Garlington Garden is Growing!

Our Garlington Garden is growing in every way possible!

Thanks to a generous grant from the Northwest Health Foundation’s Kaiser Permanente Community Fund, we’ve been able to stretch our imagination and see it become reality. Start reading here for our most recent update, and then keep on reading for a history of the entire project

Thanks to a donation from Dennis’ 7 Dees, we got to work with an incredibly talented landscape designer, Annie Bamberger (pictured below on the right with one of our volunteer physicians, Dr. Louise Clark), to come up with a design for our garden.

We’ve been inspired by the way Annie takes our brainstorming, adds her own creative ideas and then gets it all down on paper and into the ground. Now a crew from Dennis’ 7 Dees is working to transform what was unused green space into this plan that Annie helped us develop:

In addition, we’ve had the great privilege of working with Oregon Tradeswomen, Inc. They built two picnic tables with benches for us back in April that have provided a welcome spot for midday lunches and staff meetings. Last week their middle school camp built us a shed for all our supplies and some gardening resources. They broke it down to get it here and another Oregon Tradeswomen crew will come rebuild it with shelves. We can’t wait!

In the meantime, though, the vegetables we planted in May and June are thriving in the summer sun. In the spring we handed out bags of greens and lettuce to our patients. Through the summer we’ll be giving out zucchini, tomatoes, peppers, beans, peas, and more, along with heart healthy, easy recipes to use at home with that week’s vegetables.

If you’d like to be a part of our project by donating some time in the garden, contact Suzy Jeffreys at (503) 946-6380.

Getting started

We’ve had two work days in April and things are really coming along!

History

Last year, together with our neighbors SMYRC and Cascadia Garlington Clinic, we began the process of turning 4,000 square feet of unused green space behind the Garlington Center into a place of food and healing for our community. In addition to six raised beds for seasonal vegetables, like lettuce and tomatoes, we had fruit trees from Friends of Trees, corn, pole beans, strawberries and rosemary and sage bushes. This year we have even bigger plans – putting in a water line, rebuilding the fence, adding a tool shed and compost center, picnic tables and cob benches, a bat house, more vegetables of course, grass for sitting and a covered rain-collecting gazebo!

We see this garden project as an opportunity to expand our services to the community by making it easier to incorporate the kind of healthy choices that can prevent or combat chronic disease. It’s one thing to recommend our patients “eat right and exercise,” but we all experience challenges in our lives which make these actions easier said than done! And we all know that fast and easy food can seem cheaper and more convenient than cooking from scratch. By sharing the garden harvest as part of a wellness program, we hope more of our community members will be able to incorporate fresh fruits and vegetables into their diets. As a bonus, there will be lots of opportunities for our patients to work in the garden, which is good exercise! Just as important as providing food and exercise, we’ll also focus on bringing people together through planning, decision-making, designing, planting and harvesting in order to bring the garden to life.

Keep watching our website to see our garden grow!

Kaiser Permanente MLK Day of Service 2011

Twelve Kaiser Permanente employees and physicians joined us to honor Martin Luther King, Jr. for KP’s annual MLK Day of Service on Monday, January 17. Volunteers provided wonderful care to 29 North by Northeast patients who were booked for half-hour appointments, mostly for follow-up on their high blood pressure and/or diabetes. Kaiser VPs Mark Enger and Rich Smith stopped by to present a check to us for $7,500, and other Kaiser folks paid visits throughout the day. All over the region, Kaiser Permanente employees and physicians spent their day supporting local non-profits, and we were thrilled to be included again. Thanks to all the wonderful volunteers who made it possible for us to provide so many patient visits - Dr. Joe Ehlers, Dr. Tom Harburg, Dr. Michelle Ritter, Dr. John Woo, Nurse Practitioners Jolene Pyle and Carole Anderson, Medical Assistant Brandi Graham, nurses Lori Werner, Fifi Chu and Jenny Rollins, and front desk stars Terrol Johnson and Katie Kettlety!

Kaiser VPs Mark Enger and Rich Smith with a generous check for North by Northeast!

Front desk volunteer Terrol Johnson with NxNE staff members Virginia Weeks and Sharetta Butcher.

RN Fifi Chu with NxNE patient George Allen.

Dr. Jill Ginsberg and the afternoon shift providers - Dr. John Woo, Dr. Michelle Ritter and NP Carole Anderson - get a turn with the check.

Thank you Delta Sigma Theta!

On Thursday, January 13, the women of Delta Sigma Theta treated North by Northeast patients, volunteers and staff to a bounty of wonderful food during our evening walk-in clinic! In honor of their Founders Day, these women (and several more not pictured here), organized by Charlene McGee, brought fresh, tasty sandwiches and warm vegetable beef soup to keep everyone satisfied while waiting to see a doctor. Their joyful, generous spirit filled our waiting room, hallways and the kitchen, where they put together bags of fresh vegetables and fruit to send out the door with all of our patients. We are blessed to have such great friends. Thank you Delta Sigma Thetas!

In Memory: Donna Moulton

North by Northeast patient Donna Moulton passed away on November 9, 2010. She is survived by her husband, Jim, and daughter, Suzanne. We are grateful to Jim for his kindness and gentle manner toward our staff and volunteers while Donna was in our care. Our thoughts are with Jim, Suzanne and Donna’s family and friends during this time. Jim wrote the following words in memory of Donna:

After 5 months enduring a gland destroying cancer, Donna left us with dignity on November 9th at about 4:00 AM while sleeping at home in the care of her husband. Her pain had been controlled quite well with medication prescribed by hospice, and she was lucid until the end. She was cremated as per her wishes. We’d like to thank North by Northeast for their kind, respectful treatment and immense help. If you’d like to send flowers, please instead send a small donation in her name to help keep this clinic open and available to the uninsured community. Donna was a Wicken witch, and candle magic was her medium to heal and balance friends, acquaintances and even strangers. Instead of a memorial service, please light a candle or bonfire now or on the Winter Solstice sacred day (December 21), and celebrate by a toast to the circle of life from Crone to Child and her memory. Blessed be.

Thank you, Give!Guide supporters!

Thanks to you, we exceeded our goal and raised over $26,000 through Willamette Week’s annual end-of-year Give!Guide. This year a few special friends helped us sweeten the pot: Tompkins Consulting Companies matched the first $5,000 in donations again this year and offered us their generous support in many ways. We love them!! Ristretto Roasters, a wonderful coffee shop in our neighborhood, offered a free drink coupon to every North by Northeast donor! And there was ice cream from Ruby Jewel! Thank you all, and thank you to Willamette Week!

Planting Health!

July 8 was our first harvest day, and since then clinic patients are getting a special treat—a bunch of robust kale and bright, crunchy lettuce to take home . . . along with a booklet of tasty, easy, healthy recipes. We love summer!

Congratulations to our graduating scholars!!

Tianna Sly, National Honor Society Member!

Three of our interns graduated with honors from Jefferson High School on June 6! We congratulate and celebrate Tianna Sly, Laura Taylor and Jesse Dance Taylor as they head off to college and careers in health care.

Our Garden Grows!

Together with our neighbors SMYRC and Cascadia Garlington Clinic, we decided a few months ago to convert a 2,000 square foot green space at our home, the Garlington Center, into a vegetable garden for each of our agencies’ patients, clients, youth, volunteers and staff. United by a common mission to provide care and services to underserved populations, we share a vision for the garden as a space for therapy, reflection, recreation, education and work. Eventually it will include seasonal vegetables, fruit trees, herbs, a composting station, a shed, grassy areas, an informational bulletin board and seating!

We were lucky enough to recruit a talented, passionate and committed volunteer to coordinate this project, Alex Johnson. Alex has helped this project get off the ground. We now have six raised beds with vegetables planted, a plum tree, a pear tree, sage and rosemary bushes, and a plan to till more of the ground to plant the seeds and starts we still have left over!

We’re grateful to Mt. Scott Fuel for donating topsoil, Portland Nursery for donating three trays of healthy, thriving starts, seeds, a hose and other gardening tools, Friends of Trees for donating the two fruit trees and Growing Gardens for gifting us with even more starts!

Watch Our Latest Video!

Thanks to Brian Huston of Road Trip Productions for this video portrait! Check out Brian’s work at http://www.roadtripproductions.com and http://www.brianhuston.com

From the Road Trip Productions website: “Road Trip Productions provides companies with creative and cost effective solutions for marketing and media needs. We have over twenty years of experience in Commercials, Documentaries, Web Content, and Trade Show Films. Our company is passionate about promoting sustainability and green technologies and will always gravitate towards projects that will both educate and expand social awareness.”

Thank you, Brian!!

Suzanne’s Story

Neighbors Gloria Ceaser and Suzanne Veadry Casaus

Three years ago on New Year’s Eve my husband Kevin and I were celebrating in our favorite fashion, selecting charities from the Willamette Week Give!Guide and making donations. Kevin always does the in-depth research and excitedly clicked on North by Northeast’s homepage. We had never heard of this young organization, but Kevin was impressed right away. “These guys are great! They are serving our neighborhood through volunteers and community partnerships. Finally there is an option for people who find themselves slipping through the health coverage cracks.” We made our donation, not knowing the vital role that North by Northeast Community Health Center would play on our own street.

Even though we are located only five miles from downtown, we live on a “small town” street. We are a porch-sitting people who visit with neighbors, watch each other’s kids and dogs and rely on each other during good times and bad. Gloria, our next-door neighbor, is the royalty of porch-sitting on our street and has handed down this culture to the rest of us. She is a smiley woman who is quick to serve iced tea, give the children gifts and crack a joke. Gloria is the heart of our street.

Sadly, just as the economy dropped into a recession, Gloria was let go from her job. This smart, hard-working woman found herself in a place she never imagined – without health coverage. For Gloria, a diabetic, this issue was critical. She calculated how much her medicine costs and how much she would get with unemployment. It wasn’t enough. One day Gloria confided in me that she didn’t think she would be able to keep her home. How could this be? She had lived in her home for so many years and had nursed her husband through a long illness within its walls. She was our heart, how could we lose her?

Fortunately, Gloria found North by Northeast and, with their help, she was able to get the medication that she needed to in order to live. Gloria didn’t lose her home, but let me tell you, it was close. I wondered if the volunteers from the clinic realize how much their impact spreads into the community. It isn’t just about saving lives or improving health, although we know how valuable that is. Gloria and I have discovered that this service is integral to keeping us together and helping us keep our identity as a community.

Although I would love to say that Gloria has since found a job, she hasn’t, and she, like many, still struggles to make ends meet. She has become a strong advocate for the clinic and frequently refers friends and relatives. I remember when Gloria first told me about the clinic and had so much good to say about how they treated her. It took me a while to realize that she was going to the same clinic that Kevin and I had picked out from the Willamette Week Give!Guide. Wow, it wasn’t just a good webpage, it was REAL. The North by Northeast Community Health Center had directly impacted our lives. You see, without this clinic, Gloria would have lost her house and our street would have lost its heart.

- Suzanne Veadry Casaus

Welcome Sharetta Butcher!

Sharetta Butcher, Office and Volunteer Coordinator

Introducing our new Office and Volunteer Coordinator, Sharetta Butcher! A native Oregonian, Sharetta has lived in Portland most of her life. She brings a wealth of experience in social service as a volunteer coordinator and program director. We are thrilled to have Sharetta join us! You will see her smiling face next time you visit.

Day of Service Honoring Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

Kaiser Permanente provided staff for a full day clinic on Monday, January 18th in honor of Martin Luther King, Jr. As part of an annual day of service eleven health care professionals and clerical staff spent the day at North by Northeast. We provided follow-up care for 34 patients with diabetes and/or high blood pressure, and administered 20 flu shots. Thanks to all who participated; it was a great day! Kaiser Permanente also delivered a check for $8000 as part of their Special Initiatives grant program. Special thanks to Kaiser Permanente as well as to New Seasons Market, Grand Central Baking and Peet’s Coffee for their generous donations.

Thank you, Center for Health Research!

Gail Mathabane presents the gift to North by Northeast

For the past four years, the staff at the Kaiser Permanente Center for Health Research has donated to local non-profits rather than throw themselves a holiday party. North by Northeast was selected as one of the recipients again this year. Gail Mathabane, CHR Communications Director, braved the surprise snowstorm on Dec. 29 to deliver checks from 17 staff members totaling over $1700. Thank you all!

Metroscope Features NxNE

Listen to a podcast featuring Dr. Jill Ginsberg and the work of North by Northeast.

Meet Our Interns!

Jefferson HS students Tianna Sly, Violet Thomas, Laura Taylor, Brianne Turner (not pictured: Jesse Dance-Taylor)

For the second year, North by Northeast is partnering with Jefferson High School to provide a unique opportunity for five African American students in the Health Sciences/Biotechnology Program.  The students are considering careers in health care, and during the year-long internship program will meet twice monthly with various health care professionals to learn more about career options. They will be serving their community by volunteering one night each month at North by Northeast working at the front desk and assisting the nursing staff. They are also learning to check blood pressure and will be doing screenings for community members.  We are very lucky to be able to work with and mentor such committed, talented students and hope they all choose to come back to North by Northeast as volunteer professionals when they complete their educations!

Thank you all!!

For the fourth year in a row, North by Northeast was featured in the Willamette Week Give!Guide. Once again our generous supporter Tompkins Consulting Companies matched the first $5,000 in donations and, thanks to our generous donors, we raised over $26,000! Especially encouraging was that a large proportion of donations came from the neighborhoods we serve. Your gifts help us all year long to provide medications to patients in need. Many thanks to all of you who made donations and to Willamette Week for including us in this wonderful opportunity.  If you didn’t get around to participating in the Give!Guide, you can still support our work!! Check out the “Donate” page for some other ways to help.

New Handmade Patient Gowns

We want to express our gratitude to Susan Wright for handmaking fifteen gorgeous patient gowns for North by Northeast. As we expand capacity in our new, larger space at the Garlington Center, we’ll be seeing more patients and needing more patient gowns. But not just any gowns will do for our patients, and that is why we are so grateful that Susan generously donated her time and materials to make these works of art! It’s the particular touches, like the gowns, that we hope make our patients’ experience at North by Northeast warm and welcoming. Thank you Susan!

Buffalo Exchange Donates to NxNE!

Between July 1 and December 31, 2009, shopping at the Buffalo Exchange can mean a donation for North by Northeast! Shoppers at every Buffalo Exchange store are encouraged to accept a token instead of a shopping bag for their purchases. Then Buffalo Exchange donates five cents to one of three non-profits of the shopper’s choosing.

The downtown store, at 10th and W Burnside, has chosen us as one of their three non-profits for the next six months.

Since 1994, Buffalo Exchange’s Tokens for Bags program has donated over $300,000 to deserving non-profits and has saved 6.4 million bags. Help support North by Northeast and help us say thank you to Buffalo Exchange by shopping, saving and donating!

Thank you Buffalo Exchange!

We’ve Moved!!

Pastor Mary makes her entrance!

We had our first clinic in our new space on Thursday, August 20th. It was very exciting!! We were able to see patients much more efficiently with more exam rooms and a larger triage area.

Pastor Mary and Dr. Jill named as KATU Everyday Heroes

On June 19, KATU featured Pastor Mary and Dr. Jill in their Everyday Heroes series. Watch the video on their website here (click the “video” link).

Thank you New Seasons!!!

Dr. Bonnie Reagan enjoys a hot dog for a good cause

Thank you to New Seasons Market – Concordia for donating the proceeds from their May 30 & 31 Benefit BBQ to North by Northeast! On Saturday alone, New Seasons raised over $600 for our clinic; with that donation, we can purchase a year’s worth of prescription medication for twelve patients. New Seasons has been an enthusiastic supporter of the clinic since we opened almost three years ago, and we are privileged to count them as a great local partner in supporting healthy neighborhoods.

Thank you as well to the dedicated, friendly, outstanding North by Northeast volunteers who helped staff the Benefit BBQ: Helen Farrenkopf, Julie Gust, Richard Howells, Michael Krall, Margo Russell, Priscilla & Jerry Stewart, Isabelle Trepiccione, Mary Beth Yosses and Karen Zwickert.

We could not fulfill our mission without the consistent support of business like New Seasons and volunteers like these. Thank you!

We Will Have a New Home Soon!!!

rough floor plan of our new space

We will be moving to a new home soon! At the end of February we signed a lease for a 1900 sq foot space in the Garlington Center at 3034 NE Martin Luther King Blvd. The center is a community institution in inner North and Northeast Portland, serving African Americans and members of other minority groups with mental health needs. The relocation will quadruple our treatment space and allow us to provide quality health services to a greater number of uninsured neighbors. This is wonderful news for us and will open a new chapter for the community. Check back for updates and stay tuned for an announcement about a community Open House!

Dr. Jill Ginsberg honored with Marylhurst University Women of Distinction Award

Dr. Jill Ginsberg and Pastor Mary Overstreet Smith

Every year at their Women of Distinction Luncheon, Marylhurst University pays tribute to successful women who depict the ideals of competence, leadership and service in their chosen fields. The awardees are professionals and philanthropists who demonstrate excellence in the Arts, Business, Faith, Science and Service. This year, Marylhurst honored our own Medical Director and co-founder, Dr. Jill Ginsberg, as the Woman of Science awardee. Pastor Mary Overstreet Smith delivered a stirring, energetic introduction of Dr. Jill, whose acceptance remarks included stories and quotes from North by Northeast patients. Board members, staff and volunteers were in attendance at the February 25th luncheon to celebrate and honor Dr. Ginsberg’s achievement. Also honored were: Eloise Damrosch, Executive Director of the Regional Arts and Culture Council; Joan Austin, Co-Founder of A-Dec; Cecilia Ranger, PhD, SNJM, Co-Director of Marylhurst’s University Ministry; and Nancy Wilgenbusch, PhD, President Emerita of Marylhurst University. Past awardees include: Mariah Taylor, Julianne Johnson, Rachel Bristol, Julie Vigeland, Peggy Fowler, Arlene Schnitzer, Gert Boyle and Vera Katz.

Haircuts for North by Northeast!

A big “Thank you!” to Barberama, a local neighborhood salon, for donating 50% of their profits on Saturday, January 24th, to North by Northeast! We especially want to thank Brian Fuqua for approaching North by Northeast about this generous donation, as well as all the stylists and staff of the salon whose workday efforts helped make a difference in the health of our shared neighborhood. We are so privileged to be in a community where wonderful partnerships like this one abound. Thank you Barberama!

Thank You To Our Donors!

Thank You, Year-End Donors!!

We had an amazing response to our year-end appeal. Thank you all!

The Willamette Week Give!Guide raised an astounding $787,000 for 55 local non-profits, an increase of 50% over last year’s total. We are very grateful to the Give!Guide staff and the 185 individuals who donated to North by Northeast, making it possible for us to raise over $27,000. We are especially excited that over 100 of these donors were new to us, almost half were under 35, and 40% live in the neighborhoods served by our clinic. Special thanks to Tompkins Consulting Companies for matching the first $5000 in donations!

In addition to the Give!Guide gifts, we received many other generous donations from new and prior donors through the mail and via our website. 

As 2009 begins, we will be caring for our patients and focusing on our plans for a move sometime this spring (we will provide more details as we have them!).  Know that your support is saving lives and enriching our community.

Thank you for your generosity.

Dr. Ginsberg Named Local Hero

Roger Hinshaw, BofA local Market President, and Dr. Jill

Dr. Jill Ginsberg was named one of five Local Heroes by the Oregon and SW Washington Bank of America. North by Northeast Community Health Center will receive a $5000 grant from Bank of America’s Charitable Foundation’s 2008 Neighborhood Excellence Initiative. Dr. Ginsberg and the other winners were honored in a ceremony at the Portland Zoo on November 12.

Watch Our New Video on YouTube!

Link to North by Northeast Video

When David Smith of Magaurn Video Media was introduced to us last fall through the Light a Fire awards, he was captivated by our story and our mission. He approached Michael Magaurn about the possibility of producing a promotional piece about the clinic to help spread the word about our work. The company has a long history of giving to the community, and Michael did not hesitate in agreeing enthusiastically to support the project. David put in many extra hours and the entire staff pitched in to produce a professional video which does a masterful job of telling our story. Watch the six minute video on YouTube!

Thank you, Michael, David and everyone at Magaurn Video Media!

Thanks for a successful house party!!

Dr. Jill, Charrese and Liz at the clinic

Charrese Edwards and Liz Wayne came to us a few months ago and said they wanted to hold a house party to benefit the clinic. They mobilized an impressive force of volunteers and contributors and organized an amazing event! It started with a cocktail party, with music by Janice Scroggins and Sharon Martini, and some fabulous food and wines provided by McGinns Wine Merchants, Clyde’s Restaurant, Fife Restaurant and Echo. An after-party –ended around 4AM with lots of great music and dancing, and a keg provided by Widmer Brewery and more beer and snacks provided by Case Forensics (our neighbor on N. Williams). A silent auction featured many wonderful donated items and services. The event brought in over $2000, which will allow us to provide medication for a full year for 20 patients. Thanks to Charrese and Liz and everyone who supported and contributed to this event!

Whole Foods Community Support Day

North by Northeast was selected as the recipient of the March 13 Whole Foods Community Support Day.  5% of net sales at the Pearl District store on that day was donated to support our work, a total of over $3500!  Thank you, Whole Foods!

Thank you all!!

We are proud to have been featured in the 2007 Willamette Week Give! Guide and excited to announce that over $19,000 was donated to North by Northeast, with many new donors living in the clinic neighborhood. These gifts will fund a large portion of our prescription needs for the coming year. Thank you all!

North by Northeast Wins Light a Fire Award!

Portland Monthly, in conjunction with the Oregon Community Foundation, established the Light A Fire Awards in 2005 as a way to honor and celebrate the critical work of local nonprofits and the individuals who support their missions. This year, North by Northeast is the recipient in the “Keeping Us Healthy” category. Pastor Mary delivered the keynote address at the Award Gala on October 30 at the Portland Art Museum. For more information about all the award recipients, see the November issue of Portland Monthly magazine.  You can read the feature story here.

Pastor Mary Wins 2007 Women of Achievement Award

Carmen Ramirez, Pastor Mary, Gretchen Schuette, Renee Mitchell

The Oregon Commission for Women’s 2007 Women of Achievement Awards honor three amazing Oregon women who have devoted their lives to serving their communities: Carmen Ramirez, a nurse and advocate for improving the health and living conditions of farmworkers in Woodburn; Gretchen Schuette, educator and former president of Chemeketa College, and our own Reverend Mary Overstreet Smith. Award-winning Oregonian columnist, poet, and advocate for women’s empowerment Renee Mitchell gave a riveting keynote address at the October 11 award dinner. Former award winners include Vera Katz, Barbara Roberts, Ursula LeGuin, Margaret Carter, Avel Gordly, Susan Castillo and many others. Congratulations to all the winners and keep up the great work!!

The Raffle Quilt has a New Home!

Kay Copenhaver with quiltmaker Louise Clark

Congratulations to Kay Copenhaver!

When Kay bought a single raffle ticket at the NW Quilter's Expo, she never expected to get a phone call a week later telling her she was the raffle winner. "Wow!! I won that beautiful quilt?!", she said to quiltmaker and clinic volunteer Louise Clark. "What a wonderful example of how something small can lead to something great."

The raffle raised over $2500 to support our work, and a huge thank you goes out to all the volunteers and everyone who bought tickets.

The quilt was designed, pieced and hand quilted by Dr. Louise Clark, using a traditional quilting pattern known as Flying Geese. 385 squares and about 31,000 hand-quilting stitches were used to complete the quilt, which was made from scraps of our handmade patient gowns.

We enjoyed giving Kay a tour of the clinic when she came to pick up her new quilt!

Special Thanks to Allan Zee

Special thanks to Allan Zee and Brian Marki!

Noted local photographer Allan Bruce Zee has generously donated seven prints to beautify our walls. To see more of Allan’s exceptional work, visit his online gallery. Thank you as well to Brian Marki for his donated framing services.

First House Party

First NxNE House Party a Smashing Success!!

Carol Adler hosted our first house party for 25 guests on June 12th. We were treated to wonderful food and a four-hand piano concert by Carol Orloff and Audrey Jarach. The story of North by Northeast’s beginnings was told by Dr. Jill and Pastor Mary. Volunteers Leslie Nicodemus, Loris Eastman and Marilyn Campbell shared stories written by our patients. The event raised over $9000 $9600 for the clinic, which will be used to help expand our service hours. Thank you all!!