L'Arche Nehalem Newspage September, 2004

NEHALEM NEWSPAGE

L'Arche Nehalem 8501 SE Stephens Portland, OR 97216
(503) 251-6901 Fax: 251-6952 e-mail: mail@larche-portland.org web site: www.larche-portland.org

SEPTEMBER 2004

Our mission is to create a place to call home
for people with developmental disabilities and those who share life with them.

NEWS

Thank You and Blessings for Kate
After eight years of service on the Board, four and a half as President--years that were full of change and challenge-- Kate Marshall is taking a year's leave of absence from the Board. Join the community in thanking her for her hard work and commonsense leadership Wednesday, September 8 at Neahkahnie House, 8501 SE Stephens (see map below). The celebration begins at 5:30 p.m. followed by a pizza dinner at 7:00 p.m.

The L’Arche movement is forty this year. In August, 1964, Jean Vanier, Raphael Simi, and Phillipe Seux moved into a house called "L’Arche" [The Ark] in Trosly, France and became the very first members of a L’Arche community--though they did not know until later that they were forming a community, let alone the first of almost 130 communities. L’Arche Nehalem will celebrate with a party at Neahkahnie House at 7 p.m. on Saturday, October 2, which is L’Arche Family Day. Our guest speaker, David Jenkins, a member of the L’Arche USA Board, will talk about L’Arche in the U.S. at 40.
Welcome to two new assistants! Anna Koza started at Nehalem House August 30. A University of Oregon psychology graduate from Portland, Anna spent the past year in New Hampshire as an AmeriCorps volunteer working with middle school students. Monica Ranaghan, who will be at Neahkahnie House, arrives the week of September 19 after driving from South Bend, Indiana, where she graduated from Notre Dame last spring with a degree in art history.
Thanks to Bill Washburn, who has been volunteering part of his labor to do some renovation on the houses. Notably, he has constructed two walls in the basement of Nehalem House: one to make one of the assistant's rooms on that level more livable and the other to provide a private meeting space for the house.
On the topic of remodeling, we also are grateful to the board of directors of the Remodelers Foundation, which recently accepted as a project the work on the upstairs bathroom at Nehalem House to replace the bathtub with a shower. The Foundation’s projects committee will visit the house in September to make a final determination on the feasibility of the project.

Prayer Night

Wed., Sept. 29, 7:00 p.m.

Nehalem House

LIFE IN THE HOMES

Adam Richards went to statewide Special Olympics in baseball recently. (When you see him, also ask him about seeing the Blue Angels at a recent air show.)
Marilyn Petruzzelli is also looking forward to participating in Special Olympics bowling beginning in September.
Ben Miller is planning to attend Portland Community College to work on his reading. Thanks to Justin Wilcox who has been a great advocate and help to Ben in making arrangements to do this.
Catholic Archbishop John Vlazny of the Archdiocese of Portland visited the community at Neahkahnie House on August 18 to hear about the lives of the core members and assistants and share with us some stories about his own background as a parish priest and high school teacher in Chicago.

BIRTHDAYS	ANNIVERSARIES
Sept. 24: Pat Boose	Sept. 16: Amy & Dan Barcia's Wedding (4 years) Sept. 18: Ben Miller (8 years) Maureen Cleary joined the Board (2003) Patrick Wheeler joined the Board (2003)

JOURNEYS

Dottie Bockstiegel, Community Life Coordinator of L’Arche Washington, D.C., and her son will visit Nehalem at the beginning of September. Susan Mitchell will return the visit during the second week of September.

CELEBRATIONS

Wed., Sept. 8, 5:30 p.m., Neahkahnie House: Thank You and Celebration for Kate Marshall
Wed., Sept. 22, 7:00 p.m., Neahkahnie House: Ben Miller's 8th Anniversary
Sat., Sept. 25, 7:00 p.m., Neahkahnie House: Amy and Dan Barcia's 4th Wedding Anniversary Celebration
Wed., Sept. 29, 7:00 p.m., Nehalem House: Prayer Night

"God knocks on the door of each of our hearts. God waits patiently for us to open the door so that God can come and dwell within us and through us bring comfort to those in pain."

Jean Vanier, Letter from Trosly, August 2003

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