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We just want to take a moment to publicly, enthusiastically and honestly appreciate all of the amazing AmeriCorps Members who serve with Confluence. They are the love and the blood of our organization and we couldn't do any of the work we do without their charm, intellect, snappy dressing and dedication to service, . Thank you from the bottom of our hearts!
Confluence AmeriCorps sponsor Growing Gardens is recruiting Volunteer Garden Mentors for the 2013 growing season!
Mentors will work with one or more beginning gardeners enrolled in the Home Garden and Growing Huertos Programs. They will assist Home Gardener(s) with:
To find out more visit Growing Gardens’ webpage or email Katie at Katie@growing-gardens.org.
This Martin Luther King Jr Day of Service was an extra special event this year because we had the pleasure of partnering with Playworks of Portland to plan and coordinate our MLK Day Service project. A committee of hard working AmeriCorps members from Confluence and Playworks worked to develop this fun and meangingful Service opportunity.
AmeriCorps members and staff from Confluence and Playworks joined with Woodlawn Methodist Church community members to pack bags of food for the Portland Backpack Lunch Program. The Portland Backpack Lunch Program provides healthy weekend lunches to students who otherwise wouldn't be able to afford a healthy meal while school is out of session.
Confluence, Playworks and 200+ community members packed over 650 lunches that will be distributed in the coming weeks to 164 students at King, Woodlawn, and Scott elementary schools.
Thank you to New Seasons, St. Johns Coffee Roaster, Random Order, and Grand Central Bakery for donating tasty food and delicious coffee!
Check out more pictures from the day.
"The annual Ray Warren Multicultural Symposium is a three-day series of events examining issues of race and ethnicity. Each year a team of students, with faculty and staff involvement, organizes an array of workshops, lectures, readings, panels, and performances, as well as an art show, to bring people together for conversations about issues such as immigration, public health, civil liberties, and education. All students are invited to participate in the planning process, and the interdisciplinary nature of the symposium appeals to students from across the College."
November 7-9
http://college.lclark.edu/programs/ethnic_studies/symposium/
A warm welcome to Stephanie Levine, our newest AmeriCorps memeber to join us here at Confluence. Stephanie is the Community Outreach Specialist at CUB.
Whole Foods on Fremont (3535 NE 15th Ave) is hosting a fundraiser for Portland Fruit Tree Project (PFTP) on Thursday Oct. 25th from 5-7pm.
The theme is "Build a Bowl: Beans, Greens, and Lean Proteins". For only $10 you'll get a delicious dinner, PLUS all of your $10 will go towards PFTP!
Whole Foods is asking that you RSVP to erin.rosvold@wholefoods.com, with the subject "PFTP Dinner" and the number of adults/kids in your party, so they know how much food to make.
Portland Fruit Tree Project is the sponsoring site of Confluence AmeriCorps Member Spencer Masterson
Just announced: an AmeriCorps position for a Community Outreach Coordinator with CUB. This 11 month position is open for immediate filling.
This position will expand and engage in extensive community outreach around Electric Vehicle Education with a specific focus on the environmental and consumer issues in underserved communities.
Download the full Position Description and begin your application process.
Guest post from SA Anders, Director of Operations at CUB and Confluence AmeriCorps Sponsor
In 2011, as Confluence Environmental Center was getting off the ground, we got a call.
"You’re in!" Lara told us, and my colleague Andrea Crosby and I high-fived over the desk. We’d just been told that our application to host an Americorps service member for the 2011-2012 program year had been approved, and our two-week whirlwind of a process had just paid off. We were officially an Americorps sponsor!
For Andrea, a former member of the Peace Corps, and myself, the product of service learning institution Berea College, approaching this opportunity was a no-brainer. The non-profit we work for, the CUB Policy Center, was just starting to expand its mission of outreach, education, and professional development, and Confluence’s Americorps program was primed to partner with us on all three.
With two weeks before members were set to start, we went into recruitment overdrive, reaching out into networks across Oregon and the country to put our position opening in front of potential applicants. And we were amazed at the quality of those candidates—from students completing masters on their way to PhDs, to folks looking for an entry into the world of energy and environment as a second career. It was a tough process, because so many of the candidates were amazing. And what set them apart was their interest in and passion for service—service to the community, to Americorps, and to our mission.
We were so lucky that Emmaline Pohnl, our service member for our first program year, was the perfect fit for our organization and the program we were working to develop. She took initiative, was a leader in her Americorps class, and really elevated CUB’s outreach program to a new, exciting level.
If there’s one thing I would convey to potential and new sponsors of Confluence Environmental Center’s program, it’s this: hosting an Americorps member is a unique opportunity that can bring vigor and enthusiasm to your organization. It’s an amazing opportunity to foster the education and growth of a remarkable Americorps member; Andrea and I have grown through our mentoring. Our organization has increased visibility and credibility through the program done in partnership with Confluence –the numbers on the wall increase week by week as more folks learn about our organization’s programs is deeply satisfying.
Being an Americorps sponsor is an experience not to be missed.
SA Anders is the Director of Operations of the CUB Policy Center; she and her colleague Andrea Crosby, Program Manager, supervise Americorps sponsorship and mentoring. If you have any questions about the sponsor experience, reach out to them at SA@oregoncub.org and Andrea@oregoncub.org.
Today we welcome our 2012-13 AmeriCorps Members for their first day of Orientation. We're excited for another year of amazing people doing fantastic work that is vital to our environment and our community. Be on the look out for these inspired and dedicated folks in your neighborhood, forest, office and community.
From Pritha Golden + Karin Pfeiffer-Hoyt's School Garden Summer Maintenance Plan
In the spirit of fostering leadership, personal growth and a commitment to community each of our AmeriCorps Members complete a Change Agent Project, or CAP, during their Term of Service.
CAP is an independently directed project designed and executed by each AmeriCorps Member or sometimes in partnerships with other AmeriCorps Members.
CAP is built into the schedule of each Member and is an integral and exciting part of being an AmeriCorps Member with Confluence.
Click HERE to see a full list of our 2011-12 Member's CAPs with links to articles, videos and downloads about their projects.
The June Key Delta Center opened their doors to the Confluence AmeriCorps program on June 27th for our First Annual Confluence Achievement Symposium. The Symposium was a fantastic success offering AmeriCorps Members a chance to share their achievements with the community, their peers and other professionals.
The day started with a wondeful lunch and was followed by a range or presentations and closed with a poster and networking session.
The First Annual Confluence Achievement Symposium is Wedneday June 27th at the June Key Delta Center, a living building in North Portland. CAS is an brown bag event showcasing presentations, posters and creative expressions from Confluence AmeriCorps Members about their year of National Service.
RSVP on our Facebook Event
Our 2012-13 AmeriCorps positions have been posted! Vist our Positions page to view the amazing positions available.
Welcome Svetlana Pell, our newest AmeriCorps member. She is the Volunteer Green Street Stewardship Coordinator with the City of Portland Bureau of Environmental Service.
Svetlana will be recruiting and training community volunteers, with a focus on ethnically diverse communities and at-risk youth, to partner with BES in the care of Green Streets
On March 20th, the Confluence Environmental Center cleared another milestone when the Board of Directors met for the first time and signed the bylaws. This officially incorporates Confluence as a nonprofit in Oregon and moves us closer to becoming a federally recognized nonprofit.
Get to know our Board of Directors
Confluence AmeriCorps members and Staff honored the life and work of Cesar Chavez on March 31st by dedicating a day of Service at Adelante Mujeres' La Esparanza Farm in Forest Grove.
Rachel Plett, Pritha Golden and Karin Pfeiffer-Hoyt, the Chavez Day committee, worked hard to create a meaningful day of service that was also an opportunity to learn about Chavez's struggle for the rights of farm workers. We helped to clean and organize the farm shed and grounds and made biodegradable pots out of newspaper for the farmers to use to plant their seedlings.
The Oregonian spent the afternoon with us and wrote an article about our service day that includes nice pictures of our members and staff in action!
A big thank you to Dovetail Bakery, Back to Eden and Arbor Lodge for donating vegan pastries and coffee to our event.
Welcome Catherine, our newest AmeriCorps Member! Catherine is a Program Coordinator with Volunteers of America. She will be developing an environmentally themed summer camp for diverse youth living in multifamily apartment complexes in Portland
For AmeriCorps week we've been sharing our AmeriCorps Members's stories of service. Be on the lookout for more in the near future.
