the project. Crystal said it’s an especially good activity for budding young artists like her own 2 year old.

“I think it teaches our children there’s a world beyond ourselves and expands their minds to consider other people’s situations.

Nancy Varekamp is semiretired from her career in journalism, public relations and – her favorite work engagement – writing and editing targeted newsletters.