Student Mentors Needed

We recently received the following e-mail from Kathleen McKenna, Volunteer Coordinator at the NELA Center for Student Success. She wrote to tell us about an opportunity for community members to volunteer as student mentors. Read on for details:

My name is Kathleen and I’m the Mentor Coordinator at the NELA Center for Student Success in NE Portland.  We’re a college access program that serves low income, first generation and of-color high school seniors through a weekly mentorship program that guides students through the college and scholarship application process.

We’re currently looking for mentors to work with our students.  This is a one day a week, 2.5 hour commitment for the year.  Mentors work with small groups of students to make sure they’re on track with applications and to be a source of motivation.

All mentors in the Mentor 2 College program attend training so they are prepared for questions they may receive.  Additionally, our Centers staff is on hand to answer any questions our mentors may have.  Mentor meetings begin in the fall and finish at the end of the academic year.  The commitment is for the 2012-2013 school year.

If you’re interested, see the attached PDF file for more information: NELA Mentor Flyer

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