Neighbors Helping Neighbors Age in Place 
Newsletter of
Northeast Village PDX  
Northeast Village PDX is a group of neighbors in Northeast Portland, Oregon, who are creating a membership organization that will help seniors in the area stay in their own homes as they age - by providing volunteers to help with rides, simple home repairs,  friendly visits, and light yard work, as well as professional services (plumbing, electrical, care giving and others) at reduced rates. This occasional newsletter will keep you up to date on the steps the Village is taking to achieve its goals.
February 2016 -- In This Issue:

Our Village programs will create opportunities to get out of the house and into the community. 


 For so many of us home is where happiness lies. 
Building Our Village Campaign Ends
Our Build Our Village fund-raising campaign drew to a close at the end of 2015. We decided to add our "pass the envelope/build our Village" donations of the past two years to top off the amount we collected since April. Our goal was $7,500, and we did it! Fifty-four individuals/households/organizations participated.
 
"We are so grateful for the generosity of everyone," said Development Committee chair Joan Malling. "Many, many thanks."

A donor appreciation wine and cheese event is scheduled for February 6.   If you are a donor, please let Joan know if you will be attending. And if you have not received your invitation, please contact Joan at jmalling@easystreet.net.
 
A complete list of donors appears below.

Lois Abbruzzese
Susan Bach and
  Douglas  Egan
Margaret and
  Frank Baldwin
Margaret Bell
Joan and
  Nicolas Bouwes
Jane and John Braunger
Carolyn Buan
Margaret Cahalan
Nancy and Dan Clausen
Scott Clift and
  Warren  Clement
Vonnie Haley-Condon  
   and Joseph D. Condon
Lynne Coward
Todd Coward
Dorothy Cox
Susan Danielson
Eileen Dolan
Donna Dorsey
Linda Dreyer
Roberta Dyer and
  Robert Durand
Helen A. Feeney
Susan and
  Roger Ferguson
Gael Foord and
  Stan Hoffman
Teresa Frackes
Patricia Gauer
Nona Glazer
Barbara Goldberg
Julie and Robert Granger
Grant Park Neighborhood 
  Association
 
Sam Hamill
Alice Simpson and
  John Hammond
Irene Hecht and
  Jerome Saroff
Gillian Herbert and
  Rita Silverberg
Sarah Hershey
Penelope Kavan
Edana Laine and
  Todd Arnold
Elyse and Ronald Laster
Patricia Linde
Anne and Craig Lindsay
Joan and Neil Malling
Larry Monk
Jean Powers
Susan Roberts
Verna Russel
Licia C. Seaman
Suzanne and Simon Silverstein
Kathryn Hansman-Spice
  and Byron Spice
Don Tarbutton
Marcia Tate and
  Walter Quade
Villages NW
Sandra Kay Wallsmith
Marjorie and
  Philip Walters
May Wang
Judy Wickman
Ann Zawaski and
  Helena  Lee
 
 
Shopping and delivering groceries can be a big help.
A Prestigious Award for Villages NW President         

Dr. Alison Bahr, board chair of Villages NW and a physician at Kaiser Permanente, has been named one of two regional recipients of Kaiser's 2015 David Lawrence Community Service Awards for her work bringing the Village movement to the Portland Metro area.

Named in honor of Dr. David Lawrence, former CEO of Kaiser Permanente and a strong advocate of improving health, the awards are presented each year to "recognize individuals and groups who champion outstanding initiatives demonstrating extraordinary efforts to improve the health of our communities."  The awards honor those who give exemplary service while inspiring others to do the same.
"I am honored to receive this prestigious award," stated Dr. Bahr. "The Village movement is bringing an important change to Portland community residents and I want to thank Kaiser for its recognition of our work."
 A $10,000 grant to Villages NW that accompanies the award will be used to provide support for Portland area Villages.
Village Boundaries
Thank You, Thank You, NashCO
One fact we would be remiss not to mention in this newsletter is just how important inkind contributions are to our effort to establish a Village. Recently, we experienced a wonderful example that proves the point.
 
On a chilly December day, several intrepid Village volunteers and the talented photo team of Leah Nash and Christopher Onstott popped in and out of the cold to create an archive of photographs that can be used in Northeast Village PDX outreach efforts. Leah is the niece of Jane Braunger, who heads the Outreach Committee, and she and her partner in NashCO donated their services.
 
We were in good company that day. NashCO photographs have appeared in many national and international publications, among them The New York Times (to illustrate an article on post partum depression), USA Today (for an article on the enterovirus), The Washington Post (for an article on schizophrenia), The Wall Street Journal (for the article "Faces of the Affordable Care Act"), and SotoKoto, a Japanese lifestyle magazine (for an article on Portland).
 
Northeast Village PDX is incredibly lucky to have these world-class photographers spend a day doing a photo shoot that yielded 58 images. Here and elsewhere in this newsletter are a few of them.
One of our Village volunteers has offered to teach a Tai Chi class when the time comes. 
Changing a smoke alarm battery may be difficult for some people, but not to worry, a Village volunteer will do it.







Three volunteers happily pose for the camera.
Volunteering Is Good for Your Health!
A recent Public Employees Retirement System (PERS) newsletter contains the interesting insight that "helping others is good for your health." Scientific studies show that giving to charities, whether in the form of volunteer time or money, activates regions of the brain associated with pleasure and trust, and volunteering regularly after age 50 has been scientifically shown to decrease high blood pressure and attendant health problems like heart disease and stroke, as well as symptoms of depression. Interestingly, the greatest benefit accrues to people who have chronic conditions. All of this is good news for everyone associated with our Village.
The Word Is Spreading
February brings several talks, which provide great opportunities for learning more about Northeast Village PDX.  
  • Thursday, February 4, 7:00 p.m., for the Madison South Neighborhood Association at the Banfield Corporate Office, NE 82nd and Tillamook;
  • Sunday, February 7, 2:00 p.m., a general information session at the Hollywood Library, 4040 NE Tillamook;
  • Monday, February 8, 7:00 p.m., for the Beaumont-Wilshire Neighborhood Association at.Bethany Lutheran Church, NE 37th and Skidmore;
  • Tuesday, February 9, 7:00 p.m., for the Cully Neighborhood Association at Grace Presbyterian Church, 6025 NE Prescott;
  • Tuesday, February 16, 7:00 p.m., for the Parkrose Neighborhood Association at the Russellville Grange, 12105 NE Prescott.
February 10 General Meeting
Our next general meeting will be held at 7 p.m. Wednesday, February 10, at Rose City Park United Methodist Church, 5830 NE Alameda, just east of NE Sandy Blvd. and NE
57 th Avenue.  Get an update on recent activities and help us plan. Everybody welcome. 

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

For more information, contact:

Margaret Baldwin
503-895-2750

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