Portland News and Events for Dec. 12 Through Dec. 30, 2014

Windermere Stellar’s Northwest Portland branch has contributed $1,500 to KairosPDX’s Early Learning Network. KairosPDX works to support low-income families and their childcare providers through its Early Learning Network. This $1,500 donation will be used to educate parents and guardians, as well as in-home childcare providers, on the importance of early childhood education, with train. From left, Kali Thorne Ladd, executive director and co-founder of KairosPDX, and Nihad Aweidah, Realtor with Windermere Stellar. Photo courtesy Windermere Stellar

Annual Community Need Meeting

What are the unmet housing and community economic development needs in Multnomah County, Portland and Gresham? How are rising rents and home prices affecting you?

Your input will influence how local federal dollars are spent.

Come to the Annual Community Need Meeting, Thursday, Dec. 11, 6 -8 p.m. at Gresham City Hall, 1333 NW Eastman Parkway.

Dinner will be provided

Call for Language translation, childcare, or accessibility accommodations.

Comments: Comments on housing and community development need may be made in writing addressed to the Portland Housing Bureau, Attn: Con Plan Staff, 421 SW 6th Ave, Suite 500, Portland, OR 97204; by e-mail to phbinfo@portlandoregon.gov, online: www.portlandonline.com/phb/conplan. Or by phone at 503-823-5312. Comments must be received by Jan. 15, 2015.

For more information write to phbinfo@portlandoregon.gov. 

Oliver/Rosewood Open Basketball Night

Looking for a place to place basketball with your friends, family and neighbors?

Come to the Oliver Elementary School gym, 15840 SE Taylor St., Thursdays from 5-6:30 p.m. during the month of December for a fun evening of pick-up basketball. All ages welcome.  All participants under the age of 16 must be accompanied by an adult over age 21. Volunteers are also needed, for more information contact Josh Richards, SUN coordinator, at joshr@metfamily.org or call 503-388-0456.

Youth Violence Prevention Event Dec. 12-13

The Safe Communities Task Force hosts the Keeping Our Kids Safe Conference this weekend at Clark College, Gaiser Hall, 1933 Fort Vancouver Way, in Vancouver.

Designed for parents as well as professionals who work with youth, the conference focuses on recognizing and preventing problems with gangs, youth violence, and labeling. Also learn how to effectively communicate with youth, build protective factors and learn how to take care of yourself while taking care of kids.

Featuring keynote speaker is nationally recognized gangs expert Al Valdez, PhD. The Friday session is for professional who work with youth, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., and there is an attendance fee.

The free of charge parent conference is Saturday, Dec. 13 from 9:30 a.m. -2 p.m. It includes a resource fair, a boxed lunch and door prizes.

Find out more at www.safecommunitiestaskforce.org/keeping-our-kids-safe-conference.

Taste the Tropics

Attend a benefit for Global Mustard Seed Missions Inc. and Biomedical Engineering Technology Aid, Dec. 13, from 1 – 5 p.m. at 6 N. Tillamook Street, Portland.

Please join us for entertainment with music, Haitian food, drinks, special guest presentations, raffle and silent auction (great Christmas shopping).

Proceeds will support two nonprofit groups now serving in Haiti and Tanzania. Their missions are: facilitating mobile medical clinics run by local clinicians and training skilled local biomedical technicians.

For questions please contact Charmika Schuster 202-329-7212 www.globalmustardseeds.com.

Free Web Coding for Underrepresented Communities

The nonprofit group RailsBridge offers a free web coding workshop designed for people of color and underrepresented communities, Saturday. Dec. 13 from 10 a.m. - 6 p.m. at Epicodus, 208 SW 5th Ave. Portland.

The workshop takes you through building a complete web application using Ruby on Rails. By the end of the day, you'll have an application that connects to a database and reads and writes information.

Also part of the event is Installfest, Friday, Dec. 12 from 6 – 8 p.m. You need a personal laptop.

This is a Ruby on Rails event. The focus will be on developing functional web apps and programming in Ruby. You can find all the curriculum materials at docs.railsbridge.org.

This workshop is open to anyone who is a member of a group that is underrepresented in the tech industry and their guests. This includes women, minorities, and LGBTQIA.

If you are not a member of an underrepresented group, who would like to attend, please find the someone in your life who is a member of an underrepresented group, who wants to learn Ruby and Rails, so they can sign up and bring you as their guest.

We'll meet up on Friday to install all of the software you need, and then spend Saturday learning and writing code. Programmers of all skill levels, even total beginners are welcome. We will have different classes separated by experience level.

Pizza and drinks will be provided during Installfest. Breakfast, lunch and snacks will be provided at the workshop.

Childcare will be available. Please put a note in your RSVP if you will need childcare.

For more go to http://docs.railsbridge.org/installfest.

Hollywood Theatre Offers Artist Residency Opportunities

In 2015, Hollywood Theatre Education Programs will offer media artists the opportunity to present public art installations and teach youth media arts workshops at Open Meadow Middle School through two new paid artist residencies.
Starting in 2015, with support from the Oregon Community Foundation’s Studio to School program, the Hollywood Theatre Studio’s offerings will expand to include two paid artist residencies.  In the spring and fall terms, these teaching artists will contribute their creative talents by teaching after-school workshops to students at the Hollywood Theatre Studio at Open Meadow and by producing their own creative work through the Studio which they will then showcase in a public art installation they organize and curate in the greater community.
Artists-in-residence will be chosen through an application process via the Hollywood Theatre website.  Artists of any age, discipline, or background whose project proposals include multimedia art as a major component may apply.

For the spring artist residency (Feb. 2 – June 5, 2015), applications must be submitted via email by Jan. 10 at 5 p.m.  For the fall artist residency (Aug. 24 – Dec. 18, 2015), applications are due by July 31 at 5 p.m.  Questions and applications should be directed to Hollywood Theatre Education Manager Taylor Neitzke at taylor@hollywoodtheatre.org. 

Arts Commission Seeks Artists, Works to Mount 2015 Exhibitions

The Clark County Arts Commission is seeking artists who create two-dimensional pieces and are interested in exhibiting their works next year in the Sixth-Floor Gallery at the Public Service Center, 1300 Franklin St.

Artists can propose a solo exhibition of 20-24 pieces or share an exhibit with another artist and each show 10-12 pieces.

Interested artists should send four representative JPEG images to sixthfloorgallery@clarkcountyartscommission.org. Submission deadline for jurying is 5 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 23.

GirlStrength and BoyStrength Volunteers Needed

Portland Police Bureau is looking for men and women to volunteer with the WomanStrength , GirlStrength and BoyStrength self defense and violence prevention programs.
WomenStrength and GirlStrength have a 35 year history of success and trained over 110,000 community members in the Portland area. BoyStrength is an exciting new program for boys ages 10-14 that provide boys with options, strategies and skills to make healthy choices and be leaders in non-violence.
Volunteer instructors are trained by professionals in the field of violence prevention. No experience necessary. Men and women from all backgrounds, abilities and ages (over 18) are encouraged to apply. Application Deadline: Feb. 5, 2015. Strength Instructor Training Starts: Feb. 21, 2015
Volunteer Information and Application: http://www.portlandoregon.gov/police/BoyStrength
for more information call 503-823-0239.