May 2016 – Memo Pad

Each day members of our community quietly celebrate milestones, achievements and accomplishments—big and small. This department highlights these triumphs for the community.

If you’re sending a submission, include all details that apply: individuals’ names, details of the milestone and a contact name and phone number. If you have photos, send them. The submission deadline for April issue is Tuesday, March 15. For best results, e-mail editor@midcountymemo.com or mail submissions to 3510 N.E. 134th Ave., Portland, OR 97230. Call 503-287-8904.

The party’s over—until next year

Peace, Love, Parkrose brought the Parkrose community together Saturday, April 16, for the 13th annual Parkrose Educational Foundation dinner auction at the Portland Airport Sheraton. The event helped fill the foundation grant budget for next school year. An additional $10,000 was raised in support of Outdoor School. Check out photos from the evening on the Parkrose Educational Foundation Facebook page or at parkroseedfdn.org.

Choose alternate routes to bypass damaged 122nd Avenue bridge

The Portland Bureau of Transportation has recently obtained funding for a $2.8 million replacement of the 122nd Avenue Bridge, which spans Johnson Creek in east Portland.

The bridge was damaged by heavy rains during winter storms and will remain closed to motor vehicles until a replacement bridge can be built, expected in 2019. The bridge sidewalk currently remains open for biking and walking.

Since January, PBOT crews have worked to stabilize the bridge site to limit the risk of further deterioration. In March, a committee of the Oregon Department of Transportation and local agencies allocated $2.5 million in Federal Highway Bridge Funds for replacement of the 122nd Avenue Bridge. The federal funds require a local match of $300,000, which PBOT will provide using general transportation revenue, which is mainly funded by parking revenue and the city’s share of state gas tax.

Travelers in the area should use alternate routes to travel between Southeast Foster Road and Flavel Street.

Local access will be maintained south of Foster Road and north of Flavel street for residents and businesses. Access to the Leach Botanical Garden, a major destination in the area that is located next to the bridge, will also be maintained.

“Spring begins our busy season at Leach Botanical Garden, with weddings and events as well as casual visitors coming to enjoy the peace and beauty,” said David Porter, executive director of Leach Garden Friends, a nonprofit that operates the garden for Portland Parks & Recreation. “We want people to know that our parking lot is open as normal and can be reached from the south via Flavel Street.”

PBOT hosted an open house last month about the bridge replacement project and detour routes that are in place until a new bridge can be opened.

PBOT crews have posted two detour routes during the bridge closure.

Alternate Route 1, Southeast 110th/112th:

Southbound traffic is detoured west at Southeast Foster Road to southbound on 110th Drive/112th Avenue to Flavel Street and eastbound back to 122nd Ave. Northbound traffic will be detoured at Flavel Street west to 112th Avenue/110th Drive, then east on Foster Road, back to 122nd Avenue.

Alternate Route 2, Southeast 134th/Deardorff Road:

Southbound traffic is detoured east at Foster Road to southbound on 134th Avenue/ Deardorff Road to Flavel Street and westbound back to 122nd Avenue. Northbound traffic will be detoured at Flavel Street east to Deardorff Road/ 134th Avenue and west on Foster Road, back to 122nd Avenue.

The traveling public is advised to travel cautiously and observe the closure signage and directions from reader boards and detour signage.

This work is weather-dependent and the schedule may change.

Philanthropy starts very young

Portland Christian second-grader Terrance Burton Jr. dreams of helping marginalized members of society. When he was just four years old, he asked his mother if it was true that some people really had to eat out of garbage cans. When his mother explained how that was true, Terrance decided he didn’t like that and wanted to do something to help those people. So he decided to raise money for the homeless through a fundraiser that he named the Terrance Feed, now a nonprofit charitable organization.

Fast forward to today. The third-annual Terrance Feed was Saturday, April 2, at Madison High School, 2735 N.E. 82nd Ave. Each year Terrance selects an organization that provides aid to homeless to receive the proceeds of the event. This year’s recipient was My Father’s House, a nonprofit shelter ministry that assists the homeless population of Multnomah County. Terrance said what really drew him to My Father’s House was the great programs they had for kids, something he said you might not find at every shelter.

When asked why he believes it’s important to help people, Terrance answered, “Because you should treat others the way you would want them to treat you. And I would want others to treat me like that. I do it for that reason right there.” Terrance explained that there are a whole lot of people in the world, but not everyone does things to help out. His hope is that the world will see things like the Terrance Feed and what other people are doing to make a difference and they will want to join in. “I would like people, when we are gone, to carry it on. More people who think that our idea was great. And then they keep carrying it on and it multiplies until it’s the whole world!”

The Terrance Feed is as much a community celebration as it is a fundraiser. The event last month featured performances by local artists such as Rasheed Jamal, Mic Capes, Adrien Adel, Rochell “Ro Deezy” Hart, and Llondyn Renee Lashawn. Donations were collected throughout the event as attendees enjoyed good food, good music and good company. In addition, supporters who could not attend the event were able to mail in their donations. The total from the event reached $913.76.

Terrance said he hopes to keep the Terrance Feed alive for years and years to come. To all the kids out there who feel like they’re too young to make a difference, Terrance wants to let them know, “You’re never too young. I was in preschool when I started this and now I’m in second grade. You’re never too young to do something. Just do it. Follow your dreams.”

School project leads to jog-a-thon

Elementary students at the Market Street campus of Portland Christian Schools are participating in a fundraiser called the Walter Project to provide children in Africa with clean water. The goal is to raise $2,000 for this project by May 20. The Walter Project is a kids’ ministry program run by Blood: Water, a nonprofit ministry which aims to better combat the HIV/AIDS and water crises in Africa by partnering with African organizations and equipping local individuals to join the fight. As part of their fundraising process, children are encouraged to think of creative ways to fundraise outside of the classroom.

When asked how he wanted to get involved, one student, first-grader Dylan Brown, decided to organize a jog-a-thon. He came up with the idea while running around his church parking lot after Bible study one night, and he eventually chose to host the event right there at Good Shepherd Lutheran in Vancouver. With the help of his parents, he assembled informational packets about the Walter Project and the jog-a-thon. Those who chose to participate were then responsible for going out into the community and gathering sponsors for every lap they walked, ran or jogged. Dylan took initiative in every step of this process. Not only did he make announcements during church services to the entire congregation to promote the jog-a-thon and decide to serve the participants lunch at the event, but he even hand-picked the menu of pizza, hot dogs and chocolate cake. Around 30 people took part in the jog-a-thon, which was held in March. At the onset of this project, Dylan set a goal of raising $500 for the Walter Project, but at the end of the day, Dylan’s initiative raised $1,360.11 for clean water in Africa. In addition, participants were able to raise awareness about the mission of Blood:Water during the process of gathering sponsors.

Dylan would love to help other kids think of creative ways to help their community. His intentionality with the jog-a-thon has already begun to inspire those around him, especially his fellow PCS students.

When asked why he thinks it’s important to help people, Dylan said, “So that other people will keep doing it and it will go on and on.” Dylan has a gift for seeing past himself and into the needs of others.

Serve Day impacts area nonprofits

Portland Christian Jr./Sr. High School students celebrate its annual Missions Week with a day of service to the community. On Thursday, April 14, students fanned out to 18 different service sites to offer assistance. Some sorted clothing at Northwest Children’s Outreach and some spent time with seniors at Cherry Wood Village Retirement Community, while others helped repair books at Children’s Book Bank, served food at the Union Gospel Mission, landscaped at Columbia Slough Watershed Council and worked on projects at local elementary schools.

Metro solid waste planner fills vacancy, joins Parkrose Board of Education

Sara Kirby, a Parkrose neighborhood resident, has been appointed to replace James Trujillo on the Parkrose Board of Education. Trujillo resigned in February. Kirby graduated from Arizona State University with a Bachelor of Science in biology. She works at Metro regional government as a solid waste planner coordinating regional garbage and recycling programs. She looks forward to serving on the school board and taking an active role in the Parkrose community.

Kirby has lived in the district for eight years and shares her home with her husband and two children. The children will attend Parkrose schools. In her downtime she is an avid reader and enjoys digging in the dirt with her kids and exploring Oregon with her family.

Contact Kirby at sara_kirby@parkrose.k12.or.us.

MHCC pursues bond
The Mt. Hood Community College Board of Education will place a 20-year general obligation bond in the amount of $125 million on the May 2016 ballot to fund classroom and lab spaces, safety and security upgrades and other district needs.

The list of projects proposed by the board include building a workforce and applied technology center on the Gresham campus; rebuilding and expanding the Maywood Park campus to meet the demand for entry-level and worker training opportunities in Gateway and Parkrose; seismic upgrades and upgrading and improving safety and security infrastructure; and securing $8 million in state matching funds for additional support for the workforce and applied technology center.

The campus was built to serve fewer than 10,000 students. Current annual enrollments exceed 25,000. The board cites student population as a critical reason for these upgrades.

“This is absolutely a crucial moment in the history of Mt. Hood Community College,” said MHCC’s president Debra Derr. “Here in our 50th anniversary, we need to take the necessary steps to make the college ready to train the workforce of tomorrow. By being responsive to the needs of business and industry, while still responding to the desires of the community, MHCC can take a step forward as one of the premier community colleges in the state.”

The estimated tax rate will be $30 per $100,000 of assessed value. An oversight committee, made up in part by community and business leaders, will be formed to oversee the funds to ensure they are spent as promised.

To learn more, visit mhcc.edu/bond.