May 2024
The Celebration Bell!
Dear Friends,
If you’ve been by our Workforce Hub lately, you have likely heard a loud bell chiming. Every time we help neighbors transition from living outside or in shelters to moving into new apartments, we ring it proudly in celebration. 14 neighbors experienced this life-changing moment in May alone! Many have been without a place of their own for years.
Each neighbor moving into their new home rings this bell as a symbol of perseverance and hope.
These new placements into homes bring stability, security, and hope to those who have worked hard to manifest a future they can be proud of.
Thank you for your donations and support in helping us impact our neighbors’ lives in tangible ways. And ring the bell! These are the keys of a neighbor who recently moved into a new apartment!
Gary’s Continuing Story
After about two years of living in a tent or a van, Gary is in a new home! His housing instability began around the time that he was laid off during the pandemic due to the global semiconductor shortage. Gary became familiar with Cultivate Initiatives when he would frequent the warm mobile shower sites during the harsh winters. There he talked with Jerry, one of our Mobile Shower & Hygiene leads and decided that he was ready for the next chapter in his life. He got a job with Cultivate Initiatives on the Mobile Shower & Hygiene team and has moved into a new home.
Gary says that his time being unhoused gave him a deeper appreciation of honesty and sincerity and now wants to be in a position where he is helping others.
Right now, that looks like supporting neighbors on the shower trucks and showing them respect and dignity. Thanks for all your hard work and care, Gary!
Give-A-Thon 2024!
We are running our Third Annual Community Beautification Give-A-Thon. A week-long awareness and giving campaign, in which we invite our community to raise funds and visibility for this work, while our Community Beautification team attempts to break their record for trash removed in a given week!
Support us at www.cultivateinitiatives.org by pledging $1, $5, $10 (or an amount of your choice) for every 1,000 lbs of trash removed during the week of June 24th-28th. Get ready to support our team and make this a year to remember!
Our Community Beautification Team removes truckloads of trash each day from East Portland and Multnomah County. This program provides workforce development opportunities for our unhoused neighbors while making our communities safer and more beautiful.
