10th Annual Buddhist Festival in the Park, June 1st

We were recently contacted by the Buddhist Peace Fellowship of Portland, who wanted to tell us about their 10th annual Buddhist Festival, taking place in Colonel Summers park on Saturday, June 1st. Read on for details.

You Are Here
Navigating the Way
10th Annual Buddhist Festival in the Park
Saturday, June 1, 2013
11:00 a.m. – 4:30 pm
Colonel Summers Park
SE 17th and Taylor, Portland, Oregon

CONTACT: Heidi Enji Hoogstra
503-236-5741
bpfportland@yahoo.com
Website: http://www.PortlandBuddhistFestival.com

Dharma Talk and Panel Discussion on the Theme of
You Are Here
Washing the Baby Buddha Ceremony
Activities for Children
Tabling by Buddhist Communities
Workshops
Food carts
Sales of Buddhist meditation supplies and imports

The place to be on June 1st is right here, the 10th Annual Buddhist Festival in the Park in Portland. You are Here. You could be nowhere but Here. Awareness of being just here, however, takes some practice, and Buddhists of many stripes are ready to share the way they navigate to this place right here.

Buddhism provides a refuge, a shelter that allows practitioners to sustain joy in the midst of suffering. It provides a way to navigate confusing and twisty paths, and helps people move from ways riddled with anger and fear to calm centeredness.

This tenth year of a Buddhist festival in the park is cause for celebration. The event gives the opportunity to introduce Buddhism to the curious, and it also gives people of many different communities a chance to meet and compare rituals and teachings, and share smiles. The festival organizers are especially happy to welcome food cart vendors Koi Fusion, Taco Pedaler, and Momo Cart. Karuna Meditation Supplies and Tibet-A-Gift (TibetanPrayerFlag.com) will sell Buddhist meditation supplies and related imports.

Dan Rubin, professor at Maitripa College, and member of Portland Shambhala Meditation Center, will be the keynote speaker. He plans to speak of insomnia as it relates to his Buddhist practice.

Members of the panel for discussion were chosen for their diversity of representation of Buddhist sects as well as their varying lives and stages on their particular Buddhist paths. Rayna Jacobson of Portland Shambhala Center, Amanda Risser of Dharma Rain Zen Center, and Charles Reneau of Oregon Buddhist Temple are currently scheduled. Rayna is a licensed acupuncturist, RN, and a meditation teacher at Shambhala. Amanda is a busy doctor, mom, and rooky roller derby competitor, as well as dedicated lay Buddhist practitioner. Charlie is a younger member of Oregon Buddhist Temple, in the beginning years of his Buddhist path.

While the Dharma talk and panel discussion occur in the park’s main shelter, the children’s pavilion will be busy with story times, crafts, and other activities.

Activities for children and adults come together in two ceremonies. The schedule begins with a Washing the Baby Buddha Ceremony. Participants may offer flowers and pour sweet tea over the Baby Buddha. Legend says when the Buddha was born, flowers and sparkling water rained from the sky, and he took seven steps and declared, “I alone am the World Honored one.” Many Buddhists celebrate the Buddha’s birthday in the spring with this ceremony.

Later, another ceremony will celebrate the diversity of Buddhism to be found in the Portland area. Participants may offer incense, and can chant a mantra or verse from their own or one of the many traditions present. All chants will happen at once, a cacophony of voices practicing the art of being present.

Many different Portland area communities will be represented at the booths.  Pure Land, Zen, Vajrayana, Vipassana, and non-sectarian groups will share news and information about their communities.

The festival is free, and all are welcome.  Organizers ask for mindfulness regarding waste.

Schedule
11 am: Tabling by participating groups, also throughout the day
11:50 am: 108 opening bells
12 noon: Washing the Baby Buddha Ceremony
12:30: Workshops: Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR), a way to incorporate the tools of Buddhism into your daily life, offered by Laura Jomon Martin; Short Intro to Buddhism, history and concepts, offered by Brenda Fugate, Oregon Buddhist Temple (see also Children’s Pavilion)
1:30 pm: Keynote speaker: Dan Rubin, Portland Shambhala Center, and Maitripa College
2:15 pm: Dharma song sing-along
2:30 pm: You Are Here Ceremony
3:00 pm: Panel Discussion: Rayna Jacobson, Portland Shambhala Center; Amanda Risser, Dharma Rain Zen Center; Charles Reneau, Oregon Buddhist Temple
4:00 pm: Raffle drawing (opportunity for one free ticket)
4:10 pm: Entertainment TBD

Children’s Pavilion Schedule
12 noon: Washing the Baby Buddha Ceremony
12:30 pm: Workshop: Chanting and Drumming by Jason Litts
1:00 pm to 4:00 pm: Geocache Treasure Hunt
(more of this schedule TBD)
2:15 pm: Dharma song sing-along
2:30 pm: You Are Here Ceremony
4:00 pm: Raffle Drawing and Closing

Participating groups so far include:
·        Buddhist Peace Fellowship, Portland (main sponsor)
·        Oregon Buddhist Temple
·        Dharma Rain Zen Center
·        Zen Community of Oregon (Heart of Wisdom and Great Vow Monastery)
·        Bright Way Zen
·        Maitripa College
·        Dance Mandal
·        Zen Center of Portland
·        Shambhala Meditation Center of Portland
·        Amitabha Buddhist Society of Oregon
·        TibetanPrayerFlag
·        Kagyu Changchub Chuling
·        Samden Ling

This Saturday (4/20)! Two Neighborhood Cleanup Events!

This Saturday is the annual Kerns/Buckman neighborhood cleanup event. If you’re not familiar with the event, it’s a great way to get rid of bulky waste, yard debris, or recyclables in quantities that are normally too large to leave on the curb on trash day. This year, the event has a new location: the parking lot of Hinson Baptist Church, at SE 20th Avenue & Salmon. For more information on the event, including lists of items that we can and cannot accept, visit the Kerns Neighborhood Association website at http://www.southeastuplift.org/neighborhood/kerns.

Also, we were recently contacted by a group called Pick Me Up. They’re organizing monthly cleanup events in Southeast Portland. The first one is also this Saturday, April 20th, from 10am-noon.  The event will begin and end at The Madison House, located at 1932 SE Madison Street. For more information, click on the link below to see the event flier, and visit https://www.facebook.com/pdxpickmeup.

Pick Me Up Flier

 

Upcoming forums on Portland’s 1st grassroots aging-in-place “village”

We were recently contact by an organization called Eastside Village. They’re a planning group of eastside residents who are attempting to develop the first grassroots aging-in-place “village” in the Portland metro area. You can learn more by visiting their website at http://eastsidevillage.org. They’re also hosting a series of informational forums. Read on for details.

Learn about Portland’s 1st grassroots aging-in-place “village”

At Belmont Library Community Room, 1038 S.E. César E. Chávez
Sunday, April 21 at 2pm

At SE Uplift Fireside Room, 3534 SE Main Street
Thursday, April 11th at 7pm
Sunday, May 5th at 2pm
Thursday, May 16th at 7pm

Join us for a free info session to learn more about Portland’s very 1st aging-in-place village.

Modeled after Beacon Hill Village in Boston, Eastside Village PDX is not a building or a real estate development or a retirement community. Instead, it is a group of like-minded people who live on Portland’s east side who have come together to develop the resources they will need to age comfortably in their own homes.

Village members live in their own homes and can be homeowners, renters, seniors sharing housing or living with relatives. The Eastside Village, PDX boundaries are Powell Blvd on the south; the Willamette River on the west; I-84/Banfield or Halsey (east of I-205) on the north; 122nd on the east (except between Stark and Division where the boundary extends to 130th).

There are currently over 90 of these Villages already in existence—including Villages in Bend, Ashland and Seattle—with more than 100 in development across the country.

Admission: FREE

RSVP:
info@eastsidevillage.org or call 503-489-8496

Contact:
Chana Andler, info@eastsidevillage.org, 503-489-8496

Save Buckman Pool! (Again) Budget Forum Tonight!

Once again, the swimming pool at Buckman Elementary School is on the chopping block due to city budget issues. A group of concerned neighbors are mounting a campaign to keep the pool open. Christine Yun, one of the leaders of this effort, has penned an open letter to the community seeking folks who are willing to help save the pool. See below for more details. If you’re interested in participating and/or keeping abreast of the efforts, you can also join the Facebook group Save Buckman Pool at https://www.facebook.com/groups/162961827155597.

Dear Buckman Community

Buckman Pool is the only Parks facility in the inner eastside.  We need to counter the negative article in the Portland Tribune last week, http://portlandtribune.com/pt/9-news/134939-buckman-pool-may-be-drained-by-budget.  Please consider writing a letter to the editor at both the Tribune and the Oregonian.  In addition, we need to ramp up our e-mails to City Hall.  Even if you have already sent an e-mail in, please send another.  Look for our rebuttal to the Tribune article this week.  It is also available as a pdf on our Facebook page, Save Buckman Pool, if you want to use the facts to help compose your own e-mail.

Of prime importance is to attend the budget hearing Thursday, April 11th at Montgomery Park, 6:30-8:30 pm.  It’s important to get there early to sign up to testify.  Those who arrive late were not allowed to testify.  Please also make sure that you print out your signs and bring them to the meeting.  Some smart people pasted them on to cardboard to make holding them up easier.  These were really effective.

Parents, please ask your children to testify – this is a great civic learning experience, and it really has convinced council in the past to keep Buckman Pool open.

There is a final city budget hearing Thursday, May 16th, 6:30-8:30 pm at City Hall.

Here is an updated e-mail list below:

• Mayor Hales: mayorcharliehales@portlandoregon.gov
• Grace Uwagbae, head of mayor’s constituent relations: Grace.Uwagbae@portlandoregon.gov
• Matthew Robinson, policy analyst with the mayor: matthew.robinson@portlandoregon.gov
• Amanda Fritz: Amanda@portlandoregon.gov
• Tom Bizeau, Fritz’s chief of staff: Tom.Bizeau@portlandoregon.gov
• Dan Saltzman: Dan.Saltzman@portlandoregon.gov
• Matt Grumm, Saltzman’s policy manager: Matt.Grumm@portlandoregon.gov
• Nick Fish: NickFish@portlandoregon.gov
• Mike Abbate, director of Parks: director.abbate@portlandoregon.gov
• Steve Novick: Steve.Novick@portlandoregon.gov
• Chris Warner, Novick’s chief of staff: Chris.Warner@portlandoregon.gov
• City Budget Office Director Andrew Scott: CityBudgetOffice@portlandoregon.gov

Thanks,

Christine

Eat Inner South East with Dishcrawl

We recently received the following information from an organization called Dishcrawl, that leads folks on restaurant tours of neighborhoods. They’re doing one in Buckman soon! Read on for details.

Inner South East Portland offers rich culinary destinations set against the backdrop of both its industrial area and the picturesque neighborhood tucked around its corners. Renowned for its culinary institutions as well as bold, new and fresh offerings, Inner South East is the perfect ingredient for delicious sensory experiences.

On Wednesday, April 17th, join us as we take you to four Inner South East establishments to enjoy the food adventures of this vibrant neighborhood. Don’t wait! Get tickets now! You can find them at this link: https://dishcrawl.com/purchase/event/1185.

It’s a guessing game! We’re keeping the names of the restaurants we will be visiting a secret for now, but here and there we’ll give you some hints. Follow us on Twitter at @DishcrawlPDX and be the first to know!

Where to Meet Us: All ticket holders will be notified of the meeting location via email, 48 hours prior to the event.

I’m a Vegetarian: Vegetarian options are available; however we may not be able to accommodate other dietary restrictions. If you have any particular requests or have questions, please don’t hesitate to contact us.

Cancellation Policy: Cancellations are taken only if given 48 hours advance notice. All Dishcrawl events are held rain or shine.

Questions? Contact me! I’m Sara, your PDX Dishcrawl Ambassador! My email is SaraF@dishcrawl.com.

About Dishcrawl: Food, Fun, and Exploration! We here at Dishcrawl aim to provide you with a premier culinary social experience by bringing together neighborhood restaurants, local chefs, regional food producers and fellow food enthusiasts. Join us if you’d like to embark on a one-of-a-kind gastronomic adventure!

Green Dragon/Buckman Botanical Brewery Garage Sale, March 15-18

Our neighbors at the Green Dragon, a Rogue Brewery establishment, recently contacted us about an event taking place at their location soon. It’s a garage sale where you’ll be able to purchase discounted beer and merchandise. Appropriately enough, it takes place St. Patrick’s Day weekend, March 15-18. More info from their flier:

SE Uplift Sustainability Workshop – Space available!

SE Uplift is holding their second Quarterly Sustainability Workshop this coming Saturday, February 16th. The event will focus on working with the city to create neighborhood green spaces. There is still space available, and they would love to invite more Buckman residents to the workshop. Read on for details!

Greenspace & Working with the City Workshop
Saturday, February 16th, 2013 // 10am -12:30pm
3534 SE Main St
Portland, OR 97214

Could your neighborhood use more greenery? What if that gravel parking lot was a pocket park or that troublesome alleyway an orchard?

If you are at all interested in creating new community green space or improving existing spaces in your neighborhood – we have the workshop for you!

Please join Southeast Uplift for our second Quarterly Sustainability Workshop, highlighting green spaces and working with the city, including pocket parks, urban orchards and alley gardens on Saturday, February 16th, 2013.

With project presentations, networking opportunities and useful tips, this free workshop will provide participants with the inspiration and practical tools they need to create alternative green spaces in their own neighborhoods!

For more information and to register, please visit: http://www.southeastuplift.org/content/quarterly-sustainability-workshops

*Space is limited, so register soon!

 

New Apartments and Parking: Updated FAQ

The City recently provided us with an updated FAQ on parking requirements for new apartment developments. The document is attached below. Here’s the text of the City’s e-mail:

Attached please find an updated copy of the Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) memo.  The memo includes three new questions (#1, #2 and #3).  Question #1 includes information from the November 13th Planning and Sustainability public forum and the January 10th City Council session.  It also includes information on next steps.  Question #7 has been updated to include four additional upcoming apartments: three on N Mississippi and one on N Vancouver.

A proposed set of near-term regulatory changes will be released the beginning of February 2013.  A public hearing with the Planning and Sustainability Commission is now scheduled for March 12, 2013 at 12:30 p.m. at 1900 SW 4th Avenue, Room 2500 A.  Public testimony on the draft proposal will be invited at the hearing.  Longer term solutions will be discussed as part of the Comprehensive Plan Update.

New apartments and parking January 2013

Free Notarization for Objections to the Proposed Buckman Historic District

As you may have heard by now, Historic Buckman submitted an application to have portions of the Buckman neighborhood designated as a National Historic District.

Some neighbors are opposed to the Historic District designation, for reasons primarily based around the design review process and associated fees that would come with it.

Neighbors who wish to register their objection to the application must submit a notarized objection form. Buckman residents Greg Moulliet and Sheila Baraga are hosting notaries at their homes this weekend, for anyone who wants to come by, fill out an objection form, and have it notarized. You can find more details at Keep Buckman Free.

(NOTE: In order to stop the proposed Historic District, 50% of Buckman property owners + 1 must submit a notarized objection form. So, if this is something you feel strongly about, be aware that every objection counts!)

Saturday January 26, 2013
From 10AM to 1PM
1524 SE Ash St

Sunday January 27, 2013
From 1PM to 4 PM
423 SE 15th Ave

You can read more about the Open Houses and the Buckman Historic District at these links:

Keep Buckman Free – http://keepbuckmanfree.org

Historic Buckman – http://historicbuckman.org

Survey on recent apartment building development projects

We recently heard from a Buckman resident about an online survey that was put together by a group of community members who are concerned about the recent spate of new apartment building developments without off-street parking. Read on for details:

Neighborhood Apartment Parking Survey
Sponsored by Citywide Land Use Group

Dear Neighbors and Community Leaders:

Our Portland community is experiencing unprecedented growth in the development of apartment buildings that include little or no off-street parking. Although a number of these types of older apartments remain along the former trolley lines, the approval of 28 new apartment buildings over the past 18 months has alarmed most of us.

Due to the recent community outcry regarding the approval of so many apartment buildings with no parking, the City’s Bureau of Planning and Sustainability (BPS) is conducting a study of residents and neighbors of eight of these older buildings. As a group of volunteers that make up the Citywide Land Use Group, we felt it was important to conduct our own, complementary survey. This survey is the result of our Apartment Parking Task Force and Editing Team’s work on the no-parking issue over the past four months. It is our attempt to clarify your concerns and needs.  We want to give neighborhoods the opportunity to provide constructive criticism to the City on this issue.

Click here to start filling out the questionnaire

In our view, the City, Metro, and the State are each dealing with competing goals. These include reducing air pollution, traffic congestion, and storm water run-off, while at the same time retaining and enhancing neighborhood livability, high density residential, affordable housing, living-wage jobs and vibrant local businesses. The recent development of apartments with little or no off street parking is a direct result of these policies.

Portland is not alone in dealing with reduced parking in new apartment developments. Other cities we reviewed included Seattle, San Francisco, and Denver.

Our contention is that the city needs to begin a dialogue with the neighborhood associations and business communities to help understand the impact of these goals and policies on our daily lives. We offer that Portland contains the most creative and enthusiastic community that could be brought to the table for this discussion. Together, it is likely we will come up with a range of ideas and equitable solutions.

The results of this Apartment Parking Neighborhood Survey as well as the BPS parking study will both be presented to the Portland Planning and Sustainability Commission at their November 13th Forum. This is but the first step in helping broker a dialogue between the City of Portland and its concerned neighborhoods on this issue.

The survey questionnaire should take you about 10 to 15 minutes to complete.

Buckman Community Association Land Use Meeting, October 18th

This Thursday, October 18th, a Buckman Community Association Land Use Meeting will be held to discuss proposed development at 2607/2625 SE Hawthorne Blvd.  The meeting will be in the Multnomah County Board Room, 501 SE Hawthorne Blvd., 7-8:30pm.

These two magnificent and grand 106 year-old historic houses were purchased at the end of last month.  The new owners plan to build a 4-story, 77-unit apartment building where these homes (currently full of commercial tenants) now lie.  Here is what they currently look like.

The tenants were unaware the property was being sold and were all given immediate 30-day eviction notices.  The former owner, who has held these properties for decades, has said he feels sick about the plans to tear them down and did not know this was planned.  These properties are now in real danger of being demolished imminently to make way for this new, large development..

The developer, Aaron Jones, and SERA Principle Architect Kurt Schultz have been invited to the meeting so they can hear concerns about this proposal, and give information to community members.  Concerned members of the community are asked to attend.  Ideas, suggestions and proposed solutions to save these important properties are welcome and wanted!

For more information on the proposal: http://www.oregonlive.com/portland/index.ssf/2012/10/developers_are_planning_a_77-u.html

If you are unable to attend, but are interested in saving the buildings, please contact myself and/or Tim Askin, BCA Secretary and Co-Land Use Chair (tim.askin@gmail.com).  You can also contact the entire BCA Board anytime at buckmanboard@googlegroups.com.

Thank you,
Susan Lindsay
Chair, BCA

Art DeMuro

“[Art] DeMuro, a Portland developer and preservationist, whose firm redeveloped the White Stag Block in Old Town and a number of other historical properties, died Saturday after a battle with cancer. He was 57. “

http://www.oregonlive.com/business/index.ssf/2012/09/art_demuro_portland_developer.html

The Buckman neighborhood has lost a friend in Art DeMuro. BCA Chair Susan Lindsay, who worked with Art on the proposed redevelopment of Washington High School, penned this tribute:

By now most of you have heard the very sad news that Art DeMuro died Saturday night. I don’t know any details other than it was cancer of a rare and aggressive type.  I did not know he was sick, and always commented whenever we met how great he looked.

Art was an unusual developer. While a keen businessman, he did what he did motivated by a desire to preserve buildings of historic worth from the wrecking ball.  His projects, showcased on the Venerable Properties website, demonstrate his love of history and the restored buildings are beautiful to behold.

All of Portland has lost a friend this week….and especially Buckman. Art’s professional level of high standards and care in redevelopment took seed in Buckman in recent years and we have a number of preserved structures to show for it.

While meeting with Art over the years on other projects, it during was the Washington High School Redevelopment plan that I really got to know Art. Let’s just say, here was someone who didn’t bat an eye when I told him the school building talked to me……as I’m sure he in his own way had experienced this with his love of old forgotten buildings.

Last spring when Art was finally awarded the exclusive rights on the building and a purchase agreement was approved by the school board was one of the happiest days of my life.  I felt so ‘relieved’..that at last the building was in the hands of someone who cared, and knew of its beauty and potential…and had the means and experience to make it anew again.

While I have no idea what his unexpected passing will mean for Washington High, I know what it means for us and me.  We have suddenly and with no warning lost a wonderful, caring, intelligent, gifted man who knew how to navigate the difficult world of loans agreements, contracts, timelines and especially personalities to make beautiful, useful buildings appear from decades of waste and neglect.  And I and many others have lost a man we considered a friend.

It’s ironic on another level for me.  Last Thursday, having returned to Portland from being away much of August, I called some folks to specifically express gratitude for their work on projects we’ve been engaged with.  I started to call Art, and then hesitated.  I had so much to say to him..about how fabulous I thought he was, I decided to collect my thoughts some more before I called.

He was fabulous…and truly one of a kind.  I will miss him very much.  He was our friend.

Washington High School Community Center Update

An important step towards the creation of a full-service community center at the Washington High School property has recently occurred. The City of Portland Hearing Officer has issued approval for a Master Plan to provide conditional use at the site of 12th and SE Stark for the construction of the community center in two phases.  The Master Plan remains valid for ten years.

Phase one of new construction would include the aquatics center, changing rooms, fitness, wood studio and parking lot/field. Phase two would be the gymnasiums.  While there is currently zero funding for the construction of the center, having land use approval in place enables phase one to be built as soon as funding occurs. This center, as well as other city-wide projects, will likely seek funding via a future, comprehensive Portland Parks bond. The BCA has been active and involved with this project for years, and all updates on the future community center are shared at monthly meetings when they occur.

The full decision can be read here: http://www.portlandonline.com/bds/index.cfm?c=46578&a=409397

Build It Green! Home Tour – Saturday, September 22nd

The Build It Green! Home Tour and Information Fair is coming up on Saturday, September 22nd. Word is it’ll feature a home in the Buckman neighborhood!

http://www.portlandoregon.gov/bps/41893

The 11th annual Build It Green! Home Tour and Information Fair is a self-guided tour of green remodels and new homes around the Portland metropolitan area. Tour-goers pick up great ideas for their own projects by visiting with homeowners, designers, do-it-yourselfers and contractors about accessory dwelling units, solar panels, ecoroofs (green roofs), rainwater harvesting, natural landscaping, affordable housing, water and energy conservation, natural building materials, alternative construction techniques and much more.

Volunteers are also needed for the tour; free admission!

http://www.portlandoregon.gov/bps/article/260098

 

The Great American Nano Festival, August 25th & 26th

We were recently contacted by a Buckman business neighbor – the Rogue brewery and their Green Dragon brewpub – about an upcoming event that benefits Buckman Elementary School. Read on for details:

—

The 5th Annual Great American Nano Festival

August 25-26, 2012
Sat Noon – 9pm, Sun Noon – 7pm

Cost: $10 at the door; includes 5 taster tickets (additional taster tickets are $1 each)

Location: Buckman Botanical Brewery
SE 9th & Belmont
Portland, OR 97214

Taste over 25 different Nano Breweries. Enjoy Koi Fushion and Voodoo Doughnuts. Sample local artisan cheese, meats, and chocolate. Enjoy Bung Hole, Corn Hole, Buckman Brewery tours, street basketball, and dog washes.

This is a family friendly festival with proceeds benefiting Buckman Elementary School for the Arts.

http://rogue.com/events/nano_fest.php

 

Potholes for Poverty!

We were recently contacted by an organization called Potholes for Poverty. Coast Pavement Services will provide the labor, equipment, and materials necessary to patch potholes in our neighborhood. In return, people donate their time or money to local charitable organizations. Read more about it here:

http://potholesforpoverty.org

 

Host an International Student!

We were recently contacted by ANDEO, a Portland-based non-profit organization specializing in educational homestay programs since 1981. This summer, they’ll be welcoming students from France, Spain, Germany, Japan, and China to the City of Roses for a few weeks, and would love for some Buckman families to have the opportunity to host one of them! Read on for details.

Local non-profit seeks families in Buckman to welcome an international student for a few weeks!

ANDEO (www.andeo.org), a Portland-based non-profit organization, is looking for great host families in the Buckman neighborhood to host a teen or college-age student from France, Spain, Germany, Japan, or China for a few weeks this summer.  Learn about another culture, share your own, make a new friend, and create some fun summer memories together!

The students are excited to learn more about American culture, practice their English, and discover the Northwest.  Some students take classes in downtown Portland on weekday mornings and enjoy group activities in the afternoons.  Others are free to follow the everyday flow of life with your family.  Either way, your student would be treated as another family member, doing chores, biking around the neighborhood, and participating in your family’s favorite summer activities.  ANDEO matches students and families based on age, gender, nationality, and shared interests.  The final choice to host a particular student is always yours! The students bring their own spending money and are covered by health insurance. Hosting is free, and ANDEO provides a small stipend to help families cover activities, extra food or utility use.

For more information, or to apply to host, please visit ANDEO’s website at www.andeo.org, e-mail Paulene Hedgpeth at paulene@andeo.org, or call 503-274-1776.

RIP Joe Cotter

Susan Lindsay, Chair of the BCA board, recently passed along some sad news about muralist and friend of Buckman Joe Cotter:

I learned last night the sad news that Joe Cotter, muralist and activist for art, died last month.

Perhaps you already knew this, but in case you didn’t, or did not get the chance to meet Joe, he was a wonderful, talented, complete character and, most of all, a wise and gentle soul. A tireless advocate for art and an amazing muralist, he did many of the McMenamin’s murals around the area, as well as the mural at the Musician’s Hall on NE 20th in Kerns.

I met him some years ago out in Eagle Creek, where he lived with his family amongst fir trees and rushing waters. Then when the Big Pipe grant opportunity arrived, I spent months cajoling him to take on our (at that time) very sad mural space at 12th and SE Morrison. I knew he could make it beautiful.

Joe initially was a reluctant muralist on the Buckman project. He was so busy! But after he got involved…well, his work speaks for itself. The mural is amazing. Ironically, it turned out to be his last major completed project.

No memorial service has been planned yet for Joe, but when it is, I will let folks know.

His family and wife Kolieha Bush (who helped him complete our mural after he first got ill) have asked that contributions in Joe’s name be made to either of these non-profits organizations:

Joe Cotter Memorial Mural Restoration Fund
PO Box 182
Eagle Creek, OR 97022
http://www.artbackmurals.com

The Estacada Area Food Bank
PO Box 1196
Estacada, OR 97023
http://www.estacadaareafoodbank.com

The following are two articles of interest; one from the Oregonian and one from Joe’s hometown paper in Foxboro, Massachusetts:

http://www.oregonlive.com/portland/index.ssf/2012/04/artist_and_mural_activist_joe.html

http://www.foxbororeporter.com/articles/2012/05/03/obituaries/11400115.txt

Support Buckman Elementary

Our friends from the Kerns Neighborhood Association included this snippet about Buckman Elementary in their May e-mail newsletter. We thought it worth passing along.

Most of you are probably aware that Portland Public Schools (PPS) is facing a budget deficit and looking at cutting teachers and staff around the district. There is currently a proposal by the City, Teacher’s Union and School Board that would offset most, if not all, of the teachers cuts for the 2012-13 school year.

While this would be wonderful news, we will not know the outcome of these votes until May 30. (All three groups — City Council, members of the Portland Association of Teachers, and the Portland School Board — have to approve the deal. Please let them know what passage would mean for Buckman!) This news is welcomed but the outcome remains uncertain. Even if votes are passed in favor of this proposal, we cannot be entirely sure that they will re-instate both arts positions in our school. There have been many programs and services cut across our district, not just classroom teachers. Therefore, we must be ready to step in and fill any shortfall in funding, or we may not have our 3 full-time arts positions.

Last Tuesday night we felt an outpouring of love and support for Buckman and its unique and wonderful arts program. Our hope is to continue on this path to preserve and protect this amazing program for our children and future Buckman students. We hope our large funding goal to maintain current staffing at Buckman for the 2012-2013 school year will be lessened–but, we are not of out of the woods yet and anticipate a similar crisis hitting us next spring. There are a number of efforts underway to work on long-term solutions to end these annual school funding crises. Until those long-term solutions take effect, we are continuing our current fundraising campaign. Our over-arching goal is to establish two year’s worth of funding to provide the cushion of time needed to strategize, build partnerships in the arts community, seek grants and work for change on the state level.

Please give as generously as you are able. Make a pledge or donate directly to the Buckman Foundation. Be sure to enter “Specific PPS School” for how to designate your gift, and enter “Buckman” for School Name. If you are feeling compelled to alter your earlier pledge due to the possibility of a change in our immediate need, we will certainly honor that and respect your wishes. During our tabling sessions in the front corridor most folks have expressed their desire to continue with their pledge of support and we so appreciate that. We are all in this together and each have something of value to give–be it time, money or a skill or talent. We will keep you apprised of any updates as they happen. In the meantime, know the crisis has not been averted yet. We are continuing our efforts to preserve our arts program and plan for the future of Buckman. Thank you!

Transforming the Heart: 9th Annual Buddhist Festival in the Park

We recently received notice of an upcoming event in Colonel Summers Park. Read on for details.

Transforming the Heart
9th Annual Buddhist Festival in the Park
Saturday, June 2, 2012
11:00 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.
Colonel Summers Park
SE 17th and Taylor, Portland, Oregon
http://www.PortlandBuddhistFestival.com

• Dharma Talk and Panel Discussion on the Theme of Transforming the Heart
• Ceremony with Blessings for All Beings
• Activities for Children
• Tabling by Buddhist Communities
• Workshops
• Shared Food (Potluck from Buddhist groups)

On the theme: Together we discover the Buddhist tools to transform our hearts.

Domyo Burk of Bright Way Zen gives the keynote talk of the day. Domyo was ordained at Dharma Rain Zen Center, and continues the nurturing of the Dharma with a new community on Portland’s west side.

Four panelists from various traditions will discuss the theme of “Transforming the Heart” and respond to questions from the audience.

While the Dharma talk and panel discussion occur in the park’s main shelter, the children’s pavilion will be busy with story times, crafts, and other activities.

Activities for children and adults come together in a Ceremony for Transforming the Heart, with blessings for people and pets. Participants may offer incense and receive blessings from ordained Buddhists.

Many different Portland area communities will be represented at the booths. Pure Land, Zen, Vajrayana, Vipassana, and non-sectarian groups will share news and information about their communities.

The festival is free, and all are welcome. Organizers ask for mindfulness regarding waste.

Schedule

11 am: Tabling by participating groups, also throughout the day
12 noon: Bells, Opening Ceremony
12:15: Workshops: 1. Starting a Practicing with Sacred Space; 2. The Ethics of Buddhism, or, What Does it Mean to Be a Buddhist? (see also Children’s Pavilion)
1:00 pm: Keynote speaker: Domyo Burk, Bright Way Zen
2:00 pm: Transforming the Heart Ceremony with Blessings for all Beings
3:00 pm: Panel Discussion: Stan Shiigi, Oregon Buddhist Temple; Heidi Enji Hoogstra, Dharma Rain Zen Center, BPF Portland; Sakula Mary Reinard, Portland Friends of the Dhamma; Prajwal Vajracharya, Dance Mandal.
4:00 pm: Free prize drawing

Children’s Pavilion Schedule

12:15 pm: Workshop: Chanting and Drumming by Jason Litts
1:00 pm to 4:00 pm: Scavenger Hunt and Cooperative Games
1:00 pm Storytime with craft by Heidi Enji Hoogstra
2:00 pm: Transforming the Heart with Blessings for all Beings
3:00 pm: Storytime or Activity TBD
4:00 pm: Free Prize Drawing and Closing with Dance Mandal

Participating groups include:

• Buddhist Peace Fellowship, Portland (main sponsor)
• Oregon Buddhist Temple
• Dharma Rain Zen Center
• Vancouver Nichiren Sangha
• Zen Community of Oregon
• Bright Way Zen
• Dance Mandal
• Portland Friends of the Dhamma
• Portland Insight Meditation Community