September 2007 Nehalem Newspage, L'Arche Nehalem, Portland Oregon

NEHALEM NEWSPAGE

L’Arche Nehalem, 8501 SE Stephens, Portland, OR 97216

Office: 503-251-6901 Fax: 503-251-6952 E-mail: mail@larche-portland.org Web site: www.larche-portland.org

SEPTEMBER 2007

Our mission is to create a place to call home

for people with developmental disabilities and those who share life with them.

Looking For a Few Good Volunteers!

L'Arche is experimenting with a new model for running the Christmas Tree Sales in December. We are hoping to make this process entirely (okay, 80-90%) volunteer run. In order to make this a reality, we need more volunteers than ever who will agree to be part of the planning and implementation of this excellent fundraiser!

We are currently in need of volunteers for the following areas:

Media and Outreach: potential duties include writing press releases, hanging fliers,
networking with local businesses and media outlets.

Volunteer Coordination: potential duties include calling interested volunteers, using
Google Calendars to schedule shifts, finding replacement volunteers.

Logistics: potential duties include arranging for set-up and tear-down crews, ordering
and transporting trees, providing snacks to volunteers.

If any of these sounds like something you would like to do (or if you just dig the idea of
getting into the Christmas Spirit REALLY early), please contact the Christmas Tree Lot Dream
Team through cat.willett@gmail.com / 503.516.8408. We look forward to hearing from you!

Cat Willett, Matt Weisensee, Jakob Florer and Tom Pauken

NEWS

Ì Welcome to new board member Joe Condon, MSW. Retired from Portland Public Schools where he designed and facilitated programs for parents and children in Text Box: Prayer Night
Wed., Sept. 19, 7:00 p.m.
Neahkahnie House Special Education. He is also a member of St. Andrew Parish and a past board member for ARC of Multnomah County.

Ì Congratulations to former assistant Patty McNally who has been selected to be the Interim L’Arche US Western Regional Coordinator. This good news for our Region also means that Patty needs to resign her position on our L’Arche Nehalem Board. We’re grateful for Patty’s service on the board and for her ongoing commitment to L’Arche.

Ì On September 1, Alison Hilkiah, former live-in assistant and long-time extended member of L’Arche Nehalem, began her role as Community Life Coordinator. Alison also will be a member of the community Leadership Team with Susan Mitchell and Dan Barcia. The new distribution of responsibilities of the former Community Coordinator role held by Amy Barcia enables Amy to begin her new position as Formation and Spiritual Life Coordinator.

Ì The community was saddened to learn of Ellen Vejarano’s sudden death last Thursday, September 9, from natural causes. Ellen was a long-time friend and supporter of L’Arche Nehalem. She was on the board from 1992 to 1996. She also cooked dinner and provided volunteer respite at Nehalem House for many years. L’Arche was one of her last volunteer activities to give up when she could no longer drive at night.

Ì Come visit us in our new office space at 435 SE 85th Avenue (@ Stark), just 3 blocks from Nehalem House. Our mailing address and office phone numbers remain unchanged.

LIFE IN THE HOMES

H This summer has been full of life-giving activity:

Ø Text Box: WISH LIST
ü Two floor-standing (optional: oscillating) fans Hosting the Western US Regional Gathering in Portland at the end of June.

Ø L’Arche Nehalem’s 20^th Anniversary celebration at the University of Portland.

Ø Erin Wheeler and Adam Richards each spending a week at Kiwanis Camp

Ø Ben Miller participating in his vocational program’s theater production.

Ø Community outings to the summer concerts in the parks.

Ø Jazz For Peace at the Old Church August 11.

H Welcome to new assistants Marc Leonard, John Gallagher, and Ashley Luginbuhl who all arrived in August. House assistant teams for the coming year are Tamara Yates, Marc Leonard and John Gallagher with live-out support from Ben Luginbuhl at Nehalem House; and Meredith Zubel and Ashley Luginbuhl with live-in supporting member Lisa Ciranny at Neahkahnie House.

HELP US TELL MORE PEOPLE ABOUT L’ARCHE!

You’re invited to join members of the board on Saturday, October 20 at Holy Redeemer Parish in North Portland for a workshop with TACS consultant Guadalupe Guajardo, snjm, who will be providing tools and training for implementing our outreach and fund development plan. We’ll have a potluck lunch at 11:45 a.m. followed by the workshop from 12:30-3:30 p.m.

BIRTHDAYS	ANNIVERSARIES
Sept. 19: Bill Leidy	Sept. 16: Dan & Amy Barcia’s Wedding (2000) Sept. 18: Ben Miller (1996)

CELEBRATIONS

Please join us if you can!

U Wed., Sept. 12, 7:00 p.m., Neahkahnie House: Ben Miller’s 11^th Anniversary

U Wed., Sept. 19, 7:00 p.m., Neahkahnie House: Prayer Night

MEETINGS

¤ Wed., Sept. 19, 7:00 a.m., Marsee Bakery: Executive Committee

¤ Thurs., Sept. 20, 7:00 a.m., Marsee Bakery: Finance Committee

¤ Fri., Sept. 21, 7:30 a.m., Marsee Bakery: Board Formation Committee

THANK YOU!

Each one of us, with our pasts, our wounds, has difficulties in relationships. We know this. The question is to know how, during the different stages of our lives, and in our journey to wholeness and fullness of life, we can weaken the walls which separate us from each others, and so create communion.

Jean Vanier, Our Journey Home (thanks to L’Arche Canada)

Did you check out the new interactive Jean Vanier quote library on our home page?

Or sign up for an inspirational daily thought or weekly story from Jean Vanier's writings via email at www.larche.ca/en/home/eletters/

Getting a paper copy? Would you like to save us a stamp and receive the Nehalem Newspage electronically? Please drop us an email at doug@larche-portland.org or call us at 503-251-6901.

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