Construction Corner Quarterly Newsletter |
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From the desk of Pat Daniels, Executive Director |
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2020 has presented us all with hardships, challenges and roadblocks. Between the COVID-19 pandemic, to a light being shined on racial injustices in our society, to the recent wildfires here in Oregon, we have all been affected by current events.
Here at Constructing Hope, due to pandemic restrictions and social distancing requirements, we were forced to cancel our Spring and Summer 2020 classes. While continuing our usual support and mentorship services for graduates, we have also issued over $17,000 in COVID-19 related financial support to our graduates. We have used the break in our training as an opportunity to plan and prepare for the future of our program. We held our first-ever virtual fundraiser, Leveling the Playing Field, in July, which raised important funds and awareness of our work. I have a number of new staff members onboard, the remodel of our training and office space is underway, and I am very excited about what's to come for our students, graduates and partners in the days to come!
Thank you for being a part of the Constructing Hope family. I hope you will enjoy reading this quarter's updates on what we've been working on, and what's to come as we continue our work to rebuild lives of those in our community who need it most!
Sincerely,
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Class is Back in Session
Our Fall 2020 Pre-Apprenticeship Training Class will officially begin on October 19, 2020. Things are going to look a little different as we pilot our new format to accommodate pandemic restrictions. The bulk of the classroom portion of our training will be taught virtually, with laptops and internet service provided to participants. Our in-person training will be broken into smaller cohorts with appropriate social distancing. We are grateful to Multnomah County for providing us with 2,000 masks and 10 gallons of hand sanitizer. We have stocked up on additional masks and hand sanitizer, as well as purchased temperature scanners that will be used prior to all in-person training. We are excited to have the Fall 2020 Class participate in hands-on training work on our own remodel!
The Fall 2020 class will run from October 19 - December 9, 2020. A celebratory graduation ceremony (likely virtual) will take place on December 11, 2020.
Stay tuned to our social channels for updates as we get training rolling again.
If you, or someone you know if interested in learning about how you can be a part of a future Constructing Hope class, learn more about requirements and next steps here.
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Building Equity Program
The Building Equity Program is Constructing Hope’s grant-funded response to the disparities our formerly incarcerated students and graduates endure in housing, employment, financial assistance, and more. One of the Building Equity Program’s goals is to remove these disparities from our students’ lives by working with a pro bono legal network to set aside their arrest and conviction records, otherwise known as expungement. This will also allow these students to access existing services for assistance with driver's license reinstatement.
A new Case Manager, Lisa Dixon, was hired to focus on getting the Building Equity Program off the ground. This position was made possible thanks to funding from the City of Portland's Office of Community & Civic Life Social Equity & Educational Development (SEED) Grant Fund and the Collins Foundation. As of October 1st, Lisa has started to reach out to potentially eligible students to the program. Lisa says, “We are focusing on arrests and convictions that have occurred in Multnomah County at this time in partnership with the Multnomah County Bar Association. Once the program is up and running, we want to expand the program to include surrounding counties. I am excited to get started.”
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Constructing Hope Remodel |
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A complete transformation of Constructing Hope's training, classroom and office space is underway! Preparations kicked off in August with Hoffman Structures leading some hard-working past and potential future Constructing Hope students, Minority Construction Group volunteers and Constructing Hope staff members through the take-down, pack up and move out of the entire space. MACK Construction, a new African-American owned subcontractor here in Portland, handled demolition of the old space. Professional Lath & Plaster (framing subcontractor) are underway and plan to involve the Fall 2020 class in portions of the remaining work.
This project is expanding our facility from 4,318 to 5,595 square feet, and giving Constructing Hope the capacity to provide career training for a greater number of unemployed and underemployed community members. Follow us on our social channels below for frequent photo updates on our progress.
We are grateful to all of our partners on this remodel. A special shout out to Angela Watkins, of Minority Construction Group for leading this important project. Funding for this project was made possible thanks to a grant from Prosper Portland. We are currently pursuing additional foundation support.
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Ways to Get Involved
Want to support Constructing Hope's mission to rebuild the lives of people in our community? Here are just a few of the ways that you can get involved:
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Review us for the GreatNonprofit's 2020 Top-Ranked Award! It only takes two minutes - click here.
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Link your Fred Meyer rewards account to Constructing Hope through their Community Rewards Program. Search for us by name or nonprofit #NG874 here.
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Interested in volunteering? Email us for more information.
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Donate now - a gift of any amount supports our mission to rebuild lives through training in the construction industry.
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Recent Awards &
Media Links
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October 2020 Story of Hope
Juan Mojica
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Juan didn’t let one mistake shape the rest of life for him and his daughter. Despite the added obstacles that resulted from his DUI, with mentorship and support from Constructing Hope, Juan and his 7 year old daughter have a bright future ahead of them. We are grateful to be a part of their story!
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October 19, 2020 - Fall 2020 Class Begins
December 1, 2020 - Giving Tuesday
December 9, 2020 - Last Day of Fall Class
December 11, 2020 - 2020 Class Graduations
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Constructing Hope | 405 NE Church St., Portland, Oregon 97211 |
Phone: (503) 281-1234 | Fax: (503) 719-7685
See what's happening on our Facebook and Like Us:
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