British-inspired architecture, landscaping, and roundabouts make the Beaumont neighborhood special.
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AWARENESS, AWARENESS, AWARENESS...
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That's the goal of several activities we are currently undertaking.
Neighborhood Associations Help Get the Word Out
Neighborhood Associations (NA) serve the same area residents we do, so we have been asking their help in spreading the word about our Village. Recently, three volunteers from the Development Committee have been talking to NA presidents and newsletter editors, requesting spots on their meeting agendas, in their newsletters, and on their Facebook pages. The response has been gratifying, and several articles and presentations are already in the works. (See below for opportunities to hear about us at upcoming NA meetings.)
Other Opportunities to Tell Our Story
- Jane Braunger and her crew of speakers from the Outreach Committee have six Introduction to Our Village presentations lined up in January and February.
One will be held in a private home, with neighbors invited, while two others will be offered to members of small groups.
The fourth, fifth, and sixth will be at Neighborhood Association meetings: Rose City Park on Tuesday, January 26, at the German-American Society; Beaumont-Wilshire on Monday, February 8, at Bethany Lutheran Church; and Parkrose on Tuesday, February 16, at the Russelville Grange.
Presenters are Jane Braunger, Joan Bouwes, and Frank Baldwin.
- Additional presentations are still being scheduled for January and February.
- You can help, too, by offering to host a gathering in your home and by sending friends and neighbors to our fine Website, where information is updated regularly and where all the past newsletters are posted.
- You can also forward this newsletter to friends by clicking "Forward this email" below. One enthusiastic volunteer forwards it to 37 other households - just think how fast we could spread the word if we all did that!
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Help Us Dream Up Social Program Ideas at Our January 13 General Meeting
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Our next general meeting will be held at 7 p.m., Wednesday, January 13, at Rose City Park United Methodist Church, 5830 NE Alameda, just east of NE Sandy Blvd. and NE 57th Avenue.
We will be working in table groups to brainstorm social and educational programs so plan to come armed with lots of ideas.
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Who Will Our Village Serve?
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That interesting question is partially answered by census data that was gathered in 2010 by Portland Neighborhood Associations, data that the Northeast Village PDX Coordinating Council is now using in its planning.
The 2010 survey (containing the latest available census data) found that of the 39,132 households in Northeast Portland, 7,386 had one or more people 65 and older. The largest number (841) was in Cully and the smallest (7) in Sunderland. At the time of the survey, 9,451 individuals were 65 and older, and of those 3,094 were 80 +. Interestingly, another study found that between 2003 and 2013, the 65+ population in the state increased by 33.7 percent.
According to Linda Dreyer, who has led the Resource Committee's research efforts, we probably can assume that the people most likely to need our full services are those who are 75 years and older. Often, they will be women who live alone (46 percent of the over-75 population in our area). And, of course, we will have many younger retirees who take out associate memberships to support the Village community and take advantage of its social, cultural, and educational programs.
One thing the data suggest is the need for our Village to mount a vigorous outreach effort so that members of the age groups in question actually know that we exist. And, of course, for full-service members we must be very clear about the kinds of needs our volunteers can meet and those that require a higher level of care.
Work on both of these fronts is a major focus of the Coordinating Council's current efforts, so stay tuned.
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Help Us Reach Out to Faith-Based Communities
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As Northeast Village PDX tries to get the word out to the area's older population, we must look for mutually beneficial, informal partnerships. In that spirit, the Outreach Committee is mounting an all-out effort to contact faith-based communities so that their members can learn about the services and volunteer opportunities we can provide.
Leading that effort is retired United Church of Christ minister Frank Baldwin, who has compiled a list of 70 congregations to contact and is now interested in hearing from individuals who would volunteer to make the calls.
Villages nationwide have learned that the best way to spread the word is through personal contact from a friend or acquaintance. So if you are a member of a faith-based community (or if this type of outreach interests you), please consider helping.
It's not a huge time commitment, and Frank will train those who volunteer to make the calls. Once contacts are made, the Outreach Committee can provide information in the form of short talks, newsletter articles, posters, and Website notices.
We will have sign-up sheets at our next general meeting, Wednesday, January 13 (see meeting notice, opposite). However, we'd love to hear from you before then, so please call 503-895-2750 or e-mail us at this address and let us know you'd like to help.
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At our December meeting, we got to know one another through a Bingo Game that matched these fun facts about us. Here are a few of the things that make us such interesting people!
- Lived in Peru for 2 ½ years.
- Once sat in as a drummer in a Berlin night club.
- Have lived in 4 countries and visited 20+ more.
- Spoke Mandarin as my first language.
- Played gutbucket in a group called the Three Evils.
- Met Joan Baez in her apartment in NYC.
- Met Harry Truman when he gave me a hand.
- Rode on a motorcycle visiting schools in West Africa when I lived there.
- Worked in a manor house in England with 4 resident ghosts.
- Have kayaked in Costa Rica, Canada, Hawaii, Sea of Cortez and completed Paddle Oregon.
- Was conductor of the ship's band on an aircraft carrier.
- Saw Frank Sinatra in concert at the Fontainebleau in Miami Beach.
- Lived for two years in a place where we couldn't call family or friends or anyone.
- With the help of the Mazamas, climbed to the top of Mt. Hood in 1985.
- Won Betty Crocker Homemaker of the Year award in high school.
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