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Give us your input on how to improve this annual event by completing a short survey!25 awarded the 2009 Spirit of Portland AwardPORTLAND – 25 winners received the coveted 2009 Spirit of Portland Award during an evening ceremony at the Portland Center for the Performing Arts Newmark Theatre Thursday, Nov. 12, 2009. The annual event honors those who have helped make Portland shine. The group of winners includes those chosen in various categories by the Selection Committee and those selected by Council members to receive the newly created Commissioner’s Award.
Those chosen by the Selection Committee are:
Division/Clinton Business Association, Business Association, has sponsored numerous neighborhood activities since its inception in the early 1930s including the Division Street Main Street Plan and mural, street fair, and tree planting projects.
Coalition of Communities of Color, Community Harmony, represents six communities of color across Portland and is made up of more than 40 culturally specific groups including IRCO, NAYA and APANO. The Coalition works cooperatively as a single voice rather than competing for resources.
Rev. Terry Moe, Community Harmony, community justice organizer working to reduce crime, drug use and housing abandonment in northeast Portland. Has been involved in affordable housing projects and sustainable workforce and leadership development. He is Pastor at Redeemer Lutheran Church.
Lloyd Center Security, Community Policing/Public Safety, private security service with a diverse workforce that works with city partners, neighboring businesses and community members to problem-solve crime, and deal with social issues such as gang outreach and homelessness.
Officer Marcianne Jackson, Community Policing/Public Safety coordinates Crisis Response Team Unit with more than 50 trained volunteers and is a role model with a super positive attitude in providing follow-up support for persons affected by homicide, gang violence, and other traumatic events.
Mark White, Emerging Community Leader, Powellhurst-Gilbert Neighborhood president whose leadership produced the successful 2009 East Portland Exposition (EPO XPO) working with students and culturally diverse groups. He increased neighborhood bike lanes and instituted graffiti cleanups.
Brooklyn Birchfield, Emerging Community Leader, creator of the South Tabor Harvest Swap which brings people together to share the abundance of garden produce and build community, which has come together to provide space, music, and share information at the event.
David Muir, Employee of the Year, city/county Information and Referral specialist for more than 15 years going the extra mile everyday to give personal attention and needed information to Portland Building visitors helping them navigate through the maze of local government agencies and the courts.
Sharon Meigh-Chang, Humanitarian, the heart and soul of the Portland Council PTA Clothing Center which provides free apparel to more than 2,000 children in Portland Public Schools whose self-esteem and academic success is boosted by having proper school clothes and the choice of dressing like their peers.
Bobby Fouther, Independent Spirit, brings people together via visual and performing arts as producer, director, performer, and designer. Laid off from Portland Public Schools in 2007, he continues to work with area schools as an artist in residence through the Oregon Ballet Theater Outreach Program.
Diane Meisenhelter, Independent Spirit, community leader, site manager of the SUN Program at Buckman School for the last 10 years, and founder of ON-Going Concerns, a sustainable co-housing project at NE 19th and Going where nine households share meals, pool tools and form an extended “family” of support.
Arnerich Massena & Associates, Large Business, though a public/private collaboration with Irvington School, this group provides volunteer tutors to help students improve their academic performance and boost their self-image. Arnerich also offers financial support and free summer camps in math, science and writing.
Powellhurst-Gilbert Neighborhood, Neighborhood, boasts the city’s only police-sanctioned bike patrol, monthly graffiti cleanups, an outreach program to get youth engaged in local government, a skate park, movies in the park, a save-our-streams street run-off awareness program and the multicultural EPO EXPO event.
Open Meadow Alternative Schools, Outstanding Partnership, between PPS and PCC to address high school drop-out rates, especially in communities of color, by providing training and education toward post-secondary academic, vocational and personal success when traditional school settings have failed.
IRCO, Immigrant & Refugee Community Organization, Non-profit, helps all refugees coming to Portland become self-sufficient in the English language, job readiness and job placement. IRCO is the City’s standard for modeling multicultural integration, diverse workforce development and culturally-specific social services.
Loaves and Fishes/Meals-on-Wheels, Non-profit, more needed than ever, this agency provides a food and social lifeline for seniors at 31 meal sites in the region and Meals-on-Wheels to homebound seniors. With more than 7,500 volunteers, the agency now serves 5,000 meals daily and more than 1.4 million meals a year.
Daniel Ledezma, Public Involvement, Apache Tribe member working tirelessly with the NAYA Family Center and other communities of color helping them gain better access to resources and funding to create more housing for low income people of color and address issues of poverty and homelessness in their communities.
Ed McNamara, Small Business, of Turtle Island Development, is a developer of green, affordable rental housing with Sitka Apartments at 1115 NW Northrup. He is now building 138-unit affordable, working class family-oriented building at 1350 NW Raleigh and a mixed-used housing project in the Lents neighborhood.
Wolf From the Door, Youth, a fund-raising dinner event produced by Ruth Carr and Elena and Sophia deLeonibus, 11 and 12-year-olds, to help feed the homeless. So far they’ve raised $6,000 for the Sisters of the Road Café. This is the 7th year of the Wolf From the Door restaurant with the girls and a dozen friends organizing, hosting, cooking and serving the food.
Council members last year created the Commissioner’s Spirit of Portland Award. The Commissioner’s Awards are:
Bonnie Tinker, named posthumously by Mayor Sam Adams, was a long-time Portland activist, marriage equality leader and civil rights crusader involved in domestic violence prevention, gay rights and anti-war activities. She was founder and director of Portland’s Love Makes A Family and a member of Seriously P.O.’d Grannies. She was killed in a bike accident July 2 in Virginia and is survived by her partner and 3 children.
Elders in Action, a non-profit organization named by Commissioner Nick Fish for its excellent advocacy programs for seniors. Elders provides a social network for seniors and also safety and training programs to help those having problems with housing, health care, crime, abuse, and fraud. They assisted 3,561 individuals last year.
Gordon Sondland/Katy Durant, a local couple, also named by Fish, who raised $50,000 in a week’s time earlier this year to save the decade-old Washington Park Summer Concert series, when it lost a major sponsor. A matching donation was made by other local individuals and corporations.
Darryl Paulsen, named by Commissioner Randy Leonard, is the President of Ramsay signs and known as owner of the City's iconic "Made in Oregon Sign." Paulsen donated the design and construction of a neon rose atop the McCall's restaurant building in Tom McCall Waterfront Park, soon to be the new home of the Rose Festival Association, which puts on Portland's historic Rose Festival every year.
Helensview High School, awarded by Commissioner Dan Saltzman, is operated by the Multnomah Education Service District and provides a supportive learning environment to help grades 8-12 students with needs that have not been met in other educational settings. Highly rated Helensview annually enrolls between 250-270 youth ages 12 through 21 and serves East Portland districts and beyond in the outlying areas.
Randy Miller, also named by Saltzman, is founder and chair of the Portland Ambassadors. He brought business leaders together with government officials to collaborate on economic development work, helping to provide over $1 million in private contributions toward this effort. Randy led best-practices missions to cities around the country, offering Portland leaders the opportunity to learn from other communities and to bring those lessons back to our own community.
Our Goals The Spirit of Portland Awards are presented every year to those who have made positive contributions to our city and neighborhoods above and beyond the average volunteer or staff commitment.
We evaluate the nominations submitted based on how well candidates have: - Assisted with implementing outstanding projects; and - Enriched and revitalized our community and neighborhoods; and - Provided the community with a special service; and - Exemplified a commitment to the community; and - Demonstrated responsiveness, creativity, and civic values; and - Raised cross-cultural awareness
The Selection committee members are chosen each year by the entities they represent: - A representative from each Neighborhood Coalition Area - A representative from each Council Member's Office - A representative from the Business Associations - A staff member of the Office of Neighborhood Involvement - A past award winner, invited by ONI
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