Category Archives: Volunteer Opportunities

By Peter Keller | CNA Chair

Hi neighbors. I hope everyone is enjoying the early spring weather. The occasional sun breaks and sporadic rain showers make it hard to figure out how to dress when headed outside.

Like the spring weather, life is unpredictable.

One thing that is predictable is taxes. Yes, that’s one thing we adults all have in common. Whether you don’t like paying them, preparing the forms or don’t agree with where the money goes, chances are more than likely we share a common dread about them.

Taxes are on my mind because I’m taking a break from working on mine to write this column. As a self-employed person, I manage my bookkeeping and prepare everything for my accountant.

Technology has improved the process quite a bit but it still takes time. If you’re like me, you wait until the end of the year to sort it all out. Reminds me of Travis Bickle from “Taxi Driver,” “One of these days I gotta get myself organezized.” He’s a creepy character, but it’s a memorable line and movie.

Obviously some people really enjoy working with numbers and spreadsheets and make careers of this, namely bookkeepers and accountants. I’m sure we have a few living in the neighborhood.

I know bookkeepers and accountants are busy right now, but I hope they see this column because the Concordia Neighborhood Association (CNA) also has to file tax forms. While we have a volunteer treasurer who works very hard to manage our finances, we could use a little help with our taxes and bookkeeping.

Speaking of numbers, we could also use some help with our ones and zeros. CNA had a volunteer IT person, Will Goubert, who managed our modest IT needs for several years. Will is retiring and also retiring from his volunteer IT work. We’d like to thank Will for all of his help over the years.

If you or someone you know has bookkeeping, accounting or IT skills and is interested in volunteering, we would love to hear from you. You can email me directly at Chair@ConcordiaPDX.org.

In other news, we had a great turnout at our March general meeting, where we heard from the city about some of the programs and ongoing planning to address the housing emergency.

We really appreciate the participation and I want to remind neighbors that you are encouraged and welcome to join our monthly meetings (CNA Board of Directors, Land Use & Transportation Committee, Media Team and Finance Committee). Find details about those meetings to the right on this page. Happy Spring!

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 Marsha Sandman | CNA Media Team

When things get tight, the dinner table might look a little sparse for some. That’s when members of the community – for whom giving is at the core of their beliefs – step in.

Rachel Schweitzer and her family are northeast Portland residents and attend C3 Church NE PDX in the Cully neighborhood.

Rachel was aware of the food insecurity experienced by many in the community and, with the support of her church and her pastors, Seth and Kaz Brooks, she took on the leadership of C3 Food Pantry in partnership with the Oregon Food Bank.

Rachel grew up as a child of missionary Lutheran parents in Papua, New Guinea. She moved to Portland to study at Concordia University, and she has served in various ministry roles over the years.

According to Rachel, she felt a calling to serve in practical ways in her local community. Although the church is currently not meeting in person because of COVID-19, the food pantry continues to serve the community as an essential service.

The C3 Food Pantry now has drivethrough and pick-up service at 6120 N.E. 57th Ave., the corner of 57th and Portland Highway. It is open Tuesdays and Saturdays from noon to 1 p.m.

Rachel remarked, “If you have a neighbor, friend or family member who needs food assistance, you are welcome to pick up for them.”

Each food box includes fresh produce and milk, and it holds about $100 to $150 worth of groceries.

Groceries are given out to about 150 households per distribution day. Rachel said the need has grown fivefold since the pandemic began. C3 Food Pantry receives donations from Oregon Food Bank and other food pantries, nonprofit agencies, supermarkets and individuals.

If you have any questions, would like to volunteer at or donate to the C3 Food Pantry, visit C3NEPDX.com, contact C3 Food Pantry at 503.997.2003 or Rachel@C3NEPDX.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.

By Carrie Wenninger | CNA Media Team

Gail Levine answered her phone in Austin, having left her Portland home in mid-March to quarantine with her husband in Texas. Her Concordia house is currently occupied by an OHSU pediatric nurse.

They have never met in person but, when she saw this frontline worker’s plea for a place to live that would keep him safely distanced from his family during the COVID-19 emergency, she offered the empty abode without hesitation.

“It just felt like the right thing to do,” she shared. “And it’s working out wonderfully.”

It will come as no surprise, then, to learn that Gail is one of the core group of individuals who formed Positive Charge! PDX, a four-year-old volunteer group open to everyone and dedicated to doing good things and sharing good news.

The group hopes others will follow the example of, as the website states, “Acting locally to amplify loving kindness on a collective scale.”

The organization hosts a wide range of activities on a variety of issues for seniors, hospitalized children, the homeless, foster children, abused women and more.

The largest event to date was the free, citywide Amplify Kindness! PDX gathering in October that featured keynote speaker state Sen. Elizabeth Steiner Hayward.

The focus was on creating tokens of kindness to take home and give away, and Hayward departed the workshop with a haul of painted kindness rocks to distribute back in Salem.

Other projects have included activities such as assembling welcome boxes for foster children through Embrace Oregon, baking and delivering cookies to emergency workers on Christmas Day and crocheting plastic yarn sleeping mats for houseless neighbors.

“People want to do something for their community but don’t know how,” Gail reported. “Positive Charge! gives them the opportunity.”

Group get-togethers and events were still on hold at CNews press time. According to Gail, opportunities still abound to help others and increase your own well-being.

Those include sewing masks, donating funds to local food pantries, painting and displaying your own kindness rocks, writing sidewalk chalk messages, and participating in the 7 p.m. shout-outs to thank essential workers.

Every small act of kindness expands and strengthens the web and makes a difference, she pointed out.

“Most people, I believe, have hearts of gold,” Gail said. “They just need to know what they can do, where to focus their attention and how to be of help.”

Plug in and get more ideas and inspiration at PositiveChargePDX.org.

Carrie Wenninger lives on 29th Avenue in Concordia. She is a freelance writer, a mom, a world traveler and a small business marketing consultant. Contact her at WurdGurl@gmail.com.

By Rachel Richards | CNA Media Team

Are you looking for a way to give back to the community this holiday season – or are you considering a New Year’s resolution to help your neighbors more? Worthy causes abound in and near Concordia, and they could use your tax-deductible dollars and/or your spare time.

At least two organizations in Concordia focus on the hungry.

Northeast Emergency Food Program (NEFP) meets urgent food and clothing needs. Clients include anyone in need, including those who are experiencing houselessness and those who are undocumented. NEFP is open from 1 to 4 p.m. Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays at 4800 N.E. 72nd Ave.

Volunteers are needed for: liaison, inventory, assisting clients shop, greeting, intake, operating the mobile pantry, serving as couriers, and in the clothing center, garden and landscape operation, cleaning and maintenance. Donations of funds, food and clothing are welcome. Contact NEFP at 503. 284.5470 and/or NEFP@emoregon.org.

The Faubion Food Pantry is always in need of shelf-stable food, especially fruit and applesauce cups, alternative milks (soy, almond, hemp, coconut), and protein-rich items such as canned soup and veggies, with an emphasis on organic and healthy food.

There’s also a need for clean, gently used children’s coats during the clothing drive that ends Dec. 5. For details and/or to schedule a drop off or pick up, contact Jaclyn Sisto, 3 to PhD services coordinator, at 971.804.9125 or jsisto@cu-portland.edu.

All of the local schools need more volunteers and dollars to support their academic programs. Internet searches can offer you contact info for Faubion, Vernon, Rigler and Ivy School Prescott Campus elementary schools; Beaumont Middle School and/or Jefferson, Madison and Alliance high schools.

One of the human services organizations in Concordia is The HIV Day Center, 2941 N.E. Ainsworth. It provides services for low-income people living with HIV/ AIDS. Hot breakfasts and lunches are available four days a week, as are counseling, information and referral, and help with problem solving. Clients have access to phones, a mail drop, computers with internet access, Wi-Fi, laundry facilities, clothing, showers and hygiene supplies.

The organization will benefit from the Dec. 5 World AIDS Day Fundraiser Luncheon.

Rachel Richards is a 16-year Concordia resident who loves her community. She has a background in counseling/education and uses her passion for helping others in her work as a real estate broker. Contact Rachel or learn more about her at rachelrichardsrealtor.com.

By Karen Wells | CNA Media Team

Calling all hands! Our Fernhill Park Tree Inventory is scheduled for Wednesday, Aug. 29, from 4:30 to 8 p.m. and Saturday, Sept. 8, from 8:30 a.m. to noon. The Concordia Tree Team needs your help for both.

All hands are welcome. Young people, adults, kids and seniors are needed to measure, map and record information about the trees of Fernhill Park. Each new set of hands will be paired with a trained team leader from Portland Parks and Recreation/Urban Forestry and/or Concordia Tree Team member.

Register for both dates at PortlandOregon.gov.

You will need to bring: Your enthusiasm and team spirit, water, layered clothing for cool mornings/hot afternoon), cell phone, hat, sunglasses, sunscreen and backpack for miscellaneous items.

Your team leader will provide: a yellow vest to wear at all times, information and supplies/materials.

Information you will record: tree location, name, height, diameter, crown or width and condition.

You will get: Some walking exercise, new information about trees and a good feeling knowing you’ve helped your urban environment be more sustainable for future generations.

Past generations did not see the social, environmental or local climate benefits of the area now known as Fernhill Park. At the beginning of the 20th century, the surrounding areas were farms with dirt roads traversing the interior. A dump occupied the area.

In 1940, the city started buying land for public parks and, in 1956, changed the name from Ainsworth Park to Fernhill Park with a size of almost 27 acres.

Concordia Tree Team member Barbara Wharton has been a tree team member since she moved to the neighborhood in 2008. She has enjoyed learning about park tree health concerns and building community while advocating for the green canopy of Concordia.

Learn more by visiting The Concordia Tree Team Facebook page.

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

By Tricia Elder | AARP Experience Corps

Volunteer! Help Children Read. “Hey, that sounds like fun. I bet I could do that,” I thought when I saw the ad in Concordia News.

But I’m no teacher. What could I really do? Would I be in a classroom? Choose my own books? Would the teacher guide me? How much time would it take?

The answers are: I’m in a classroom, I can choose my own books and word games or use those provided, I have guidance and input from the teacher, and I’m in class about eight hours every week but I could be there as few as four.

Volunteers who earn a stipend serve about 10 hours a week.

When I contacted Metropolitan Family Service (MFS), which administers the AARP Experience Corps program, I learned it’s nationwide and has been operating for many years.

Older adult volunteers are carefully screened, interviewed by MFS staff, and given 12 hours of training in literacy strategies and building relationships before being assigned to classrooms that have requested them. More training is conducted throughout the year.

Teachers identify four vulnerable students who would benefit from tutoring and match them to a volunteer with whom the children will work one-on-one or in small groups. Although volunteers work most intensely with their matches, they also provide literacy assistance to other children while in the classroom.

I’ve been at Prescott Elementary for the past four years, the past two years in kindergarten. What a dramatic difference it makes to work with young children! In just a few minutes at a time a few days a week, a child can learn not just letters and sounds, but words and sentences.

Today I worked with two of my matches playing a rhyming game they enjoy. We put letters in front of “at” to make these words: cat, chat, bat, brat, fat, flat, sat, spat, splat, that. I did not read the words to them; they sounded out and read the words to me.

These kids are 5 and 6. I’m matched to them because they needed help in October and, after just a few months of reading and playing with words to augment regular classroom instruction, they’re flying!

Please consider volunteering for our Experience Corps team, and help children read. Hey, it’s fun and you really can do that.

Email volunteer@mfs.email or call 503.290.9427 and I’ll see you next autumn.

Tricia Elder volunteers for AARP Experience Corps and performs data input for the Sierra Club. She also maintains an online real estate database for surveyors and lenders working in the rural Texas county where she and husband Steve lived previously. Tricia is happy every day to wake up in her Concordia neighborhood.

By Steve Elder | CNA Media Team

Portlandd voters will soon have the opportunity to fight climate change while promoting social and economic equity.

The Portland Clean Energy Fund (PCEF) would generate an estimated $30 million annually to do things like weatherize and solarize Portland homes and businesses. It would also provide energy efficiency upgrades for low-income housing, job training, minority contractor support, green infrastructure assistance, and local food production.

The ballot initiative is what some call pure democracy: people can vote directly to make a law that affects them, not going through the legislature or other governing body.

The PCEF ballot initiative would impose a 1 percent business license surcharge on retail corporations, such as Apple, Starbucks and Wells Fargo, that do a $1 billion worth of business nationwide and $500,000 of business in Portland annually.

To get on the November 2018 ballot 45,000 signatures of Portland registered voters are required. A citizen’s commission, appointed by the city council, will distribute the money. The commission will oversee competitive proposals for use of funds.

Each commission member must have strong interest and experience in reducing greenhouse gas emissions, acting on climate change, and advancing racial and economic justice.

Detractors say the measure sounds like a sales tax. Technically it is not, although corporations will pay based on meeting a certain sales volume threshold. Corporations already pay license fees. PCEF is a surcharge. Most of the affected corporations already collect charges in other states that they pass on to Portlanders in the form of standard prices all over the country.

PCEF is a little like Measure 97, the tax initiative which lost statewide after a campaign that broke Oregon’s spending record for ballot initiatives. The measure won handily in two counties, Multnomah and Benton.

According to the Department of Energy, every dollar invested in weatherization generates $1.72 in energy benefits and $2.78 in nonenergy benefits such as fewer medical bills and less labor time lost. Landlords who upgrade properties will be required to limit any rent increases.

The PCEF steering committee has among its members the Sierra Club, 350PDX, the Audubon Society, NAYA Family Center, the NAACP, Oregon Physicians for Social Responsibility, and more than 100 neighborhood associations, including Concordia.

Signatures will be collected from Portlanders who will be old enough to vote in the November 2018 election. Signature collectors should be able to explain the initiative and provide copies for review.

Volunteers are needed to help collect signatures. If you’d like to help, google contact information for any of the sponsors.

Steve, East2@ConcordiaPDX.org, is an inactive lawyer, a developer, activist and old grouch.