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General Meeting Rescheduled for July 17
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The heat forced us to cancel the potluck and general meeting in June, but we have rescheduled it:
General Meeting and Potluck Dinner
Wednesday
, July 17, 6
-8
pm
Hollywood Senior Center
1820 NE 40th Ave
With air conditioning at the Senior Center, we won't have to worry about summer heat foiling our plans.
We'll begin with a potluck dinner and conversation. Our program will include the latest news of our Village and a panel who will share member, volunteer, and governing council perspectives on the Village. You'll learn lots of ways to be involved. This is a great opportunity to bring friends who might want to learn about our Village.
Please bring a dish to share; beverages, cutlery, plates, and napkins will be provided. We'll start at 6 and wrap up by 8 pm.
As always, if you can help with setup at 5:30 pm, please contact the office: 503-895-2750 or
info@nevillagepdx.org
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You are Invited to the August Governing Council Meeting
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Please join us to watch your
Governing Council at work.
GovCo Meeting
and Ice Cream Social
Thursday, August 8, 3
-
5 pm
Rose City Park United Methodist Church
in the Basement Parlor
The ice cream social immediately follows the meeting.
No need to RSVP: we'll have enough chairs for everyone!
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Fast Facts about NE Village Governing Council (GovCo)
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- The purpose of GovCo is to manage NE Village PDX by making general operating and policy decisions that guide Village programming and service delivery.
- GovCo members are elected at the Village general membership meeting held in September.
- There are currently 13 GovCo members, including a representative from Villages NW.
- Anyone can serve on GovCo-it's not necessary to be a Village member.
- Term of office is two years, but GovCo members may be re-elected for an additional two terms.
- GovCo meetings are open to anyone who would like to attend
- GovCo meeting dates, agendas and minutes are all posted on the Village web site in the members-only section.
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Do you have a couple of hours a week to help?
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The engine of our village is our volunteers-both from our membership and the broader community. We are grateful to the volunteers who started our village. Numerous volunteers have carried us through almost 3 years since we opened our doors by providing rides and in-home services. Our village continues to grow and so does our need for volunteers.
There are many volunteer opportunities available. Please take a moment to consider how you can be involved: as a driver, in the office, providing services for members in their homes, connecting with members by phone, on the governing council, or on a committee (programs, membership, outreach and marketing, volunteer support and training, development, and this newsletter).
If you want to be involved, consider talking with someone already involved in your area of interest to learn more about that activity. Please give the office a call (503-895-2750) and we will make it happen for you. There is a place for everyone to contribute to keep our village vibrant, attractive, and running well.
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Kaiser Permanente Awards Villages $15,000
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Kaiser Permanente has embraced our local Village Movement with a gift of $15,000 to help our 11 Villages in the Villages NW hub-and-spoke network ("VNW") carry on their work to provide a holistic approach to healthy aging that's an affordable alternative to retirement communities and assisted care. Our NE Village PDX will receive $1254, as will the others.
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A Community Service:
Store to Door
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Would you like help with your grocery shopping? The Visually Impaired Persons (VIP) support group recently learned how Store to Door can serve Village members with a very professional, well-organized service. Founded in 1989, their mission is to provide "an affordable, personal, volunteer-based shopping and delivery service.
This is how it works:
- You call or go on-line to enroll (see below). There is no charge to sign up.
- Once a week, a volunteer calls to take your grocery order. Your order taker is the same person each week, so you get to know each other. You can choose to be called on Monday or Tuesday.
- Other volunteers shop at Fred Meyer for your groceries, and can pick up prescriptions and other household items as well.
- A delivery driver brings your items to you, and even puts them away if you choose. This volunteer is assigned to you, so only one known person comes into your home. Delivery is on Wednesday or Thursday.
- You are charged 10% of the order for this service.
- You can use food benefits (SNAP/OregonTrail).
VIP members were very impressed with how well-thought-out the process is. The delivery drivers are given the aisle location of each item ordered. Fred Meyer coupons are applied and volunteers cut out and attach paper coupons to order forms. Payments are made through debit and credit cards on file, so no money is exchanged with volunteers.
They welcome new clients and volunteers. On request, they will arrange to talk to groups and answer all the detailed questions!
Call 503-200-3333 or see on-line
Store to Door
for more information.
--Kathryn Hansman-Spice
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Survival Tips:
before and after a house fire or severe water damage
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If you have homeowners insurance against fire and water damage, will it cover you if you have to use it?
Nona Glazer has been through this and wants to pass on her hard-won knowledge.
She finds many people are unaware how vulnerable they are and how they can do something about it before a tragedy strikes. They need records of their belongings they need to consider having full coverage that will replace them.
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| Volunteer Spotlight: Vonnie Condon |
V
onnie Condon first read about the Village concept of aging in place in our local Hollywood Star News. When she mentioned the article to friends she discovered that they, too, were interested in attending the beginning meetings.
Fortunately for the organization, the friends all played an integral part in establishing the Village volunteer family and are still deeply committed to working within the NE Village.
Vonnie views the Village community as an excellent resource for those of us who are independent but might need help keeping up the yard or securing a ride to the doctor. The Village network is not a complete home care service; rather, it is a support system reliant on volunteer assistance.
When caring for her mother, Vonnie discovered that as we age it is essential that we build and maintain a variety of relationships that offer support in many ways. In other words, it is regular social engagement that stimulates vitality and promotes a purpose in life. She sees the Village as a community of many people from different backgrounds interconnecting to enrich each other, such as through a service request or volunteering to fulfill that request.
As a volunteer, Vonnie enjoys driving members to appointments, supporting them in their homes, and visiting with villagers. She also participates in Village dine-outs, discussion groups, meetings, potlucks, as well as co-chairing the Membership Team. Vonnie joyfully states she belongs to many Village circles that energize both
villagers and herself, thus forming a circle of positive energy -- which describes Vonnie to a T!
--Susan Hodge
For our series spotlighting volunteer contributions, let us know if you're a volunteer willing to be interviewed, and nominate other volunteers, to the NE Village office,
info@nevillagepdx.org
or 503-895-2750.
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How do our members & volunteers feel about our Village?
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The NEV Governing Council conducted a survey in May 2019 to explore our members' and volunteers' experience with the Village.
About 185 invitations were sent out to all of the NEV members and volunteers, with 82 responses received (44%). Here are some of the highlights of the survey:
In what ways have you contributed your skills, experience, time, and/or energy to the Village?
I attend Village gatherings and events
54%
I'm a Service Volunteer for Village members
45
I pitch in when asked, or when needed
26
I serve on GovCo, committees, ad-hoc groups
24
I've developed a special relationship with another member or volunteer
23
I help organize or coordinate Village events
19
Other ways
22
Participation in Social Events & Programs in past 4 months:
46% participated 2-4 times; 28% 5 or more times. The main reasons for NOT participating were "too involved with other things in my life" and "timing was not convenient". Overall rating of the events was 4.3 on a 1-5 scale - Quite good!
Experience receiving Village Services
(full-service members only):
Both Transportation and Home services were rated highly: 4.85 and 4.73 on the 1-5 scale. Many responders added open-ended comments which were largely very favorable.
Experience with Volunteering
(both member and non-member volunteers)
Initial Volunteer Training for service providers and drivers was rated "very good". We received over 100 open-ended comments from our volunteers, with the great majority being very favorable. Some examples:
- I enjoy volunteering - people are so interesting, fun to be with and so grateful for the Village
- Feel I have helped members be comfortable in their homes, and it helped me understand the challenges I may face as I too age ...
- It's a wonderful way to give back to the community. Rewards are greater than the output ...
- Too many reports to fill out... paperwork (mainly from drivers)
The full "
Survey Highlights
" report, and the
complete survey results
are now available in the
member-only
and
volunteers-only
sections of our website.
-- Todd Coward, Webmaster
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Neighbor Spotlight:
POCATech Acupuncture School
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This is the third in a series spotlighting our neighbors in Rose City Park United Methodist Church.
Located down the hall from the Village office is POCATech (People's Organization of Community Acupuncture) Acupuncture School.
Acupuncture, a traditional Chinese medicine practice, inserts ultra thin needles into specific body points, releasing energy to areas of pain. According to webmd, more than three million Americans regularly use acupuncture. It is effective in reducing chronic pain, however that is defined in one's body, versus regularly taking something like Ibuprofen, it is often not covered by the current changes in insurance and can run $75-95 per treatment.
POCATech, a fully accredited three-year master's-level training program, was established in 2014 by Lisa Rohleder and Skip Van Meter, Dean. Its mission is to recruit and train students to perform acupuncture in an affordable setting. Each year it accepts a cohort of 12
-
20 students. Focusing on best student practices, POCATech is committed to keeping tuition costs lower than traditional acupuncture schools as well as allowing students to start needling sooner, thus instilling a solid sense of confidence and expertise.
POCATech is part of the larger POCA co-op, including Working Class Acupuncture (WCA) that promotes social justice by offering acupuncture services to the working class and marginalized. Based on the Black Panther model of improving society beyond capitalism, POCA focuses on empowering people to survive whatever forms of past or present trauma they may be experiencing without judgment or assumptions. The goal is to encourage regular use of acupuncture so the body can heal organically. One can use acupuncture by itself or in tandem with western medicine.
WCA has several clinics in the Portland area including in Hillsdale, Rockwood, and Cully. The clinics are open seven days a week including evenings, and there is a sliding scale of $15-35 per treatment with a one-time $10 intake fee.
Some people might be afraid of needles. Let me say, whenever I have had acupuncture I am usually startled awake by my own loud snoring. I am totally relaxed and feel great afterwards!
--Susan Hodge
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Four Northeast Villagers attended a Taste of the Middle East food tour at Barbur World Foods on Barbur Boulevard on Thursday, May 23.
The store owner, Kuniz, escorted us around the store. We tasted sour plums, usually served as an appetizer with salt for dipping, loquats (delicious!), Armenian cucumber, and garlic yogurt sauce, for which Leila Piazza of Syrian Home Cooking provided preparation instructions. We learned that Middle Eastern countries employ different spice combinations for za'atar, which is often used in place of salt. We were even treated to a whole Middle Eastern pizza, lahmajoun. Such heart-warming hospitality!
After we left the store, some of us discussed the possibility of having a Syrian dinner. Leila Piazza said she could create a meal at a per-person price point agreed upon by those interested in attending the dinner. Is anyone interested? If so, please contact Sue Barnard at
luvs2cook3@gmail.com
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On the Night Stand:
Mozart's Starling
by Lyanda Lynn Haupt
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If you hate starlings, as many bird lovers do, then perhaps this might be the perfect read to change your mind or to gain an appreciation for these beautiful intelligent song birds, even if they are an invasive species.
Haupt, a noted author of several bird studies, traces the famed relationship between Mozart and his much loved pet starling, Star, who graced his bustling household for three years. One of the central mysteries of the book is how much Star's music inspired Mozart. Is Papageno in The Magic Flute modeled after Star? Much of Haupt's research delves into Mozart's life and his music. She puts old myths in context. For example, Mozart was buried in a common grave, as were most middle-class Viennese, because it was decreed by law to conserve space. The bodies were not just dumped in a mass grave. There was an orderly burial system. And while the movie Amadeus is a kick to watch, it is not accurate by a long shot.
In order to help understand why Mozart loved his Star(ling), Haupt captured a fledgling starling from a Seattle park to raise in her house. Like Mozart and Star, she is smitten and awed by the abilities of her Carmen. Who cares about bird poop in her hair! Not only are Carmen's feathers beautiful, not only does she love Haupt, even after being accidentally stuck in the refrigerator, it is really about Carmen's song and the starling's very sophisticated speech patterns and vocalizations.
This book also is a meditation on our relationship with Nature. She writes in the last few pages that at first starlings, because they aren't native, "... were a rift in this vision. They fluttered outside this wholeness." However, after living with Carmen, Haupt concludes that "We live together in a tangled complexity. I listen to the starlings mimic back to me my own profound ecological shortcomings. Carmen is a creature with a body, voice, and consciousness in the world".
--Susan Hodge
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