THE LOWENSTEIN TRUST
__________________________________________
The
Steve Lowenstein Trust Board is proud to have
selected Pat Wagner, Linnton community activist and
organizer, to receive the 2011 Lowenstein Trust
Award.
First presented in 1992, this annual award is given to the
nominee who has demonstrated, in the judgment of the
Trustees, a significant personal contribution to assisting
the underserved in the City of Portland. The formal
presentation of the Award took place on Wednesday, December
7th 2011, in Portland City Council.
Commissioner Fritz, Mayor Adams, Lowenstein Chair Michelle
Harper,
Pat Wagner,
Commissioner
Saltzman, Commissioner Fish
Since
1999, starting with helping to pull the Linnton Community
Center out of the ashes of an unfortunate financial
situation Pat Wagner, and her
fellow volunteers have worked to make the Linnton Community
Center (LLC)
a place that
enriches life, builds character, and strives to develop a
community consciousness for the benefit of all persons who
live or work in the Linnton community. It is
an
integral and energizing part of the Linnton neighborhood.
In the
course of the effort to breathe life back into the LCC, the
community was hit by the tragic traffic death of a child
near the center. Pat and other community volunteers
worked together to get traffic lights and crosswalks
installed at the fatal intersection.
Thanks
to Pat’s leadership, and the work of many others in
the neighborhood, the center
reopened
and has
grown
by
leaps
and
bounds.
Thousands
of
dollars
worth
of contributions
and volunteer
labor
have
been
invested
in the
renovation
of
the
LCC
facility.
It was
given a
new
lease
on
life.
The
scope
of
service
of
the
center
has
grown
tremendously.
There
are
programs
to
enrich the
lives
and
protect
the
children of
the
area.
LCC's
programs
serve
the
most
vulnerable. A
bilingual
preschool
and
food
bank
have
opened.
The
food
bank,
which
opened
in
2006,
served
5508
people
2010.
LCC does not
turn
families
away
for
their
inability
to
pay.
It
is
the
only
service
provider
for
the people
of
Linnton
and
the
surrounding
neighborhoods.
Every night
the
gym
is
bustling with
activity,
from
Aztec
dancers
rehearsing,
to open
gym
nights
when
teens
and
adults play
basketball.
LCC
has
set
up
a
program
to make
it easier for Latino
families
to
comfortably
and safely
have
large traditional
community events.
Pat Wagner surrounded by some of the friends, volunteers,
and staff who make the success of Linnton’s Community
Center possible
It
is
the
dedication
to
the
area's
homeless, underserved,
and low income families that
has
been
the
catalyst for
Pat and others to improve
and
broaden
the
services
of
LCC.
Working and job-seeking families
are
provided
with
safe
places for
their
children
to
go.
Seniors
help out at the LCC and build supportive connections with
each other through monthly
potlucks.
Pat
Wagner, continues
pour her energy into the LCC, volunteering
all
of her
time,
often
over
40
hours
per
week, to
ensure
the
children
and
families
of
Portland's
most
rural
and
northernmost neighborhoods
have
a
safety net,
a
place
they
can
turn
to
for
community.
If
it
wasn't
for Pat's
amazing
dedication
and
ability
to
rally
a
community
in
need,
LCC
would
be
just
another abandoned
building
along
Highway
30.
.
For all of her hard work and the neighborhood involvement
she has inspired in Linnton, the Lowenstein Trust is
proud to name Pat Wagner, R.N., the 2011 recipient of the
Lowenstein Trust Award.
photography:
Art Alexander
TRUSTEES
Art Alexander, Linda Dobson, Jamaal Folsom, Sandra Haefker,
Michelle Harper, Margery Harris, Joe Hertzberg, Paul Kelly,
Mike Lindberg, Ron Paul, David Thornburgh, Charles R.
Williamson
ADVISORY BOARD
Gretchen Kafoury, Chris Lowenstein, Lee Rosner, Bev Stein
Contact/Contributions:
The Lowenstein Trust
c/o
Charles R. Williamson
520 SW Yamhill St., Suite 600
Portland, Oregon 97204-1329
Phone: 503-222-3531
Fax: 503-227-2980
