‘ROSE’ honors its many supporters

See who was awarded, at the annual breakfast for this community development corporation …

Guests check in to the 2015 ROSE Impact Awards and Donor Breakfast.

Story and photos by David F. Ashton

Many supporters of ROSE Community Development Corporation (ROSE), including members of a couple of morning-meeting Portland-area Rotary clubs, filled the auditorium at the Oregon Museum of Science and Industry (OMSI) on the morning of Friday, September 24.

“This is our annual Donor Breakfast and Awards meeting,” remarked ROSE Executive Director Nick Sauvie.

“This gives us an opportunity to talk about the work that ROSE is doing this year, and what we plan to do next year,” Sauvie told East Portland News. “It’s also an opportunity to give awards to people that have given a lot of themselves to help improve the southeast Portland community. And, it’s our biggest fundraiser of the year.”

It’s “breakfast with a message” for guests at the 2015 ROSE Impact Awards and Donor Breakfast.

As about 150 guests sat down to a hot breakfast of fresh fruit, eggs, and bacon, MC Roger Anthony began the formal program. Anthony explained that each of the awards are given to individuals or organizations who have positively impacted the community and advanced the mission of ROSE. Thus, these are called the ROSE Impact Awards, he said.

The ROSE Health Impact Award is presented Kaiser Permanente; accepting is Tracy Dannen-Grace.

The ROSE Business Impact Award is presented to Roger Goldingay of Cartlandia by Kristian Hochreiter, Communications & Development Associate with ROSE.

Upon receiving the ROSE Business Impact Award, Cartlandia owner Roger Goldingay said, “We have created a great number of opportunities for our diverse population of business people who are getting established. This is probably one of the most diverse areas within the city of Portland.”

Ana Meza accepts the ROSE Youth Impact Award.

Roger Anthony presents the ROSE Community Development Impact Award to Jean DeMaster of Human Solutions.

After being presented the ROSE Community Development Impact Award, Jean DeMaster who retired from her post for many years as Executive Director of Human Solutions was the meeting’s keynote speaker.

DeMaster shared her passion for helping to solve the problems of homelessness. “I’ve seen, firsthand, how losing homes rips families apart and destroys lives. Having good, solid housing helps families improve, and helps them do better in many ways.”

Based on her experience helping the homeless in southeast Portland and beyond, Jean DeMaster of Human Solutions says the homeless also often suffer mental health issues.

Displaced parents are nearly three times more likely to have poor-or-fair mental health than higher-income parents, DeMaster pointed out. “It’s no surprise that we have to know – by not providing enough housing, and not providing enough family wage jobs – that we are putting our children at risk. They will grow up to be adults at risk. We need to stop the cycle of homelessness, and stop the cycle of poverty.”

Lents Neighborhood Association Chair Jesse Cornett receives the ROSE Neighborhood Impact Award from Kristian Hochreiter.

ROSE Neighborhood Impact award recipient Jesse Cornett – he’s the chair of the Lents Neighborhood Association – said he was honored to share the stage with Jean DeMaster.

“ROSE has been working toward the betterment of my community for much longer than I have,” Cornett told the audience. “I accept this on the behalf of the many people who volunteer for projects such as neighborhood clean-ups, and health community projects.

“As I travel around Portland, I can’t help feel that we’re becoming ‘San Francisco’s newest suburb’,” quipped Cornett. “With all the people moving here from California to Portland, in some cases long-term Portlanders are getting left behind. It’s a shame. Lents is the ‘North Williams Avenue’ area of ten years ago.”

What’s most important, Cornett concluded, “Is that we don’t lose the character of our neighborhood.”

Long-time ROSE Board member Martha Taylor was invited up to receive a special presentation, and the unveiling of a new award: the ROSE Martha Taylor Student Impact Award.

Martha Taylor presents the award created in her name, the ROSE Martha Taylor Student Impact Award, to Alex Gursheim.

After highlighting many of the ROSE projects, Nick Sauvie makes an appeal for funds.

Then, ROSE Executive Director spoke about the many outreach efforts of the organization throughout the southeast Portland area.

“Looking forward,” Sauvie concluded, “The thread that ties everything together is about creating opportunities. This includes all the projects the neighborhoods. We appreciate your support as we move forward.”

Find out more, or donate online by visiting their website: http://rosecdc.org/

Gathering after the annual breakfast to show their 2015 ROSE Impact Awards are Jesse Cornett, ROSE’s Nick Sauvie, Alex Gursheim >> Jen Matheson of the Northwest Health Foundation, Ana Meza, Tracy Dannen-Grace, and Jean DeMaster. (Not in photo: Goldingay/Cartlandia).

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