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Inspired Solutions
Have you ever said "somebody oughta do a story about this!" about the efforts of a friend, neighbor or community group? Well, here's your chance to let the public know about their good work. We're developing an occasional series to highlight solutions to problems in the Northwest.
We're not looking for stories about kittens rescued from trees, or the dog that saved the day (as inspiring as those stories can be). Our focus is on efforts that have had demonstrated success tackling a problem: hunger or healthcare delivery, teen pregnancy or teen suicide. What are the solutions to the toughest problems in this region?
We want to know about ideas and programs that have touched you in some way. Let us know about what's happening in your child's school, or your workplace, church, community, or volunteer group. It could be something that has affected you or someone you know directly, or maybe it just moved and inspired you.
We won't be able to highlight every suggestion on the air, but we will follow-up on everything we hear about. We hope to start this series soon — so we're eager to hear from you!
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Thanks so much for those suggestions—we're actually working on a special project on homelessness. I'll make sure that Producer Julie Sabatier sees your post!
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i have been concerned about the environment in so many ways.. i wrote to you about anthony boutard and his efforts to help local farmers to be sucessful.
another thing i am concerned about is saving land for future generations. one person i know who has done so much to insure lands be saved from development is jayne cronlund. she is ceo of three rivers land conservancy. in this time of economic downturn jayne has been very creative in bringing together like minded organizations to pool resources. i don't have all the figures but the amount of land that has been conserved is impressive. this is land that our children will be able to enjoy as they get older, having places to hike and just be out in nature. its something we take for granted but without people like jayne this land will be developed and disappear from its natural state . please contact her for further info..jcronlund@trlc.org.
thanks
nancy dasenbrock
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In 1998, Sarahjoy Marsh began teaching yoga at the Columbia River Correctional Institution. Her intention was to bring life skills through yoga to people who have essentially been written off by society. Marsh says, “In the prisons three very different life stories; the officers, the inmates, the yoga volunteers flow into one: a desire to support and create change.”
Sarahjoy created a curriculum to teach people with multiple barriers; sexual abuse, depression, eating disorders, post-traumatic stress, anxiety and detoxification from drugs or alcohol. She founded Living Yoga in Portland in 2001.
An inmate at Coffee Creek Correctional Facility said, “I can cope with the stresses and the non-stop madness that is prison life…I’m always happy and light-spirited when I leave class. It’s like I’m free for an hour twice a week.”
In 2009, Living Yoga volunteer teachers provided 10,000/student/hours to populations who would not otherwise have access to it. http://www.living-yoga.org/yoga/outreach/portland/C4/
Tags: prison yoga, restorative justice, non-violent communication, karma yoga, altruism
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I urge you to learn about Springboard Innovation's ChangeXchange (http://www.learninginnovation.org/changexchange.html), a micro-philanthropy program allowing small donations, or social investments, to add up to big support for innovative nonprofit work. If they choose to, "investors" become active participants in the good work being done both locally and internationally, as well as providing much needed seed money for these social entrepreneurs. We all recognize the big names in the nonprofit world, but there is a lot of good work being done by "just folks" in our own neighborhoods. Amy Pearl is the Director of Springboard Innovation.
other organizations to think about:
motiveSpace Coalition, Sara Garrett, Director: focused on grass roots, community-led, non-speculative development in Portland.
Aging Artfully Initiative, Jim Corcoran & Gary Marschke, Founders: a group of activists and visionaries committed to building an organizational model for innovative, independent living communities, to serve creative adults.
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Someone beat me to it, but I'll add another vote for Springboard Innovation and ChangeXchange. SI is a locally run group that edcuates, inspires, guides and then actively works to gain the necessary resources for people to create innovative change for their communities. They give everyone a way to get involved and become an active part of an innovative solution, in such a wide variety of ways. Their participants are now launching projects that touch on subjects we all care about - environment, family support, women's empowerment, green living, community support and so much more.
Check out SI at http://www.springboardinnovation.org/index.html and their creation of ChangeXchange https://www.thechangexchange.org/public/splash//?
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ChangeXchange seems to be really popular for this blog entry! I think it's an initiative that showcases the best that Portland -- and beyond -- have to offer in terms of social innovation.
While there's a lot of buzz around microphilanthropy, social profit, and Obama's new Office of Social Innovation, ChangeXchange is much more than part of a trend. It provides meaningful opportunities for both the social entrepreneurs listed on the site AND investors in their enterprises to interact, share, and build community. With ChangeXchange, anyone can be an investor in change: the minimum contribution is only $5!
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There is a charity called "Dinner and a Movie" that provides just that to at-risk and homless youth in Portland. It fits the bill perfectly. http://www.dinnerandamoviepdx.com/
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The Stepping Stones program in La Grande is a great program to feature. It serves homeless folks, former inmates, families but also focuses on housing, nutrition, employment, and long-term solutions. I think it is a great group because they employ their clients in collecting and reclaiming scrap wood, glass and other building materials that would be thrown away otherwise.
http://www.lagrandeobserver.com/News/Business/Filling-a-community-need-Votaws-provide-transitional-housing-for-disadvantaged
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Comments are now closed.
I would suggest you do something on the various rescue missions (the one here in Salem is the Union Gospel Mission and Simonka Place (see http://ugmsalem.org/ )) that reach out to the homeless and help get folks back on their feet. The Salvation Army and St. Vincent de Paul would also be important (they helped me many years ago); I support all of these in my community and know they have a positive impact. I can get you contact names for the ones in Salem if you wish. Even folks who may think ill of the Gospel might find reason to support those who reach out to the many needy in our communities.
I'm sure other ideas will come to mind later, but this is a clear immediate number one in my book and in hard times, seeing that real folks are helping others may encourage the individual to reach out to those around them who are in need. after all, even a little caring goes a lot further than none at all.