From BikePortland.org
It’s not very often that City of Portland Bureau of Transportation staffers hear rapturous cheers during neighborhood meetings, but it happened last night when over 50 northeast Portland residents packed into the Concordia University library to learn more about the NE Holman Street bike boulevard project.

This open house was a follow-up to an initial PBOT presentation about the project last month. Like they did at that first meeting, nearby residents expressed full support for the project. Cheers erupted from the standing-room only crowd when PBOT announced plans for two specific pieces of the project; the crossing of busy Martin Luther King Jr., Blvd. and plans for a “pocket park” at Holman and NE 13th.

Read the whole story on BikePortland.org

Portland Sunday Parkways is a festival that brings the entire community together along traffic-free streets. Over 125,000 people will walk, jog, bike and stroll together on routes in NE, N, SE, E and NW Portland. The first event for this summer is on Sunday, May 16 in NE Portland and it’s coming through Woodlawn!

The support of the entire community is needed to make Sunday Parkways possible. Over 300 volunteers assist with project such as park set up and roving bike mechanics at each event. The greatest need is for Intersection Superheros: the essential volunteers who staff every intersection along the course for safety reasons.

There are two cool ways to get involved. If you’re thinking of just yourself or you plus friends, you may volunteer by yourself or with friends and family to throw an intersection party, decorate it, make it your own, have fun.

The other option is to bring your group (organization, cause, riding club, etc) together to host an intersection and promote your organization. You get to “own” the intersection, decorate it, promote your cause, and have fun. With 25,000 people coming right past your station, this is a great opportunity to get the word out.

Check out the schedule and plan for a summer full of fun, traffic-free Sunday Parkways events!

PortlandSundayParkways.org

Saturday, March 20th from 1:00PM – 5PM

Believe Movement Studio invites you to join them, along with neighbors Buffalo Gardens, The Purple Garden and Good Neighbor Pizza to a celebration of the Vernal Equinox. You can take advantage of a spring sale on class cards, session packages and retail items. These businesses also have contests for April. There will be food, live music, and festivities for the entire family. Rae Minten will offer a free session of sun salutations to honor the return of the sun at 1:30PM and 3:30PM.

Laura at Believe Movement Studio wants the neighborhood to know about all the FREE stuff going on this month!

FREE Body Composition Analysis; Saturday, December 5th  from 12PM – 4PM

An incredibly informative session that will determine lean muscle mass. Great baseline information to start your new year goals off right. No appointment necessary. Should take around 20 minutes.

FREE Teacher Training Yoga Class;  Saturdays, December 5th, 12th, and 19th from 5PM – 6:30PM

This is an ALL-LEVELS class that is taught by the current Prananda Yoga Teacher Trainees. It is supervised by Joy Wolfe (director). Tell your friends. This is part of the training so you are helping the trainees too! First come, first serve basis.

FREE Yoga Classes for Seniors; Mondays at 1 PM (ongoing)
On a personal note, I’ve been going to yoga classes at Believe Movement Studio for the past few weeks and I highly recommend them!  The space is lovely and welcoming and you get personal attention and instruction from the teachers.  Make sure you check out their calendar, rates and events at www.believemovementstudio.com.

Heart of Healing is presenting Village Dance Convergence, a benefit for the Physicians for a National Health Program.  Below is more info from their press release.

When: Friday, November 6, 2009 7:30 pm
Where: Village Ballroom 700 NE Dekum St Portland, OR
Admission: Open to the public at a sliding scale of $10 to $25
Contact info: Mike Meyer, mmeyer //at// efn.org 503-680-6576
Website: http://www.pnhp.org/

Come join your community for a free-form dance, food, conversation, live music, and many more healthy activities to benefit community health care solutions. This celebrational evening will feature Portland’s famed ecstatic dance in a beautifully decorated hardwood space and will intertwine live music into your dance. Read the rest of this entry »

This article is being re-printed with permission from the latest Safe Routes to Schools newsletter put out by the Portland Bureau of Transportation.

- By Dr. Jennifer Rupert, MD

What do walking and biking to school have to do with obesity, mental health, and asthma? — A lot! Children who walk and bike to school have higher physical activity levels throughout the day, helping them meet the recommended 60 minutes of activity daily. This level of activity helps prevent childhood obesity and supports healthy bones.

Walking and biking to school is also a great way for kids to get the physical activity needed for healthy minds. Kids who are more physically active have better academic performance. Studies are also beginning to show that exposure to nature and free outdoor play can reduce stress and relieve ADHD symptoms.

If that isn’t enough to get you out of your car, think about the air quality around a school when dozens of parents sit in idling cars while their children jump out. Air pollution has contributed to childhood asthma rates doubling between 1980 and the mid-1990s. Asthma rates remain at historically high levels and cause 14 million missed school days every year.

Walking and biking to school is healthy for kids, healthy for communities, and healthy for the planet.

Dr. Jennifer Rupert is an Obstetrician and Gynecologist practicing at Kaiser Permanente in North Portland. Dr. Rupert was one of six dignitaries to address James John Elementary students on Walk+Bike to School Day.

Join Lenore Bijan, a feisty and vibrant 78-year-young instructor as she generously shares her enormous talents with our neighborhood through yoga classes offered at Believe Movement Studio (8th and Dekum). Classes are free for seniors Mondays from 1-2 PM and everyone (of senior age) is welcome and encouraged to attend – even if you have never tried yoga. The greater the demand, the more classes Lenore will be able to offer, so spread the word and help this neighborhood resource/business thrive.

The doors are finally open at Believe Movement Studio with a class schedule that suits everyone’s needs and desires.  There are classes for the entire family and the first class is free.  Many of the instructors on the schedule live directly in our neighborhood and want to support you in your health.  Owner Laura Demeri says, “Come on in to see the space and pick up a schedule!” You may also check out what’s being offered on the Believe Movement Studio website.

Article by Marilyn Mauch, Coordinator of the Backpack Lunch Program at Fremont United Methodist Church

For many students, the federally-sponsored school lunch is their main source for a nutritious, satisfying meal during the day.  If there’s not enough food in the house, these children can go hungry on the weekend when the school lunch isn’t available.  In its second year of operation, the Backpack Lunch Program puts food items for two weekend lunches each Friday into the backpacks of 40 children at Woodlawn Elementary.  The need is much greater.

Your food donations can make a difference.  We invite you to bring food donations to the monthly Woodlawn Neighborhood Association meetings, so that we can reach more Woodlawn Elementary students who are at risk of hunger on weekends.

Food items to donate:

* cans of chili, soup, ravioli in meat sauce, cans/boxes of mac n’ cheese

*  small juice boxes—100% juice only, no foil containers

*  individual-size fruit cups

*  small packages of crackers w/cheese, raisins or fruit snacks,

* granola bars (no peanuts)

Four NE Portland United Methodist Churches, including Woodlawn United Methodist, are working with community friends in this non-profit, all volunteer effort.  To learn more about the program, contact Marilyn Mauch at 503/287-3014 or Fremont United Methodist Church at 503/284-4647.