Tierra Educational Center, a locally owned Spanish and Latin American Cultural Center has opened in NE Portland to help bridge the communication and cultural gap between the growing Hispanic population and the community at large. The center offers quality and affordable Spanish classes for all levels, as well as special courses in topics specific to Latin American Culture and History. Tierra also hosts a free Spanish Conversation Club every Friday from 6-8pm, with guided discussion, guest speakers and film screenings pertaining to Latin American issues.

People of Hispanic descent account for 7% (an estimated 38,684 people) of the population in Portland, and these numbers continue to rise. It is becoming increasingly imperative that professional service fields are staffed with bilingual employees, and that the community develops a greater level of awareness pertaining to Latin American issues. More information on Tierra Educational Center and its programs can be found on their website or e-mail Info //at// TierraCenter.com

How can you go wrong with delicious food and a great cause?  The Firehouse Restaurant in Dekum Triangle will host an open house and fundraiser for Woodlawn Elementary School Sports4Kids this Sunday, June 28th from 4-8 pm.  There will be a raffle and bluegrass music from the Josh Cole Band.

A few months ago I was planting seeds in the front of my house, hoping they would grow into something tasty.  Neighbor Gina was walking by and stopped to chat with me and ask about the piles of wood chips in my yard, and some gardening methods… Read the rest of this entry »

Henry V,  located at 6360 NE Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd, has some large containters ready to be turned into edible wonderlands, and is offering Woodlawn neighbors the opportunity to grow food in them on site (and take it home and eat it!).  Give Steve a call at (503) 232-6666 and go buy yourself some kale seeds.  Yum.

Do you have skills to share and a few hours to give to your community?  Woodlawn is bursting with opportunities for our neighbors to get involved and help make events and programs that benefit everyone in our neighborhood even better than they already are!  Interested in organizing a raffle to benefit programs helping schoolkids?  Have a green thumb but no garden of your own?  Enjoy helping organize fun events for the whole neighborhood to enjoy?  There’s no reason to sit home when you can… Read the rest of this entry »

On Saturday June 27, at 3:30 pm,  will  Hermandad Mexicana will hold a Forum Meeting at 1425 NE Dekum Street in the Woodlawn Community Resource Center.  Information will be available on immigration and labor rights.  All are welcome.  Call 503-935-6141 for more information.

Community Outreach of Our United Villages is hosting an Intercultural Community Gathering on Saturday, August 15th at Overlook Park from 11:00am-5:00pm. “Our hope is that this event will inspire people to celebrate and learn more about the richness of cultural diversity in our community,” says Linda Hunter, Community Outreach Manager. This free and family-friendly event will feature Interactive Villages, Cultural Sharing Conversations, music, food, raffle prizes, and opportunities to meet neighbors.

20 Villages will provide hands-on activities for community participation. Play an instrument, take a dance lesson, listen to a story, try on traditional clothing, and learn about cultural practices. Share your culture with others. At 1pm, 2pm, and 3pm community will gather for show and tell about one another’s cultural customs, family traditions and way of life. Read the rest of this entry »

The ReBuilding Center—North America’s largest non-profit center for used building materials—is offering four hands-on workshops this summer for youth ages 11-17.

SCHEDULE: July 6-9, 1-4pm (Sliding scale $55-$135 or $15-$35 per day)

Workshop topics include learning basic woodworking skills; create one of a kind curio cabinet; transforming salvaged materials into works of art; designing and creating a coat rack and a clock from recycled wood and hooks, knobs and all kinds of miscellaneous objects; crafting a racecar and other mobiles; learning to make curves on the bandsaw and how to shape wood by hand; and much more.  The workshops focus on using found and salvaged objects available at the ReBuilding center

To register and for more information, see the ReBuilding Center website.

Discounted helmets provided by grants from Legacy Foundation, Legacy Portland Hospitals Medical Staff and Trauma Nurses Talk Tough through this annual sale.  Helmets are $5.00 each, helmet fitting & adjustments available, sizes for toddlers to adults.

Legacy Emanuel Hospital (Atrium)
2801 N Gantenbein Ave – Portland, Oregon
June 18, 2009 + July 16, 2009 + August 20, 2009 – Thursdays, 3 to 5 pm

If you can’t make this event, check out other dates and locations by continuing to read this story.

Keep yourself and your kids safe on bikes!  Stay tuned to GoWoodlawn for continual biking safety and fun updates. Read the rest of this entry »

A message from Tom Peavey, Policy Manager – Office of Youth Violence Prevention

Presented by:
Youth Employment Institute, Portland House of Umoja, Sabin Community Development Corporation, Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Inc. & Earth Flower Consulting, LLC

Event Location: Youth Employment Institute
1704 Northeast 26th Avenue 503-287-3496 x25

!!! FREE, FREE, FREE and ROOM IS STILL AVAILABLE….

This is just an FYI about an exciting end of school year event that’s open and free to community youth. Call to reserve your spot. This event is perfect for the middle and high school student looking to jump-start their summer.

MORE INFO
(503) 823-4180, TPeavey //at// ci.Portland.OR.us