Category Archives: Volunteer Opportunities

By Jon Dickman | CNA Media Team

After Tricia Jett moved to Northeast Portland in 2017, she started taking a seniors’ exercise class at Portland Community College, where some of her classmates frequently talked about the volunteering they did for Northeast Village.

Seeing an announcement about an upcoming event that gave an introduction to Northeast Village PDX, she went to the meeting, was impressed by what she heard and signed up.

The first time Jett volunteered for the group, she did some shopping at a grocery store for a man who was confined to his home. Tentative about volunteering at first, she was relieved by how well it all went and how good she felt afterward. “I’ve had a very fortunate life,” she said, “and now that I’m at a point where I have time, I like the feeling of giving back.”

Her most regular experience as a volunteer these past four years has been as a walking buddy with Village member Jean Robinson, a retired high school business teacher living in the Alameda neighborhood. Jett describes her as someone who cares greatly about all her neighbors, often chatting with them along their walks. Apparently, Robinson cares about Jett as well. “Tricia is delightful company,” Robinson said. “We share an interest in reading, politics and her darling golden retriever Stella.”

When naming her dog, Jett tried to think of what might be fun when calling her. Then, what she describes as the “iconic name for yelling” came to her as she thought of Marlon Brando shouting “STELLA!” in the movie A Street Car Named Desire.

One thing both women share is gratitude. “I am so grateful for the volunteers who have walked with me for years,” Robinson said. “They have kept my spirits up, especially during the pandemic.”

As for Jett, she likes to hear the stories of all the people she has met through volunteering. “It’s amazing to me the diversity of people with such interesting histories, and how much they have each accomplished in their lives,” she said. “It’s reaffirming.”

Northeast Village PDX is a member-led, volunteer-based and self-governing nonprofit that supports older people to stay in their homes while maintaining active, purposeful lives in Concordia and other neighborhoods in the central northeast Portland area. Call 503.895.2750 for more information or check out their video on their Northeast Village PDX YouTube channel or at NEVillagePDX.org.

Jon Dickman, lover of classical jazz vocals and longtime Concordia resident, is an enthusiastic volunteer for Northeast Village PDX.

By Jon Dickman | CNA Media Team

An appreciation of authentic human connection and a love of helping others inspired retired chiropractor and Cully resident Abe Cohen five years ago to volunteer with Northeast Village PDX, 5830 NE Alameda St., serving Concordia and other neighborhoods in central northeast Portland.

For the past five years, the group– volunteer-based, member-led and self-governing–has enabled older people to remain in their homes and enjoy a meaningful quality of life. Services may include transportation, light home maintenance, tech support, social visits, phone check-ins, tax help, yardwork and neighborhood walks. Membership fees help pay for village operating costs.

A driver for the village, Cohen cherishes the one-on-one time he spends when taking a member to a doctor, dentist, or physical therapy appointment or to go shopping, on a park walk or to a hair salon.

“It’s like when I was a chiropractor,” he said. “It’s a meeting of different people from different backgrounds, different personalities, different walks of life. It’s very stimulating.”

John Bear – a writer, former Jeopardy contestant and one of Cohen’s regular passengers – said Cohen was always cheerful. “Abe is one of those people who would rather be 15 minutes early than one minute late. So, I can always count on him for pickups and rides.”

Although the pandemic has limited socializing, some village members use videoconferences for book and movie discussions and arts and crafts. Cooking groups also conduct their meetings via videoconference, as well as speakers who share information of interest to older adults. More in-person cultural, recreational, and social activities are slated to start up again soon.

In February, Northeast Village PDX joined more than 280 similar villages across the country to celebrate the movement’s 20th anniversary. The U.S. House of Representatives marked Feb. 15 as National Village Day.

The milestone was also commemorated by Oregon Sen. Ron Wyden, who issued a statement into the Congressional Record of the United States Senate to recognize the accomplishments and contributions of the national movement.

“I see a lot of gratitude,” Cohen said. “It’s nice to do something for people who appreciate what you’re doing – not for ego gratification – but because you’re giving them something.”

Northeast Village PDX holds videoconference information sessions for prospective members and volunteers at 2 p.m. on the second Tuesday of every month. Register on the calendar at NEVillagePDX.org, or call 503.895.2750 for more information. Also, you can check out their introductory video on their Northeast Village PDX YouTube channel.

Jon Dickman, enthusiastic volunteer with Portland FolkMusic Society and lover of classical jazz vocals, leads a memoir/ show-and-tell group for NE Village PDX called “It’s All About Us.”

No matter where someone is from or where they’re going, within them there is a story, and Concordia News writers enjoy finding and sharing those stories. When we scratch the surface, surprising and evocative events unfold.

I’ve had the privilege of meeting many Concordians as a volunteer CNews writer. Some stories poured out vividly, but others needed a little coaxing.

I remember my first story about a very sweet-but-shy lady. I didn’t know where to go with the interview, and I questioned my writing skills. After a little gentle persuasion, her story unfolded with passion, surprises, love, and history.

Are you ready to share your skills? CNews welcomes both novice and experienced writers. You may be challenged. But you’ll be thoroughly satisfied. The basics are typically “who, what, when, where and why.”

The CNews editor can help you find your groove. Subjects vary widely from personal and public history, neighborhood information, local change, challenges, businesses, services and a wide variety of others.

Printed stories are typically limited to 400 words but, if you have more to say, that can be extended to CNews’ online presence.

As a writer, I personally prefer human interest stories. Memorable stories include a blind woodworker, chefs who bring their flavors from foreign homelands, teachers who encourage self-esteem through gardening, brave advocates, artists, cultural events, and many personal and evocative stories.

When I interviewed paper artist Calley Doderos, her creations unfolded into magical, glittery little houses. Each one was as unique and as wonderful as the artist.

I’m occasionally recognized for my stories when I’m out and about, and it gives me great satisfaction when people offer me story leads. Others come from the most surprising or mundane experiences.

Story leads come from everywhere, among them:

• A conversation at a neighborhood block party reveals a fascinating personal history.
• A substantial change within the neighborhood leads to an interesting story.
• A new or old business has a fascinating tale.
• Even your neighbor could surprise you.

The CNA Media Team meets monthly – currently via teleconference – to identify topics and solicit writers to volunteer to write about them. We always need writers and appreciate fresh ideas. Interviews can be in person, telephone or videoconference. It depends on your comfort level.

If you’re interested in taking the journey with a wonderful group of writers, please contact me at MarshaJSandman@gmail.com.

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.

It started as a handful of people collecting 237 pounds of supplies for food-insecure Portlanders from 14 donors in 2012. In 2019, Portland Food Project volunteers collected donations from about 1,500 households that totaled nearly 114,000 pounds of food.

Donors buy one extra grocery item a week, save those for an every-other month collection, then put them in supplied green project bags outside for pick up.

Last year, the pandemic caused a reduction in pick ups that resulted in a drop to nearly 82,500 pounds. But donors increased their financial contributions. And just the first four collections – of six – this year have resulted in more than 95,000 pounds of food.

Peggy Concillo joined the citywide, all-volunteer project five years ago. The Alameda resident and other local neighborhood coordinators collect food from Concordians and residents across the city the second Saturday of each even-numbered month.

The food is divided between 19 Portland area food pantries. Among them are nearby Northeast Emergency Food Pantry, Sharon Community Services and Home Forward at Dekum Court.

The nonprofit organization’s success lies in the neighborhood coordinators, according to Peggy. “They are an amazing bunch of people. They keep the project going.”

They come from all walks of life Peggy joined soon after her retirement as an educator.

“I wanted to do some volunteering, and I knew I wanted to do something different than being in schools. It sounded like a great concept, and it sounded easy,” she said.

“This is a local thing, building your own community and your neighborhood. People feel like they’re having a direct connection, a direct impact in their own community.”

To become a donor or neighborhood coordinator, visit PortlandFoodProject.org. At the same website, financial donations are accepted. In fact, enough money was donated late last year to enable the project to purchase groceries for an extra distribution to pantries in January.

Most coordinators start out as donors, then form their own routes of nearby households, then grow their routes to 15-30 donors.

According to project estimates, coordinators spend four to five hours every other month. That includes reminding their donors when to expect them, picking up the filled green bags from donors’ porches, leaving bags for the next pick up and delivering donations to a drop-off site.

At latest count, 42 other towns across the country have initiated programs modeled after Portland’s. Some of those are in the new hometowns of former Portland Food Project volunteers.

“Our motto serves other areas just as well as Portland,” Peggy explained. “Sharing food, building community.”

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

By Peter Keller | CNA Chair

On my list this month is our continued need for volunteers, the Concordia University poll and coyotes.

Sadly, we have to say goodbye to Sonia Fornoni, CNA Board member and Social Committee chair. Sonia and her family are moving out of state. Sonia has been a major force on the CNA board. She also managed all of the CNA events and the McMenamins Kennedy School Community Room. She will be missed and leaves some big shoes to be filled.

The CNA Board will appoint a new board member and Social Committee chair in the coming months. If you have interest in either or both of these positions, please reach out to me and/or attend the next (virtual) CNA Board meeting. That’s Wednesday, July 7, at 7 p.m. Visit ConcordiaPDX.org/CNAmeetings for sign-on details.

Next on the volunteer opportunity list, we’re recruiting writers for CNews. If you’re interested in writing about your neighbors and reporting everything that makes Concordia, well Concordia, please email CNewsEditor@ConcordiaPDX.org.

We are still looking for a volunteer to help us with our basic IT needs, which include maintaining a busy email system and tuning our website. The hours are minimal, and the results are appreciated. If you’re interested, please let me know at Chair@ConcordiaPDX.org.

Our informal poll asking what you would like to see replace Concordia University received hundreds of responses – mostly for a similar educational system. Results were published on the CNA Facebook page.

Finally, I’d like to put in a plug for our wild K-9 neighbors, aka coyotes. A neighbor wrote to let me know neighbors were expressing concerns on NextDoor.com about people naively feeding coyotes and small pets gone missing.

I see coyotes occasionally and have done a bit of research on them. They are among the wild animals that live here and are an important part of our ecosystem. They eat rodents, among other positive things.

Like any wild animals, people should not feed them or approach them. In fact, if you see a coyote and it doesn’t run away, the Audubon Society recommends waving your arms or making loud noises to scare them away.

It is illegal to relocate or hold a coyote captive. If there are particular individual coyotes that pose threats, the authorities will euthanize them. However, they’ve found that removing them doesn’t work, as they will naturally repopulate by having larger litters.

If you are interested or concerned, I encourage you to read the advice by Portland Audubon.

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.

By Taylor Nehrling | Concordia neighbor

One of Portland’s many valued attributes is its strong sense of community, commonly expressed through art. That’s the ongoing case at 32nd Avenue and Sumner Street.

A street mural at the intersection pays tribute to Brook Irwin, the neighbor we lost to cancer. This month our community reunites to refresh the Rainbow Dragon that offers joy and whimsical play to those who pass by and memories to us of our neighbor.

As a community, in 2015 we wanted to honor Brook’s life. We thought she would want us to build neighborhood relations. So the intention of this project became twofold: create a memorial and celebrate connection through a community-building event.

We received great help from the Village Builders Convergence (VBC). Community art projects like this one happen all around the city each year in conjunction with the VBC. Its 21-yearold Placemaking Program offers support and education in design logistics, fundraising, city permits and supply discounts.

The VBC is a program of the City Repair Project, a local nonprofit that, in its own words, “fosters thriving, inclusive and sustainable community through the creative reclamation of public space.”

The design for the Rainbow Dragon was inspired by Brook and her interests. According to Jason Horner, Brook’s husband, she taught high school geology, biology and physical science.

“She highly valued education and loved learning,” he added. “I think she would have been a lifelong student given the chance. Teaching science allowed her to combine educating, collaborating, helping people and her love of the outdoors – she was a great rock climber and loved hiking to vistas to see all the wonders of the natural world.”

The Rainbow Dragon is a symbol of our collective healing. It is an art installation that invites interaction with the viewer. Traveling around the rainbow and jumping across the stepping stones brings one in connection with the wonders of living. May your journey be joyful.

We will repaint the Rainbow Dragon Saturday, July 24, from 9 a.m. until we finish. The repainting is long overdue. Like many things that were put on hold due to the pandemic, we are eager to gather again and brighten our neighborhood with color, joy and camaraderie.

Please come and join us in taking advantage of our shared spaces and celebrate our abundance of community. Bring a brush!

For further information about the Rainbow Dragon intersection painting event, contact me at TaylorTracy1975@yahoo.com and/or donate at GoFund.me/82f2947d (Rainbow Dragon repaint)

Taylor Nehrling is a 17-year Concordia resident and a mother and an artist. Taylor is also an alumna of Oregon College of Arts and Crafts, and she is passionate about art as a common language for expression, healing and connection.