Hi neighbors! Can you feel the crisp in the air? This time of year is built for colorful strolls in the forest, apple-picking in the Gorge, and cozying up with warm cider by a fire-pit. It’s also a great time to get involved with your neighborhood, whether that is helping a less able neighbor take care of their leaves or organizing a cleanup on your block!
Have a community-focused project that could use some funding? Whatever your idea, the SNA in partnership with SE Uplift is here to help! The SE Uplift Community Small Grants program is open for applications through Sunday, November 2nd. Winning projects may receive up to $3000 to execute their vision to build community and increase civic engagement in the District 3 community. Projects must be sponsored by a nonprofit organization. Not a nonprofit? SNA can sponsor your project using our nonprofit status. More details are found at seuplift.org/grants.
Have you been the victim of a crime? I’m sorry. Did you know that there is a new option in Portland for victims of crime to seek justice outside the bounds of the traditional court-based system? The Portland Community Justice Program (PCJP) is a new option from a partnership between Lutheran Family Services and the Portland Police Bureau. The PCJP focuses on the victim of a crime and seeks to repair the harm done to them through relationship building, respect, responsibility, repair and reintegration. When filing a police report, tell the officer that you want to use the restorative justice program and they will contact PCJP to get the process started. You can read all about this innovative program at lcsnw.org/program/portland-community-justice.
Thanks to the activism of local neighbors, there’s a new crosswalk coming to Sunnyside. PBOT will install the new crosswalk across Stark St. at 43rd by the Multnomah Friends Meeting and the Mazamas. Hopefully this will help tame some of the out-of-control speeds on that stretch of Stark and provide an improved measure of safety to all who use it. Kudos to Sunnyside residents for getting this done!
Autumn is a great time to plant a new tree that can spend the winter soaking up all that rain before the next dry season. The city of Portland is giving them away for free! Urban Forestry will give out 300 trees every Saturday at community events around the city, so go plant a tree at no cost! Full program information is at portland.gov/trees/tree-planting/find-your-free-trees.
Did you know Sunnyside has a new farmer’s market? Stop by the Asian Community Farmers Market on Saturdays through November 1st from noon-4 p.m.at the parking lot at SE Uplift (3534 SE Main St.) for all of your fall produce needs! All forms of payment are accepted, including EBT and WIC.
Want to see a film by a local documentarian? NW Documentary launched a monthly series of screenings, “Watch a Doc,” at the Sunnyside Community Center (3520 SE Yamhill). Events are on the second Thursday of every month. October’s film will be October Country, a “beautiful, spooky portrait of a family” from Portland-based filmmakers Michael Palmieri and Donel Mosher. Doors open at 6:30 p.m.; films start at 7 p.m.. Drinks and snacks are provided. More information at nwdocumentary.org.
That’s it for this month! We hope to see you in person in November for our next General Meeting on Wednesday, Nov. 12th.