Vol. 1, No. 1
Urban League of Portland
Spring 2004
League Launches New Program to Eliminate the Achievement Gap
The Urban League of Portland
launched its Centers for Academic
Readiness and Success (CARS)
program in February 2004. The
program provides intensive academic coaching to low achieving
middle school students, with the
goal of closing the achievement
gap between children of color and
other children in Portland Public
Schools. Currently, the program
focuses on mathematics and is
being implemented at one middle
school (Ockley Green). In the
future, the League hopes to expand the program to other middle
schools and to include a literacy
component.
Three days per week, for 4 hours
each day, Urban League academic
coaches (who are certified teachers) provide one-on-one or small
group assistance to low achieving
students directly in the classroom.
Students enrolled in the CARS
program also are required to participate in an after-school tutorial
program 3 days per week.
CARS staff (L to r.): Rebekah Drawz, Marion deBardelaben, Gloria Canson,
Macceo Pettis, Lisa Arceneaux and Paul Coakley.
Parental involvement and close
collaboration with the regular
classroom teachers are key components of the program. At least
twice per month, Urban League
staff members contact parents of
participating students to update
them on their child's progress and
encourage parental involvement in
school activities. CARS academic
coaches also meet with classroom
teachers every week to review
student progress.
The League is very excited about
this program. We hope to make
measurable impacts by June -and
will assess program effectiveness
through test scores, grades and
teacher observations of student
performance.
From the Desk of Vanessa Gaston
The Urban League of Portland has
been very busy over the past year!
Based on an intensive organizational assessment and meetings
with more than 500 community
members, politicians and business
leaders, we've updated our mission and developed a new strategic
plan to guide our work. The plan is
designed to improve the League's
fiscal strength, accountability and
sustainabilityand includes specific objectives and indicators for
each agency goal.
One of our main goals is to become more visible and active in the
community. Since March 2003,
the League has been featured in the
media over 25 times. The media coverage has been extremely
positive and informative. League
staff members have attended over
47 business functions, community
events and other non-profit dinners/
fundraisers. I also have become a
member of the following boards
and/or committees: Portland
Schools Foundation Board, Portland Public Schools Central Office
Review Committee, Portland State
University's Public Participation
Steering Committee, Oregon Department of Education's Advisory
Committee for Underrepresented
and Minority Students, Oregon
Salvation Army's Kroc Initiative Task Force, N/NE Economic
Alliance Board, N/NE One Stop
Steering Committee, United Way
Agency Association, National
Urban League Association of
Executives, Leaders Roundtable,
Mt. Tabor Reservoir Independent
Review Team and the Higher
Education Board's Task Force on
Affordability and Accessibility.
All of these efforts have helped
make people more aware of the
League and its focus on education, economic development and
advocacy.
Another of the League's goals is
to develop more partnerships and
collaborations. Here are just a
few examples of how the League
is working with other organizations, businesses and government
agencies to meet the needs of our
constituents. The League currently has a partnership with REI
to provide outdoor recreation
trips for youth in our NULITES
program. Our new education
program (CARS) is a collaborative effort with Portland Public
Schools and Ockley Green Mid-
dle School that focuses on helping
middle school students meet math
benchmarks. To provide more services to senior citizens, the League's
Senior Center has partnerships
with Multnomah County, Loaves &
Fishes, Portland Youth Golf Association, the African American
Health Coalition and Legal Aid. The
League also is working with Oregon
Action to increase voter registration,
partnering with the Portland Schools
Foundation to co-sponsor community forums addressing the achievement gap, and collaborating with
Portland Development Commission
and other organizations to create a
business plan for the League around
homeownership.
I could go on and on...about all the
positive work we're doing to help
make the Portland metropolitan area
a better place to live for the people
we serve. We are committed to
strengthening this organization and
improving our programs so we can
add value to the community.
We deeply appreciate your continued
support of our mission. Together we
are making a difference and improving people's lives now and in the
future.
URBAN LEAGUE OF PORTLAND - BOARD OF DIRECTORS
EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE
Barbara A. West - Board Chair
Charles A. Wilhoite - Chair-Elect/Vice Chair
John H. Epstein - Treasurer
Carl R. Neil - Secretary
Lois L. Davis - Chair, Public Relations Committee
Harry Hutt - Chair, Nominating and Development Committees
Milton A. Coleman, Jr. - Chair, Strategic Planning/Program Committee
Baruti L. Artharee - Past Board Chair
Celeste Alleyne
Gary Chenault
Jim Francesconi
Brad Hutton
Nitin Khanna
Sarah Mensah-Wohlford
Larry G. Miller
Geoffrey Spellen
Lindy Tolbert
Mateo Vazquez-Bradford
Patricia Welch
Karen M. Williams
"NUL on the Hill"
On March 24 and 25, Urban
League of Portland President and
CEO, Vanessa Gaston, joined
more than 250 other representatives within the Urban League
Movement at the National Urban
League's first annual Legislative
Policy Conference in Washington,
DC. In the words of Marc Mortal,
National Urban League (NUL)
President and CEO, the conference
was held to "initiate an ongoing dialogue with members of Congress
and Federal officials...to insure
that our Movement will never be
`out of sight, out of mind, and out
of influence.'
During the conference, Gaston met
one-on-one with Oregon's Senators
and Representatives to talk about
the Urban League's mission. Gaston also provided the legislators
with information from the National
Urban League's State of Black
America 2004 report and discussed
how Oregon's African American
population is faring in the areas of
education, employment, income
and homeownership.
The conference also featured panel
discussions and forums with such
notables as Senator Tom Daschle
(D-SD), Senator Joseph Biden
(D-DE), Representative Nancy
League Holds 12th Annual Career Connections
Job Fair
Pelosi (D-CA), Speaker of the
House Dennis Hastert (R-IL),
Representative John Conyers
(D-MI), syndicated columnist
Julianne Malveaux, Donna Brazile
(campaign manager for Al Gore in
the 2000 presidential race), Juan
Williams (senior correspondent for
NPR's Morning Edition), conservative commentator Armstrong Williams, and Laura Murphy (Director
of the Washington, DC office of the
ACLU).
For more information on the State
of Black America report, go to
www.nul.org.
Ready to Vote?
The Urban League of Portland is
conducting a voter registration
drive to ensure that all eligible voters are registered in advance of the
Fall 2004 elections.
Members of the NULITES program and Urban League Guild
have been conducting voter registration efforts at community events
and will continue doing so until the
registration deadline.
If you or someone you know wants
to register, please call or stop by
the League offices.
The Urban League of Portland held its 12th Annual
Career Connections Job Fair on March 18, 2004 at
the DoubleTree Hotel--Lloyd Center. More than 550
diverse job seekers and 33 employers participated in
this year's fair.
Career Connections 2004 was generously sponsored
by the following companies:
American Express Financial Advisors
Employment Guide of Portland
Kaiser Permanente
OHSU
Portland General Electric
US Bank
Wells Fargo
Youth Leadership Group Declares "A New Day Has Come"
In recognition of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s birthday, the Urban League of Portland's chapter
of the National Urban League's
Incentives to Excel and Succeed
(NULITES) program held its 2nd
Annual African American Student
Leadership Conference on January 17, 2004 at Willamette University in Salem. Approximately
70 students from the Portland and
Eugene areas attended, along with
more than 30 community members, activists, politicians, school
administrators and government
officials. Willamette University
President, Dr. Lee Pe lton, donated
the facilities and provided transportation for the conference.
The conference, themed "A New
Day Has Come", consisted of
workshops dealing with such
topics as male and female responsibility, leadership, educational
strategies, college matriculation
and individual rights when dealing
with law enforcement. Community activist and youth organizer,
Raina Beavers, delivered the keynote address. Ms. Beavers talked
about the process of change and
how we get to freedom.
Conference attendees strolling on Willamette University campus.
In a leadership exchange forum,
the audience heard from community leaders, school administrators,
government officials, politicians and
business leaders on how youth can
become involved in various issues
that impact them. A key goal for the
conference was to get eligible high
school students registered to vote- and civic engagement was strongly
emphasized throughout the day.
The conference ended on a positive
and lively note with a student talent
show featuring heartfelt poetry, the
singing of soulful songs and groups
dancing to hip hop music.
The conference also established a
historic moment for the State of
Oregon. Senator Avel Gordly led
conference participants to the State
Capitol building where she gave
a tour and took the group into the
Oregon Senate chambers. Each
student stood behind a senator's
seat, stated their name and loudly
declared, "A new day has come."
"Young Professionals" Chapter Under Development
The Urban League of Portland is
reestablishing a local chapter of the
National Urban League's Young
Professionalsa group dedicated
to bringing the next generation of
leaders under the age of 40 into
the Urban League Movement.
The group works to advance the
League's agenda through a variety
of educational, social and community service activities.
The League's Young Professionals chapter is still in the planning
phase. Several organizational
meetings have been held during the
past few months, and the official
chapter launch is scheduled for Fall
2004.
The chapter will focus on three
main areas: financial literacy, real
world education, and political participation. Additionally, the Young
Professionals will provide ongoing
opportunities for diverse individuals to network with their peers and
learn about career opportunities.
For more information about the
Urban League of Portland's Young
Professionals group, please contact
La Shanda Hurst at (503)823-4112
or Mateo Bradford at (503)7810875.
What is the NULITES Program?
In September 2003, the Urban League of Portland established a local chapter of the National Urban
League's Incentives to Excel and Succeed (NULITES) program. NULITES is a national youth initiative
designed to promote civic engagement and personal and leadership development among African American
high school students. The program is "youth-led," in that participants are responsible for developing and
implementing program activities with the guidance of adult advisors.
The NULITES program is open to all students age 13 to 19 who are in good standing at their high school,
both academically and behaviorally.
Key program activities include:
Biweekly meetings
Educational workshops
Community service projects
Career development activities
Recreational field trips
Annual African American Student Leadership Conference
We are very excited about our local NULITES chapter and hope to recruit additional youth members, as
well as volunteers to assist with program activities.
For more information about the NULITES program, please contact the League at (503) 280-2600.
Partnership with REI Connects NULITES with the Outdoors
NULITES members are getting
a big dose of the outdoors this
Spring thanks to a grant from Recreational Equipment, Inc. (REI).
On April 3rd, NULITES members
and staff of the League and REI
went snowshoeing at Mt. Hood.
In the coming weeks, NULITES
members also will participate in
a beach clean-up, go hiking in
the Columbia Gorge, and try rock
climbing at the new REI store in
the Pearl District.
REI also donated gear and apparel
(hiking boots, rain jackets, nylon
pants, daypacks) to the NULITES
program for use in outdoor recreation activities.
NULITES members (Kayla Schacht and Inez Shambry) with REI staff
Urban League: Looking Out for Seniors
The Urban League of Portland's
Multicultural Senior Center (located at 5325 NE MLK Jr. Blvd.) has
a full schedule of new and continuing activities. The new activities
include weekly golf classes and a
garden club. The Center continues
to offer exercise classes, crafts, oil
painting, Bible study, crochet, diabetes education, foot care services,
blood pressure check-ups, weekly
shopping trips, and a monthly
support group for seniors who are
raising their grandchildren or other
kin. Senior Center clients also are
provided with lunch every weekday
through a partnership with Loaves
& Fishes. Anyone age 60 and older
is welcome to participate in these
free activities.
For those who live in the North/
Northeast area of Portland, we
offer round-trip transportation to
the Senior Center. Our Transportation Specialist, Cupid Alexander,
recently received an award during
Self-Enhancement, Inc.'s 4th Annual Senior Ambassador Banquet
for his compassion and tireless
work in helping the senior citizens
of our community.
Activities Coordinator, Arleta Ward-Christain, with Senior Center client.
The League's Senior Center also
provides case management services
that allow elderly clients to continue living in their own homes with
as much self-reliance and safety as
possible. These services include
personal care, assistance with
household chores, and linkage with
outside services such as legal aid,
home repairs and energy assistance.
We receive more than 150 calls
each month from seniors or family/friends of seniors looking for
services ranging from in-home care
and transportation to 'just for fun'
activities.
The Senior Center staff is comprised of seven very dedicated
individuals: Evelyn Smith, parttime receptionist (brand new from
AARP); Arleta Ward-Christain,
Activities Coordinator; Cupid
Alexander, Transportation Specialist; LaToya Govan, Information
and Assistance Specialist; Beverly
Frazier, Case Manager; Norma
Mullen, Lead Case Manager; and
D'Norgia Price, Director.
League Reestablishes Guild Chapter
The Urban League of Portland is reactivating its
Guild chapter. The Guild is a volunteer auxiliary of
the League, and Guild members donate their time to
deliver services that extend public understanding and
support of the League's programs.
Currently, the Guild is involved in a voter registration
project targeting individuals age 35 and older who
have not registered to vote in the State of Oregon.
Guild members also are assisting the League with its
individual membership drive. Recently, members of
the Urban League Guild appeared on KATU 2 - AM
Northwest along with Urban League employees to
help promote the League and its Career Connections
Job Fair. Guild members also served as volunteers
during the Career Fair.
If you are looking for volunteer opportunities and have
the desire to serve others and the community, please
consider joining the Urban League Guild. It also is a
great way to meet new friends!
For more information, please contact Debra Ballard at
(503) 280-2619.
Support the Urban League of Portland and Become Part of the Movement
Join the Urban League of Portland and make positive changes in the community!
For more than 50 years, the Urban League of Portland has helped empower African Americans and others
to achieve equality in education, employment and economic security. Your tax-deductible contribution
will directly support the League's much-needed programs, outreach and advocacy.
In addition to individual memberships, the League also has membership programs for businesses and
community partners (nonprofit organizations, professional associations, and faith-based organizations).
To learn more about the Urban League's membership programs or other charitable giving options,
please call the League's Fund Development Department at (503) 280-2611.
To become an individual member, please complete this application and return it to the Urban League of Portland
at 10 N. Russell Street, Portland, OR 97227.
MEMBER INFORMATION:
Name:
Address:
Zip:
State:
City:
Fax:
Telephone:
E-Mail:
CONTRIBUTION
MEMBER TYPE
Senior (60+) or Student
Individual
Supporter
$10
$35
Sustainer
$500
Benefactor
$1,000
Patron
$2,500 & over
$99
$100 $499
BENEFITS
membership card, newsletter, notification about League events
membership card, newsletter, notification about League events
all of the above, plus recognition in the League's annual report
and copy of annual report
all of the above, plus invitation to yearly reception with the
League's President/CEO
all of the above, plus recognition at the League's Annual Equal
Opportunity Day Dinner
all of the above, plus 2 complimentary tickets to the League's
Annual Equal Opportunity Day Dinner and recognition on the
League's website
METHOD OF PAYMENT:
Check enclosed for $
_ Credit Card
Signature
Visa
Please make check payable to the Urban League of Portland.
MasterCard
Credit Card #
Exp. Date
*All memberships are ANNUAL from the date when application/payment is received in the League office.
MISSION
The Urban League of Portland helps empower
African Americans and others to achieve equality
in education, employment and economic security.
Calendar of Upcoming Events
May 11, 2004
June 25, 2004
October 13, 2004
Urban League of Portland Annual Membership Meeting
Multicultural Senior Center (5325 NE MLK Blvd)
6:00 pm -.7:30 pm
Vanessa Gaston speaks at City Club of Portland
Multnomah Athletic Club (1849 SW Salmon St.)
Annual Equal Opportunity Day Dinner
Portland Hilton Hotel (Downtown)
6:00 pm - 9:00 pm
Administrative Offices
10 North Russell Street
Portland, OR 97227
Phone: (503) 280-2600
Fax: (503) 281-2612
Multicultural Senior Center
5325 NE Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd.
Portland, OR 97211
Phone: (503) 988-5470
Fax: (503) 988-5713
www.ulpdx.org