Category Archives: volunteer opportunity

SMART Event at King Celebrates Giving 2 Million Books to Oregon Children

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smart2MFrom SMART:

Start Making A Reader Today, SMART, is celebrating putting 2 million books in the hands of more than 152,000 children who need them most across Oregon.

SMART has operated in the Portland metro area since 1992; in that time, more than 2,000 SMART volunteers have given away nearly 475,000 books to 46,971 children.

SMART is holding a special event to celebrate this milestone on Wednesday, Dec. 5, from 1:30-2:30 p.m. at King Elementary School, 4906 NE 6th Ave., Portland, Ore.

At the event, small groups of policy makers, educators and donors will experience the SMART program firsthand by reading with SMART students, and participate in giving a book to a child. In addition, there will be remarks from SMART’s executive director, Chris Otis, and King principal, Kim Patterson.

The event is part of a statewide campaign, 2 Million and Still Reading, which brings attention to the importance of access to books in the home in a child’s literacy development.

For more information about the event, visit www.getSMARToregon.org or call 971-634-1605.

About SMART®
SMART, Start Making A Reader Today, is a statewide nonprofit organization that envisions an Oregon where every child can read and is empowered to succeed. We partner with schools around the state and engage community volunteers to read one-on-one with PreK through third-grade children, helping strengthen literacy skills and encourage a love of reading. Since 1992, SMART has steadily grown to become Oregon’s largest volunteer literacy program. Children in the program receive 14 new books throughout the school year to keep and read with their families. Visit www.getSMARToregon.org or call 877-598-4633 to learn more about SMART.

Kitchen Commons seeks volunteers to train for food security

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SAVE THE DATE! Cooking up Community

Do you work with an organization or non- profit that is thinking about integrating community cooking programs into your work?
Are you interested in using collective cooking groups as a way to support food justice and increase food security in your community?
Have access to a kitchen space that can be utilized by the public?

If so, join Kitchen Commons for an informal info session and training on Collective Cooking Group Facilitation. Our group leaders and coordinators will share what we have learned throughout the year in our pilot cooking groups, share resources and help you navigate through the initial steps of organizing your own cooking group. We’ll be meeting in one of our partner kitchens, with a chance to prepare a simple dish together. Our brand new Collective Cooking Group Handbooks will also be available to share with participants.

Collective Cooking Groups are a way of stretching food dollars, strengthening community ties and fostering resource and skill sharing. A typical group meets monthly or weekly, divides into teams to cook large quantities of several recipes, shares a meal together, and then takes home portions of each recipe to freeze or use during the week. Participants learn from each other, sharing tips and tactics for cooking healthy food even with busy schedules.

WHEN: Saturday, October 20th 2012 12-2 pm
WHERE: Trinity Full Gospel Pentecostal
Church, 4801 NE 19th Avenue Portland, OR 97211
Light refreshments provided. Send RSVPs or questions to rell@kitchencommons.net. Space is limited.

MISSION: Kitchen Commons matches kitchen resources with community need, making it affordable and practical to cook healthy food, putting the dream of a food business in reach of low-income entrepreneurs, and advocating for food justice. http://kitchencommons.net

Sabin School News

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From Sabin PTA:

Hello from Sabin School! Sabin is located right in the middle of the Sabin neighborhood, but we include parts of King, Alameda, and Irvington in our boundaries as well.

Fall is here and kids are back to school at Sabin. We are growing! We have well over 400 students this year. We have almost 90 kindergarten students enrolled this year—so many that we’re about to add a fourth kindergarten classroom to bring down class sizes and help those kids succeed.

PPS changed the Sabin/Alameda boundary last year, and we’re excited to welcome new families to the school and help them get settled. We also have quite a few new teachers and staff this year. The school is just humming with positive energy.

We also have exciting news to announce—Sabin has been fully authorized as an International Baccalaureate World School! There are only a few other IB schools in Portland, and gaining authorization is really something to be proud of. Kudos to Sabin teachers, administrators, and students for all their hard work!

Sabin is a great place to volunteer and get involved, whether you have kids at the school or not. For more information, check out sabinparents.org.

Janice Johnson
Sabin PTA President

Apple Potluck in Two Plum Park

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Apple Potluck in Two Plum Park
(between NE 6th and 7th Ave, Shaver and Mason)
Saturday September 22th, 4pm

Bring a dish including apples and Enjoy the first day of fall in Two Plum Park! There will also be kids crafts and music! And we’ll update you on fund raising efforts to have a bench installed in the Park! Out of respect for the environment, consider bringing your own plate and cutlery

King PTA Health Fair and 5k Fun Run This Saturday

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The King School PTA will host a health fair in the King Facility lot, home of the farmers market, this Saturday, April 28th. Preceding the fair will be the first annual King 5k Fun Run. Registration for the run is $20 and can be had by emailing 5k@kingpta.org. Registrations will be accepted on-site the day of the run, but t-shirts may be limited.

To see the route map and learn more, go to: www.kingpta.org/5k-fun-runhealth-fair

The King Neighborhood Association will be on hand at the event. Come see us!