The sound of children’s laughter, flowing from the bouncy house, and the chatter of neighbors pondering their hopes for the neighborhood, filled the air at the Portland Now Community Picnic. We had hoped forty folks might show up, you can imagine our delight when over seventy people came to the event.
The Portland Now board had three agendas for the picnic. The first goal was to generate awareness and recruit members to our Portland Now neighborhood association. We have a public meeting every first Tuesday of the month at Church of the Promise, (1800 Portland Ave.). The second goal was to hear from our neighbors. We are curious about our neighbor’s hopes and dreams for Portland. At the picnic, people had the opportunity to share their BIG ideas for Portland, as well as their small ideas that would help improve our neighborhood, at little or no cost. Folks at the picnic also had an opportunity to fill out an on-line survey. Over the next few months, we will be setting priorities for the coming year.
If you would like to fill out the survey, please follow this link:
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSeOpXlPZqf3D8NO4PMVQf31txuAjkqrl-MI5ZsIAIuMVGH29A/viewform
Our third goal was to have fun, share food, visit with neighbors, and introduce our new board members. It is good to report: all three of our goals were met far beyond our expectations.
More good things will flow from our neighborhood association in the months to come, especially if you join the conversation. Please take a moment to fill out the survey and plan now to join our public meetings.
Back to School Drive in Partnership Between the Portland Museum and Portland Now!
By Timothy Strader
A very successful Back To School drive comes to a close! In partnership, Portland Now! and The Portland Museum ran a drive to raise supplies needed for Portland Elementary. Residents and businesses were encouraged to drop off school supplies at the Museum, and these supplies have been delivered to Portland Elementary. Thanks to the generosity of so many of our neighbors we were able to collect nearly $700 worth of school supplies including backpacks, notebooks, sanitizer, pencil pouches, and so much more! No doubt, the amazing team at Portland Elementary will find good use for these supplies, using them to equip children to succeed in the classroom and in life. Thanks to you, these children will be able to focus their attention on their studies. A HUGE thank you to all who participated!
