Events

Kyira Wackett is an artist, public speaker and community advocate. She holds a Masters Degree in Counseling Psychology and is a licensed therapist specializing in eating disorders, anxiety disorders and trauma. Kyira has been speaking on topics related to mental health, authenticity and personal & professional development for over 10 years. In 2016, she founded her company, Kinda Kreative, wherein, she has focused her efforts more specifically on creating social change, empowering self exploration and cultivating opportunities for growth - both personally and professionally. In 2017, her company received an America’s Small Business Champion Award which Kyira notes she is still in shock about, but has has used to remind herself everyday about how important the work is that she is doing. 

Jean, now in her mid-80s, no longer navigates steep basement stairs with an armload of laundry in her Northeast Portland home thanks to volunteers who come twice a month to assist with laundry and change her bed. When her grandson was occupied with finals, volunteers restained her deck. Even more important, by being a member of a neighborhood-based “village”, Jean has greatly expanded her network of friends close to home and looks forward to new social activities such as coffees, walks, dining out and going to movies.

We are facing a silver tsunami. Between 2010 and 2030 the number of adults over 65 will double. According to AARP, 89% of seniors prefer to stay in their homes. Most can with a little help. Through the national Village Movement, “Villages” are being created across the country to address this looming social issue.

Villages NW has brought the Village Movement to Portland. In the past 3½ years, we have grown from one Village in Southeast Portland with 30 members to 8 Villages with more than 500 members in the metropolitan area with three additional Villages in development. Lyn Trainer, a Villages NW Board member, will give an overview of the Village Movement and how it is transforming aging in our community.

Ever since Iran’s Islamic Revolution in 1979, relations between Iran and the United States have been strained, but are there commonalities between the people of the two countries? Jackie Spurlock was a Peace Corps volunteer in Iran during the 1970s, and has returned to Iran several times in the last few years, including just this past February, with an organization called Code Pink. She will share her observations and experiences with this crucially important yet poorly understood country.

What is it like to be the editor of a print magazine in the rapidly changing media landscape? Editor Kim Moore will give a talk on the editorial mission of the magazine, how she chooses stories to feature in the magazine versus online, and the business themes that drive the editorial calendar. She will also discuss what makes a good business story.

Every day people make choices big and small that affect their lives. Choices made by young people are even more significant as they will have ripple effects into their futures. In this talk, Ryan Deckert, President of Junior Achievement, will discuss the current lack of preparation of students to make informed life choices. By providing students with the basic tools to plan for their future success, Junior Achievement is enabling young people to take control of their choices. Work readiness and financial literacy education, as provided through programs like Junior Achievement, can dramatically improve student’s decision-making and wellbeing.

Working toward the vision that all children finish third grade reading at grade level, Reading Results partners with schools serving students living on low incomes to provide a proven reading intervention program. Executive Director, Jennifer Samuels and Program Director, Cady Tolon Macaulay will share why reading proficiently by the end of third grade is critical to a child’s educational development. Falling behind creates challenges that negatively affect a student’s educational experience and self-esteem for years to come. A past Community Grant recipient, Reading Results is committed to helping struggling learners get on the path toward academic success and a brighter future.

Join us for the annual EPR wine tasting and sale. 

For more information, contact Ron Atwood. 

Jeff will speak about the attack on the Japanese Naval Base at Truk Lagoon and its shipwrecks.

Ms. Castillo will discuss her experience working in Oregon and SW Washington to support the economic advancement of Latinos.

The City of Portland is working on developing a new first response option: Portland Street Response. The goal of the Portland Street Response is to get the right first responder to the right call at the right time. Inspired by the City of Eugene’s CAHOOTS program, the Portland Street Response is an answer to the high number of calls emergency dispatchers receive, especially related to the houseless population and people dealing with mental health crises. The vision of Portland Street Response is to provide a new branch of first responders who are trained in behavioral health-related crisis intervention and first aid that can respond to 911 requests related to a behavioral health crisis or people experiencing houselessness that do not require police, fire, or ambulatory services. Commissioner Hardesty is currently working with the Mayor’s Office to convene a multi-jurisdictional stakeholder group to develop this pilot program.

We will raise awareness of the need to help raise money for Meals on Wheels in Portland.  We will encourage shoppers to buy a meal or two to help people served by Meals on Wheels.  We will be working at the New Seasons Store on NE Broadway; it is the Grant Park Store.  Members of the club will work in pairs and handle two hour shifts.

Adrienne’s life is one of many that have been impacted by Rotary.  She has been touched by rotary programs in high school, college and beyond and will share those impacts and what she is doing now.  Adrienne received her Bachelor’s degree in Marketing, International Business and International Studies from Oregon State University and her Master of Arts in Intercultural Studies from Western Seminary.  In October of 2014, she became the Director of Anti-Sex Trafficking Initiatives with WorldVenture.  Adrienne is a co-developer of the Girl Empowerment Curriculum which was created for Christian communities as a sex trafficking prevention curriculum for middle and high school girls. 

Many medical schools locally and across the country make frequent use of standardized patients (SP) as part of their medical training curriculum. SP’s act the part of patients during encounters with the students. I have worked as an SP since 2003 with several colleges and universities in the Portland area. I will describe what SP programs entail and the different ways SP’s are trained and utilized. I will also share my experience over a wide range of specific case scenarios that are used to give the students an introduction with real life situations they will encounter in their practice.

Gunderson has a deep heritage of hard work and innovation. We first opened our doors in 1919. Today, we are the market leader in intermodal railcar and Articulated Tug Barge (ATBs) production. We offer an industry leading on-the-job training program and a safety-focused work environment. Find out more about the history of our company, more about our workforce and how we plan to evolve as an organization over the next 100 years.

Loss of a dear loved one will impact us all sooner or later.  How one grieves greatly impacts one’s present and future well-being.  Without appropriate help often the result of a devastating loss is prolonged despair, emptiness, and desperation.  With proper guidance and support, most of us are able to reconcile our loss and move ahead, reestablishing a productive and enjoyable life.

Dave Ripley is not a professional in this field.  But he did suffer the shattering loss of his wife of 45 years eight years ago, and, thanks to so much wonderful support, was able to rebuild his life.  For the past five years, he has helped facilitate a grief support group at an area hospital as a hospice volunteer,continuing to learn more about this important life topic and those who experience it.  In his talk, “From Grief to Resilience”, he covers why it is so important to talk about this topic, common grief myths, and a wide range of activities that can help in moving to resilience.