The DEIA Committee circled back to ways we could get involved with the Sunnyside community and our role in participating in the upcoming Belmont Street Fair. The committee is working to make local resources more available to the public. We’re looking into how we can make sure apartment buildings get access to the monthly Sunnyside newsletter to stay informed and get involved in neighborhood initiatives. We reached out to the Kids Center March for Black Lives Matter organizers to see how we can support their efforts and collaborate together. We’re also working to establish an outreach program to reach out to BIPOC businesses within Sunnyside to see how we can provide support, if wanted. Our next meeting will be Tuesday, September 7th at 6:30 p.m. Virtual meeting details will be posted on the SNA website on September 2nd. The DEIA Committee meets every 1st Tuesday of the month. We look forward to new attendees and welcome ideas on ways to grow this committee.
Author: Ash Hester
SNA August Notes and September Plans
Summer Recess, Hybrid Meetings in Fall, and Community Engagement
The Sunnyside Neighborhood Association took the month of August off to enjoy the last bit of summer and take some time to welcome the new board members. We plan to keep the meetings virtual for the time being due to the increases in Covid cases. We will start holding the monthly neighborhood association meetings in a new format. From 7 – 8 p.m. we will hold the board meeting where we will review committee initiatives and make any board-related decisions. From 8 – 9 p.m. we will hold the general meeting where we’ll have guest speakers and invite open conversations. Both sessions are open to the public and we encourage folks to attend, stay informed, and get involved. We look forward to seeing you at our upcoming September meeting on Thursday the 9th. Meeting details and the agenda will be posted on the SNA website (https://sunnysideportland.org) on Monday the 6th.
Sunnyside Piazza Update
We are introducing a new member to the Sunnyside Piazza Committee, Will Grimm, who is going to help us with the restoration project. Will successfully completed a mural design and painting project at the intersection of Lincoln St. and 30th Ave. and we plan to use the same collaborative design strategy for the intersection on Yamhill St. and 34th Ave. He has helped Sunnyside launch a design board for our community to submit ideas for the next Piazza mural. You can follow along and share your creative input at https://tinyurl.com/xpfjcfb6. We’ll be tracking design submissions through the month of July and early August and selecting the top 5 designs for an in-person vote at SE Uplift on August 31st at 6:30PM. We will be sure to include the original sunflower artwork as one of the top 5 designs. Submission guidelines are posted on the design board, and we encourage the community to participate and take action in helping us restore the 20 year old landmark. The painting of the mural will take place in late September; we’ll share more details in the September newsletter, on the Sunnyside website and Facebook Page.
You can contribute towards the restoration of this beloved landmark by donating to the campaign’s GoFundMe page at https://www.gofundme.com/f/sunnyside-piazza or via the SNA website homepage. We’re trying to raise $1,500 to cover our expenses. Follow the Sunnyside Piazza Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/sunnysidepiazza) for up-to-date details and ways to get involved.
Sunnyside Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility (DEIA) Committee
The DEIA Committee has reached out to the Belmont Business Association to see how we can partner together for the upcoming Belmont Street Fair held on Saturday, September 11th, 2021. The DEIA Committee’s initiative is to help support local BIPOC businesses who would like to participate by providing financial aid for booth participation. The committee plans to help build a stronger awareness of the different Black and Brown owned businesses that support the thriving Belmont strip. We like how the Hawthorne Business Association has developed a cultural calendar to host events for the businesses along the Hawthorne strip and we want to create something similar for Belmont. The DEIA committee would appreciate any suggestions on actions we can take as a developing committee to help uplift and support our BIPOC community. The next meeting will be Tuesday, August 3rd at 6:30 p.m. Virtual meeting details will be posted on the SNA website on July 30th.
Sunnyside Piazza Update
We have postponed the restoration project for painting the Sunnyside Piazza on Yamhill St. and 34th Ave. until September 2021. We are looking to create a new design that is led by community involvement. Further details to come in August. You can contribute towards the restoration of this beloved landmark by donating to the campaign’s GoFundMe page at https://www.gofundme.com/f/sunnyside-piazza or via the SNA website homepage. We’re trying to raise $1,500 to cover our expenses. Follow the Sunnyside Piazza Facebook page for up-to-date details and ways to get involved.