It's Good in the Hood!

The Good in the Hood Music and Food festival is the largest multi-cultural festival in the region. Each year, the festivals opens with a community parade that travels through Northeast Portland. With a focus on community building and multicultural engagement, the Good in the Hood festival allows Portland residents to connect with each other through food and music, inspiring unity throughout the community.

Year after year, ReBuilding Center has a blast on our float in the parade - waving to our friends and neighbors, jammin’ to the musical accompaniment of Ural Thomas and the Pain, and experiencing the strong community that Good in the Hood emphasizes.

Community Opportunities

There is never a lack of activities and opportunities happening in our community. Below are just a few we recommend checking out!

Upcoming Repair Fairs

Reuse your old things by getting them repaired by volunteers! There will be people that can help with small appliances, electronic toys, clothing, and jewelry!

Repair Fair @ PlanetCon - Quatama Elementry (Hillsboro) | January 12th

Repair Fair @ Lake Oswego United Methodist Church | January 12th

Repair Fair @ Cedar Mill Library | February 2nd

NECN Community Grants

Northeast Coalition of Neighbhorhoods and the office of Civic and Community Life partner to provide grants to neighborhood and community organizations working to make NE Portland a stronger, more inclusive community. The deadline to apply is January 15th. Learn more, here.

Portland YouthBuilders

Portland YouthBuilders provides job training in construction or technology and assistance in finishing high school for those ages 17-24. Learn more about PYB and their Construction Bridge Program, here.

GLEAN Art Program

GLEAN is a five-month long program that invites artists to push the boundaries of material exploration. GLEAN is sponsored by Recology, Metro, and crackedpots. The deadline to apply is January 31st - learn more, here.

Youth Environmental Job Fair

Organized by the Youth Mentoring Collaborative, the Youth Environmental Fair will have hundreds of jobs for ages 14-25. Prep your resumes and learn more, here!

Upcoming Community Events

There is never a lack of activities happening in our community. Below are just a few we recommend checking out!

Priced Out: Gentrification in Portland, Oregon Documentary Screening

• Date: October 8th

• Time: 6:30PM - 8:30PM

• Location: Q Center Auditorium

The Q Center is hosting a screening of the documentary, “Priced Out”, with a discussion to follow the film. “Priced Out” is an investigative and personal look at how skyrocketing housing prices are displacing Portland's black community and reshaping the entire city.

BIG October Planting Party

• Date: October 13th and 14th

• Time: 10:00AM - 2:00PM

• Location: Boise Eliot Nature Grove

The Boise Eliot Nature Grove is has over 500 plants to put in the ground and needs your help! Check out their website to sign-up to volunteer.

Alberta Abbey Neighborhood Party

• Date: October 13th

• Time: 10:00AM - 10:00PM

• Location: 126 NE Alberta Street

Portland Community Reinvestment Initiatives is hosting an Alberta Abbey Block Party featuring food, art, performances and vendors from NE Portland’s King and Humboldt neighborhoods. All are welcome!

North Portland Tool Library

• Date: October 16th

• Time: 6:00PM - 8:00PM

• Location: Historic Kenton Firehouse

Repair PDX is partnering with the North Portland Tool Library to be on hand to repair your broken small appliances, bikes, garments, and other textiles.

Oregon Archives Crawl

• Date: October 20th

• Time: 11:00AM - 3:00PM

• Location: Start at Oregon Historical Society, Multnomah County Library, or City of Portland Archives and Records Center

The Oregon Archives Crawl is back! Portland-Area Archives is partnering with over 30 locations to showcase how communities, beliefs, practices, and preferences have changed over the years.

Lost City, Living Memory: Vanport Oral History Screening + Exhibit

• Date: October 21st

• Time: 3:30PM - 5:00PM

• Location: PSU Smith Memorial Student Union

Join the The Vanport Mosaic for a screening of “Lost City, Living Memories: Vanport Through the Voices of Its Residents” with special guests including former Vanport residents.

Family Photos and Community Memory

• Date: October 28th

• Time: 2:00PM - 4:00PM

• Location: North Portland Library

The Black Life Experiential Research Group presents Family Photos and Community Memory to share photos, stories and conversation around the beauty and importance of family photography and community memories. For more information, send an email to blacklifeERG@gmail.com.

ReCap: Community Events

Annual Day of Service

ReBuilding Center staff and volunteers spent Saturday, August 11th, tackling a wide range of minor repair projects for eight North and inner Northeast neighborhood homeowners. As highlighted in August’s newsletter, the ReBuilding Center partners every year with the African American Alliance for Homeownership for our Annual Day of Service.

We had a very enjoyable day working with tools, meeting people in our neighborhood, and building friendships. The ReBuilding Center would like to thank everyone involved in fostering another successful Day of Service!

Dropbox Derby

This Labor Day, staff and volunteers from the ReBuilding Center participated in the second annual Dropbox Derby - a design/build challenge using salvaged materials to raise money for a good cause. Along with 26 other teams full of innovative and unique talent, Valerie Carey, Andy Grummon, Diana Nelson, and Sam Serling-Sutton, had four hours to create a salvaged masterpiece that fit with the theme, “A Seat at the Table.”

The ReBuilding Center team put their creative minds together to construct a table that transforms into a bench. The table/bench was sold during the silent auction to benefit Oregon Tradeswomen and will also be displayed, along with other selected Dropbox Derby pieces, at the Oregon Museum of Science and Industry.

Mississippi Avenue Ice Cream Social

Mississippi Avenue was as sweet as it could be this past Tuesday during the 15th Annual Ice Cream Social. Over 24 Mississippi Avenue businesses participated in handing out free ice cream to celebrate our neighborhood and community. The ReBuilding Center kept it classic this year, scooping vanilla bean ice cream for those who stopped by our table under the Community Trees.

A huge thanks to the Historic Mississippi Business Association and everyone who worked hard to make this event happen. We had a blast and hope the Mississippi Avenue community did, too!

A ReBuilding Center Collaboration with Ann Hamilton: habitus

Currently, a cluster of suspended cloth flows in the wind under the riverfront pavilion at Centennial Mills. This cloth is an element of Ann Hamilton’s habitus – an art installation presented by Converge 45. While movements of the riverfront air set the curtains into motion, they can also be manipulated by rope and pulley. A model of Portland from the 1970’s accompanies the suspended curtains in the center of the installation, while the far end is bound by two long tables displaying commonplace pages, related to home and shelter. All of these habitus pieces can be reflected upon on wooden benches that line the edge of the installation.

The ReBuilding Center was commissioned by Ann Hamilton to build fourteen nine foot benches and two fifty foot display tables for habitus. The goal of this project was to not only use salvaged materials, but to also serve as a training opportunity. Under the guidance and direction of Education staffers Aaron Green and Sam Serling-Sutton, interns and volunteers applied their carpentry skills in the production of the benches and tables. Aaron recapped his experience with the habitus project:

 “Our Girls Build interns Ella, Cheyenne, and Haylee, and our Portland Youth Builders interns Noah and Jeff went the extra mile by working many long and full shifts filled with cutting, milling, assembling, sanding, and transporting. In the end, our staff couldn't have felt more proud to see our interns taking initiative and responsibility for the project, even to the point of being directed by some of them! Great work, team!”

Ann Hamilton’s habitus can be viewed and experienced Friday through Sunday, between 3 and 7PM at the Centennial Mills Pavilion (1362 NW Naito Parkway at NW 9th Avenue). The show is free and open to the public through September 16th.  All commonplace page donations support our programs at the ReBuilding Center.

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Images by the ReBuilding Center

June 2017 Volunteer Opportunities

Join the ReBuilding Center in the second annual Day of Service, meet other Portlanders and enjoy a discounted happy hour during our Building Community Through Reuse social night, help build a ReBuilding Center theme park for the Alberta Last Thursday, or prep for ReFind Adult Education classes! 

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Day of Service

SATURDAY, JUNE 10TH

Every year the ReBuilding Center joins with the African American Alliance for Homeownership to bring the community an annual Day of Service, offering minor repairs to neighborhood homeowners. These services are provided to our neighbors who are at risk of being displaced from their homes due to their need for repairs. In 2016, volunteers proudly completed 10 projects on 5 different properties, tackling a wide range of issues:

• Removal and repair of rotting stairs
• Demo and re-pouring of concrete stairs
• Cleaning up overgrown yards
• Installation of handrails
• Mending fence boards
• Sink installation
• Door hanging
• Painting houses

This year the ReBuilding Center plans to take on similar projects with double the number of homes! This is an excellent opportunity for volunteers who would like to learn DIY skills or those with prior building experience who would like to apply their expertise to a greater cause. If you are interested in joining our team to build a healthier more vibrant community please pre-register now to be placed on our list to receive further information, pick preferred projects as they become available, and be considered for a position as one of our Crew Leaders.

To sign up, fill out this form >

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LEND A HAND AT OUR MONTHLY DE-NAILING PARTY AND RECEIVE 25% OFF AT STORMBREAKER BREWING

SECOND THURSDAY of every month
6PM - 8PM

The ReBuilding Center invites you to join us for an evening of socializing and de-nailing on the second Thursday of each month from 6pm to 8pm. No need to be registered as one of our existing volunteers, this monthly event is open to the public. Get some rewarding hands-on experience while keeping usable building materials from making their way into landfills and waste streams. Meet and socialize with like-minded individuals! If you are looking for a great way to expand your friend base here in the Portland community then this monthly mixer is for you! After the de-nailing has concluded, regroup with your fellow volunteers accross the street at Stormbreaker Brewing and enjoy an additional 25% off for your contribution. 

To sign up, please RSVP with David Lowe, our Volunteer Services Manager:
dave@rebuildingcenter.org

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BUILD A THEME PARK WITH THE REBUILDING CENTER FOR LAST THURSDAYS ON ALBERTA

MONDAYS, TUESDAYS, WEDNESDAYS, AND FRIDAYS
10AM TO 4PM
JUNE 5TH - JUNE 26TH

Work with us to build “ReBuilding Center Road,” a 90’ x 10’ attraction that will highlight salvaged building materials in fun and creative ways during the Alberta Street Last Thursday (June-August). Help repair our trade show booths and help make them mobile/transportable, plus brainstorm building projects that will enhance the Last-Thursday-goers' experience.

We need volunteers to help create structures, games, and other interactive activities with used building materials. Some carpentry know-how is helpful, but not required. We will supply all needed tools, materials, safety equipment, and guidance.

If you would like to get your hands on this incredible opportunity, email ashley@rebuildingcenter.org with the subject line "ReBuilding Center Road." Please tell a little about your building, repair and design experience, as well as why you are interested in joining our team. 

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HELP US PREPARE FOR YOUTH AND ADULT CLASSES IN OUR REFIND EDUCATION SHOP

EVERY MONDAY & FRIDAY AT 12:00pm

The ReBuilding Center is looking for help in our Refind Education shop getting tools and material ready in preparation for upcoming youth and adult classes. 

To sign up, email the ReFind Education Coordinator, Aaron Green at:  aaron@rebuildingcenter.org

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For more information on any of the volunteer opportunities listed above or to check out other ways you can help build community through reuse follow these links:

EXISTING VOLUNTEERS

NEW VOLUNTEERS

May/June 2017 Volunteer Opportunities

Join the ReBuilding Center in the second annual Day of Service, meet other Portlanders and enjoy a discounted happy hour during our Building Community Through Reuse social night, help build a ReBuilding Center theme park for the Alberta Last Thursday, or prep for ReFind Adult Education classes! 

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LATINO HOME FAIR

Saturday June 3rd

ReBuilding Center will be at Madison High School on June 3rd for the Latino Home Fair. Sign up to represent us at this event. Spanish lingo a BIG plusIf you haven’t tabled with us before, get in touch with dave@rebuildingcenter.org to learn a bit more. It’s fun and easy.

Latino Home Fair is Hacienda’s biggest annual event that assembles a team of trustworthy professionals every year to provide useful resources to support future homeowners.

Hacienda CDC's Homeownership Support Program is a HUD-approved housing counseling agency.  They provide group education and one-on-one counseling to first-time homebuyers and homeowners at risk of foreclosure. Hacienda CDC services are available to all Oregon residents. 

The cultural atmosphere makes this annual fair a great family event for all with food, music, raffles and prizes (like a one month rental and down payment assistance.)

You can schedule yourself by visiting you schedule through the Volunteer Portal, or by emailing Dave directly.

Day of Service

SATURDAY, JUNE 10TH

Every year the ReBuilding Center joins with the African American Alliance for Homeownership to bring the community an annual Day of Service, offering minor repairs to neighborhood homeowners. These services are provided to our neighbors who are at risk of being displaced from their homes due to their need for repairs. In 2016, volunteers proudly completed 10 projects on 5 different properties, tackling a wide range of issues:

• Removal and repair of rotting stairs
• Demo and re-pouring of concrete stairs
• Cleaning up overgrown yards
• Installation of handrails
• Mending fence boards
• Sink installation
• Door hanging
• Painting houses

This year the ReBuilding Center plans to take on similar projects with double the number of homes! This is an excellent opportunity for volunteers who would like to learn DIY skills or those with prior building experience who would like to apply their expertise to a greater cause. If you are interested in joining our team to build a healthier more vibrant community please pre-register now to be placed on our list to receive further information, pick preferred projects as they become available, and be considered for a position as one of our Crew Leaders.

To sign up, fill out this form >

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LEND A HAND AT OUR MONTHLY DE-NAILING PARTY AND RECEIVE 25% OFF AT STORMBREAKER BREWING

SECOND THURSDAY of every month
6PM - 8PM

The ReBuilding Center invites you to join us for an evening of socializing and de-nailing on the second Thursday of each month from 6pm to 8pm. No need to be registered as one of our existing volunteers, this monthly event is open to the public. Get some rewarding hands-on experience while keeping usable building materials from making their way into landfills and waste streams. Meet and socialize with like-minded individuals! If you are looking for a great way to expand your friend base here in the Portland community then this monthly mixer is for you! After the de-nailing has concluded, regroup with your fellow volunteers across the street at Stormbreaker Brewing and enjoy an additional 25% off for your contribution. 

To sign up, please RSVP with David Lowe, our Volunteer Services Manager:
dave@rebuildingcenter.org

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HELP US PREPARE FOR YOUTH AND ADULT CLASSES IN OUR REFIND EDUCATION SHOP

EVERY MONDAY & FRIDAY AT 12:00pm

The ReBuilding Center is looking for help in our Refind Education shop getting tools and material ready in preparation for upcoming youth and adult classes. 

To sign up, email the ReFind Education Coordinator, Aaron Green at:  aaron@rebuildingcenter.org

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For more information on any of the volunteer opportunities listed above or to check out other ways you can help build community through reuse follow these links:

EXISTING VOLUNTEERS

NEW VOLUNTEERS

Learn How to Cob & Build Community April 8th & 9th!

You’ve probably seen the intriguing, organic, red bay at the main entrance of the ReBuilding Center that we call the "Community Trees.”  You may have asked yourself how these walls and trees were built? The answer is cob, a traditional building technique using earth mixed with water, straw, and sand.  The Community Trees are in desperate need of repair and we need your help to fix them! Learn valuable skills on how to mix, build, repair, and plaster with cob while building community!

The ReBuilding Center is sponsoring a two-day workshop to learn about making and using cob to repair the Community Trees. 

Saturday, April 8th & Sunday, April 9th
10:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. all day drop-in
1-hour lunch at noon

All are welcome! This cob workshop is intended to be accessible for all from children to elders. This is a family-friendly event. 

Drop-ins welcomed within these times:

Saturday, April 8th 

10am - Opening Circle
10am to Noon - "Classroom" Conversation
12pm to 1pm - Lunch
1pm to 4pm - Mixing Structural Cob, Mixing Plaster Cob, Cob Application
4pm to 5pm - CleanUp, Closing Circle

Sunday, April 9th

10am - Opening Circle
10am to Noon - Cob & Plaster Application
12om to 1pm - Lunch
1pm to 4pm - Cob & Plaster Application
4pm to 5pm - Wrap Up, CleanUp, and Closing Circle

Instructors will discuss the a history of the practice and its resilience to earthquakes.

Instructors:

Seed was born in Duwamish Coast Salish territory, Seattle, and grew up in Multnomah Chinook territory, Portland. He has traveled around Turtle Island trading work for skills like cob building, gardening, and ecological restoration, with a focus of supporting indigenous sovereignty projects—a core foundation of ecology in every region. He teaches and works with cob as a material for building sound structures, community, and metaphors for his own and our collective volition. Learning and growing through leading workshops past, including the Village Building Convergence, Seed hopes to facilitate a conversation of resilience skills, applied practice, and collective Spirit. Aho!

Sharky is a free spirit, born and raised playing in the mud of Kalapuya territory aka Eugene, OR. For the past 5 years, Sharky has traveled across Turtle Island studying off-grid living, natural building, farming, and passive solar construction. After building with different styles including earthships, earthbag construction, and cob, Sharky prefers cobbing because it is free-form, soul-soothing, accessible and fun for everyone. Sharky hopes to empower others to create autonomous buildings and community that, with a little TLC, will last a millennia.  

The Community Trees all dressed up for an episode of Grimm

Come and get your junk fixed at the Next Repair Cafe

Repair PDX was formed in March 2013 to bring repair events to Portland residents. Inspired by the Netherlands Repair Cafés, a group of dedicated volunteers have held Portland Repair Cafés about once a month since May 2013.  The typical Repair Cafés are festive events where you can often get a bite to eat and a drink while meeting others from your community who are also interested in repair. Volunteer experts are on hand to fix items and to teach you how to fix your own items.  

Each repair café event is unique, based on the venue and the volunteers present. The types of items that can be repaired depend on the skills of available volunteers.  That’s right, repairs are carried out by “volunteer fixers!”  Note: you can become a volunteer fixer to work at other Repair Café events – just email repairpdx@gmail.com with your contact information and what you’d like to do.  Join us for a Repair PDX event at the ReBuilding Center!

Repair PDX Event
May 23rd
6:00–8:00 pm.
ReBuilding Center

Bring your garments for mending, bikes and small appliances for repair.

Upcoming Classes at the ReBuilding Center

The ReBuilding Center is celebrating their six-month anniversary of hands-on DIY classes for adults in our ReFind shop! Over two dozen scholarships have become available because of donations. We are excited to see so many hearts and hands involved in making this program grow. Thank you!

Cutting Boards and Butcher Blocks

Saturday & Sunday, March 25 - 26
1:00-5:00 p.m. | $125
Learn to cut, glue, and finish, plus alternative clamping methods.

Intro to Carpentry Tools

Saturday, April 1
1:00-5:00 p.m. | $90
A hands-on tour-de-tools to unlock your wildest DIY Pinterest dreams.

Custom Picture Frames

Saturday, April 29
1:00-4:00 p.m. | $50
Miter saws and nail guns - what's not to love? Just in time for Mother's Day, too!

HOLLA: Challenging the Narrative for Kids of Color in America’s Whitest City

Holla the Movie, is coming to the Rebuilding Center.

Holla chronicles the organization of the same name, founded by African-American Pastor, Eric Knox, to mentor kids of color in predominantly white and white-taught schools.

The film explores the lives of three young women on the Holla basketball team, as mentorship subtly transforms their experience. Through tough love and tenderness the kids learn to hurdle obstacles and adversity in a system biased against them.  But learning is a two-way street—the viewer also sees the educators and mentors in the organization changing and growing through their work.

Featuring straight talk from notable intellectuals Robert Munoz of Portland State University and Diane Watson of Lewis & Clark College, as well as raw testimonials from mentors and mentees, Holla is an informative, humorous, and heartbreaking look at the issues that face our city and our nation, as we struggle to fulfill the promise of integration and equal opportunity.

Holla features select tracks from Portland’s nationally recognized music scene, including songs from Tre Hardson (Pharcyde), rising star Liz Vice, Catherine Feeny & Chris Johnedis and the band Joseph.

Stay tuned to hear more about the Holla girls and film. A follow-up project is currently being made following-up with the girls seven years later. ReBuilding Center intends to feature both documentaries on their touch-screen kiosks in the Commons on their property on N. Mississippi Ave. 

“Holla Mentors is a culturally responsive mentorship organization. Since it’s inception, it has built a community of socially active neighbors, local entrepreneurs and committed professionals who are willing to foster healthy relationships with economically challenged and at risk children and teens within the structures of the educational system. ”

January Volunteer Opportunities

Get involved with the Portland reuse community this January with the Rebuilding Center! Learn more about reuse and remodeling with the Portland Build, Remodel, and Landscape Show; help build community with Hands On Greater Portland; gain fire safety skills with the Red Cross; add to your resume with Rebuilding Center internships; join the newsletter team; do some cathartic denailing while salvaging materials for reuse; and represent RBC's DIY spirit tabling at the Portland Fix-It-Fair. Check out these amazing opportunities below!

Join us in honoring the legacy of Dr. King through meaningful service to our community.

“Everybody can be great... because anybody can serve.”

— Martin Luther King Jr.

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TABLE AT THE PORTLAND HOME SHOW: BUILD, REMODEL, AND LANDSCAPE SHOW

Need some home modeling inspiration? Join the ReBuilding Center at the:

Portland Build, Remodel, and Landscape Show
January 6-8
at the Oregon Convention Center

Volunteer for a shift at our table to share ReBuilding Center info with attendees. Before or after your shift, see the latest design trends and talk to experts about energy efficiency, home automation, windows, and much more. 

Volunteers that table at the Build, Remodel, and Landscape Show will actively engage those attending the show as a representative of the ReBuilding Center. Event volunteers will answer questions, provide information, and be a general steward for our organization's mission of "Inspiring people to value and discover existing resources to strengthen the social and environmental vitality of communities." 

Already a volunteer?

New to volunteering at the ReBuilding Center?

Email volunteer@rebuildingcenter.org with any questions.

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Building Community Through Reuse
Social Night

Are you interested in making new friends in the community while volunteering? Look no further than a Hands On event at the Rebuilding Center.

January 12th
6:00 P.M. - 8:00 P.M.
at the ReBuilding Center
3625 N Mississippi Ave

Come to the Rebuilding Center to help with hands-on projects while working with donated materials. Afterwards, head across the street with fellow participants to StormBreaker Brewing for a post-volunteering happy hour! Sign up through Hands On Greater Portland's website by clicking on the link below:

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MLK Day of Service: Save Lives by Installing Fire Alarms

ReBuilding Center and Red Cross are teaming up to keep people safe in 2017!

January 14th
8:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.
at the ReBuilding Center
3625 N Mississippi Ave

You can help save lives in the following ways:

1. Documenter: The documenter should have good handwriting and attention to detail for completing paperwork. The documenter will document the services provided, detailing the number that were in the home before the team perform their installation, the number of Red Cross alarms installed, if a plan was developed, and basic demographics information about the residents in each household. The documenter in addition to completing paperwork will also maintain an accurate count of total alarms installed, homes visited, and other details.
2. Educator: The educator will share fire prevention and response information with the residents. They will encourage/assist the residents with creating a home-fire evacuation plan. The educator will also provide residents with information about actions they should take when an earthquake occurs and information about what should be included in their disaster supplies kit.
3. Installer (minimum 16 yrs/old): The installer will inspect existing alarms to verify that they are working, their age, and their placement. The installer will offer to replace alarms that are 5-years or older with new alarms. They will also install additional alarms and place them based on recommendations provided by the Oregon State Fire Marshal.

From the Red Cross website:

“The goal? To install 1,000 smoke alarms in homes that need them in the Boise/ Eliot neighborhood of NE Portland. This is our region’s largest home fire campaign to date, which means we need you! Mark your calendar and please join us to volunteer, along with your friends, family and neighbors, to help with this major Centennial Celebration event!”

Sign up for a role that looks interesting to you and you'll get contacted by Sam, Red Cross's volunteer coordinator about details for the day! If you are unable to make the entire day, still sign up - we can use your help! If you are new to the ReBuilding Center and would like to volunteer, select what "type" of volunteer you are on our website and fill out an application so you can attend an orientation and get into action! Login into Volgistics and locate the opportunity in the directory and sign up today by clicking on the link below:

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DeNailing Every Tuesday and Saturday

Every Tuesday and Saturday, come on out to help us divert materials from the waste stream! You'll team up with Pete Heim, our Site Supervisor to rid salvaged boards of it's nail-esque componentry and turn them into salvaged building materials for reuse (that could end up being used in a volunteer-led project to build tiny houses for the houseless)!

Every Tuesday & Saturday
9:00 am. - 1:00 p.m.
1001 NE 2nd Ave (near the Rose Quarter Max transit stop)

Dress for the weather. We will provide all necessary safety equipment and tools. If we end up canceling, only those that have scheduled (either online, or by contacting Dave) will be notified. Login into Volgistics and locate the opportunity in the directory and sign up today by clicking on the link below:

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Fix-It-Fair

The Fix-It Fair is a free City of Portland event where you can learn simple ways to save money and connect with resources. Join your neighbors and talk to the experts about how to spend less and stay healthy.

January 28th
9:30 a.m. - 2:30 p.m.
George Middle School
10000 N Burr Ave, Portland

Event volunteers will answer questions, provide information, and be a general steward for our organization's mission of "Inspiring people to value and discover existing resources to strengthen the social and environmental vitality of communities."

If you are new to the ReBuilding Center and would like to volunteer, select what "type" of volunteer you are on our website and fill out an application so you can attend an orientation and get into action! Login and sign up by clicking on the link below:

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MARKETING ANALYST AND MEDIA INTERNSHIPS AVAILABLE

Do you have an interest nonprofit work, data analysis, media creation, or social media? Do you want to gain experience using data analysis and marketing tools to boost nonprofit efforts while increasing your business, technical, and marketing skills? If so, apply for the Digital Marketing Analysis internship or the Media Content Creator internship with the ReBuilding Center! For more information, email RBC Marketing & Communication Ashley Howe at  ashley@rebuildingcenter.org or apply online: 

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JOIN THE NEWSLETTER TEAM EVERY THURSDAY 

Every week, the newsletter team meets with Ashley, the ReBuilding Center’s Communications & Marketing Manager. Together, the team writes stories, carries out interviews, takes photos, and puts together the ReBuilding Center’s e-newsletters. These newsletters are great portfolio/resume builders!

The newsletter team is comprised of volunteers just like you! This is your newsletter, written by volunteers, for the ReBuilding Center community.

Sign up if you have an interest in:

• Photography/Videography
• Journalism/Social Media
• Sustainability
• Creative Reuse
• Graphic Design

Channel your creativity into serving our mission to build community through reuse!

To sign up schedule yourself by entering in your login information here:

Then click on "My Schedule," select any Thursday, click "Schedule me," select any time between 10:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m., hit "Continue", confirm, and voila!

Alternatively, you can email Ashley Howe, the Communications & Marketing Manager at ashley@rebuildingcenter.org.

A huge thanks to all who gave to The Rebuilding Center through Give!Guide

The ReBuilding Center participated in the Willamette Week's Give!Guide for the first time this year... and it was a huge success!

We want to give a huge shout-out of thanks to everyone who donated to us, including our two business sponsors, who are also our neighbors:

¿Por Qué No? 

 STORMBREAKER BREWING

The business sponsors offered free tacos and drink coupons as incentives as well as a $2,000 donation match from Por Que No.

The ReBuilding Center hosted an event at the end of November at StormBreaker Brewing to kick off and celebrate participation in the Give!Guide, where we raised an initial $1,250 from donors.

Give!Guide aims to increase year-end-giving participation in individuals 35 years or younger. The ReBuilding Center received more than 100 individual donations, with more than a third of which were made by people under 36 years of age!

For this first year participating in the Give!Guide, our goal was to raise over $10,000, and we are excited to announce we met that goal (including Por Que No's match)! Even though the official Give!Guide period is now over for the year, you can still make a donation to support the work and mission of the ReBuilding Center.

All donations support the ReBuilding Center’s mission to build community through reuse, including our Community Outreach Program, which strengthens the capacity and impact of community-led efforts to create a more equitable, vibrant, and resilient Portland.

Last year, the ReBuilding Center diverted over 2 million pounds of building materials from the landfill—such as lumber, hardware, lighting, and doors—and sold over 400,000 items back to the community for reuse. Through these sales, the ReBuilding Center was able to donate essential building materials to over 200 local grassroots projects, and our Community Outreach Program was able to support 12 community-building initiatives.

Again, thanks to everyone who gave through the Give!Guide this year. We’re excited to participate again next year and look forward to continuing to grow and connect with the ReBuilding Center community!

Upcoming January Carpentry Classes

The ReBuilding Center offers classes and workshops focused on hands-on building projects that use simple design and reclaimed wood from the ReBuilding Center.

This adult education program aims to provide the community with an affordable way to develop DIY skills with both hand and power tools to enable greater self-reliance and creative expression! Classes will be made available regardless of income through scholarships and sliding-scale class fees.

Basic Carpentry: Tables and Benches
Saturday, January 14
1:oopm-5:00pm

Basic Carpentry for Women: Tables and Benches
Saturday, January 28
1:00pm-5:00pm

A garden bench, a bedside table, a catch-all next to the front door—it’s up to you! Come with basic measurements of your space and leave with your new piece of custom furniture!

Using a very simple design and reclaimed lumber, you’ll make a basic table or bench while gaining skills and confidence to use in future DIY projects.

Edge-Glued Wood:
From Cutting Boards to Table Tops
Saturday, January 21 & Sunday, January 22
BOTH DAYS: 1:00PM-5:00PM

Many woodworking projects require gluing smaller pieces together to make a larger surface, such as cutting boards, table tops, cabinet door panels, and butcher blocks. In this class, you'll make a simple edge-glued panel, and learn each step hands-on, from raw material to finished product!

December Volunteer & Internship Opportunities

Get involved with the Portland reuse community this winter with the Rebuilding Center! Help build community with Hands On Greater Portland; add to your resume with Rebuilding Center internships; join the newsletter team; and learn more about reuse and remodeling with the Portland Build, Remodel, and Landscape Show. Check out these amazing opportunities below!

Hands On Greater Portland: Community Building and Volunteer Day

Are you interested in making new friends in the community while volunteering? Look no further than Hands On at the Rebuilding Center.

December 15th
6:00 P.M. - 8:00 p.m.

Come to the Rebuilding Center to help with hands-on projects while working with donated materials. Afterwards, head across the street with fellow participants to StormBreaker Brewing for a post-volunteering happy hour!  For more information, contact Dave Lowe at dave@rebuildingcenter.org .

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Marketing Analyst and Media Internships Available

Do you have an interest nonprofit work, data analysis, media creation, or social media? Do you want to gain experience using data analysis and marketing tools to boost nonprofit efforts while increasing your business, technical, and marketing skills? If so, apply for the Digital Marketing Analysis internship or the Media Content Creator internship with the Rebuilding Center! For more information, email Ashley Howe at ashley@rebuildingcenter.org.

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Join the newsletter Team Every Thursday 

Every week, the newsletter team meets with Ashley, the ReBuilding Center’s Communications & Marketing Manager. Together, the team writes stories, carries out interviews, takes photos, and puts together the ReBuilding Center’s e-newsletters. These newsletters are great portfolio/resume builders!

The newsletter team is comprised of volunteers just like you! This is your newsletter, written by volunteers, for the ReBuilding Center community.

Sign up if you have an interest in:

• Photography/Videography
• Journalism/Social Media
• Sustainability
• Creative Reuse
• Graphic Design

Channel your creativity into serving our mission to build community through reuse!

To sign up schedule yourself through ReBuilding Center's online Volgistics portal by entering in your login information here, click on "My Schedule," select any Thursday, click "Schedule me," select any time between 10:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m., hit "Continue", and confirm! Alternatively, you can email Ashley Howe, the Communications & Marketing Manager at ashley@rebuildingcenter.org.

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Table at the Portland Home Show: Build, Remodel, and Landscape Show

Need some home modeling inspiration? Join the ReBuilding Center at the Portland Build, Remodel, and Landscape Show from January 6-8, 2017, at the Oregon Convention Center. Volunteer for a shift at our table to share ReBuilding Center info with attendees. Before or after your shift, see the latest design trends and talk to experts about energy efficiency, home automation, windows, and much more. 

Volunteers that table at the Build, Remodel, and Landscape Show will actively engage those attending the show as a representative of the ReBuilding Center. Event volunteers will answer questions, provide information, and be a general steward for our organization's mission of "Inspiring people to value and discover existing resources to strengthen the social and environmental vitality of communities." Volunteers can sign up through Volgistics or contact Volunteer Services at volunteer@rebuildingcenter.org to get registered.

XRAY.FM Gets a Sustainable Sonic Build-Out

XRAY.FM is a local Portland nonprofit radio station that aims to foster community involvement and development in the arts, giving Portland makers and shakers a platform to be heard and express themselves. The ReBuilding Center's (RBC) mission is to build community through reuse, and by supporting XRAY through this project, RBC is strengthening the station's capacity to do community work. Arthur Rizzotto, an engineer at XRAY.FM who is involved with the build, believes, “Community is important because it offers the opportunity to create something much larger than the individual.”

The old studio wall was festooned with a drawing of a flaming cat by famed Portland author, Chuck Palahniuk. The team is trying to figure out a way to work a into their new design.

When RBC’s Volunteer Services Manager, Dave Lowe, had a chat with XRAY.FM’s team about volunteerism, a collaborative project idea sprouted. “It’s essentially a recording studio for podcasters and bands. It has the added function of being a live room that we can broadcast from,” says Rizzotto.

With a focus on reused materials, the design features a floor made from reclaimed wood and tires. “We’ve been lucky enough actually that all the used materials have fit into our plan for the most part. We’ve had to get creative with leveling the floor since it’s all resting on tires.” Rizzotto further ponders, “Maybe we were just being overly creative in the first place.”

That creativity has fostered a strong sense of excitement and gratitude surrounding the endeavor. “I love the ReBuilding Center! I love how dedicated and enthusiastic your builders and staff are, and that you’re promoting sustainability in construction…They’ve put an incredible amount of energy, interest, and expertise into the project.” As far as the space itself once the project is complete, Rizzotto says, “It’s very special…it will be a place for people to come together to listen to and make music, and everyone loves sharing music.” 

Listen for broadcasts from the new studio in the near future at 91.1 FM and 107.1 FM in Portland, and online at XRAY.FM!

Give, Drink, and Be Merry: ReBuilding Center Give!Guide Launch Event

We are celebrating our first year in Willamette Week's nonprofit Give!Guide. This event is FREE and will be hosted during the Mississippi Ave Tree Lighting Ceremony.

Give, Drink, and Be Merry: A ReBuilding Center Give!Guide Launch Event

Saturday, November 26th
5:00–7:00 p.m. 
at StormBreaker Brewing
832 N Beech St, Portland, OR

Donate to the ReBuilding Center to be entered to win prizes in a raffle! There will be three prize packages:

1. For the DIY-Lover

• $20 ReBuilding Center Gift Certificate
• Free DIY Maker Class of choice at the ReBuilding Center Wood Shop
• ReBuilding Center t-shirt

2. A Night on Mississippi Avenue

• Spin Laundry Lounge
  • Black Spin Laundry Bag 
  • Nellie's All Natural PVC Free Dryer Balls and Scent Sticks 
  • Six samples of The Laundress specialty detergents 
  • $10 Spin Gift Card
• Mississippi Studios & Bar Bar
  • $50 Gift Certificate

3. Clean-Up at Spin Laundry Lounge

• Black Spin Laundry Bag 
• Nellie's All Natural PVC Free Dryer Balls and Scent Sticks 
• Six samples of The Laundress specialty detergents 
• $10 Spin Gift Card

Plus, all donors who give $25 or more will receive 25% off drink tickets.

How to Manage Stormwater & Rain Planter Facelift Event

Get hands-on experience and learn about rain gardens, storm water management, and creative landscaping with salvaged materials.

Saturday, November 12th

8:30 - 9:00 A.m. Sign-in
9:00 - 9:30 a.m. breakfast
9:30 -11:00 a.m. planting party
11:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. rain garden talk

at the ReBuilding Center
3625 N Mississippi Ave

Come support the ReBuilding Center and learn about stormwater management! Blossom Earthworks and the ReBuilding Center will be hosting a volunteer work-party to help the ReBuilding Center restore its stormwater planters. The two planters line the front of the building and are designed to reduce the amount of stormwater runoff from the building by teaming up with thirsty, water-loving plants

PLEASE RSVP ON EVENTBRITE FOR EACH EVENT YOU PLAN TO ATTEND BY REGISTERING FOR A TICKET.

Breakfast will be held in the parking lot and the talk will be held inside the administrative offices (look for the red brick building and red door) at the ReBuilding Center at: 
3625 N Mississippi Ave Portland, OR.

We will be supplying food/beverage from Verde Cocina.

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Read the following article by Mike Conover, Ecological Designer at Blossom Earthworks:

It’s no secret that Portland and the Pacific Northwest gets a lot of rain. However, most buildings, parking lots, roads, and other impermeable surfaces prevent much of this rainwater from infiltrating into the ground. Instead, it often flows into the sewer or Portland's rivers and streams. As it flows it picks up oils, heavy metals, sediment, and other contaminants along with it. This can disrupt local ecosystems, cause water quality issues, and place unnecessary burdens on wastewater treatment plants.

The good news is there are a number of ways to reduce stormwater runoff, filter it, and allow it to infiltrate into the ground, recharging our groundwater. Some of the systems that do this work include stormwater planters, bioswales, Green Streets, and infiltration basins, among others. Portland has put a lot of effort toward managing its stormwater, so you may have seen them around the city without even realizing it.

In 2005, the ReBuilding Center completed an onsite stormwater management demonstration project, designed to treat and infiltrate 870,000 gallons of rainwater each year. Five stormwater planters and a permeable parking lot capture and filter this water, sending it straight into the ground instead of the storm-drains or sewer.

Plants, and especially wetland plants, not only drink lots of water but they clean it too. It’s easy to overlook wetlands because they are less noticeable compared to dramatic landscapes like mountains or canyons but wetlands are essential to functional ecosystems and watershed health. Wetlands are often described as the “kidneys of the planet” for the work they do filtering and cleaning the Earth’s water. By using wetland plants native to Oregon and the Pacific Northwest in our stormwater management facilities, we can clean stormwater while providing habitat and food for local wildlife at the same time. Many of the grasses, sedges, and rushes you see lining the street or in planters and swales are doing just this. There are even beautiful flowers such as iris, camas and milkweeds that thrive in stormwater plantings.

It’s easy to think of the city and “nature” as different places. In reality there is no separation.

That alley near your house, the big office building, and the vacant lot are just as much nature as the forests, lakes, and mountains that surround us. We are part of a larger ecosystem that feeds, supports, and nourishes us whether we realize it or not, and clean water is essential not only our own health but all the plants and animals that we share our planet with. Keeping this water clean is no easy task but fortunately we can partner with native wetland plant communities to filter and reduce our city’s stormwater runoff. By working with the Earth’s biological and ecological processes (that evolved over the past 3.8 billion years!) we can restore ecological function to our urban environment, keeping our waters clean for humans and all life.

If you want to learn more about how we can all play a part in reducing stormwater runoff, come out to the ReBuilding Center on November 12th to get some first hand experience and a tasty breakfast!

"Priced Out: 15 Years Of Gentrification In Portland. Oregon"

Was there ever a time when some Portlanders thought gentrification was a good idea, when neighborhoods said there was too much affordable housing? 

The film NorthEast Passage documented life in Albina in the late 1990s when crime and abandoned buildings were the neighborhood's number-one concern. Rising home prices and outside investors were welcomed by many. A lot has changed for the better and a lot of mistakes were made for the worse.

Come to a screening of NorthEast Passage and participate in a panel discussion about what the lessons learned in Albina can teach the rest of the city. Discuss the issues with people featured in the film and see clips from the upcoming sequel, Priced Out.

Doors open at 6:15pm, discussion at 8pm.
Seating capacity is limited;
advanced ticket purchase is encouraged.
Thursday, Nov. 3, Nov. 10 and Nov. 17.

Screenings are a fundraiser for Priced Out, a nonprofit project in association with Northwest Documentary Arts & Media. Discussion sponsored by Ignorant/Reflections' Gentrification Is Weird project. Tickets $10–$20 sliding scale. Screenings at Northwest Documentary, 6 NE Tillamook St., Portland. For more information, email pricedoutmovie@gmail.com.

A section of NorthEast Passage and a trailer for the upcoming sequel, Priced Out, will be on display at the ReBuilding Center starting in 2017 as part of the Commons interactive kiosk project.

More info about the project:

Priced Out is an investigative and personal look at how skyrocketing housing prices are displacing Portland's black community and reshaping the entire city.  The feature-length documentary explores the complexities and contradictions of gentrification and what neighborhood life means after the era of "The Ghetto." 

The film is a sequel to the 2002 documentary NorthEast Passage: The Inner City and the American Dream.

Priced Out is currently in production with an expected release in winter of 2016/17.

A nonprofit project in partnership with Northwest Documentary Arts & Media

Two local residents, Cornelius Swart and Spencer Wolf, took five years to produce the original film.  The two are teaming up once again for the sequel.

Please consider giving to this important project by joining us on Kickstarter and Facebook.

In the late 1990s, Nikki Williams, a black single mother, embraced the gentrification that was making inroads into her community. But more than 15 years later Williams found herself one of the last black residents on her block. Priced Out follows Williams as she decides to sell her home—built by Habitat for Humanity—and move to Dallas, Texas, in search of a new black community.

Now, 15 years after the film was shot, Governing Magazine has ranked Portland as the most gentrified city in America. Nikki's neighborhood has become one of the trendiest places in the country to live. Crime is down, houses have been fixed up, and new bars and restaurants open up almost every day. But half the black population has left and average home prices have gone from $30,000 to $410,000. 

The neighborhoods of North/Northeast Portland have gone from being majority black to majority white. Rents are climbing, homes are being replaced with apartment blocks, and the word “gentrification” is on everyone’s lips.

 Why did such a dramatic change occur and what does this change mean for residents of other communities that face gentrification?

Priced Out will reconnect with the residents and activists featured in the first film to see what’s happened to the neighborhood and find out what will happen next as the community continues to struggle with its identity and its place in the American Dream.

Gentrification, once a phenomena that occurred only in big cities like New York, Chicago, and San Francisco, is now cropping up in cities from San Antonio to St. Louis to Portland, Maine. Why is this happening?

The film will reexamine public policy and economic forces surrounding gentrification to create a time-lapse portrait of North/Northeast Portland’s rapid transformation and what it does and does not have in common to other gentrifying communities in the nation. 

June Community Event Guide!

Here's your guide to start your summer off right with a melange of N/NE Portland events geared towards strengthening the social and environmental fabric of community!

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This weekend

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This Must Be The Place: The Courtyard at One North Summer Party
Saturday, June 18, 2-6 p.m.
North Fremont & North Williams

The Boise & Eliot neighborhoods in North Portland are getting a new public space, and to welcome the community to the Courtyard, One North is throwing a summer gathering in the style of a classic neighborhood block party!

The Boise Neighborhood Association will be offering a free painting activity with paint donated from Metro and doors, windows and tiles supplied by the ReBuilding Center.

On June 18th, this community-centric event will celebrate the past, present, and future of the North Williams/Vancouver corridor with Music provided by Ural Thomas & the Pain, Farnell Newton & the Othership Connection, and Andre St. James.

Art presented by The Black Williams Project, historic walking tours given by neighborhood historian O.B. Hill, and spoken word poetry from the CENTER youth. Also on hand will be a plethora of local food and drink provided by New Seasons Market, Las Primas, Bread & Honey Café, POA Cafe and Whole Bowl!

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Juneteenth Celebrations

On June 19, 1865, two years after the Emancipation Proclamation, Union soldiers brought Texans the news that the Civil War had ended and that the enslaved were now free. Juneteenth, the observance of that date, has become a national celebration of freedom. From June 14th – 19th join us in several celebrations in that spirit. 

Juneteenth:  Words Along the Way
Saturday, June 14, 6 p.m.
512 N. Killingsworth St.

North Portland Neighborhood Library’s annual celebration on the lawn with words and music under the skies. There will also be a performance by PassinArt: A Theater Company that will inspire us with words of African-American ancestors.  As always, we'll conclude with a make-your-own-sundae Ice Cream Social.  (So whatever you do, don't eat dessert beforehand!) The program will take place on the back lawn of the Library; in the case of rain, it will be moved to the 2nd floor auditorium.

The Clara Peoples Freedom Trail Parade
Saturday June 18, 10:45 a.m.  
Parade starts at NE 8th and Jarrett, and winds up at Russell and Williams.

We march to honor the memory of Oregon's Mother of Juneteenth, Mrs. Clara Peoples.

Bridging The Gap
Saturday, June 18, 12-7 p.m.
Legacy Emanuel Field, Russell St between Williams and Vancouver.

Fun ~ Parade ~ Community Vendors ~ Music ~ Family Activities ~ food Vendors ~ Live Entertainment ~ Kids Area ~ Hip-Hop Yoga ~ Spokenword

The Clara Peoples Freedom Trail Parade
Saturday, June 18, 10:45 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.
Parade starts on 8th & Jarrett, south on MLK, west on Russell

For information on For more information go to: www.juneteenthpdx.com

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NEXT WEEKEND

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24th Annual Good in the Hood: Multicultural Music, Arts & Foods Festival

Good in the Hood (GITH) is a non-profit organization founded in 1990.  Our purpose is to be a creative medium by which Portland residents, businesses and organizations can engage in music, food and resources while connecting people with experiences that strengthen unity in the community. The GITH Music and Food festival is the largest multi-cultural festival in the Pacific NW.  This three-day music festival opens with a community parade that travels through Northeast Portland and ends at Lillis-Albina Park.

Good in the Hood Parade
Saturday, June 25, 11:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.
Parade starts from King Elementary School Park, ends at Lillis Albina Park.

Check the ReBuilding Center out on our float featuring music by Ural Thomas!

ReBuilding Center's Good in the Hood Parade float back in 2011 with Ural Thomas!

Good in the Hood Festival
June 24 – June 26
Lillis Albina Park, N. Flint St & Russell St.

For Good in the Hood's free events calendar (including a kick-off party and mixer) and to learn about volunteer opportunities check out their website:

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City of Portland Sunday Parkways
June 26, 11:00 am to 4:00 pm
N. Mississippi Ave & Ainsworth

Sunday Parkways promotes healthy active living through a series of free events opening the city's largest public space - its streets - to walk, bike, roll, and discover active transportation while fostering civic pride, stimulating economic development, and representing the community, business, and government investments in Portland's vitality, livability, and diversity.   

On June 26th, thousands of smiling faces will gather in North Portland to bike, walk, and roll across the double loop 9.5 mile scenic route that glides along the Willamette Boulevard and over to Peninsula Rose Garden, Arbor Lodge, Kenton, and McCoy Parks. While you are there, enjoy a spot of good food, good laughs, and good music!

Stop by N. Mississippi Ave and Ainsworth to see the ReBuilding Center in action, get free stickers and play games!