Dear ,

Happy Fall - we hope you're

enjoying the change of seasons!

In this edition:

Our Extraordinary Executive Director

We Partner with Two Great Organizations

Cafe Update - Positive Changes!

Trainings for our Community

  Sisters' Executive Director is Extraordinary!

Sisters' Executive Director Monica Beemer was chosen the 2009 Extraordinary Executive Director by Portland Monthly Magazine as part of their annual Light a Fire Award program.

Based on hundreds of nominations submitted by community members, the selection committee then chooses winners based not only on the number of votes but also on the impact each organization has had in the community.  Out of these many nominations, Sisters' Executive Director Monica Beemer is the Executive Director of the year!

Monica says, "Our staff, Board, customers, Civic Action Group members, and volunteers are what makes Sisters amazing - I am just one of the public spokespeople. So, thank you for making me/us look so good. This is a shared award - thank you for all you do and for your great hearts!"

Monica will receive the award at Light a Fire:  A Celebration of Giving.  The celebration will be held at the Portland Art Museum's Kridel Grand Ballroom (sound familiar? Think Hoedown!) Tuesday, November 10th at 5:30pm.  And, watch for November's Portland Monthly Magazine - all of the award winners will be featured in this edition.Congratulations Monica!

- top of page

Join Us at Two Important Conferences

The Oregon League of Minority Voters is holding a Poverty Summit October 16th, "to weave together our various dialogues around poverty into a narrative that's bold and inclusive of all perspectives." 

Sisters staff Monica Beemer and Julio Vazquez will present at this conference on the Economic Human Rights Model and are helping with conference logistics.  If you are interested in helping at the conference, please call or email Monica.  If you'd like to help before the conference, please call Michael at OLMV at (503) 525-8161.  To register for the conference or for other questions, contact OLMV at clarkm@alumni.reed.edu or call (503) 525-8161.

Another conference, Putting HEALTH back in Health Reform, will be co-sponsored by Sisters.  The conference, which is also being held October 16th, has been organized by the Archimedes Movement.  The mission of the Archimedes Movement is to create a new space for civic engagement outside of our traditional legislative and governance structures and Sisters strongly believes that building a strong network of informed citizens is essential to progress toward meaningful reform. 

An exciting lineup of keynote speakers is scheduled for the conference who will share their wealth of knowledge and expertise.  Now more than ever, we need to be active in our demand for transformational change.

Sisters is excited to partner with both of these amazing organizations!  Please join us at these events (they're both in Salem!) as we work in partnership with others toward positive, meaningful change for our communities.

- top of page -

Cafe Update: One Month Later

On the 27th of July 2009 Sisters Of The Road made a hard decision. We decided that as a direct response to increased crowding, drug use and selling and violence outside our doors we would close our doors through the month of August. During this closed time we dedicated the majority of our resources and staff hours to coming up with a solution to these concerns in a way that represented our values of nonviolence and honored our mission to find systemic solutions to homelessness. 

On Tuesday, September 1, 2009 we reopened our doors with a new way of addressing the concerns outside. We implemented a clearly defined code of conduct for our customers, posted inside the cafe and in our windows visible to the outside. We began using chalk to mark the required passage way on the sidewalks around Sisters. We changed our waitlist sign up to a time-slot format that allows fifteen people to be served every half hour. People are given a slip of paper that shows their time-slot. If customers choose to wait for their meal at Sisters, we ask folks to keep the passage clear on the sidewalk for others to pass and invite them to engage in our services.  By participating in barter work or activities in the Personalist Center, our customers have opportunities to deepen their involvement in Sisters' community.

We continue to fine tune the changes we've made here at Sisters and work in partnership with our neighbors, community and authorities. We truly believe that developing authentic relationships with others will bring about sustainable and systemic change. 

As part of this commitment to stay in dialogue with Sisters' neighbors and supporters, we are holding a neighborhood meeting Wednesday, October 14 2009, from 5:30-7:30pm to discuss and evaluate these changes.  Our agenda will include opportunities for our neighbors and others to give us feedback and suggestions, as well as an update on Sisters' action plans for the immediate and longer-term future.  Light snacks and coffee will be provided; please RSVP if you plan to attend, but if you forget to RSVP, please come anyway!  We value your input!

If you are not able to attend the meeting (or even if you are!), please come down to the cafe and let the work we've done speak for itself. Contact our Executive Director Monica Beemer at 503.222.5694 ext 19 or send her an email to RSVP or to share your feedback.

Thank you to all of Sisters' neighbors and supporters for your patience and participation as we seek to make our cafe, and our neighborhood, safer and more welcoming for all.

- top of page -

Sisters' Trainings Share Power and Build Nonviolent Community

Please join us October 17th in Sisters' cafe for a free Media and Community Organizing Workshop by trainers Jeff Leys from Voices for Creative Nonviolence and Tom Hastings from PeaceVoice.  The day will start with a "Basics" training (from 10:30am - noon) which includes information about how to begin a campaign, creating goals, and making contact.  An Advanced Training will be held in the afternoon from 12:30 - 2:00.  The advanced training will focus on creating and protecting an image, preparing a press conference, gentle personalism and media work, recruiting via media, spreading expertise, media as community education and training, creating a media system in your organization. 

Participants are welcome to go to both trainings and a free lunch (including vegan and wheat-free options!) will be provided. If you'd like to sign up to participate or have any questions please call us at 503-222-5694 ext. 10 or info@sistersoftheroad.org, or stop by the office at 618 NW Davis.

On October 6th, staff put on a training on the legislative process in Oregon.  The training presented information about Oregon government structure and participants discussed how folks that live in Oregon can most easily and effectively get their voices heard within this structure. The passing of the health reform House Bill 2009 which creates the Health Authority Board, was also explained.  Because the Health Authority Board is a citizen board, its process of open meetings will make it easier to get Sisters' community and other Oregon citizens involved in the rule-making process of this bill.

Sisters' Systemic Change team has been working hard on the issues around homelessness, health and healthcare this past month!

- top of page -