The 100 Hours Pie Chart

Here is a break down of how my 100 hours were spent.

-BC



Hour 98, 99 and 100: Potluck in the Park

Volunteers Prepare the Potluck

For my 100th hour of community service in 2012, I returned to O'Bryant Square in downtown Portland for Potluck in the Park. PITP has not missed serving a Sunday afternoon meal since 1991, and this Sunday was no different. However, in addition to the standard hot meal they were giving donated Christmas trees to those in need. Today I worked the cold bar, serving bread, Christmas cookies and cake to the guests. Today there were 30-40 volunteers setting up, serving the meal and then cleaning up. Just after 3pm the flodgates openind and approx. 600 guests wound there way through the maze of food stations. PITP has lots of food options, hot and cold, for the hungry of Portland. I, and many of the other volunteers I met on Sunday, signed up for the event through Hands on Greater Portland.  

 



Donated Trees for Guests of PITP



 

Hour 94: Operation Nightwatch

Tonight was my fourth and final time volunteering at Operation Nightwatch this year. Of all the different organizations I have worked with this year, Nightwatch has been the most influential on me. The center, open Thurs-Sat nights, provides a safe, substance free place for those looking for shelter from the streets. As a volunteer at Operation Nightwatch, it is my role to provide hospitality to our guests. Tonight was the fullest I have ever seen Nightwatch, and I have to believe it has to do with the cold weather we are getting in Portland. The reoccurring conversation for the evening was whether of not it would snow over night. This time of year, I am used to hearing friends and family wonder aloud if there will be snow with the nostalgic tones; hopeful for a white Christmas. For many of the guests at Nightwatch, snow is cause for concern. Around the room tonight I saw many familiar faces looking weary and some sick from the cold streets of Portland in December. I spent most of the evening playing board games with a guest who I see regularly around town, but have not seen since the Summer. Nearby a young man waited, barefoot, much of the night for a dry pair of sock to be fetched from the donated clothing. He was given new, dry socks and shoes that night. But the rain continues here and he is likely fighting off cold feet again. As volunteering experiences go, Nightwatch is sadder and more raw than most here in Portland, but for me, one of the reasons it is my favorite place to volunteer is, with the sadness and difficulty, the unique perspective of the blessed lives we live. I am grateful for this perspective, and for each person I've met at Operation Nightwatch.  

 

 

Merry Christmas, Operation Nightwatch

 

Hour 93: Blanchet House

This morning I served breakfast at the Blanchet House. BH has been active in assisting the homeless in Portland since 1938. Today the house serves 3 meals a day, 6 days a week to the hungry, but they also providing room and board to men willing to work in the kitchen 40 hours a week, and adhere to the no drugs or alcohol policy. This morning I worked with some of these men, busing table once guests finished their breakfast. Pancakes, coffee, bagels and tangerines were served to roughly 125 guests, who were free to get back in line if they wanted a 2nd or 3rd helping.

 

The Blanchet House recently moved into its new location, shown below. Interestingly, I toured this building with my ACE Mentoring team when it was still being built back in February of this year.

 

The New Blanchet House

 

Hour 86: Habitat for Humanity

This Saturday morning I joined a Habitat for Humanity effort to build 45 homes on a street in outer SE Portland. The street was purchased, and partially developed, by a private developer, who went bankrupt in the process. As a result, H4H picked up the lots at market rate. Today there were approximately 60 of us working on 8 of the duplexes, which are scheduled for opening in March 2013.

 

 

 

This Habitat experience was different from my others. The organization is moving away from single lot homes and into these multi-home developments. The large number of volunteers requires added coordination by Habitat, and a bit more communication for volunteers on site. Today I worked to measure, cut, and hang base boards. Because of the large number of volunteers working inside the house, it was tricky navigating around the rooms, finding needed tools, or even group leaders. The day gave me an added appreciation for volunteer coordinators who are, not only skilled in their area of expertise, but able to lead groups of people.

 



Farooq Measures Twice, Cuts Once



 

 

As we were cleaning up building materials and tools from the site, our group leader announced that one of the volunteers had just finished her 500 hours of volunteer service required for all home owners; not a minor accomplishment.

 

 

Typical Duplex for This Site

 

Hour 82: ReStore

 

This afternoon I worked the ReStore here in SE Portland. As I wrote in previous entry, ReStore receives building materials and sells the materials at a reduced price. Profits go toward funding Habitat for Humanity projects in the Portland metro area. The ReStore website claims that, they 'have raised over $1.5 million for Habitat', and the 'keep more than 5.6 million pounds of materials out of the landfill each year'. This afternoon I arranged and organized tile in the retail area. The store has maybe 10 to 15 pallets full of tile, donated by contractors, retailers or individuals. As you can imagine they have every size, color and material that tile has ever been made in. Denise, another volunteer, and I sorted the ceramic, vinyl, slate, marble tiles; lifting, carrying, sorting and cleaning hundreds and hunderds of pieces of tile. The goal was to make the tile section easier for shoppers to navigate. As we sorted Saturday shoppers wandered around us; many looking for cheap materials with which to complete their home projects.

 

 



Sorting It Out

Hour 79: Dabney State Park Cleanup



This morning I was lucky enough to be joined by Allie for the cleanup of Dabney State Park, just west of Portland. It was cold. It was rainy. But we took care of business. This was one of the many cleanups put together around Oregon by SOLVE. (SOLVE has been putting on cleanups along the Oregon Coastline to focus on the cleanup of debris washed ashore from last years tsunami in Japan). Today was a 'riverside cleanup' along the Sandy River. We hiked along the Sandy River, through the state park which provides water access for fishers and boaters. We alse made our way through some of the attached disc golf course. Lots of beer bottles to be found and hauled out. As poor as the weather was, it was good to move around outside and spend some time with Allie.

Thanks to group leader, Conor Rouse, for having us and sharing his pictures.

 

 



Blogger in Gore-Tex



 



Hour 78: Neighborhood Trash Clean Up

No photos today. As I ran out the door this morning to meet up with the NW District cleanup crew, I took a glance at my camera and for just a moment I wished that I had a small, light Iphone to snap pics of the effort.

 

A cool, brisk Saturday morning meetup at the local grocery store and 14 of us split up into pairs up and walked different routes through the neighborhood. We each had a plastic bag and gloves to pick up the litter, mostly food wrappers or plastic cups. I paired up with Sam, a chemical engineer who left his job in product development at Clorox to look for work in the non-profit field, particularly as it relates to protecting the environment.

 

I started to notice the looks Sam and I were getting from neighbors going about there day. Some were of obvious appreciation for the effort we were putting into the community, other looks seemed to be laced with curiousity. A look that said, 'what did they do wrong to have to pick up trash?' I enjoyed it.

I've been busy with work the last couple weeks and at times realize that I've been in worker ant mode, head down trudging through the work week a bit. In these hectic times, I tend to take care of #1 and give little thought to the welfare of what is around me. On this morning of neighborhood cleanup it was nice to be working towards something of which I am not the sole benefactor.      

Hour 74: ReStore Construction

The 825 ReStores around the country sell donated building materials to customers at a reduced price, compared to other retailers (Lowes, et al.). The proceeds are used to fund Habitat for Humanity projects. We have 3 ReStores here in the Portland area. Our inner east side location is moving to the outer east side and today I volunteered to help with construction of the upcoming location. The new location will allow for greater space to store and sell building materials. Today there were 5 of us volunteering, and 2 project managers (Janell and Joe).

 

 

Katie and I were paired up this morning and sent to prime interior walls in the future retail area. We were glad to be indoor on this dreary, rainy Saturday. While we worked Katie told me that she hopes to become a regular on this project, so as to gain volunteering experience, make contacts and someday get a job with a Portland-based volunteer organization. This is not an unusual story in Portland, a city that attracts, among others, idealistic 20-somethings from all over the country (self included). I appreciated Katie's energy and enthusiasm for the task at hand, but also on her long term goal of service.

ReStorers

 

Hour 70: Wordstock

One Stop Printing Press

Today was hands down the funnest volunteering I've done so far. I spent my Saturday afternoon working at Portland's Wordstock Festival. Wordstock is 2 days of all things written ; author readings, writing workshops, booths operated by local bookstores, publishers, printers, and so on aimed at both adults and children. I was sent over to the Kinder Care area and set to work helping kids put together their own books. Not quite 'Nancy Drew' level...think more 'The Very Hungry Little Catepiller'. The young authors chose the color of their cover, and I would get to work assembling their book. It was then up to them to decorate and write their own story book, using crayons and letter stamps. I definitely enjoyed helping and watching them create. I was fortunate to be raised by parents who made reading a priority. Because of them I appreciate the role reading and writing can play in the development of children and today was an opportunity to volunteer in support of these things. As a bonus, I was granted entry to the festival after my time at the booth and I got a chance to walk the convention center and meet authors and publishers from around the country. The book nerd culture is alive and well here in Portland.

 

Authors Talking Books...Audience Captivated

 

Hour 66: Operation Nightwatch

This was my 3rd time volunteering with Operation Nightwatch this year, possibly my favorite place to volunteer in town because of the unique chance to closely interact with those living a very different lifestyle than my own. ON is a group that focuses it's service on providing hospitality to those looking for a break from the street. Every Thurs, Fri and Sat night they open their doors, and my job as a volunteer is to welcome them, and serve the occasional sandwich or cup of coffee. This Saturday night I talked with a young veteran who lives in a nearby lower income building. He told me stories of his time at different military bases across the country, his time in Iraq as an interpreter, and how he made his way to Portland (for the mild weather). He knew many of the regular guests at Operation Nightwatch, telling me that those living on the streets of Portland make up a not-so-big community themselves. He told me that some form of mental instability and drug abuse is a common denominator among those in the community. Drugs are often used to self-medicate. We talked about all topics; baseball, the weather in the midwest, and even politics (rare for me). I enjoy Operation Nightwatch so much, I think, because of conversations like this. Finding common ground with those who seem uncommon.

Hour 63: Chiloquin Food Pantry at Cycle Oregon

Cycle Oregon is a 25 year old annual bike ride, each year a different ~400 mile loop is chosen within the state. Each day of the ride ends in a predetermined spot. A small, temporary tent town is set up each night, a place the bikers can call home for a night. Complete with meal tents, beer gardens, small stages for entertainment and even yoga. The place is full of bicyclists, but also with those who are shuttling the bicyclists’ gear, event organizers, supporters, bike repair specialitst and a host of individuals who volunteer their efforts to set up/take down/and provide meal service.

 As a supporter of the Chiloquin Food Pantry, I worked to serve breakfast on morning #2 of this year’s Cycle Oregon. The ride stopped just outside of the nearby community of Fort Klamath. This was a fundraising event for the Food Pantry, in that, for each helper the Pantry provided, Cycle Oregon paid the Food Pantry for their time.

Before sunrise we arrived at the temporary campground, still silent and frosty in the morning dark. The nearby Cascades were starting to show their outlines against the early dawn sky. The tent area, home to the 2,300 cyclists was near silent, only a few bicyclist were awake shivering in line for their turn for a port-a-potty. As we passed through the tent area, we could see the food tents lit with Christmas lights and stirring with chefs and servers.

Charlie Fundraising by Cleaning Up at Cycle Oregon 2012

 

It turned out that today’s route would take the riders up to and around the rim of nearby Crater Lake National Park. Many cyclists were waking up early to get as much time as they could around the outlandishly blue Crater Lake. My role today was to bust tables after the bikers had finished their breakfasts. As I started collecting plates, I began to wake up and notice many faces of fellow volunteers from Chiloquin (pop. 1700). I was happy to run into Charlie, a retired local who has a knack for photography and wood carvings, and his wife Liz. The food pantry was represented by a number of volunteers that morning, each bringing in money to fund the food pantry'c sontinued efforts to feed the needy in the Chiloquin area.

The sun came out, breakfast was finished, and the cyclists loaded their bags into large trucks (which would drive to the next stop on the tour). The riders pushed off, starting their uphill ride to the rim of Crater Lake, and I made my way down the hill into Chiloquin for the day’s work.

Kay, Director of the Food Pantry

 

Hour 60: Chiloquin Food Pantry

 ‘Wait, where’s Chiliquin?’. Good question. Chiliquin is in southern Oregon, not far from the California state line. And it is my home for the better part of 3 months. I am working as the inspector for a construction project here this summer, and I’m taking the oppurtunity to log a few volunteer hours in my temporary home. Chiloquin is a depressed town; once a center for logging, and the former home of the Klamath Tribes Indian Reservation. Timber is out and the Tribe sold the reservation back to the federal government in the 1950’s, leaving many in this small town to rely on government assistance. It didn’t take long for me to run across the local food pantry, which collects food donations and distributes to locals who receive food stamps. I joined a team of 10 or so other volunteers in the monthly effort of gathering the food into the pantry and then trading the donated food for stamps. I saw men, woman, young, old, disabled and fully abled coming in to pick up food for themselves and their families. Like my experiences in Portland, I see that you cannot make a blanket generalization to encompass all the people that are receiving assistance. 



Hauling Food Donations into the Pantry

 

Hour 57: Potluck in the Park - 21st Birthday

Today was the 21^st birthday of Potluck in the Park. 21 years and this group has never missed Sunday afternoon meal. I was fortunate to grab the last volunteer space for the day through Hands on Greater Portland. Fortunate because PITP was celebrating their anniversay with a big meal. Volunteers were working a large BBQ pit, which had been donated for the day, and more meal tickets than usual were being handed out to guests. The rain clouds broke and the potluck was held outdoors, in downtown Portland's OBryant Square.

I was able to get a spot serving up cassaroles, with my new friend Barbara. She has been volunteering with Potluck for a year now, saying that she enjoys volunteering with PITP because not only does it feed the needy, but it helps her remember that the people living on the streets are people too.  We had a good time, serving up chili mac, stir fry, and chicken pot pie. The day saw 80 volunteers serve meals to 920 guests. I saw many familiar faces on both the volunteer and guest side of the table. It felt good to not only help serve these meals to the needy, but to feel part of my community.

How to feed 900 people

Hour 51: Habitat for Humanity- N. Michigan, Part 2

This was my 3^rd time out for Habitat for Humanity, and my 2^nd time working on Leo’s house. The inside and out look a lot different than they did 3 months ago. Today a majority of my work involved dismantling the scaffolding on the exterior of the house, led by project manager Ev. Once the scaffolding was taken down the crew took a step back and looked up at the nearly finished exterior with some surprise at how far along the place has come.

Leo's Pad

 

In the afternoon Todd and I mounted some roofing above the porch. This involved some math, a circular saw, hammers and a harness. Todd, a regular at Leo’s, told me about how he is interested in becoming an electrician and that he has decided to use Habitat as a way of getting construction experience, learning about the trait, and giving back to his community.



Mind the thumb, Todd

 

Leo was also on site today. After lunch, he was telling us that this house is more than he had ever expected to have for his family of 7. He is grateful for the opportunity to own a house, something he told us he would not be able to do if not for Habitat.

Hour 50: NW Neighborhood Cleanup

I'm fortunate to live in an excellent part of Portland. NW Portland (the Alphabet District) is full of activity, well preserved historic buildings, large trees...not much for parking though. There is not much parking in the area because of the high density of people that live here. And with that high density comes litter. Yes, even the clean, beautiful cities of the Pacific Northwest, populated with tree huggers and hip lumberjacks, get littered. This morning Allie and I grabbed a few bags and helped the neighborhood association with their 3rd Saturday cleanup effort. Wrappers, bags, packaging of every kind and color. After an hour we had 2 large bags full of litter, some of which came straight off the front yard. That is as local as it gets.

Makin' dirty work look good.

Hour 46: Another Operation Nightwatch

After some time off from my chase for 100 hours in Portland, I was able to get on board for a Friday night edition of Operation Nightwatch. This was my second time around with these guys. The first time was an excellent experience; so many interesting people from widely ranging backgrounds. It sounds like many of my fellow volunteers are taking some time off from their usual volunteering, as OpNightwatch had posted earlier in the week that volunteer numbers were low (typical for Summer) and they needed more help in order to open their doors this weekend. Enough signed up and doors opened at 7pm this Friday night. Op Nightwatch, as explained last time, is a safe, drug free place where anyone is welcome to spend their weekend nights. Hospitality is the focus here, not food or clothing, but a place where the often unwelcomed are welcome. Not everyone is homeless, but many are having tough times.

Tonights experience was much like the last. I played a few games of chess with a gentleman who took me to school each time. I met and talked with a painter (think artist, not laborer) who told me about his work and the many reasons that Oregon is greater than Georgia, his native state. It was good to run into a few familiar faces from my last nightwatch, and catch up in the way friends do. I tread lightly in these conversations, trying not to ask too many questions but at the same time not wanting to make too many assumptions. At risk of overthinking it, these conversations are the sort of thing that provide some perspective...a goal of these 100 hours.

The mood tonight seemed a bit somber, there was a death in this community of volunteers just a few days prior. The volunteer coordinator, Jimbo, had set out a photo and makeshift memorial for the deceased and all where invitied to share memories or thoughts. All of this on the heels of the news of the Denver movie theatre shooting the night before. One of the guests provided the gift of music for the rest of us, masterfully playing the piano in the next room for the entire four hours. Tonight I was thankful to be able to take part in the community, music, and hospitality on display at Operation Nightwatch. Here's to appreciating what we have at this moment!

Hour 43: Potluck in the Park...Part II

I enjoyed my first Potluck in the Park & was impressed with the number of meals they are able to hand out in a few hours. Today I joined friends Shelby, Alex, and Jesse to lend our hands as servers for the meal. Their was a chance of rain showers this afternoon, so the potluck was held in the parking garage below O'Bryant Square. By chance, I ended up in the same spot (vegetarian station) and forked out green bean sautee, veggies w/ rice and mac n' cheese (big seller of the day). According to PIP, 451 guests were fed today (701 plate in total). I am starting to see familiar faces at these sorts of things, which is nice. And, of course, I continue to meet all kinds of wonderful people who are also volunteering their time. I'm feeling grateful not only to be in the position to volunteer but to be in a city that has so many worthwhile opportunities to help. Thank you, Portland.

ACE Mentoring: Final Presentation

Team 8 presented their design of the Pac Mama coffee shop this evening. Great work to the students and mentors.

Hour 37 - Habitat for Humanity - N. Michigan Duplex

Leo & Maria, future owners of one of the units, help with the construction

This morning was my 2^nd time around with Habitat for Humanity here in Portland. Click here to read about my first time with the organization, and a bit about how they operate. I enjoy working with these guys because of the hands on construction element, but also because of the project leaders. The work reminds me of my time volunteering with Pisco Sin Fronteras in Peru. Today I was helping construct a duplex in North Portland, an up-and-coming neighborhood (only a block off of the bar and cafe packed Mississippi Ave). A blue sky this Saturday morning left the project with only 4 volunteers (2 of which were members of the family that will live in the house once complete)…bummer. But today was a great day. I was given carpentry tasks, and happy to use power tools and a hammer. I constructed and mounted exterior vent blocks (um, what are those?) and mounted blocks for dry wall in the upstairs unit. Also reminding me of my work in Peru, was the diversity of the volunteers helping today: Mexico, Holland, China and the Upper Mid-west were all represented on site.

Megan helps H4H before heading out to volunteer with the Human Society. You go, girl.

Hour 35 - ACE Mentoring: Final Touches on the Design & Prep for Final Presentation

This week’s meeting was a team focus on completing the project’s  final presentation. Next Thursday (May 24^th) Team 8 will present their coffee shop to the other ACE teams and mentors. The floor plan, bubble diagram, structural plan, roof plan, HVAC plan and elevations have all been scanned into pdf and power point slides have been created.  The team put the finishing touches on the construction cost estimate, making sure that we came in below the budget. This was an iterative process of checking the overall construction cost and lowering/raising the quality and quantity of such features as the café’s furniture, or the kitchen and bean roaster. The students debated on where to trim expenses and in the end the team came in just below the $1.2M budget.

Our Construction Schedule

Once the cost estimate was finalized, we developed the construction project schedule for our coffee shop. With guidance from the mentors, the students created a list of major construction tasks; recalling topics discussed throughout the last 13 meetings of the ACE season. Earthwork, foundations, structures, HVAC/electrical, and interior finishing: all construction elements which the team had learned about at some point this year. The mentors took this time to explain the concept of scheduling, and how certain activities could occur concurrently, but others were dependent on the completion of subsequent activities (the foundations could not be poured until the earthwork has been completed). An 11 month construction schedule was developed for the coffee shop. The presentation was completed and slides were divided amongst the students for presentation.  Now that the design of the coffee shop has been finished, the students have a week to practice the presentation.

Did I Mention the Coffee Shop has a Pac Man theme?

Final presentations for the 2012 ACE Mentor program will be held on Tuesday (May 22) and Thursday (May 24). Click here or more information on the events.

Hour 33 - ACE Mentoring: Wrapping up the Design

Setting it in Stone

With only two more meetings until the final presentation, today Team 8 worked on final drafts of the coffee shop's bubble diagram, floor plan, interior elevations, and structural plan. These deliverables have gone through multiple drafts the last couple months and today the team 'set them in stone'. Students also picked out interior architecture elements like lighting, flooring, counter tops, and furniture which will go into the cafe. Weeks of development are paying off with final products. These drawings will be scanned and made into power points slides for the final presentation. As a mentor, it is most interesting to hear the students ask questions about the sectors of the A/C/E industries that they are developing interests in. The questions and discussions that have developed across the months are an indication, to me, of the learning process going on in these meetings. The next couple meetings we will be focusing on a name/branding for the cafe, and the dreaded public speaking, in preparation of the final presentation in May.

The 'Do Not Throw Away' Pile

Hour 31 - Write Around Portland

This afternoon's volunteering was with Write Around Portland at their headquarters in downtown Portland. I came across WAP while searching Idealist, a world wide searchable database for non-profit related work.  Write Around Portland provides writing writing development oppurtunities (in the form of workshops) to those who otherwise wouldn't have access- adults and youth who are troubled, homeless, etc. Once the writers complete a 8-10 week workshop, they submit their favorite writings to WAP. I was drawn to WAP; as someone interested in writing, but also as someone interested in working with the homeless/needy here in Portland.

My role with WAP today was to help decide which of the submitted writings would be published in the Write Around Portland anthology. The books are published 3 times a year and can be found at local bookstores here in town.

For this anthology, WAP is working with 17 organizations in Oregon which provide services to the troubled, sick, and homeless. My group, of 5 other volunteers, reviewed entries of poetry and prose from two of these 17 organizations. We read each entry and ranked them in order of our liking and at the end of our meeting we talked about which were our favorites.  WAP will take the feedback on entries from all 17 organizations and pick the best writings to go in the Spring edition, which will be their 14th published anthology. I'm looking forward to volunteering with the group in the coming months to help them meet their aggressive print deadline for the book of writings.

Hour 26 - Operation Nightwatch

A handful of fellow volunteers showed up to help with last Friday nights Operation Nightwatch. During the brief orientation for new volunteers, Jimbo explained that Nightwatch's focus (unlike many other similar organizations) is to provide 'hospitality' for the needy of Portland. The 'needy' being homeless, but also those who sleep in homes but spend most of the days on the streets.  I was drawn to this distinguishing characteristic of Nightwatch...a place that provides a sense of welcome. Operation Nightwatch goes 7-11pm every Thursday, Friday & Saturday night. I learned about and signed up for this volunteer oppurtunity through Hands on Greater Portland.

This evening, 25-40 individuals (of all backgrounds) came in from the streets to socialize, play music and board games, or simply spend time at a place which welcomes them. It occured to me that many of these people spend their days being made unwelcomed in the public spaces where they live their lives. Coffee, cookies, sandwiches, and donated clothing were offered throughout the night. The bulk of the evening was folks talking and playing board games. A piano was played masterfully for the 4 hours.  I met a Yugoslavian woman with a Masters in Electrical Engineering from Cornell. I played 2 games of chess (one W, one L).  There were individuals there who, by appearance, fit the stereotype of a homeless person but there were just as many who did not. Tonight, at Operation Nightwatch, I learned of the varying shades of grey that exist in the homeless/needy population here in Portland.

Not my pic, but gives an idea of the scene at Op Nightwatch

Hour 24 - Friends of Trees

This past Saturday morning I met David for a cup of joe, and bounced out to SE Portland for some tree planting. When I sent my email to friends and family in January telling them about my 100 hours in Portland, I heard back from a few recommending that I get involved with Friends of Trees. The group organizes multiple tree plantings a week (in Portland and Eugene) and have been doing so since '89. I used Hands on Greater Portland to learn about and sign up for Saturdays planting.

David and I were part of a crew of 81 that planted 130 native trees and bushes alongside a paved trail that runs along Interstate 205. The workers were smiling, the sleeves were short and the trees were flying off the back of the FoT truck and into the eager soil. As we darted across a buzzing Powell Rd, back to my truck, Dave noted that we (and everyone else driving down Powell or I-205) will be able to see and enjoy the trees we planted today. Great day for a tree planting.

...and Dave said, "Let there be tree'

Hour 22 - ACE Mentoring: Interior Architecture

This evening, mentor Ryan talked to the team about interior achitecture- how materials and colors are chosen for building interiors. We then focused on what the inside of our coffee shop is going to look like by drawing  interior elevations for each wall of the cafe.

Eric gets after some interior elevations. Go on, son!

Last meeting the team laid out the MEP (mechanical, electrical and plumbing) systems for the coffee shop. You'll see below that the cafe is coming together. It's a good thing, because there are only 3 more meeting before the final presentation.

Hour 19 - Potluck in the Park

Every Sunday, since 1991, Potluck in the Park has provided the homeless of Portland with a well rounded Sunday afternoon meal. This past Sunday I helped serve food to those who showed up. I used Hands on Greater Portland to sign up to work the event. Since rain was in the forecast, the meal was held in the parking garage beneath O'Bryant Square in downtown Portland. There were 30 or so volunteers to help with the meal. I was put in charge of servin' up the asparagus. Asparagus is one of those funny things: people either big fans or are completely grossed out by the vegetable. Trivia about your author: big fan of the stuff. I was impressed with how well organized things were at the potluck, on the volunteer side but also from the service side. In 3 hours we served 668 ticketed guests & 847 second plates. Simply incredible.

Portland is a city with a sizable and, I would say, seen homeless community. By 'seen' I mean that this is not a city that chases away the homeless, sweeping them under the carpet, as many cities do. The community here, more specifically groups like PITP, seem to address the issue of homelessness (rather than ignoring) by working to assist those in need. I was suprised to see the diversity of those who showed for the meal. All genders, age groups, and nationalities were there today. Those that looked very different from me, but others that looked like me. In short, it is easy for me to differentiate myself from a person of the streets when I'm passing them on the way to work and focusing on the differences between us. Much is missed in those moments. I appreciated the moments during the serving of asparagus when I saw the similarities, the things I share with those who seem so different; the clues that we are not as different as it might seem in passing.

I didn't feel comfortable taking photos at PITP, but here's a
pic showing a bit of the soggy Spring we are having in Portland.

Hour 17 - ACE Mentoring: 50% Review

This evening was the sixth meeting for the ACE teams. Unlike the typical ACE meetings, in which individual teams of highschool students gather at the offices of their mentors, this was a gathering of all four teams. This afternoon was the ‘50% review’ of the projects. Each of the four projects (coffee shop, yoga studio, visitor center and bike shop) were represented in the large meeting room where we gathered. Each team grabbed a stretch of wall and hung up their work to date. The walls were covered with architectural sketches of buildings in plan view, floor plan layouts, bubble diagrams, and elevations which the students have been designing for the last 10 weeks. After a quick pizza break, it was time for the reviews. As groups walked from project to project, students from each project would present their design; describing why they chose their layout, or building materials, or how they plan to handle stormwater. Members of the other teams were then invited to ask questions of the designers. ‘Does your building have a fire exit?’, ‘What’s the name of your coffee shop?’, ‘Have you considered solar panels for your rooftop?’.

Team 8 in the house (I know...all these ACE pics look the same)

After every student made the rounds to each project, the individual teams had a short meeting to debrief on the evenings review. We talked about what important questions were asked by the other teams, what things we may have missed in our design so far. My team, which is designing the coffee shop, decided that they would like to design a roof with some elevation, instead of the flat (‘boring’) roof we have at this point. For many of the students this evening was an introduction to public speaking. It also became an opportunity for the students to think critically about other projects, and in turn their own design.

The yoga studio is comin' together

Volunteer City, USA...#2 Anway

A recent article proclaims portland to be the second-most generous city in the country, when it comes to volunteer hours. I'm proud to see this kind of action in my community.

http://portlandtribune.com/news/story.php?story_id=132874365097508600

Hour 15 - ACE Mentoring: Building Exteriors & Cost Estimating

First things first, SORRY NO PICTURES TODAY. I forgot my camera tonight, but I promise future blogs to be packed with even more exciting photography than usual. And if you are lucky, there will more of me shoveling.

For tonight's ACE session we met at one of the architect mentor's office in the Old Town part of Portland. Craig walked us around the corner to take a look at a job his company had designed. The 3 story building was under construction but will one day serve as soup kitchen for the homeless, with residential units in the upper levels. He talked to the students about all that stuff architects do. When we got back to the office, two of the engineer mentors (Hobbie & Kenny), talked about cost estimating. We then did a rough estimate of what elements the cafe's budget could handle. At one point we ran over budget and had to go with some less expensive furniture for the customer seating. At the end of this weeks meeting, the architects led an intial design on what the exterior of the coffee shop will look like. It was interesting to see certain students gravitate towards this kind of achitectual related design and others show more interest in the cost estimating, which is more engineering/construction related. They were given pizza (again) and the homework of cutting out photos of interior themes that they wanted to see in their cafe.

Hour 9 - Habitat for Humanity on NE Morgan

How's my form?

An early Saturday wake up call and I was on my way up to north east Portland to help Habitat for Humanity with the construction of a multi-family house. In Portland, HFH projects are not easy to get on, especially on the weekends. Today there were 8 volunteers and 2 HFH employees who were managing the project. Thomas, of HFH, first explained to us how the organization operates. They purchase properties and when the value of the property has risen to a certain value they will build energy efficient, multi-family homes. I was suprised to learn that they actualy sell the homes, at cost, to those in need ('those making ~1/3 of the median income'). They also provide interest free mortgages to the buyers. Additonaly they require 500 hours of service in the year of purchase from the buyers - this amounts to helping every Saturday for one year. I think this kind of 'sweat equity' would lend to an added sense of ownership for the benefactors. The house we were working has 2 floors. One floor has four bedrooms and would house a family of 9, and the other would be home to a mother and her 4 boys.

With inroductions out of the way, we got to work. Jeanna and I raised our hands to fill in a utility trench along the back of the house. I happy for the for a chance to get the blood moving in the chill of the morning. My new friend, Jeanne, turned out to be a fellow civil engineering, quasi-Spanish speaking, rock climbing, SE Portland resident - a tight niche. With brain and braun we filled in and compacted that trench as only 2 engineers can. Afterwards we got on to painting the exterior of the house. In good fortune, we had blue skies and sunny skies to work outdoors in. Other volunteers spent the afternoon painting interior doors and door frames. Today was more work than I'm used to on a Saturday, but it was great to be out in the sun, helping the affordable housing cause along side some new friends. If there are any readers out there, they will be seeing more of Habitat for Humanity in future blog entries.

Jeanne, and company, knockin out some trim

Hour 7- ACE Mentoring: BC Talks & More Floorplan Development

Brainstorm Sesh

This week at ACE, we heard from the first of our mentors...Me! I talked to the students about the work that I do as a civil engineer & how it relates to their ongoing project of designing a coffee shop. Earthwork, utilities, and stormwater drainage. Extremely interesting stuff! We also had a guest mentor stop in to talk about landscape architecture. Slightly less interesting stuff! It became apparent to me during my presentation that when explaining something that we spend every day doing it may seem simple to us, but can easily be confusing to someone on the outside. My challenge was to simplify and make this stuff relatable to young people who are getting in at the ground level.

Afterwards the students broke up into 2 teams. Each team developed a floor plan and presented it to the rest of the team. While each team presented their plan, we talked about the ideas and continued to improve what the teams put together. Ideas like a patio garden, how customer seating would be laid out and the overall flow of the cafe were discussed. The cafe's floorplan was starting to become a product of the students.

Hour 5 - ACE Mentoring: Floor Plan Layout for the Coffee Shop

Tonight was the 2nd ACE meeting of the year. Some of the architect mentors explained 'bubble diagrams' to the students and the group created one for the coffee shop. The mentors then provided the students with a an archectual drawing of the site in whcih the coffee shop will go. The (theoretical) shop will sit between a pedestrian path and a light rail line, along the Willamette River here in Portland. Once the bubble diagram was complete, the team went to work on the floor plan layout; deciding what will go where. The customer seating area, bathrooms, the office and roasting room were all located somewhere within the building footprint. For the most part, the students were able to talk through the decision process but every so often a mentor would pose a question or idea in order to move the discussion along in a productive direction. This week we gave the the kids homework; go to your local coffee shop. Next week tell us what you like/disliked about the cafe.

The Coffee Shop...what, you couldn't tell?

Hour 3 - Blueberry Bushes for NAYA

Dr Martin Luther King Jr fought for equality, justice, and what he called 'the beloved community'. In the last 10 years, the MLK holiday has been paired up with volunteerism- presented as an oppurtunity for citizens to take action for the betterment of others.

This MLK weekend I signed up, by way of Hands on Greater Portland, to plant blueberry bushes for an organization called NAYA (Native American Youth and Family Center). NAYA operates a school and community center in NE Portland. They provide numerous services for youth, adult and senior Native Americans. For 30 years NAYA has 'provided educational services, cultural arts programming, and direct support to reduce poverty' for Portland's Native Americans. NAYA elders had requested blueberry plants that they could harvest in the Summer and use in baking. Nine other volunters, and myself, made up the group tasked with planting the bushes and building a temporary greenhouse to help the plants get through the Portland winter. The 10 of us varied in every way - size, color, and age. As the project came along each volunteer proved helpful in some unique way. In the two hours it rained & snowed and in the end the sun came out to see a dozen blueberry bushes and a makeshift greenhouse behind the NAYA run school.

Blueberry planting in January? Well, we did it. I was glad to learn about NAYA and show my support for the organization, whose efforts parallel the lasting legacy of Martin Luther King, Jr.

'This is how we do it!'

As an update to this entry: I later received an email from United Way-Portland, who organized the city-wide MLK Day volunteer effort. They said that 2,875 volunteers, gave 10,346 hours of community service over the 3 day weekend. Not too shabby.

Hour 1 - ACE Mentoring: Meet 'n Greet

Tonight was the first meeting of the 2012 ACE mentoring season, which I'll be taking part in. ACE is a national mentoring program focused on getting highschool students involved and familiar with engineering, architecture and construction management through mentoring. 2012 will be the Portland chapter's 5th year, and by far it's largest in terms of particpation - 91 students and 64 mentors in total. The students are placed on teams and paired up with mentors (local professionals working in the different fields) and given a project to design - this year our team will prepare the design of a coffee shop. We will meet 12 times in the next 5 months, each session focusing on a different element of project design. The ACE year will conclude in May, when the students will present their project to the other ACE teams.

Tonight the students and mentors met their fellow teamates and got a chance to walk the site where the proposed projects will go. 'The site' is along the Willamette River, across from downtown Portland, in an area called the Innovation Quadrant. As a civil engineer, it's encouraging to meet and work with kids who are genuinely interested in learning about the profession. It's also encouraging to meet the fellow mentors, who are also wanting to foster that kind of interest from students. I'm looking forward to sharing my experience with the students, but also learning from them & the other mentors.

Let's build us a coffee shop, kids.