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November/December 2003 Featured Stories
The Spirit of Giving

by Miriam Knight

"You do what you can, what good people have always done: You bring thirsty people water; you share your food, you try to help the homeless find shelter, you stand up for the underdog."
--- Ann Lamott

It’s the holiday season again and I was musing on the general subject of giving. I came to the conclusion that all adults give with the expectation of some reward, even if it is only the pleasure of a smile from the recipient. Wouldn’t it be a wonderful if everyone in the world were a smile junkie? Everyone would go around doing nice things for everyone else, just to get high on their smiles. Could that be what drives the people described in this article – the feel-good factor?

Maybe, but I suspect it goes much deeper than that. The people, charities and organizations described below are driven by a passion to make the world a little bit better. There is so much terrible suffering in the world that it is easy to get overwhelmed and to shut down our empathy in self-defense. While we can’t fix the world all at once, we can fix it a little bit at a time. Right here in our communities the needs may be different from those in other countries, but they are no less painful and disempowering.

It is said that the measure of a society is how it treats its most vulnerable citizens. Oregon has some BIG challenges in this respect: we have the highest unemployment rate, the highest number of people going hungry and the biggest budget deficit per capita in the whole country. Interestingly, coalitions of faith communities, non-profits and local government have come together in response to these challenges. Differences of philosophy have been laid aside as they pour their energy into coming up with solutions and creating the delivery mechanisms, mostly with the help of volunteers.

One would be hard–pressed to overstate the importance of their contribution to our society. They form the sea wall against a tide of rage and despair that would surely engulf our communities. They create channels to redirect the course of lives into productive streams that otherwise would likely wash up as derelict hulks and flotsam at the margins of our towns. They embody the real spirit of giving – from the heart, one smile at a time.

The profiles that follow are only a symbolic tribute to the vast and growing numbers of people heeding the same call to help their fellow beings. They exemplify the highest principles of all spiritual traditions – compassion and service. Some are involved in relieving distress, others in helping young people achieve their potential, and others in creating a society governed by values and equity rather than fear and greed.

Eleanor Roosevelt said "It is better to light a candle than to curse the darkness." As you read the profiles below, maybe you will be inspired to add some of your light to theirs.

Ecumenical Ministries of Oregon

Ecumenical Ministries of Oregon (EMO) is a statewide association of Christian denominations committed to working with congregations, ecumenical and interfaith organizations, and people of faith to mobilize the faith community of Oregon to service. Through this collaborative membership of 17 Protestant, Orthodox and Roman Catholic denominations including more than 1,200 congregations across the state, EMO's staff members and more than 1,400 volunteers provide services to about 50,000 people in need each year.

David Leslie is the executive director of (EMO), is the son of a Presbyterian minister. He grew up with the philosophy that faith is something you put into action every day. After graduate school and the Seminary, David found his life’s passion in interreligious work, so it would seem like he is in the right place at the right time.

EMO’s mission statement says, "Together, we work to discern and respond to God's call for the unity of all people; advocate for and build a just and loving human community in Oregon and in the world; explore, respect and work with various other faith traditions; and challenge men and women of God to be effective stewards of the resources entrusted to their care."

Some of the many programs run by EMO try to meet the basic needs of food and shelter before the point of desperation. Here are just a few of their programs, and how you can help:

The NE Emergency Food Program serves 1200-1500 people, primarily families with children, working poor, disabled and elderly citizens. They have an ongoing need for food, diapers, etc.

The Patton Home is a 63 unit transitional living program for those recovering from drug and alcohol addictions. They have a need for donations of basic personal items such as toothpaste, brushes, deodorant, and the like.

The EMO runs the Portland International School which provides a multilingual teaching facility for immigrant and refugee children, helping them make the transition to the public school system. Here, used text books for the Junior and Senior High School level would be welcome.

If you would like to support EMO with an "in-kind" donation or financial assistance, please call Bob Baker in EMO's Office at (503) 221-1054 or e-mail him at bbaker@emoregon.org. Ecumenical Ministries of Oregon, Interchurch Center, 0245 SW Bancroft Street Suite B, Portland, Oregon 97239. Website: www.emoregon.org

Granny D - Still Walking her Talk

Doris Haddock, known as Granny D, is the 93 year-old political activist who came into the national spotlight in 1999 when she walked 3,200 miles across America to demonstrate her concern for campaign reform and to support cleaner campaigns with fewer strings attached to special interests. On January 1, 1999, she began her walk in Pasadena, California. She walked 10 miles a day for 14 months, making speeches along her walk, and making an effort to draw reform groups together. When she arrived in Washington, she was met by 2,200 people representing a wide variety of reform groups. Several dozen Members of Congress walked the final miles with her.

Pro-reform Capitol Hill staffers and elected officials credit her with demonstrating that Americans care about campaign finance reform. She connected the issue with patriotic values in a way that provided wider popular support for reform. When presidential candidate Al Gore adopted a campaign finance reform plank, his speech credited John McCain, Bill Bradley, and Doris Haddock.

Granny D’s current campaign is to expand voter registration among workers, particularly working women, and students. "It's only a democracy when people vote!" she says. "Working women have a hard time voting because of all the demands on their time. I know because I worked for many years in a shoe factory. Those of us who now have some time on our hands can make it a little easier for these hard working, common sense women. If they vote, America will elect good people."

A voter registration bandwagon led by Granny D started from Boston on October 3rd, (see the map and schedule); the western route is scheduled to start out from Seattle on July 4th, 2004. Check the website for the road schedule and come out and support them. Visit Granny D’s website, www.grannyd.com/, for opportunities to help with voter registration. If you are willing to be voter registration captains in your own workplace, neighborhood or campus, fill out a simple form on the website, and Granny D and friends will deliver voter registration materials to your worksite, making it easy for you and your coworkers to register for the 2004 Presidential election.

To take part in the voter registration bandwagon led by Granny D, visit her website
www.grannyd.com/ or contact: dburke@americantownhall.org

Volunteers will meet along the route to pick up voter registration supplies and deliver them to workplaces. Workplace captains will work to insure time off and transportation for voting, or absentee ballots.

"As reformers…we never win. The other side loses. Just when we are about to pack up our banners, along comes an Enron or a Watergate. … Unsustainably corrupt politics on a global scale has reaped the whirlwind for all of us. We can only save this earth and this democracy by working hard and developing our skills of timing and our courage to act with great leadership and with great wisdom and expertise when opportunities present themselves."     ---From "Walking Across America" by Doris Haddock & Dennis Burke

Goose Hollow Family Shelter

This shelter is a cooperative interfaith program operated out of First United Methodist Church, which has been an active spiritual, social and cultural leader in the community for over 150 years. It was Portland's first church, and it’s traditions of service reflect the spirit of Methodist Northwest pioneers. People from several congregations and those from the secular community serve as volunteers.

Families are provided food, hot showers, laundry, sleeping areas (partitioned for families), and constructive activities for kids. The Goose Hollow Family Shelter is a temporary emergency shelter that welcomes homeless families from throughout the metropolitan area. They serve up to 24 people nightly during the months of November through March.

The shelter opened in 1994 to provide a place were families could stay together - not separated as at some shelters - and be treated with dignity. Over 150 volunteers a month staff the Goose Hollow Family Shelter.

If you would like to volunteer or need additional information, e-mail Ron Williams at rwilliams@fumcpdx.org or go to www.fumcpdx.org/page15.html.
Goose Hollow Family Shelter 1838 SW Jefferson Street, Portland, OR 97201
503-228-3195 ext 215.

Portland Habitat for Humanity

Habitat for Humanity International (HFHI) is a nonprofit, ecumenical Christian housing ministry founded in 1976 by Millard Fuller and his wife Linda. "I see life as both a gift and a responsibility" said Fuller. "My responsibility is to use what God has given me to help his people in need." Although he was a self-made millionaire by the age of 29, the Fullers decided to sell all of their possessions, give the money to the poor and begin searching for a new focus for their lives.

Now in 89 countries, Habitat has built or renovated more than 100,000 homes worldwide on a no-profit, no-interest basis, making homes affordable to families with low incomes. HFHI seeks to eliminate poverty housing and homelessness from the world and to make decent shelter a matter of conscience and action. Habitat invites people from all walks of life to work together in partnership to help build houses with families in need. Each homeowner family makes monthly payments into a revolving fund that is then used to build more houses.

Portland Habitat was established in 1981 by Audrey Sanders and a group of committed citizens. It was the first affiliate on the West Coast and the 15th worldwide. To date, Portland Habitat has built or renovated 75 homes in North and Northeast Portland, completing 20 homes in 2001 alone, their 20th anniversary year.

Volunteer skills, labor, support, motivation and energy are the key ingredients that make the program successful. Volunteer opportunities range from home construction to administrative needs to special events. To volunteer with Portland Habitat for Humanity, you need to attend a volunteer orientation meeting held at Habitat’s office (1478 NE Killingsworth). Call 503-287-9529 for times

Portland Habitat for Humanity relies on tax-deductible gifts of materials, land, cash, and professional services to build homes. For more information on donation of material visit www.pdxhabitat.org/restore.htm. To make a cash donation online, go to www.pdxhabitat.org/donate.html; for more information on Habitat international visit www.habitat.org.

The Interfaith Council of Greater Portland

In the aftermath of Sept.11^th 2001, leaders in the local religious community felt the need promote and support mutual understanding and cooperation between believers of all religious faiths. The Interfaith Council of Greater Portland (ICGP) was organized to encourage all to follow the path of brotherhood, peace, and justice.

Its Mission states that "We, the Interfaith Council of Greater Portland, are impelled by the ground of all being to restore wholeness to the one human family and all of creation. The council is organized for the affirmation, education, and mutual protection of religion and religious freedom."

Every three months the ICGP holds a Shura, a public event that includes interfaith worship, education, and fellowship activities. Shura means "mutual consultation" in Arabic. Participation in the Shura is open to everyone. The ICGP also sponsors other interfaith services and educational events. The business affairs of the Council are administered by the Board of Directors elected annually at the Shura.

The current co-chairmen are Rev. Hector Lopez, United Church of Christ and Wajdi Said, Muslim Educational Trust. Other members of the board are Gulzar Ahmed, Ven. Hogen Bays, Angie DeRouchie, Father Tom Farley, Emily Gottfried, Suzan Hill, Rabbi Aryeh Hirschfield, Rev. Christopher Laing, David Leslie, Gail Ramjan, Patricia Rumer, and Rev. Richard Toll.

Rev. Lopez is also a member of the Inter-Religious Action Network founded by the Vision Action Network of Washington County. "For the past two years we have been setting aside our religious differences," said Rev. Lopez. "We have listened, we have talked, and we have listened some more. There's a passion for action now. A plan has begun to hatch." 

For more information, contact ICGP Secretary/Treasurer Janet Leatherwood, dmjs1@qwest.net or 503-238-1155.

Metropolitan Alliance for Common Good - Musa’s Story

Harry Olson, known as Musa, is affiliated with the Metropolitan Alliance for Common Good, an organization dedicated to building a broad-based coalition of church, synagogue, mosque, union, school, strong civic, environmental, housing and health groups. Their mission is to provide a voice in places where strategic decisions are made that impact the lives of their people.

Musa got out of prison in 1991. On the road to rehabilitation, he was helped and supported by people like Rod McCaffee, a Native American elder who was instrumental in getting him on his feet. The sweat lodges Rod introduced him to had the intensity needed to break through his emotional armory. After that Musa began to study a variety of religions, finding a spiritual home in the Sufi community under the leadership of Imam Mikail Shebaz. He decided then that he wanted to help others as he was helped by people along the way.

Today Musa works for The Oregon Islamic Chaplain Organization (OICO), a not-for-profit religious organization which is primarily involved in helping prisoners and addicts reintegrate into society. The department of corrections hired him as a community chaplain to facilitate the reentry of prisoners in Portland. Community Chaplains engage in listening through "intentional conversations" to try to find out what’s going on in the individual’s life before offering advice and support.

The program was started after a research project funded by the department of corrections identified a number of locations around the state where the instability of the communities was directly correlated with the crime rate. The "Oregon Accountability Model" which was developed as a result of the research seems to be having an impact. Oregon’s recidivism rate is 30% vs. 60% for the US as a whole. Interestingly, it is only 10% in Canada, where there is a high involvement of churches and faith groups.

Musa has found meaning for his life in faith and service. He found his calling in OICO, which notes on its website that "Only through cooperative interaction may we hope to heal the ills of an ailing humanity, and stop the wastage of human life and untapped human potential."

Contact Musa at musa@hevanet.com. Oregon Islamic Chaplain Organization www.parsifal.net/OICO/. Metropolitan Alliance for Common Good www.iafnw.com/portland.asp

New Progressive Network

Jefferson Smith is a charismatic young man with a mission to engage young and new people in the democratic process by creating events, dialogue, and activities that connect and strengthen our communities. He organized the largest canvassing effort in the state's history, called the "Oregon Bus Project", which circled the state, knocking on thousands of doors to bring out the vote for the election last year.

He created the New Progressive Network, a coalition of people who want to harness the mind power of the "left 60 percent" under the six E’s: education, environment, equal rights, economic strength and fairness, election reform and ‘ealth care. The organization is listening to people around the state complain, vent and pitch ideas about what Oregon's vision should be.

The idea is to convince Oregonians that the answer to Oregon’s woes lies in the power of the individual to change the system. New Progressive Network offers grassroots support for progressive candidates and reforms, and prepares media to inform voters and generate dialogue.

Jefferson says, "We can create a constituency for the common good; that’s the dream – to have people thinking about what we want our state to be like."

New Progressive Network , P.O. Box 15132, Portland, Oregon 97293
Tel. (503) 233-3018; jefferson@secretplan.org. Website: www.secretplan.org

Oregon Food Bank... because no one should be hungry

Oregon Food Bank is such a familiar part of our social landscape that it is worth pausing a moment to really appreciate the scope of the effort behind it and what a wonderful example it is of compassion in action.

The number of people who are hungry in Oregon is unprecedented. Fueled by continuing high unemployment, poor economic conditions and low-wage jobs, the Oregon Food Bank Network distributed emergency food boxes to an estimated 780,000 people last year. That's up 10 percent from the previous year. That number is up for the seventh straight year, and the number of people who need emergency food continues to increase. In addition, soup kitchens and shelters provided 4.4-million emergency meals.

Who is hungry?
Those most likely to need emergency food are children and families. In fact, 40 percent of those receiving emergency food are children. Most adults who receive emergency food boxes are working, retired or disabled.

What is Oregon Food Bank?
Oregon Food Bank is the hub of an efficient statewide network of 832 hunger-relief agencies, serving Oregon and Clark County, Wash. Oregon Food Bank recovers food from farms, government sources, manufacturers, wholesalers, retailers and individuals. It then distributes that food to 18 independent regional food banks across Oregon.

In addition, OFB directly operates two regional centers serving the Portland metropolitan area, distributing food weekly to more than 300 food pantries, soup kitchens, shelters and other programs helping low-income individuals in Multnomah, Clackamas, Clark and Washington counties.

Oregon Food Bank also works to eliminate the root causes of hunger through advocacy and public education.

How can you help?
Solving hunger and its underlying causes is a question of the values we demonstrate as a community. It's how we respond to the needs of our neighbors - our children, our senior citizens, our disabled and our working poor. Together, we can eliminate hunger. I invite you and every citizen in Oregon and Clark County, Washington, to commit yourselves to do whatever you can to fight hunger and its root causes... because no one should be hungry.

For every dollar you donate, Oregon Food Bank can collect and distribute $10 worth of food.

To donate online go to www.oregonfoodbank.org or mail a check to P.O. Box 55370, Portland OR 97238-5370.

OFB needs volunteers in their Volunteer Action Center, Perishable Repack Room or Learning Gardens. You can sign up as an individual or bring a group. To volunteer at the Portland facility, call 503-282-0555, Ext. 300. To volunteer at Oregon Food Bank serving Washington County, call 503-439-6510.

Organize a food drive. Call 503-282-0555, Ext. 226.

Learn more about the root causes of hunger at www.oregonfoodbank.org.

Self-Enhancement Inc. - Life has options

Tony Hopson was co-captain of the Jefferson High School 1972 boys basketball team that won the OSAA State Championship that year. He thought he would be an NBA player, but after graduating Willamette University with degrees in Psychology and Sociology, he started thinking about the future of student athletes. What happens when the ball stops bouncing and they are not prepared academically for life? Tony returned to his neighborhood and started a summer camp for these boys. In 1988, Portland experienced its first drive-by shootings, and some of he first casualties were kids in the camp. Tony decided to expand the services, and today SEI mentors 1200 boys and girls and over 600 families year-round. It covers 11 schools in Portland from 2^nd grade through High School, and even following them through college.

SEI is considered one of the best programs in the nation. The kids go through the after school program 2-3 times a week. The program has three aspects: 1 – mandatory academic homework; 2 – remedial work, and 3- fun. There are clubs for music, art, dance, choir; a computer lab, library, recording studio where kids leave with a CD of their creation, and a drama program where t he kids write their life stories.

The program is funded by a combination of state and federal contracts and grants from foundations. There is a waiting list to get into the program and there are still kids falling through the cracks, but it is an astonishing success and a tribute to the passion of Tony Hopson Sr., President, CEO, Founder of SEI and to all those he drew to his side.

Self-Enhancement Inc., 3920 North Kerby Avenue, Portland, OR 97227-1255, Tel: 503.249.1721; Web: www.selfenhancement.org

Sunnyside-Centenary United Methodist Church

The Sunnyside congregation built its first church in SE Portlland in 1890. It outgrew the building and built the present structure on the site in 1910. In the 1920s the church elders decided to expand and create a center, called Community House. The emphasis was very focused on community service, and during the depression the church became the community center for the SE area, especially for young people. In the late 70s, responding to neighborhood needs, especially hunger, they initiated a weekly community meal open to all – "the hard-luck supper."

It grew and grew over the years to include other churches and organizations and services. Offering an element of fellowship, most of those who come are local poor, disabled, elderly and homeless. Sunnyside hit the news a few years ago when the City intervened in a heavy-handed way on behalf of some of the neighbors who complained about noise and other nuisances. Rev. Marvin Jones, Sunnyside’s minister, says that the church may not have been as sensitive to those complaints as it should have. The real issue, however, was the presence and occasional behavioral problems associated with large numbers of homeless people participating in the meal program. There ensued a lively internal debate as to whether the Church, as part of its ministry, should serve the poor. The answer was a clear "yes" and the church has worked hard to enforce a good neighbor policy which has been very successful as well as educational all around.

The Sunnyside meal program, winter shelter accommodations and food distribution have gone a long way toward helping those served take responsibility for themselves. It is a well-established part of the greater social safety-net provided by churches and non-profits that picks up the pieces left by program cutbacks for the emotionally disturbed, elderly, unemployed and homeless. I’m sure that many thank God for the support of Sunnyside Church and the other faith-based organizations…and I guess that’s what it is all about.

Sunnyside Church, (503) 235-8726, 3520 SE Yamhill St., Portland, OR. sunnysidecentenaryumc@juno.com; www.gbgm-umc.org/SunnysideOR/

Vision Action Network

Washington County’s Board of County Commissioners adopted a refreshing approach to serving the community. They decided to ask a cross-section of 1400 residents what their needs were, and then established The Vision Action Network (VAN) in 2002 to come up with ways to meet them. With the assistance of 400 volunteers organized into Issue Teams, they listened, analyzed and developed strategies. Interestingly, every group identified a need for greater collaboration among the community’s many well-developed sectors. VAN was formed as a private non-profit agency to be a catalyst, incubator and facilitator for collaborative efforts to improve life for the people of Washington County.

Its mission is "to promote and support community-based problem solving through relationship building, planning and implementation processes that coordinate and optimize public, private and individual actions and resources." The VAN Board of Directors includes leaders from business, education, non-profit and public agencies, health care and the faith community.

In its fifteen months of existence, the Vision Action Network:

- facilitated formation of the Inter-Religious Action Network (IAN) made up of faith leaders from many traditions, and dedicated to working to resolve quality–of-life issues for county residents, such as housing/homelessness, and hunger in Oregon;

- worked with others to create the Community Housing Fund which aims to combine public, private and philanthropic resources to leverage financing for the construction and rehabilitation of rental and owner housing that will serve people neglected by the mainstream housing market. Beginning with a challenge grant of $310,000 from the Washington County Board of Commissioners, the Fund is currently in an intensive fundraising phase;

- partnered with Tuality Community Hospital, Northwest Parish Nurse Ministries and several Hillsboro area churches to create the Hillsboro Faith In Action Parish Nursing Coalition, a network of nurses who provide spiritual support and health education to area residents, and supervise volunteers to support seniors and disabled adults so that they can remain in their homes.

- VAN’s current priority is to develop a volunteer clearinghouse for Washington County for promoting, recruiting and supporting volunteerism. The work group of volunteer coordinators from the public, private, and non-profit sectors as well as faith communities hopes to launch it in June 2004.

The early success achieved by Vision Action Network was primarily due to its broad base of active community involvement, and the fact that leaders in each sector have been willing to evolve into roles of facilitator and participant. This teamwork was essential, because the problems VAN seeks to address cannot be resolved by any one organization alone.

Looking ahead, ongoing forums have been established that will attend to the health and productivity of Washington County’s "civic infrastructure" with the same care and attention that is paid to its roads, bridges, hospitals, churches and schools.

comments@vision-west.org or www.vision-west.org/cgi/vision/home.pl