Portland News and Events for Sept. 8-14, 2016

N/NE Housing Strategy Hosts Two Upcoming Meetings

The Community Oversight Committee, a community-based body formed to oversee the Portland Housing Bureau’s ongoing work to address displacement in North and Northeast Portland, will meet from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. Sept 8 at 220 NE Russell St. The committee meets every other month for progress updates and discussion on the N/NE Neighborhood Housing Strategy. These meetings are open to the public. Meeting agendas and materials are posted online in advance of each meeting at http://www.portlandoregon.gov/phb/69693.

Community members are also invited to participate in a community forum from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Sept. 10 at St. Johns Community Center, 8427 North Central Street. The Portland Housing Bureau will update participants on the work done in N/NE Portland since 2015 with the $20 million dedicated to affordable housing initiatives. Participants are invited to share their priorities for $32 million in additional funds approved by City Council for the Interstate Corridor Urban Renewal Area this past fall. Community members will also learn about programs available through the Portland Housing Bureau and propose ideas for other types of programming not currently offered. Continental breakfast will be provided.

Anyone needing child care or translation services at this event will need to register by Sept. 7, 2016 by clicking here or by calling (503)823-2375.

Portland Area Interfaith Community plans three events tied to Sept. 11

Members of the Portland area interfaith community will mark the fifteenth anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks on the United States with three events that will commemorate the tragic events, honor the beloved community that they inspired, and move all people forward in the quest for justice and respect.

The first event, a remembrance of lives lost and the sacrifice of rescue workers, will be Sunday, Sept. 11, from 4 to 7 p.m., at First Congregational United Church of Christ in downtown Portland, 1126 SW Park Ave. Other events are scheduled for Oct. 30 and Nov. 20.

The Sept. 11 service will include sacred music and brief readings from Jewish, Christian, Muslim, Hindu, Buddhist, Sikh, Native American, New Thought and Unitarian religious traditions. The public is invited to attend the program, which will include a ritual of commitment and dedication to the pursuit of remembrance, reconciliation and action. A potluck supper will follow in the church fellowship hall. Participants are invited to bring a non-pork dish to share. There is no charge for the event and childcare for children aged 3 to 9 will be provided.

The second event will focus on the growth and development of the beloved community in the greater Portland area. It is scheduled for 4 to 7 p.m. on Oct. 30 at the Muslim Educational Trust Cultural Center, 10330 SW Scholls Ferry in Tigard. The third event, on Nov. 20, will inspire the beloved community to unite in the pursuit of love, justice and peace. Details will be announced soon.

For more information, contact the Rev. Dr. Hector Lopez of the United Church of Christ, hecklopez@msn.com, or Rania Ayoub of the Muslim Educational Trust, rania@metpdx.org .

PCC Secures $577,500 to Develop Advanced Manufacturing Talent

PCC received a $577,500, one-year grant from the Oregon Talent Council for the Realizing Advanced Manufacturing Potential in Portland (RAMP PDX) Project. RAMP PDX will train, place, advance and retain participants in a variety of advanced manufacturing jobs. The project will increase the skilled worker pipeline for the many advanced manufacturing companies in the region and pave the way for workers to attain certificates and degrees. Plus, the college will contribute $1.5 million to the RAMP PDX’s efforts.

PCC will partner with four companies, which include Festo Didactic Inc., Leupold + Stevens, Inc., RapidMade and Rose Technical Graphics, to serve about 300 participants in the RAMP PDX Project. Coordinators will organize outreach events at PCC’s MakerSpace Lab to introduce advanced manufacturing training, career and educational options in the industry to new audiences.

A Computer Aided Design and Drafting (CADD) short-term certificate and non-credit Mechatronics Technology Program will be created. These will assist incumbent workers with “skilling-up” and connect them to more advanced mechatronics training and other education opportunities, respectively. These activities will help RAMP PDX target the technologically skilled mechanics, maintenance technicians, industrial machinists, millwrights, operators, machinery maintenance technicians, industrial machinery mechanics and machinists occupations.

This investment in PCC is one of five recent grant awards by the Oregon Talent Council to support statewide projects that provide students and existing workers with skills to increase their employability in Oregon’s high demand occupations.

The Talent Council was created by the 2015 Oregon Legislature with a fund of $6.1 million to seed investments in talent development programs. The Talent Council works with industry, workforce organizations and the Oregon higher education community to help fill high wage, high demand occupations in the state.
For more information, visit www.oregontalentcouncil.org.

Portland Parks & Recreation Joins Partners for National Eating Disorders Association Walk Sept. 17

Portland Parks & Recreation (PP&R) and PP&R’s Citywide Teen Services Team are proud to be partnering with the National Eating Disorders Association (NEDA) for the 2016 NEDA Walk. 

What: Portland’s National Eating Disorders Walk
Where: Peninsula Park, 700 N Rosa Parks Way
When: Saturday, September 17, 2016
Why: Help PP&R and NEDA support those on the path to recovery!
On social media: #WHYINEDAWALK

The Portland NEDA walk aims to raise both awareness and funds around helping people impacted by eating disorders. National data show that many the people who struggle with the potentially life-threatening conditions are young people.

According to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), 95% of people afflicted by eating disorders are between the ages of 12 and 25.

For more information, contact National NEDA Walk Manager Jessica Hickman at walks@nationaleatingdisorders.org or 212-575-6200; or visit http://nedawalk.org/portlandor2016

You are also welcome to contact Madalyn Bach, Portland Parks & Recreation Teen Services Youth Outreach Coordinator, at Madalyn.Bach@portlandoregon.gov or 503-823-5970.

For more Portland and Seattle area events, see our Community Calendar.