Portland Metro News and Events for Nov. 5-22, 2015

Know Your City Hires Cameron Whitten as new Executive

On Wednesday Know Your City announced it had selected Cameron Whitten as its executive director.

Whitten is well known for his passion for social justice and success in raising awareness around local community issues, such as Inclusionary Zoning and #BlackLivesMatter demonstrations. His work has included collaborations with many local civic organizations, including the Bus Project, the Urban League, and the City Club of Portland. Whitten has also served as a Know Your City board member for the past two and a half years, and as Board President since January 2014.

Know Your City selected Whitten’s leadership in order to strengthen the organization’s ability to empower a diverse, creative, and engaged citizenry to take action on the growing inequality that is threatening the livability that Portland is known for. Whitten served as a core volunteer for the re-election campaign for City Commissioner Amanda Fritz and continues to work with her on a number of progressive causes, such as Right 2 Dream Too.

Whitten begins his service Nov. 9. The entire community is invited to his executive director welcome party from 5:30 to 8:30 at Center for Intercultural Organizing (700 N Killingsworth St.) Nov. 30.

Gresham Area and North Clackamas Chambers of Commerce Join Forces to Fight Hunger

The Gresham Area of Chamber of Commerce and North Clackamas Chamber of Commerce will hold a joint networking meeting to help kick off the Annual SnowCap Community Charities Fill-A-Bag food drive, which raised over 500,000 pounds of food last year alone.

On the same day, Gresham Ford is holding their annual Drive 4 UR Community event. During the day, Gresham Ford will donate $20 to SnowCap for anyone who takes a quick, no pressure test drive in any Ford vehicle. $20 can buy up to 400 pounds of food. Those who participate will also be entered to win prizes.

This year, to add a new twist to an old tradition, each Chamber will encourage members and the community to take a test ride. The Chamber who gets the most people to show up for a test drive wins the "Golden Can" award which they can proudly display for the year.

The event will take place from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. Friday, Nov. 6 at Gresham Ford, 1999 E. Powell, Gresham.

All local businesses are encouraged to participate in Fill-A-Bag food drive. If you would like barrels or donation jars at your business please send an e-mail to bess@greshamford.com or larryschwartz@riverviewbank.com

Family Caregiver Support Group Meets Nov. 5

Legacy Good Samaritan’s family caregiver support group will meet from 3 to 4 p.m. Nov. 5 at Legacy Good Samaritan Medical Center, 1040 NW 22nd, in building 2 across from the main hospital entrance.

For more information about this support group, please call Jonquil Brown at (503) 413-7841.

Coffee and Conversation for Senior LGBT Community

Washington County Disability, Aging and Veteran Services Family Caregiver Support Program is sponsoring a free "Coffee and Conversation" for seniors in the LGBT community. Their friends, family members and caregivers are also welcome to attend.

The informal gathering will take place on Thursday, November 19, 10 a.m. – 12 p.m., at Elsie Stuhr Center, 5550 SW Hall Blvd., Beaverton. No registration is required. Call (503) 846-3083 for more information.

Living Stages Forum Theatre Seeks Actors for Interactive Play

Do you have a story to share about uneven, inequitable development practices that lead to displacement and destruction in your community?

Then join Living Stages Forum Theatre Weekend Nov. 21 - 22. This is going to be a two-day collaborative training session in theatre. Volunteers will use movement, images, stories and scenes from their own experience to develop a short, interactive forum play that identifies an issue the community wants to address.

We are inviting you to become a volunteers and have fun, while gaining knowledge on:

• The basics of Theatre of the Oppressed, a powerful form of theatre organizing practiced in over 200 countries!
• Skills in using theatre as a process for identifying and exploring issues.
• Games and techniques for engaging and activating a community around key issues
• Methods to engage wider audiences in discussion and strategizing around issues that impact them
• Theatrical tools to help bring a community to reflection and collective action

Volunteers will receive Trimet reimbursement and $20 gift card to Fred Meyer for each day attended. This is a collective brainstorming session and action inspiring form of theater that you cannot miss. Tell your friends, coworkers and family.

What is forum theatre? Forum is part of a body of theatre developed by Brazilian activist and artist Augusto Boal, author and founder “Theatre of the Oppressed.” Theatre of the Oppressed is intended to engage and empower communities to take action — in theatre and in real life. The goal of Theatre of the Oppressed, in Boal’s words, is to “turn non-actors into actors, in the theatre and in society.”

Theatre developed at this training will be presented for audiences at Living Stages Forum Theatre Convergence (FTC) on December 4-6. The FTC is a 3-day festival of workshops, shared rehearsals, trainings, and public performances about housing and livability issues in Portland, as well as a preparation for a Legislative Theatre Process in 2016!

Collborators include Living Stages, Design+Culture Lab, Community Alliance of Tenants (CAT) and Ignorant/Reflections.

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