HB+HC Community Leaders: Where Are They Now?

As 2020 wraps up, so does our Healthy Beginnings+Healthy Communities (HB+HC) initiative. We at NWHF are so excited to have witnessed the incredible growth of community leaders over the last five years. We know HB+HC played only the tiniest role, if any, in that growth. And we know that leaders don’t belong to any one Collaborative or organization; they shift and change how they show up in movements over time. In the five short years of HB+HC, many Collaborative members transitioned to new roles within and outside the HB+HC Cohort. Whether they’ve moved on to new jobs or grown within their organizations, we think all of these leaders deserve recognition. 

Unfortunately, we don’t have the capacity to contact all of the incredible participants in HB+HC, so we’re only highlighting a few. It’s important for us to note that a few leaders can never represent the full brilliance of BIPOC communities throughout Oregon and SW Washington! 

We asked each community leader: 

1. What were you doing five years ago, in 2015?

2. What are you doing now?

3. Any plans for 2021?

Diana Avalos-Leos (Healthy Communities, Healthy Futures)

1. I was serving as the Operations Manager for Healthy Living Collaborative of Southwest Washington.

2. I’m working in the Washington State Department of Health on a COVID-19 vaccination and care coordination project to support health jurisdictions who are working with community-based organizations to ensure people are supported during quarantine and isolation. 

3. Nine years ago I founded Clark County Youth Leadership organization, which provides advocacy, leadership, mentoring and after-school programming for BIPOC youth and their families. 2021 will be our 10-year anniversary, and we will continue to scale to provide leadership and networking opportunities for BIPOC youth and families. 

Karla Castaneda (Youth Equity Collaborative)

1. I co-developed a youth leadership cohort that focused on reproductive justice and developed another that focused on education. These cohorts were made up of young passionate humans, and I learned so much from their curiosity, directness and drive. I was able to take young people to advocate in Salem for reproductive health, education, transportation and housing. Young people were taking over the legislative session by testifying, rallying and showing up. All this, plus trying to finish my freshmen year of college.

2. I’m currently working at Verde as their Finance and Human Resources Coordinator. I’m learning a lot as I dive into numbers and policies. I question why things are and work with a team that is curious and open to new possibilities. 

3. Not sure yet. I’m not planning anymore, I’m just seeing where life takes me.

Andrea Gonzalez (La Voz de la Comunidad)

1. Five years ago today I was pursuing my bachelor’s in social work and struggling to navigate an educational system as a first generation college student. In 2017, I began my work at the Lower Columbia Hispanic Council, now Consejo Hispano, where I spent the following three years working with the community I grew up in. Through our work at HB+HC, not only did I get to work alongside local North Coast community leaders, but also leaders and organizers from all over Oregon and Washington!

2. Back at it y'all! I am currently pursuing my master’s in social work while working and interning at the Northwest Regional Education Service District. My role there is as a Family Engagement Specialist in the Migrant Education Program for Tillamook County. I'm very excited to be working with a new community, and although it can be difficult at times, and I have had to get very creative, relationship building with this community has been gratifying and vital during pandemic times. 

3. After 2020, I think my only real plan is to survive and thrive, graduate this spring and continue working with communities in the North Coast.  As we struggle to address the challenges and barriers that have been highlighted in this pandemic, I reflect on the work we have done and the work still to come in our communities. 

Jenny Lee (Racial Equity Agenda)

1. In 2015, I was working in Honolulu, Hawaii at my first job after graduation. During the legislative session, we built a coalition to pass driver licenses for all, which was such an honor to be a part of. But I was eager to come back to my home state of Oregon, so that fall I moved back and started a new position convening the Oregon Housing Alliance.

2. After working as the Advocacy Director at the Coalition of Communities of Color (CCC) and then in the same role at the Asian Pacific American Network of Oregon (APANO), I am back at CCC as the Deputy Director. As Deputy Director, I work to support CCC's programs, organizational development and coalition engagement to build power to take collective action for racial justice.

3. I am excited to build out CCC's affiliate 501(c)(4) and collaborate with our growing team as we work for systemic change. In 2021, we will be building a coalition to advocate for a more inclusive democracy in Portland and work with communities to develop policies that center BIPOC voices. From there, we will advocate at the Charter Review Commission to rethink our form of government and how we elect our lawmakers, and build a long-term campaign to win the changes we want to see at the ballot.

Amanda Manjarrez (Racial Equity Agenda)

1. Five years ago, I was starting my third year at Lewis & Clark Law School, which is what originally brought me to Portland, Oregon.  

2. Today, I am an active member of the NM State Bar and the Director of Public Policy and Government Affairs at Foundations for a Better Oregon. At FBO, we work with partners in community and across sectors to reimagine how Oregon supports every child to learn, grow and thrive. 

3. We’ve been working closely with a coalition of community-based organizations to develop a shared 2021 legislative agenda focused on advancing racial equity in Oregon’s education system. Most of my time will be spent advocating for that policy agenda along with our community partners during the 2021 Legislative Session. I'd also really like to travel and to hug friends and family again.

Dolores Martinez (Eastern Oregon Latino Alliance for Children & Families)

1. Five years ago I was working as a housekeeper in a hotel and got my promotion as head housekeeper that year, without any knowledge in technology or the English language, but with a lot of passion and motivation to learn. In 2015, I was registered in a toys for tots program that EUVALCREE provides. I never thought that one day, two years later, I was going to be doing the same thing, but in a different way, registering people in the same program that helped me.

2.  In February, I will celebrate four years being part of EUVALCREE as a staff member. Now, I'm the Director of Community Engagement, as well as an application assistant for OHP (Oregon Health Plan). Honestly I never imagined learning what I have learned, meeting many people, learning computer skills, improving my English, working in different programs and being able to help and provide support to my community. I am really a different person than I was back in 2015 and am grateful for all the people that have supported me in my growth. I love being part of the changes in my community. I love what I do.

3. Fight my fears, be more confident, learn more, practice my English more, keep growing so that way I can support more, participate more, be the voice of my community, keep my motivation, and be the best model to my family! 

Minerva Moulin Alvarez (La Voz de la Comunidad)

1. I was running my cleaning business. 

2. I am working now for Consejo Hispano. I am a Civic Engagement Coordinator. 

3. My plans for 2021 are to keep serving our minority communities and be the voice for those who can’t speak and are oppressed by people in power.

Ophelia Noble (Healthy Communities, Healthy Futures)

1. As I reflect on 2015, I think about hurt, trials and tribulations of being “priced out” of my hometown (Vancouver, WA), moving my family to Kelso, WA and experiencing the worst forms of racism that I have experienced in my life. From receiving a three-page letter from an unknown source telling me my family needs to get out the town to a local SSD worker telling me they don’t want someone like me contracted to become a payee for folks receiving SSI/SSD payments (although the agency was in desperate need of payees), to my children experiencing micro and macro aggressions on a daily basis in the education system, community, and health care system. Seeing “CLAN” acronyms in the school (meaning Citizenship, Leadership, Advocacy, Nobility), but set in the context of the community; seeing MAGA hats on children and Confederate flags on trucks parked in the school lot, to Confederate insignia on hats, belts, etc. Inevitably being called a ni*** on many occasions. Unfortunately, this reflection is not seamless, as I don’t think I have found a way to process it any meaningful way other than trauma.

   As a member of the HB+HC initiative, I was able to literally and figuratively take an emotional break from the trauma, traveling to different areas in Oregon to see the ways in which communities of color were exercising activism, services and systems change work, seeing amazing BIPOC-led health care services, food banks, community centers, relationships with political leaders and thought bubblers. There seemed to be a constant theme that I circled back to: “It all started with activism in one way or another a need to lift up the voices of Black and Brown folks impacted by systemic racism in all its forms from, institutional to interpersonal and internalized, from microaggressions to macroaggressions.” I was also able to sit in deep supportive, patient and caring respect as I began to regain my own ability to trust again. I distinctly remember sitting in a session around what it may take to build 501(c)(3)/(c)(4) infrastructure in SWWA and having an emotional reaction almost to tears as I contemplated all the ways I could fail my community, the potential loss of friendship and connection to community. Among other thoughts, more importantly I felt again, I began thinking about the possibilities in life again. I began dreaming again a state of awareness that I had lost just two years prior. I was able to be surrounded by BIPOC strength, courage, patience, love, awareness and SUPPORT!   

2. Five years later, and I am now supporting community building out the necessary tools to receive the same care I received as I navigated one of the most difficult times in my life. I am helping to build out an equitable community-based, culturally specific CHW Program, uplifting the spirit of organizers and activists, and supporting infrastructure development of the first 501(c)(3)/(c)(4) sister organization led by community, in community, while also supporting the development of a multicultural center. I am working alongside commUNITY to ensure social, economic, environmental and political justice (equity). This is no longer a quiet conversation behind closed doors. I am personally building up the courage to make a political run in my hometown to work within the system to make change! 

Denise Piza (Let’s Talk Diversity Coalition)

1. Five years ago, in 2015, I was really delving into the work with the Let's Talk Diversity Coalition as an Outreach Coordinator.  We were working hard at facilitating equity, diversity and inclusion trainings in Central Oregon, along with supporting work with Juntos and facilitating the workshops for families in Culver. At that time I was also sitting on the board of our school district's ESD and Kids Club. We had a lot going on at the Coalition, but also in my family. I was pregnant at the time with my now four-year-old daughter, so there were a lot of important things happening. I was able to connect with some amazing leaders in our community and had the opportunity to collaborate on many projects that positively impacted our communities. I actually connected with many folks that I currently have the opportunity to work with in various capacities through the HB+HC Collaboratives.  

2. Currently, I am transitioning to a new position with Oregon Health Authority and took a little break before getting started there. I am really excited to join the team and get started. Also as many of us are, I am working from home and supporting my children and my nieces and nephews with online learning through this pandemic. This year has definitely presented us with new and different challenges.  

3. For 2021, I am looking forward to supporting my eldest in his last year of high school and getting him to graduation. My son was the reason I became so active in advocacy work and being there for him in this important milestone is going to be a priority. I also hope to continue to build with other community leaders on a lot of the work we have done together since I moved to the Willamette Valley.  

Jaylyn Suppah (Let’s Talk Diversity Coalition)

1. I was working at LTDC going into year two, feeling more comfortable in my job as the Native American Outreach Coordinator. Before I started working for LTDC, I was a volunteer for the organization. I was learning a lot and working in partnership with my tribe and community. I started learning more in depth about advocacy, grassroots organizing, leadership and community work. I also began my work as a cultural awareness facilitator and trainer. The focus of my work was the Papalaxsimisha program, which I along with the full support of OSU Open Campus in Madras, created and was hosting our first cohort of the program. It was one of my toughest years as I became a single mother raising two children ages two and four. I also got my new home on the reservation late in the year, and I was so grateful. This is the year I really started on my healing journey as a woman, a mother and community leader. 

2. I am raising two beautiful children who are homeschooling this year due to COVID. I am a student at The Evergreen State College in the Masters of Public Administration Tribal Governance program. I work for my tribe, the Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs, as the Community Planner in Health & Human Services. Our tribe is one of the Regional Health Equity Coalitions throughout the state of Oregon advocating for equity, decolonizing practices and policies and how to uplift our traditional knowledge and ways of being. I also oversee the Papalaxsimisha program and Family Resilience program. I serve on several boards and committees such as the Governor’s Health Equity Committee, National Indian Education Association and MRG Foundation. 

3. The biggest plan for 2021 is running for school board for the Jefferson County 509-J School District in May. 

Kathy Wai (APANO VOTE Network)

1. I was the Policy and Civic Engagement Manager at APANO from 2014-2017. I then eventually became the Field Director from 2017-2018. During my time at APANO, I managed year-round civic engagement training, outreach and political education activities to increase voter participation in underrepresented communities (specifically API immigrants, new citizens, elders, and college-age students). I also led the HEART Campaign (Health Equity and Reform Team) to pass health equity legislation statewide specifically for COFA/Pacific Islanders, newly arrived immigrants, and helped support the passage of the Reproductive Health Equity Act through organizing town halls and training community members on legislative lobbying.

   Through my involvement with HB+HC, I also had the opportunity to organize the VOTE Network with 12 Asian and Pacific Islander organizations to help build their capacity to conduct culturally specific voter education, registration, phone banking and policy advocacy for year-round 501(c)(3) electoral efforts.

2. I ran for an open seat on the North Clackamas School Board in 2017 and became the youngest woman of color to serve on the Board. Since then, I've been involved with the creation of the Oregon School Board Members of Color Caucus, serving on the executive leadership team and representing the Clackamas Region. I've also been appointed by Governor Kate Brown to serve on TriMet's Board of Directors and am currently serving on NARAL Pro-Choice Oregon's PAC Board. Aside from my public service roles, I've worked most recently as the Census Justice Director for Oregon Futures Lab and worked with our BIPOC leaders to get our communities accurately counted in the 2020 Census. 

3. I want to travel in 2021, since I wasn’t able to in 2020.

How the Healthy Beginnings+Healthy Communities Initiative Evolved from 2015 through 2020

With a multi-year initiative, change is inevitable. New leaders are elected to office, policies are passed and repealed, and nonprofit staff members transition to different roles. Organizations merge and dissolve. Some opportunities arise, and others disappear.

Over the course of our six-year Healthy Beginnings+Healthy Communities initiative, we experienced all of this and more. The initiative and our grantees pivoted time and again, responding to crises and shifts in public interest.

This is how HB+HC evolved from 2015 through 2020:

Where We Began

When we first called for applications for HB+HC’s Organizing Grant Year, we created a dashboard of metrics to measure positive improvements in health. We called this dashboard the Health Compass. It included milestones for health at birth, kindergarten and high school. It also recognized four dimensions of health: social, mental, spiritual and physical.

At our Organizing Grant Year gatherings in 2015, participants filled in blank Health Compasses with their own milestones. They wrote in milestones like “culturally specific services to prepare parents,” “all children have access to healthcare,” and “access to safe places to congregate and play.” They also participated in workshops about NEAR (Neuroscience, Epigenetics, ACEs, Resilience) science, health system transformation, and coalition building.

At the end of the Organizing Grant Year, ten Community Collaboratives continued on to participate in the full initiative:

• APANO VOTE Network, led by Asian Pacific American Network of Oregon

• Successful Transitions, led by Southern Oregon Education Service District (later transitioned into Criminal Justice Coalition, led by Unite Oregon Rogue Valley) 

• Eastern Oregon Latino Alliance for Children and Families, led by EUVALCREE

• Healthy CAPACES, led by Pineros y Campesinos Unidos del Noroeste

• Healthy Communities, Healthy Futures, led by Healthy Living Collaborative of Southwest Washington (left the HB+HC initiative after folding into SWACH)

• Immigrant and Refugee Engage Project led by Immigrant and Refugee Community Organization

• La Voz de la Comunidad, led by Consejo Hispano (formerly Lower Columbia Hispanic Council)

• Let’s Talk Diversity Coalition, led by Let’s Talk Diversity Coalition (disbanded)

• Racial Equity Agenda, led by Coalition of Communities of Color

• Youth Equity Collaborative, led by Momentum Alliance

Building Power for Kids & Families

During our first official year of Communities Collaborate, we dug deep to understand what it means to build power as communities. HB+HC’s emphasis shifted toward BIPOC communities taking seats at decision-making tables.

In fall 2016, Collaboratives designed and participated in a “Building Power Assessment.” This included questions about organizing models, frameworks, movements, policy agendas and public policy influence, coalitions and networks, campaigns, communications, leadership development, fundraising, legal tools and electoral politics.

The assessment illuminated something we already suspected: different Collaboratives possessed different strengths, and all Collaboratives were more confident in some areas than others. This led us to recognize an opportunity for Collaboratives to share skills with one another. Collaboratives held trainings for one another on fundraising, youth leadership, communications and more. Some Collaboratives even visited each other, community-to-community, to share knowledge.

Changing Political Landscape

The results of the November 2016 election, both locally and nationally, put many of the Collaboratives into defense mode, especially those who counted immigrants and refugees among their staff, board and community members. Organizations hosted Know Your Rights trainings and advocated for cities and school districts to pass statements of sanctuary and inclusion. Throughout their time together, the Collaboratives defended immigrants’ rights through defeating anti-immigrant ballot measures. They also campaigned for progressive policies like Ethnic Studies in Oregon schools, affordable housing measures and healthcare for all children.

How We Worked Together

Gatherings

Every year of HB+HC, except 2020, we held one to three Cohort gatherings. At the three-day gatherings, representatives from each Collaborative spent time building relationships with each other, leading and attending workshops to learn relevant concepts and skills, and being inspired by keynote speakers from across the country. Each Collaborative was responsible for hosting one gathering, and time was also spent visiting people and places in the community and learning about each other’s work. 

We held gatherings in Warm Springs, Woodburn, Salem, Medford, Portland, Astoria and Ontario, Oregon, as well as Vancouver and Kelso/Longview, Washington. We did everything from door-to-door canvassing for issue campaigns to riding public buses for a city-wide scavenger hunt. Participants enjoyed delicious food from BIPOC-owned restaurants and catering companies. We covered a myriad of topics in keynotes, workshops and conversations, including the history of the Chinese Exclusion Act in Oregon, disability justice, Oregon’s Black history, combating anti-Blackness, how to use the Voter Activation Network, communications skills, parent leadership and so much more.

Leadership Team

In 2017, we formed the Cohort Leadership Team. This group was made up of key representatives from each Collaborative. Together, they suggested content for gatherings, made decisions for shared Cohort action and held each other accountable.

The Leadership Team met about once a quarter to discuss strategies. They also convened annually in a longer retreat format to build stronger bonds and develop the following year’s Cohort action priorities. The leadership team was responsible for bringing the Cohort Action Plan back to their communities and deciding what to lead on and what to support.

Cohort Action Plan

The Cohort Action Plan included four focus areas:

Narrative - The Cohort chose to contribute to a new narrative about communities of color in Oregon to unite communications efforts around advocacy and political campaigns.

Leadership Development - Collaboratives wanted to assess existing leadership development programs and determine gaps they could help fill in. 

Policy Advocacy - Collaboratives worked together to support policy campaigns each year. For example, the Cohort successfully campaigned for the Equal Access to Roads Act and the Oregon Voting Rights Act during the 2019 Legislative Session. 

Electoral Organizing - Collaboratives supported candidates and ballot measures for general and special elections, including state and school board races.

Collaboratives participated in Cohort Action in various ways. Some contributed staff time to work on campaigns. Others brought community members from across the state to lobby in Salem. The Cohort Action Plan allowed Collaboratives to participate in Cohort-level actions in any number of ways, depending on what aligned with their Collaborative-level interest, capacity and goals. While we saw some success in the Cohort Action Plan, we realized it was very challenging to juggle four sometimes separate, sometimes overlapping priorities. Additionally, because of the limitations of 501(c)(3) organizations and political work, some Collaboratives were not able to contribute directly. Other times, people working on Cohort Action were not able to coordinate their efforts to accomplish their intended goals.

501(c)(4) Funding

Unique among other foundations, NWHF has the ability to grant 501(c)(4) dollars, as well as 501(c)(3) dollars. Throughout the initiative, HB+HC Collaboratives had the option to request 501(c)(4) funding alongside 501(c)(3) funding. In 2016, just one Collaborative, Healthy CAPACES, received 501(c)(4) funding. In 2020, five Collaboratives requested and received 501(c)(4) funding: Healthy CAPACES, APANO VOTE Network, Racial Equity Agenda, Criminal Justice Coalition and Eastern Oregon Latino Alliance for Children and Families. 501(c)(4) funds have allowed these Collaboratives to ramp up their lobbying and electoral organizing. 

2020 Crises and Opportunities

The COVID-19 pandemic, renewed social uprising against police killings of Black people, and wildfires all introduced unexpected hurdles and windows to opportunity. For instance, the Collaboratives involved in the #WeCountOregon 2020 Census campaign were forced to adjust their outreach plans after COVID-19 broke out in the U.S. Previously, outreach plans prioritized door knocking and in-person events. In March and April, the campaign quickly pivoted to online and phone-based outreach. Another example: The national social uprising catalyzed by a police officer murdering George Floyd renewed political attention and interest in Black Lives Matter movement policy demands. This presented an opportunity for Portland organizations and activists to bring a community oversight measure to the November ballot, which passed with more than 80% of voters in support.

Conclusion

We’re far from where we started with HB+HC. For one, we’re not ending the initiative asking Collaboratives to tell us if they met the measures set in the Health Compass. It’s not that we no longer believe these metrics to be important; we do. Rather, we’ve come to recognize that the same set of measures aren’t meaningful in every community. Communities define health in different ways. We’ve also realized that building power through narrative change, leadership development, policy advocacy, and electoral organizing is a long-term strategy with much farther reaching benefits than are easy to measure. Only time will show how these efforts improve health.

Celebrating Healthy Beginnings+Healthy Communities Collaborative Accomplishments From 2015 Through 2020

Northwest Health Foundation’s Healthy Beginnings+Healthy Communities initiative is wrapping up after six years of grantmaking. Over the course of this initiative, the HB+HC Collaboratives built power individually as well as collectively. For example, one Collaborative, the Eastern Oregon Latino Alliance for Children and Families, was instrumental in persuading the City of Ontario in eastern Oregon to form a diversity advisory committee and ensuring the committee includes Latino representation. Other advocacy wins, like No on Measure 105, involved every Collaborative in the HB+HC Cohort, with different Collaboratives contributing to door-to-door canvassing, phone banking, writing editorials, creating campaign ads and more.  

In the last few years, the Collaboratives accomplished more than we could ever capture. We recognize HB+HC played only a small part in supporting these accomplishments, and other organizations and community leaders who were not funded through HB+HC contributed to them as well. That said, we still want to celebrate these incredible wins! Here are a handful of the HB+HC Collaboratives’ accomplishments over the last six years. (We’ve included some links to examples.)

• Registered thousands of new voters.

• Held lobby and legislative action days.

• Established new 501(c)(3) and 501(c)(4) organizations.

• Endorsed candidates.

• Published voter guides.

• Knocked on thousands of doors, made tens of thousands of phone calls, and sent tens of thousands of texts in support of issue campaigns, candidates and get-out-the-vote efforts.

• Led leadership and advocacy trainings.

• Led and won issue campaigns.

- Oregon Voting Rights Act

- No on Measure 105

- No on Measure 106

- Driver’s Licenses for All

- Cover All Kids

- Reproductive Health Equity

- Ethnic Studies

- Student Success Act

- Portland Clean Energy Fund

- Stable Homes

- Prescription Drug Labeling

- Paid Family Leave

- Fair and Honest Elections

- Tobacco and E-cigarette Tax Increase

- Decriminalizing Drugs and Funding Treatment

- Preschool for All

- Portland Police Accountability

• Led and won candidate campaigns across Oregon.

• Held candidate forums, listening sessions and town halls.

• Expanded their geographic reach and opened new offices.

• Held community events.

• Created and served on advisory committees.

• Brought critical lived experience to coalitions.

• Forged new partnerships.

• Researched and released reports.  

• Wrote letters to the editor and editorials, and made campaign videos.

• Developed a cross-cultural racial equity narrative.

• Created COVID-19 pandemic relief funds.

• Participated in a statewide Census campaign emphasizing outreach to hard-to-count communities.

• Pivoted time after time as new crises arose, including the election of President Trump in 2016, increased presence of ICE in our communities, social uprisings against police brutality, the COVID-19 pandemic, wildfires and more.

A Snapshot of the HB+HC Initiative

How We're Incorporating Feedback from Healthy Beginnings+Healthy Communities into our New Initiative, Civic Health

Seven members of the Healthy Beginnings + Healthy Communities Collaborative Immigrant and Refugee Engage Project pose in front of a community garden at a HB+HC gathering in 2018.

Last year we hired an outside contractor, Dawn Richardson who is an Associate Professor in the OHSU-PSU School of Public Health, to conduct interviews with the Collaboratives from our Healthy Beginnings+Healthy Communities initiative (HB+HC). We wanted to know what worked and what didn’t so we can improve as a funder and partner to community-based organizations throughout Oregon and Southwest Washington. We’re using this feedback as we prepare for our next multi-year initiative, Civic Health.

Some themes that emerged from these interviews:

• The multi-year funding framework, and funding for advocacy, lobbying, and movement building work, were critical to this work. Many Collaboratives increased their capacity for and understanding of 501(c)(4) work.

• Collaboratives were energized by the cohort model, which connected organizations across our region and across movements, allowing Collaboratives to learn from one another and build relationships.

• As HB+HC moved further into 501(c)(4) political work, some Collaboratives who were not prepared for this were left behind. They felt disconnected from the HB+HC Cohort.

• Collaboratives appreciated responsiveness and flexibility in the trajectory of HB+HC.

• Turnover among staff at grantee organizations posed difficult. New staff experienced some difficulty and confusion in joining HB+HC and were hard pressed to catch up with everything that had happened before they joined.

• Some Collaboratives expressed concern about the lack of attention given to racial and ethnic inequity, anti-blackness, colorism, microaggressions and oppression broadly and within the Cohort. NWHF did not follow through on requests for open dialogue.  

• Collaboratives far from Portland felt disconnected sometimes and struggled to bring their learnings from Cohort gatherings back to rural communities.

• Some Collectives appreciated the opportunity to take ownership over the Cohort’s focus and direction, while others felt a lack of clarity and experienced anxiety not knowing where the Cohort was headed.

• Biannual reports felt onerous.

• Collaboratives enjoyed retreats and gatherings and were pleased with Northwest Health Foundation’s choice to hire an external facilitator. They felt that hiring someone from outside NWHF and the Cohort allowed for the transparency and openness necessary for building trust and community.

Northwest Health Foundation has taken this feedback to heart, and we are actively responding to it as we create a plan for Civic Health. 

The Civic Health Cohort Program will fund organizations for four years with 501(c)(4) dollars and emphasize electoral organizing and movement building. We convened Civic Health Assessment & Planning, a sort-of pre-initiative learning opportunity, to ensure groups had an opportunity to give input while we were planning the initiative and to ensure they understand and are prepared for the work supported by Civic Health. While we’ll still fund groups with a range of experiences, we’re increasing funding and coaching to emerging, less-experienced organizations so that they don’t get left behind. 

We asked HB+HC Collaboratives to reapply to renew funding every year. With Civic Health, groups will only be asked to reapply to renew funding halfway through the initiative (after two years). This is to make sure groups are still well-aligned with Civic Health. 

We are continuing with a cohort model similar to the HB+HC Cohort. We will bring all of the Civic Health organizations together for convenings. We will also visit peer organizations throughout the country to learn how groups in other places are implementing Integrated Voter Engagement. Groups in Civic Health are not a state-wide coalition. Rather, they are a cohort of organizations that want to build their capacity for electoral work and are committed to shared values and supporting each other’s work. To act together on state-wide or regional elections or policy change, the groups will need to engage and coordinate with groups outside of Civic Health and voters outside their base.

NWHF enters Civic Health with a BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and other people of color) lens. This means we’re prioritizing Black and Indigenous communities in light of the fact that Black and Indigenous communities experienced the brunt of violence in the founding of our country, and continue to experience violence as a result of history as well as present-day policies, anti-black racism, and Native erasure. All groups funded by Civic Health must be committed to developing a common understanding and approaches to building power. This will include learning about and implementing movement frameworks like disability justice and reproductive justice.

While we’re still leaving room for flexibility and responsiveness, we also hear the folks who want more direction. We hope that providing clear goals and strategies and the framework of Integrated Voter Engagement will help create that structure. 

Through the research and planning period, we’ve worked with Dancing Hearts Consulting, a Black woman-led firm based in Southern Oregon. We’ll continue to contract with Dancing Hearts Consulting to guide and facilitate Civic Health. The founder and director of Dancing Hearts Consulting, Esperanza Tervalon-Garrett, facilitated pieces of HB+HC, and Collaboratives appreciated what she brought to the experience. We also hope that working with a consulting firm from a rural community will enhance our understanding and inclusion of rural communities.

We know we’ll make mistakes with Civic Health, but we promise to learn from the mistakes we made with Healthy Beginnings+Healthy Communities. We’re excited to embark on this journey in 2021.

Q&A with Michael Alexander, Our 2020 Board Chair

Q. What attracted you to join Northwest Health Foundation’s board of directors?

A. I had an opportunity to be introduced to the Northwest Health Foundation board when I was working at Regence Blue Cross Blue Shield, and I thought, this is an impressive group of people. This is a foundation involved in transformative work. Thomas Aschenbrener was still the president, and Reverend Mark Knutson, Phil Wu and Nichole Maher were all on the board.

Three to four years later, while serving as CEO of the Urban League of Portland, after Nichole became president, she began carefully cultivating me. I realized NWHF might be thinking about asking me to join the board. 

Every time I visit the office and see my name and photo on the wall, I have a sense of being so honored to be part of this work.

Q. What have you been most excited to be a part of at NWHF?

A. The Healthy Beginnings+Healthy Communities initiative has been a wonderful way to gain a sense of emerging and compelling issues beyond the Portland corridor. The question of how we serve the needs of our greater service area has been a prime one for the board and for me. People throughout Oregon and Southwest Washington face the same challenges we do in Portland, but with fewer resources and often less focus from foundations. 

Learning is ongoing at Northwest Health Foundation. I admire the degree of self-reflection the staff engages in around who is missing and who needs to be brought to the table. We don’t try to find a comfortable place to ground ourselves, because it isn’t about our voice. It’s about providing a platform of self-determination for   marginalized communities.

Q. Is there anything in particular you hope to accomplish as board chair?

A. I want to continue the emphasis on addressing issues of equity related to geography and disability rights. It’s important to look at each of these through the lenses of communities of color. In addressing these foci, the overlay of race is a primary consideration for the Foundation. We’re missing an opportunity to optimize our impact if we don’t include the voices of isolated and disabled BIPOC (Black, Indigenous and people of color).

Q. What do you see as Oregon and Southwest Washington’s greatest opportunity? Our greatest challenge?

A. I think our greatest challenge and greatest opportunity are the same thing. Increasingly it’s become important to enable and empower communities not just to find their voice, but to lead solutions. This includes running candidates for office, as well as increasing the degree of representative democracy across the region in getting community members on policy panels, boards and committees. NWHF’s Civic Health initiative, with its commitment of both 501(c)3 and 501(c)4 resources, encourages and allows BIPOC communities to take advocacy to the next step, to create strategies that will best address issues.

Q. What do you do outside of chairing NWHF’s board?

A. I spend a lot of time looking at pictures of my seven grandchildren on Facebook, six of whom are  on the East Coast. They range from 13 months to six years old. 

I serve on the Port of Portland Commission, which deals with large and emerging issues around our local waterways and Portland International airport. I also contribute a significant amount of time to serving on the board of the Black United Fund of Oregon, which is a wonderful complement to my work at NWHF.

Twice a week I go to what I call my  humbling exercise: a yoga class. I’ve been going for two years, and I never get better. I also cycle to many of my meetings at the Foundation from Sellwood. 

Northwest Health Foundation and the Black United Fund are particularly close to my heart. I can’t think of a better way to spend my disposable time. 

Q. Is there anything else you want to share?

A.  Northwest Health Foundation is so fortunate to have a tremendous staff. We transitioned very thoughtfully from the skilled and enlightened leadership of Nichole June Maher to the timely and strategic leadership of Jesse Beason. He, and the rest of the staff, are the right people to guide us through the strategic pivot point of Civic Health.

Campaigning for a United Warm Springs

“With 50% of our Tribal membership under the age of 30, we strongly believe that we need leadership that represents our demographic and ensures that decisions today honor our ancestors and future generations.”

— Unite Warm Springs

Northwest Health Foundation knows when elected officials look like their constituents, the policies they create work better for all of us. So, when a community leader connected to one of our funded partners is running, we want to spotlight them. This does not constitute an endorsement.

Jaylyn Suppah (Warm Springs, Wasco, Shoshone Bannock, Yakama) is running for the Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs Tribal Council as part of the Unite Warm Springs campaign, a group of four candidates dedicated to a common goal: “help build our People and our Nation.” Although tribal members will vote on each candidate separately, the four chose to campaign together, because they believe in a Warm Springs united across voting districts.

Several community members had encouraged Jaylyn to run for Tribal Council in the past. So, when Unite Warm Springs approached her to join them, she said yes. A slate of candidates with a common platform has never run in Warm Springs before, and that excited her. Although technically she’s running for a seat as Simnasho District representative, she emphasizes her intent to serve the whole Nation of Warm Springs.

Besides the few years Jaylyn spent at college attaining her associate’s degree, she’s lived her whole life in Warm Springs. Currently, she works for the Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs as a community planner, managing the Papalaxsimisha program, which supports Native youth. As a freshman in college, Jaylyn struggled with finances and debt. Now she’s creating a financial management program for youth, so others will know what she didn’t as a teenager.

Before working for the Tribes, Jaylyn worked for the nonprofit Let’s Talk Diversity Coalition, one of Northwest Health Foundation’s grantees through the Healthy Beginnings+Healthy Communities initiative. Thanks to Let’s Talk Diversity Coalition, Jaylyn started getting into advocacy, policy change and cultural awareness. Jaylyn currently attends Evergreen State College. She’s working toward a B.A. through the Native Pathways Program, with an emphasis on tribal government.    

Jaylyn wants Warm Springs to start talking about their historical trauma. She says they need to talk so they can start healing. She also wants to empower youth to get involved in advocacy and government.  

No matter whether she’s elected or not, Jaylyn plans to continue this work.

Learn more about Unite Warm Springs.

Who represents Centennial School District's ESL and refugee students?

“We all want our friends, families and the next generation to have a secure future.” – Sumitra Chhetri

Northwest Health Foundation knows when elected officials look like their constituents, the policies they create work better for all of us. So, when a community leader connected to one of our funded partners is running, we want to spotlight them. This does not constitute an endorsement.  

In the last decade, Centennial School District in east Portland went from 16% students of color to 54%. That’s a huge demographic shift in a short amount of time. It’s a safe bet the schools, particularly the students of color, are feeling those growing pains.  

Sumitra Chhetri, a leader in our Healthy Beginnings+Healthy Communities Cohort, is running for Centennial School Board, Position 3, because she believes these students deserve representation. As a Bhutanese refugee who moved to Portland with her family in 2008, graduated from David Douglas High School as an ESL student, and now works for Immigrant and Refugee Community Organization, she hopes to bring first-hand experience to the position. 

Sumitra’s brother, a current Centennial High School student, is enthusiastic about his sister’s campaign. He and his friends have been eager to share their input. At Sumitra’s Campaign Kickoff, her brother and two other students stated their support for Sumitra, because she will represent their voices as students of color.

Sumitra graduated from Portland State University with a degree in political science, and she’s actively participated in the political process since high school. As a college student, she traveled to Washington, D.C. to advocate for tuition equity. She also interned with a group lobbying in Washington, D.C. for paper bags instead of plastic in stores. She’s since spent lots of time in Salem advocating with the immigrant and refugee community, is currently vice president of the Oregon Bhutanese Community Organization and a community engagement liaison with the City of Portland, and was recently appointed to the Metro Citizenship Review Committee.

“I understand what students of families of color face,” wrote Sumitra on her campaign website. “Over the years, I have worked with immigrant and refugees families and communities advocating for issues such as access to education, health care, transportation, language, and affordable housing. Lack of health care, transportation, and affordable housing all impacts the learning ability of students in school.”

We wish you luck, Sumitra!

Learn more about Sumitra at her website and on Facebook.

Helen Ying: Connecting the Dots for a Better World

This blog is the first in a series of posts celebrating elected leaders who reflect our equity priorities. At Northwest Health Foundation, we know communities need the power and resources to sit at decision-making tables, to help dispel beliefs and practices that do not promote their health, and to help shape those that do. From local school boards to the state legislature, parents and families should have a voice.

Helen Ying stands in front of a crowd of her supporters, arms outstretched.

Helen Ying's personal mission is to engage and empower people to improve their communities, something she's been doing her whole life. As a young teen and recent immigrant, Helen served on Marshall High School's student senate. It didn't matter to her that she was still learning English. She wanted to improve her community, and she'd found a way to do it — becoming a leader. This desire continued through adulthood, bringing Helen to where she is now: a member of Multnomah Education Service District's elected board of directors, National Vice President of Membership for the Chinese American Citizens Alliance, and a force for change in our region.

Of course, Helen's journey wasn't a straight path from student senate to county-level elected official. First, she became a leader in her church, volunteering to coordinate the choir at age sixteen and superintending Sunday school at eighteen. For thirty years, she worked as a math teacher, school counselor and vice principal. During this time, she realized how few laws and policies truly support health, particularly the health of children and youth. When Helen retired, she knew she wanted to do one of two things: become a missionary or run for office. Lucky for all of us, she chose the latter.

Helen marches in the St. Johns Parade, waving with one hand and holding a campaign sign in the other.

Helen didn't win her first campaign for office. In 2011, then Metro Councilor Rex Burkholder approached her and suggested she run for his soon-to-be-vacant seat. Helen campaigned for six months and came in second. But she doesn't consider her campaign a failure. She ran against four white men and received more votes than three of them combined. Furthermore, the connections she made and visibility she gained during that campaign led to dozens of other opportunities.

After her loss, several community leaders approached Helen and invited her to serve on boards and committees. These included the Creation Committee for the Office of Equity for Portland and the Oregon Health Policy Board Coordinated Care Organization Criteria Work Group, among others. She also chairs the Asian American Youth Leadership Conference and serves as a board member for We Can Do Better. So, when Northwest Health Foundation President & CEO Nichole June Maher suggested Helen run for Multnomah Education Service District, Position 2 in 2017, Helen was ready. And this time, she won.

As a Multnomah Education Service District board member, Helen is committed to taking MESD to the next level. She strongly believes she and her fellow board members have the skills they need to succeed, to promote policies that will support health for children and youth.

In Helen's opinion, it is incredibly important for elected officials to reflect the communities they serve. As a young person, she couldn't understand why there weren't any leaders who looked like her. This year, at the Oregon School Board Association Conference, she and the other school board members of color (the most ever in Oregon's history) met to start a caucus to support one another and ensure their voices are heard. Helen wants today's students of color to be able to envision themselves in leadership roles, and seeing school board members who come from their communities making a real difference is part of that.

More than anything else, Helen Ying wants to inspire others, especially young people, to become involved in their communities and strive to make the changes they want to see in the world. Her advice? Start small. Consider your skills, where you can have influence, what needs to change. Make a commitment to yourself. It could be as simple as encouraging family members to vote. Continue taking tiny steps, working your way up to bigger actions. Participate in an issue campaign. Meet with your legislator. Join a committee or board. One day, you might even decide to run for office.

If Helen's story motivated you to get engaged, check out the partnership and learning opportunities on our Open Opportunities page. Maybe you'll find your next small step toward improving your community.

Here's What We're Endorsing this November, and Why

At Northwest Health Foundation, we talk a lot about decision-making tables: who’s at them, who’s not at them, and how decisions are being made with or without critical voices. Increasingly, we’ve come to believe the ballot is a critical decision-making table where our communities’ voices are needed more than ever.

We only make endorsements after careful consideration and consultation with community leaders, community-led organizations and our board. If communities agree on endorsing a measure, the issue campaign is community-driven, the measure aligns with our Healthy Beginnings+Healthy Communities goals, and we at Northwest Health Foundation have the capacity to offer our support, then we will make an endorsement. 

Here's what we're endorsing in 2016:

YES on Measure 98 – High School Graduation and College and Career Readiness Act

What does it do? Measure 98, if passed, will require Oregon to earmark $800 in funding per high school student per school year for dropout prevention programs, college-level classes and career-technical education.

Who supports the Vote Yes 98 campaign? Latino Network, Coalition of Communities of Color, APANO Statewide Network, PCUN, Adelante Mujeres, NAYA Family Center, STAND for Children and many others.

Why YES? Oregon needs students to graduate ready to contribute to our communities and the economy. Oregon has the third lowest high school graduation rate in the country, and the kids who do graduate often leave school unprepared for college or career. This isn’t good for individuals; it isn’t good for families or communities; and it isn’t good for our economy. By funding dropout prevention programs, we can increase our graduation rates. Increasing the availability of Advanced Placement classes and co-enrollment in community college classes will give students a head start on college preparedness and earning a degree. And career-technical education will prepare students for living wage jobs and provide them with real-world skills. These approaches are proven to work.

YES on Measure 26-179 – Bonds to Fund Affordable Housing in Portland

What does it do? Measure 26-179 would authorize $258,400,000 in general obligation bonds for building, rehabilitating and preserving affordable housing for low-income households in Portland. The bonds would be paid for with a property tax, 42 cents per $1,000 of assessed value.

Who supports the Yes for Affordable Homes campaign? APANO, Coalition of Communities of Color, Living Cully, OPAL Environmental Justice Oregon, Urban League of Portland and many others.

Why YES? A stable home is a foundation for health. When Portlanders have stable and affordable places to live, they can focus on reaching their professional goals, succeeding in school, taking care of and spending time with family and friends and doing what matters to them. With the current affordable housing shortage, too many Portland residents are experiencing homelessness or paying more than they can afford for housing. By passing Measure 26-179, we can create 1,300 permanently affordable housing units, which will house tens of thousands of people over their lifetime.

YES on Proposition 1 – Levy to Fund Affordable Housing in Vancouver

What does it do? Proposition 1 would establish a levy on residential and commercial properties, 36 cents per $1,000 of assessed value. Vancouver would collect and distribute the money through a competitive public process to private developers, low-income property owners, the housing authority and nonprofits with the goal of preserving and creating affordable housing.

Who supports the Bring Vancouver Home campaign? Healthy Living Collaborative and many others.

Why YES? A stable home is a foundation for health. When Vancouver’s residents have stable and affordable places to live, they can focus on reaching their professional goals, succeeding in school, taking care of and spending time with family and friends and doing what matters to them. With the current affordable housing shortage, seniors, veterans, people with disabilities and hardworking families with children are being priced out of Vancouver. By passing Proposition 1, we can help ensure that everyone in Vancouver has the opportunity to live in a safe, secure, healthy and affordable home.

A Letter from Outgoing Board Chair Rev. W.J. Mark Knutson

Recently I returned from a National Summit on Welcoming the Syrian Refugee in Detroit, Michigan. It was an inspiring summit focused on hospitality and hope in a time in this nation when people of goodwill must speak out.

On the Sunday after my return, I was surprised to the core by a celebration of 20 years as Pastor of Augustana Lutheran Church in Portland. It has been a journey in which we have grown from a small congregation to a large multicultural, multinational, multigenerational welcoming and affirming sanctuary congregation of justice seekers and peacemakers.

For nine of those 20 years, I have had the gift of serving on the board of the Northwest Health Foundation during a period in which Advocacy and Social Justice have been embraced.

Central to the work of the Northwest Health Foundation and the church is a vision of what is intended for the human family where all can fully live and give of themselves for the common good. At the heart of this vision are deep relationships that remind us we are all called to step out for social justice when others may hold back. To be unafraid and willing to take risks, since it is not about us but about the community and world in which we live, is vitally important.

The Northwest Health Foundation has championed a vision of what can and must be for children, families and communities in Oregon and Southwest Washington with the Healthy Beginnings+Healthy Communities Initiative. It has been a vision forged with communities themselves where the gifts and answers are already present. A majority minority board and staff, strong and collaborative partnerships with communities of color, diverse volunteer citizen lobbyists: these are intentional steps in a vision grounded in a commitment to equity, diversity and inclusion. The courageous leadership of President and CEO Nichole June Maher, and a board and staff that truly love and care for each other and our communities, have been vital in this process. Incoming board chair Vanetta Abdellatif knows this well.

If we are to live into the vision we so desire where all are welcome and can truly have life in healthy communities, it will take intentional daily steps with boldness and courage. There will always be voices that say it is impossible, but we know better. If organizations of all types from philanthropy to faith communities, from non-profits to schools, from businesses to government, answer the call to become the diverse and equitable organizations that reflect who we are not only today but 20 years from now, real change will come. The gifts and the knowledge are already present in our communities, and that makes all things possible. Yes, the best is yet to come. 

Sincerely,

Rev. W.J. Mark Knutson

Presenting our Healthy Beginnings+Healthy Communities Collaboratives

We are THRILLED to present our ten Healthy Beginnings+Healthy Communities Collaboratives. These ten Collaboratives will work with each other and Northwest Health Foundation for the next five years to advance a shared agenda for healthier childhoods:

APANO Statewide Network
Lead Organization: Asian Pacific American Network of Oregon (APANO)
Geography: Oregon

Eastern Oregon Latino Alliance for Children and Families
Lead Organization: EUVALCREE
Geography: Malheur County

Healthy Communities, Healthy Futures
Lead Organization: Healthy Living Collaborative (HLC) of Southwest Washington
Geography: Clark, Cowlitz, Wahkiakum and Skamania counties

Immigrant and Refugee Engage Project
Lead Organization: Immigrant and Refugee Community Organization (IRCO)
Geography: Portland metro region, as well as Clark, Marion, Hood River and Yamhill counties

Successful Transitions: Integrated Care for Children, Youth and their Families
Lead Organization: Jefferson Regional Health Alliance
Geography: Jackson and Josephine counties

Let's Talk Diversity Coalition
Lead Organization: Let's Talk Diversity Coalition
Geography: Jefferson County

Voz de la Comunidad
Lead Organization: Lower Columbia Hispanic Council
Geography: Clatsop County

Youth Power & Intersectional Collaboration
Lead Organization: Momentum Alliance
Geography: Clark, Multnomah, Clackamas, Washington and Marion counties

Stable Families Intergenerational Collaborative
Lead Organization: Native American Youth and Family Center (NAYA)
Geography: Multnomah County

Healthy CAPACES
Lead Organization: Pineros Campesinos Unidos del Noroeste
Geography: Marion and Polk counties
 

2016 is the first year of Communities Collaborate, one part of NWHF’s Healthy Beginnings+Healthy Communities Initiative (HB+HC). The Collaboratives selected for HB+HC Communities Collaborate partnerships will work together to be a part of a local and regional transformation of institutions, programs and policies to deliver better outcomes in early life, equity and community health. In the first year of Communities Collaborate, Collaboratives will receive a total of $850,000 in support. 

Suk Rhee Joins the 100 Million Healthier Lives Initiative

An illustration of the complex factors that affect the health of one patient.

We are proud to share that NWHF’s Vice President of Strategy & Community Partnership Suk Rhee has joined the Leadership Team of 100 Million Healthier Lives.

100 Million Healthier Lives joins patients, communities, health care systems, public health and other organizations to transform the way the world thinks and acts to improve health. They are committed to 100 million people living healthier lives by 2020.

The collaborative shares many of NWHF’s values and resonates strongly with our Healthy Beginnings+Healthy Communities Initiative. 100 Million Healthier Lives and NWHF both prioritize addressing equity gaps, as well as helping all kids get a healthy start in life. We both believe that health is mental, physical, social and spiritual. And we are both committed to community-based solutions.

100 Million Healthier Lives’ first initiative is SCALE (Spreading Community Accelerators Through Learning and Evaluation), a two-year initiative supported by Robert Wood Johnson Foundation that will help communities across the U.S. develop capability to improve health and spread effective community-driven approaches to build a Culture of Health.

While Suk looks forward to being exposed to the great thinkers involved with 100 Million Healthier Lives, she is even more excited to tell the world about the amazing work Oregon and Southwest Washington communities are already doing. 

Video: NWHF Asks the Communities

Our HB+HC Organizing Grant Communities answered these questions: What does health mean to you? What does community capacity mean to you? How can we help communities improve health?

Watch the video to find out how they answered.

Q&A with NWHF Board Member, Phil Wu

Phil participated in our first ever Healthy Beginnings+Healthy Communities Gathering on March 9, 10 and 11 at Kahneeta Resort & Spa in Warm Springs, OR. Here's what he thought about it:

Q. What did you takeaway from the HB+HC Organizing Grant Communities Gathering in March?

A. We had twenty-five very diverse communities from all parts of Oregon and Southwest Washington, and every community identified and expressed a unique challenge they intend to meet with passion, commitment and leadership. For me, the Gathering highlighted the fact that for many communities the HB+HC framework (or health compass) is a different way of thinking about their work, and they are just at the beginning of the process. Not all of their thoughts have crystallized, nor can they answer all of the questions posed by the compass.

Q. Who did you meet at the Gathering?

A. It was a whirlwind! I wish I could remember every person and conversation that I experienced during the two days, but this won't be possible. For me, it was great to see some names and faces from organizations that I already know. On the other hand, meeting smart, thoughtful and dedicated people from across the state was inspirational.

Q. What stories did you hear that stuck in your mind?

A. While every story is significant, hearing the voices of youth expressed through the Momentum Alliance always tugs at my heart!

Q. What was the most impactful part of the Gathering for you?

A. For me, two parts: First, the small group exercise at the beginning of the Gathering during which tables of five or six grappled with a "blank" HB+HC health compass was telling! For many at that point there were more questions than answers, and this provoked significant thought! Second, I thought the concept of "power" was identified and effectively framed throughout the Gathering.

Q. What was your favorite part of the Gathering?

A. Again, two parts: First, the four-minute stories introducing each community were inspirational and fun! Second, I could have done nothing more during the two days than share food and have open-ended chats!

Q. What are you excited about for the future of the Healthy Beginnings+Healthy Communities Initiative?

A. For me what's most exciting is the building of capacity and "power" of the various communities almost regardless of the outcomes they achieve. And most importantly, a framework will have been created that will help continue the work beyond the Initiative itself.

And, bonus questions!

Q. What is a day like in the life of Phil Wu?

A. OMG! One day is never like the next! With my "semi-retired" status, my days are filled with activities that I truly WANT to do. These include my commitments to Northwest Health Foundation, Community Benefit at Kaiser Permanente and other community endeavors. I also always include time for swimming, walking and cycling, and I always think about great coffee, bread, beer and wine!

Q. What is your favorite cartoon character?

A. I used to draw a variation of Pig Pen: A curious character with a head completely covered in long, unkempt hair, big protruding hands and feet, and no body! This must be an alter ego.

Dental Health Awards Announced

The Oregon Community Foundation, Northwest Health Foundation, Kaiser Permanente and other funding partners are happy to announce that we have awarded fifteen grants to improve children's dental health.

Healthy teeth is more than just preventing cavities. A child with tooth pain has difficulty paying attention in school, spends fewer hours in the classroom and ends up further behind their peers. With this funding strategy, we will improve educational outcomes by supporting the growth of comprehensive children's dental health programs in school settings. These programs will reach communities and regions in Oregon where kids are disproportionately affected by poor dental health.

The grant recipients include:

• Centro Cultural of Washington County
• Community Health Centers of Benton and Linn Counties
• Intermountain Education Service District
• Kemple Memorial Children's Dental Clinic
• La Clinica del Valle Family Health Care Center, Inc.
• Lake Health District
• Mercy Foundation
• North Clackamas School District
• One Community Health
• Providence Seaside Hospital Foundation
• Salem-Keizer School District
• South Lane Children's Dental Clinic
• Tillamook School District
• Virginia Garcia Memorial Foundation
• White Bird Clinic

This funding strategy represents one of Northwest Health Foundation's Regional Improvements, a program in our Healthy Beginnings+Healthy Communities Initiative. 

Announcing Healthy Beginnings+Healthy Communities Organizing Grant Communities

As part of our Healthy Beginnings+Healthy Communities Initiative, we have awarded 25 communities in Oregon and Southwest Washington $30,000 each in grant funds. 

Over the next year, these communities will use their grant funds to organize themselves for five-year Community-Based Partnerships. Of the 25 Organizing Grant Communities, up to 10 will be selected for Community-Based Partnerships beginning in 2016. These partners will join NWHF in transforming institutions, programs and policies to deliver better outcomes in early life, equity and community health.

We look forward to working with all of the Organizing Grant Communities, who hope to impact everything from African maternal and child health, to families impacted by or at risk for family violence and sexual abuse, to rural Latino communities, and much more. With the support of our partners, Healthy Beginnings+Healthy Communities will help communities improve health, from birth to high school, by 2020.

Q&A with our Grants Administrator, Fannie Black

Q. Describe a day in the life of Fannie.

A typical day starts with emails and phone calls: responding to inquiries about funding opportunities, resolving issues with our grantee portals or answering/asking questions related to specific grants. Even at times when we don’t have active grant cycles, there is still so much to do. Of course there are also meetings, and the ones I really enjoy are with our community partners, because that’s where I get to learn more about the great work our partners are doing. Those meetings also give me the opportunity to get to know the people doing that work and what inspires and motivates them.

These days I’ve been spending a lot of time on a data migration project. We’re moving our grants management system to a new platform. It’s probably not exciting for most people, but it’s been exciting for me to learn something new and create a more user friendly process for our staff and community partners.

There is also a lot of laughter thrown in there too throughout the day. We love to laugh in the office!

Q. What do you enjoy most about working at NWHF?

I really enjoy learning about our community partners and the work that they’re doing. Before coming to the Foundation, I really wasn’t aware of all the nonprofits in Oregon and SW Washington doing amazing work to improve the overall health of the region. There were some organizations I was familiar with, but I didn’t know what they actually did. It’s also great to see how those organizations partner with each other to make their visions a reality.

I also enjoy working with my colleagues here at the Foundation, as I said before, we love to laugh in the office. We don’t just get along here. The care and respect we have for each other shows every day in how we engage and work with each other. I think the teasing and joking around helps us keep a good balance of work and play in the office. Although our days are busy, we find time to throw some fun in the mix.

Q. How are you currently involved with the Healthy Beginnings+Healthy Communities Initiative?

As the Grant Administrator, I handle a lot of the behind the scenes work to bring our grant opportunities to our partners. From building the grant application, to resolving any technical issues, to ensuring applications are complete, and finally generating grant agreements, I am involved before the grant cycle opens and well after it closes.

Q. If you could change any one thing in your community, what would you change?

My “community” is always expanding. As a multiracial individual, I am part of multiple communities of color, and as an Alaskan my geographic community has expanded to Oregon. Among all of these communities there are some unique issues each faces, but there are some overlapping issues, around social inequity for example, that I would like to see changed. Since coming to the Foundation, I’ve learned so much about the external factors that impact one’s health and the health of communities. One change I would like to see is for the focus of health to be more holistic and community-focused rather than just focused on an individual’s physical health. Our social and physical environment, families, education, access to healthy food options, access to parks, access to affordable healthcare... all of these things impact our health. When focusing just on the physical health of an individual, you miss the whole picture by not taking into account all of those other factors that we may not necessarily have control of.

Q. How do you relate to NWHF’s mission?

The Foundation’s holistic vision of health and support of community-led solutions definitely resonates with me personally. As a Yup’ik Eskimo, a lot of our traditional cultural practices promote and support a healthy lifestyle. Those practices are not only physical, but emotional, spiritual and environmental. For example, subsistence hunting touches on all of these aspects. You have to be physically fit to hunt for wild game. When you get your first catch it is celebrated and the food is shared with the community. You give thanks for a successful hunt, and you don’t hunt for more than what you need. When someone doesn’t have the ability or resources to hunt for their food, they are not forgotten but are supported by the community. I feel very fortunate to be a part of an organization that has a mission and values that align with my own.

Q. What was/is your favorite subject in school?

A. I love math. I looked forward to doing my math homework, and then I chose a college degree where I got to do math all the time. I don’t get to do much math in my graduate studies, but when I do I definitely look forward to it. In my 5th grade class we had these timed math tests: addition, subtraction, multiplication and division with a bunch of problems. You had to see how many you could complete in the time allotted, and of those how many you got correct. It always came down to me and one other student.

I loved those quizzes! And I’m a little embarrassed to admit that I recreated them when I was in college, and I’ve recently thought about doing that again. I actually have a couple friends who are interested in taking them with me. It’ll be fun, and I play to win!

Q.  If you had a theme song, what would it be?

A. So I have a friend that loves to sing that “Take a load off Fannie” song to me almost every time we see each other. It’s kind of become my song now, so many people have sung it to me, and I just love that it inspires people to serenade me! So please, sing away!

I have to be honest though. I’ve never really paid attention to the lyrics, but I definitely connect with the chorus line. I don’t just love it because it has my name in it. We all feel the weight of things every day, in our personal and work lives, and sometimes it’s not easy to lighten that weight, or there may be factors that are out of your control. But, having colleagues or friends and family that can help lighten that load is so important. I feel fortunate that I have that kind of support here at the Foundation.

NWHF Asks the Kids

With the launch of Northwest Health Foundation's Healthy Beginnings+Healthy Communities Initiative, we wanted to speak to some of the key informants of our work. So our summer intern Nadia visited the Boys & Girls Club of Portland Metropolitan Area and asked the kids a couple questions...

HB+HC Organizing Grant Application Period Open!

Northwest Health Foundation is thrilled to announce that our Healthy Beginnings+Healthy Communities Organizing Grant Request for Proposals has been finalized, and the application period for Organizing Grants is now open!

Full application instructions are available in the RFP:

Healthy Beginnings+Healthy Communities Initiative will help communities improve health, from birth to high school, by 2020. Organizing Grants will equip 30 communities (self-identified by geography, identity, and/or experience) to organize themselves in preparation for five-year Community-Based Partnerships by providing $20,000-$30,000 funding per community, as well as creating opportunities to build relationships and gain exposure to essential concepts about early life and health, policy, advocacy, leadership development and other objectives to be identified by participants.

After the year-long Organizing Grant period is over, the 30 self-identified communities will have the chance to apply for five-year Community-Based Partnerships, of which ten will be awarded. These ten communities will receive $50,000 to $150,000 per community each year for five years (for a total of $250,000-$750,000) to build the community alliances that will drive Healthy Beginnings+Health Communities objectives. By 2020, we will have achieved measurable results both in building community capacity for improving health and in making positive improvements to physical, mental, social, and spiritual well-being from pre-birth to ninth grade. 

Thank you to everyone who attended Outreach Sessions and gave us feedback on our draft RFP! The final RFP has been greatly improved by your input.

If you have not yet had the chance to attend an Outreach Session to learn more about Healthy Beginnings+Healthy Communities, do not fear! There are more coming up. Please check our website for dates and locations. Or, you can watch our recorded webinar here.

Two New Funding Opportunities to Improve Children's Dental Health

Too many children in Oregon are living with untreated, but entirely preventable,
 cavities and tooth decay. There are also regions and communities of Oregon where
kids are disproportionately affected by poor dental health. 

Yet we now know more than ever that healthy teeth help set the stage for lifelong health and opportunity.

Working with school districts, community-based nonprofits and healthcare organizations,
we can improve children's dental health.

The Oregon Community Foundation, Northwest Health Foundation, Kaiser Permanente
and other funding partners are pleased to offer two funding opportunities to do
just that. These funding opportunities represent one of Northwest Health Foundation's
Regional Improvements, a program in our Healthy Beginnings+Healthy Communities
Initiative.

Learn more here.