A public database entitled Voices of Homelessness: A Qualitative Database from Sisters Of The Road will premiere at a block party this Thursday, September 4. The database holds Sisters’ entire research results: 18,000 pages of interviews with people who’ve experienced homelessness. It allows the public to utilize this valuable information and amplifies the voices of Sisters’ community.

The block party is open to all. Free Sisters’ meal coupons will be given out beginning at 10 for the barbecue lunch starting at 11; more coupons will be available throughout the day depending on availability. It will be held at Sisters on Davis Street between NW Sixth Avenue and Broadway, from 11am – 3pm. Inside the cafe, guests will be able to explore the database, with guides on hand to help.

The database will also be available at www.sistersoftheroad.org/voices. Users will easily be able to search qualitative data collected from 515 interviews by term, phrase, category, theme, as well as by demographic information such as age, sex, education, military service, etc. To access it, users must follow a simple log-on process and complete a user agreement.

Please join us this Thursday, or check out the data online!

Sisters Of The Road is seeking an Associate Director. People of color and people with experience of homelessness and poverty are encouraged to apply.

Applications are due by 5:00 pm September 15th, 2008. Please send resume and cover letter to Monica Beemer at Sisters Of The Road, 133 NW 6th Ave. Portland, OR 97209 or email Monica at sistersoftheroad.org. No phone calls please. Click here for a full job description.

A message from outgoing Associate Director Michael Buonocore:

“I’ve accepted a job as Planning and Policy Manager for the Housing Authority of Portland. I will start there on October 6th. This is sad news, because it means I’ll be leaving Sisters as Associate Director. It’s also exciting news, because HAP is the largest provider of affordable housing in Multnomah County, and doing important work to preserve public and affordable housing in the midst of ongoing federal disinvestment.

“The position will give me the opportunity to help shape key policies that impact many lives, and to bring with me the important lessons I’ve learned, and will keep learning, because of my time at Sisters. I want to thank the Sisters community for opening their hearts to me in the past year. It has truly been a gift to be part of this organization, and I will continue to be a supporter and friend.”

Half of all proceeds from food and beverages sales on Monday, September 29th from 5:00 pm to close (2:30 am!) at McMenamins’ Ringlers Pub will go directly to Sisters’ programs.

Ringlers is located at 1332 W. Burnside in Portland.  5:00 to 9:00 pm all ages are welcome and 9:00 to close is for those who are age 21 and over only. And there’s free pool all night! For more info on Ringlers Pub go to www.mcmenamins.com or call (503) 222-0627.

Thank you to Paul Selby, Marcia Knutson and all the good folks at McMenamins and Ringlers Restaurant. See you there!

Abigail Washburn, who will be performing at Sisters’ Hoedown and Auction 2008 with the Sparrow Quartet - is gettin’ awfully big for her britches! Abby and the Sparrow Quartet, featuring Bela Fleck, Casey Driessen and Ben Sollee, is garnering a lot of publicity lately.

To read some of the very positive reviews she’s been getting, click here.

For example, Helenair.com, who says she “sometimes sings in Mandarin and possesses a voice that’s both angelic and haunting,” goes on to write: “While the banjo is decidedly all-American, Washburn says its basic structure is similar to many instruments from other cultures. As a result, her Chinese-influenced tunes really don’t sound that off base when translated by a banjo. ‘I feel like most acoustic instruments are really sort of derived from the same sort of universal human condition,’ she says, adding that if aliens landed on the planet and heard the string music of many different cultures, ‘They wouldn’t think they’re all different; they would think we’re the same band.’” Click here to read the full article.

To learn more about the Hoedown or buy tickets, click here. Or call Monica at (503) 222-5694, ext. 19 or email Monica at Sistersoftheroad.org.

A new book which prominently features Genny Nelson and Sisters Of The Road, The Soul of a Leader (Crossroad, 2008) by Margaret Benefiel, is about to be launched.

A special Amazon.com promotion benefiting Sisters is occurring on September 10, and the author will donate $1 for every book sold on that day to Sisters! It will also increase the book’s visibility and help get Sisters’ story out more widely into the world!

If you’d like to participate, here’s what you do on September 10:

1) Click on the following link which will take you to the author’s website: http://www.executivesoul.com/SOAL.html (You can also get more information about the book here.)
2) Click on “order online” which will bring you to The Soul of a Leader on Amazon.com
3) Place your order.

Thanks for considering participating in Amazon Day!

5 Year Plan Visions and Goals
Sisters’ 5 Year Planning (2008-2013) Vision and Goals are complete. Each of our programs base their yearly Plans of Work around these Goals. The visions and goals were decided through consensus by Sisters’ staff, Board, interns, and several Civic Action Group members. Click here to view them.

Learn more about our fascinating book by clicking below!