Northeast Village PDX is a community led by older adults sharing their skills and expertise and supporting each other to balance the challenges and opportunities of aging. We believe a better experience of aging is possible when we engage with and rely on each other. Every day, our members and volunteers come together to provide support services and create new possibilities for our future.
In This Issue:

September-October 2020


Socially Distanced Activities Offered
Patio Picnics
 
We do the match-making between host and guest members! To host a picnic for lunch or dinner you need outdoor space for one or two other people at a minimum of six feet apart. A guest can travel to the host's home, or you both can arrange to meet at a park. Each provides their own dishes, utensils, napkins, food, and beverage. 

Phone the NEV office at 503-895-2750 or Julie Granger at 971-266-7670.

Socially Distanced Walking Groups
 
Several "Distancing Walk Group" events are scheduled each month. Each is open to six members and/or volunteers. All must commit to walking at a 6' distance and to wearing a mask. They are located in the neighborhood as a starting point, and as the group meets, they may plan for other destinations. This is a time to get out and have an actual visit with other Villagers.
 
Log in and register for the walks on the online NEVillage Calendar  so the coordinator knows you are coming.
 
Want to coordinate another neighborhood walk ... or a destination walk outside the neighborhood? 

Log in, and use the online "Setting up events & meetings" form to enter your own walking event, or for more support contact the NEV office at 503-895-2750.
You are invited to other villages' virtual events.
Viva Village and River West Village are sponsoring open virtual meetings on topics relevant to seniors and are offering NEVillage members and volunteers the opportunity to participate in these events.
 
Viva Village: Virtual Age Cafe
 
Age Cafe provides a bi-weekly forum on Zoom for attendees to enjoy stimulating small group conversations that explore issues, thoughts, and feelings on topics relevant to older adults. It is a collaborative effort of Viva Village; the Beaverton City Library; and Washington County Disabled, Aging, and Veterans Services (DAVS). 
 
Examples of recent events:
  • Advocating for ourselves with our physicians
     
  • Life transitions experienced and how they have helped shape us
Next Events:
  • Living Better, or Living Longer?Friday, September 11, 11am-12pm
     
  • Social JusticeFriday, September 25, 11am-12pm  
Go to the NE Village Calendar for more information and instructions to participate.

River West Village: Virtual Salons
 
Monthly presentations and conversations about issues relating to older adults.
 
Examples of recent events:
  • Kera Magarill from Washington County Department of Aging and Veterans Services shared "Staying home, staying well for older adults: 10 tips for taking care of your mental health during COVID-19". 
     
  • Jenny Sasser, Geropunk,continued the discussion of female sexuality that we began at the June Salon.  She is an educational gerontologist, transdisciplinary scholar, and community activist.

    Next Event: Financial Planning Salon
  • Wednesday, September 9, 12:30-1:30 pm

    Certified Financial Planner Carol Vreeland will discuss the financial environment we are currently in and will answer your financial questions.
Go to the NE Village Calendar for more information and instructions to participate. 
Let's watch a presentation from another village network.
Northeast Village recently subscribed to a four-part Zoom series "Innovation Can't Wait" from  Village Movement California.

The first session, "Building and Strengthening Community," established a framework for the series. Villages' strength as intentional communities provides a critical infrastructure for addressing the threats of isolation, loneliness, and mental health stress precipitated by the COVID-19 pandemic. 

Dr. Patrick Arbore, Founder and Director of The Friendship Line, stressed the importance of village volunteers using active listening with members and each other. He suggested that villages develop referrals to mental health providers, should community members and/or volunteers need extra support.

The second session, "Marketing and Membership," covered villages' relational value proposition during the global pandemic. They have established mutual aid networks and a web of connection in response, and they offer solutions for extended periods of physical distancing. 

Helen Elder, a leader of Villages Northwest in Portland, Oregon, described concrete steps for building partnerships with organizations that can help spread the word about village supports and services and shared a helpful guide and checklist.

"The Intergenerational Village," session three, featured five millennial partners of San Francisco Village who are building rich connections among older and younger members and volunteers. 

Kate Hoepke, San Francisco Village E.D., described her vision for intergenerational villages and told how her village is embracing young adult volunteers. Kate is planning to bring together village leaders to explore and discuss how they might advance an intergenerational model. 

The final session, "Financial Sustainability," featured Jan Masaoka, CEO of the California Association of Nonprofits. She emphasized the value of volunteer organizations, advised villages to amplify the fundraising strategies that have worked well for them, rather than getting into something new, and confirmed the importance of focusing on current and emerging needs of volunteers and members during the pandemic. 

She assured us that growth is not the benchmark of success and advised that we not invest time and energy in long-range strategic planning. She stressed the importance of the statewide organization, Village Movement California, as the backbone for villages' long term sustainability.

Watch for an upcoming four-week viewing event for our Village.
September Annual Meeting of Northeast Village:  Election of GovCo members.
Members and volunteers, please attend our next virtual quarterly meeting:
Wednesday, September 9, 4:00-5:30 pm.

You need a computer, tablet, or smartphone ready with Zoom; if you need help doing that, call on us. Log in and register on the online NEVillage calendar to attend.
 
This quarter's meeting serves as our annual meeting of all the membership.

In the first part of the meeting, we will elect new GovCo members, and hear a review of the state of our Village. Only members  can vote at the meeting on the slate of candidates for our Governing Council.
 
In the second part of the meeting, we will address whether the Village should provide resources and means to better inform our community about key civic issues that we are facing in our area, such as the social justice protests, local civic leadership, economic matters, and others. We will break into smaller groups so that all can get engaged in this conversation.


Some of our current hardworking GovCo members
Back:  Todd Coward, Susan Bach, Neil Malling
Front:  Vonnie Condon, Anne Lindsay, Joan Malling
Our Candidates For Election:

New Candidates

 

Nan Artman

 

Nan has been a teacher in inner-city Washington, DC, and in Laos. She has been in Portland quite a while and retired to non-profit work in 2006. She does data management and mailings for our membership.

Eileen Dennis

Eileen is not yet retired as an accountant, but she's long been a busy service volunteer for NEV and many other orgs, especially for dog rescue. Find out more about her dog Sophie, and her involvement in our Neighborhood Emergency Team (NET).

Rebecca Saltonstall


Rebecca is a retired family physician and faculty member in the School of Medicine at UW. Initially, she retired to Colorado but now is nearer family here. She has been a service volunteer and a receiver of services and now is more active in committees as well as NEV social activities.
Continuing for a New Term

Todd Coward  is a retired corporate manager and Internet Service Provider manager. He previously served on various   neighborhood associations and other non-profit organizations, and has long served NEVillage -- as past webmaster and current co-chair of GovCo.

Pat Vivian is a professional writer and poet, and also a singer.  She's offered much to NEVillage, for the Newsletter editing and writing, the Development Committee, and incumbent service on GovCo. 


You can read the full biographies of the slate of candidates for new terms at this link:  Candidate Biographies
Continuing on GovCo:
  • Nick Bouwes
  • Stephanie Sameh
  • Jean Robinson
  • Nancy Donehower
  • Anne Lindsay
  • Susan Bach
  • Neil Malling
Leaving GovCo:
  • Vonnie Condon
  • Joan Malling
  • Mary Kay August
  • Jane Braunger
The Village Square
Northeast Village holds an open Village Square once a month. It's a forum for sharing how we are doing and what our community can mean for us here and now.
 
Review of August Village Square
 
We gathered on Zoom to talk about the continuing protests here in our city. As is our custom, each individual (there were 16 of us) related their own experiences and then added questions and concerns. 

The Square is an open space where we can come to reflect together about shared experiences. In that spirit, the Square(s) is not an action/organizing group. This does not mean that several of the individuals have been inactive. Each of us is concerned in our own way and looking for ways to participate in a change we believe is necessary.
 
Among the thoughts that came up:
 
Public leadership in the conventional sense is gone. Several groups and some elected officials have spoken out and demonstrated, but at this time, we as a community do not have a way forward that gives us confidence. Where will leadership arise? Voting is important.
 
When is violence effective to push the point? When does it cross the line and lose supporters? What tactics are the police using against protesters; are there players coming from outside Portland?
 
Among ourselves. Listening, listening, listening. How do we speak to each other? Do we talk past? Beyond our group, which was described as a "bubble," how do we listen for common ground with groups whose way of seeing things leads us to frankly return the emotions they seem to be hurling at us?
 
-- Lynne Coward
 
Next Virtual Village Square in September
 
As stated above, the Square is a space open to any member or volunteer in Northeast Village. If you share our interest in the kind of conversation related above, you are invited to join in.

The Square will be open again on Wednesday, September 16, from 6:00 to 7:30 pm, to continue the conversation on the evolving events related to the protests in Portland.

Meet using Zoom on your computer, tablet, or smartphone. Log in and register on the online NEVillage Calendar  to attend.
Kaiser Permanente grant benefits Northeast Village PDX.
Kaiser Permanente has embraced the Village movement with a gift of $10,000 to Villages NW. The eleven villages in the VNW network, including Northeast Village PDX, have received equal shares of the grant.
 
"Despite the limitations this pandemic has placed on our village, we are connecting by phone, email and Zoom; we're grateful to have each other's virtual presence during this time," said Jane Braunger, co-chair of Northeast Village PDX governing council.
 
"The village is the best thing that ever happened to us," said Lyndee, who joined Northeast Village PDX with her husband. "We're both in love with the village." Lyndee, age 88, gets phone calls from a volunteer, Phyllis, who's 96. "We talk on the phone once a week. I'd love to meet her in person. Thanks to the Village, I made a new friend."
 
Our mission complements Kaiser Permanente's nearly 75-year history and mission of improving the health of not only its members, but the community it serves. Kaiser Permanente is proud that so many employees give generously of their time to volunteer. To celebrate that volunteerism, they established the Kaiser Permanente Gives - Volunteer Grant Program, which donates to organizations where employees and clinicians give their time.
 
Charlie Meyer, Villages NW Board President said, "They exemplify their commitment to the mental, physical, social and emotional well-being of older adults in Oregon and SW Washington by providing these grant funds and encouraging their employees to volunteer, which for us has included former Board President Alison Bahr and current Vice President Althea Ender."

Your Fred Meyer shopping $ could benefit your Northeast Village.
If you have a (free) Fred Meyer Rewards card and make purchases at one of their stores, it collects points for your benefit, and it can generate a "Community Rewards" donation for our Northeast Village PDX as well, if you sign us up as your nonprofit of choice. Instructions for using your account online to do this are at this link: https://www.fredmeyer.com/i/community/community-rewards

Select "Villages NW fbo Northeast Village PDX" (or NPO number HK741) as your donation organization. If Fred Meyer is your primary grocery store, you can easily generate a few dollars a quarter; it can add up.
Calendar of Events
Article Submission Dates
November-December Bimonthly Newsletter
Submission Deadline: October 15, 2020
Submit to:  jeanne.bear@gmail.com

Village Boundaries
Northeast Village PDX is a member of the Villages NW tax-exempt network.

For more information, contact:

Northeast Village PDX
503-895-2750

Please help us spread the word by clicking "Forward this email" below to send our newsletter to your friends and family.