Fri Oct 4: Next Self Advocates Taking Action Meeting at INW

CALLING SELF ADVOCATES!
Join Self-Advocates Taking Action, a NEW self-advocacy group in Portland for people with developmental disabilities who want to speak up.

What: October Meeting

Agenda: Talk about the vision and mission of our group and advocacy for our community

When: Friday, October 4th 2pm

Where: Independence Northwest 541 NE 20th Avenue Suite 103

Why: Meet new friends, share ideas, learn new things, and have fun

For more information, contact Gayle (503-239-3407) or Kaaren (503-287-7946).

1st Annual Cuts for a Cause Event a Great Success!

brian_brian_CFACYesterday was not only the first day of autumn – it was also the 1st Annual Cuts for a Cause Benefit for Independence Northwest. Heritage Barbershop, a local Portland business, sponsored the event offering free haircuts and styles to brokerage customers and their caregivers. Despite the blustery weather, we had a great turnout and the event raised $600 for the Independence Northwest Emergency Fund! The Emergency Fund helps people with intellectual/developmental disabilities in times of need.

We owe a huge debt of gratitude to Heritage Barbershop’s owner, Brian Porteous, for this event. What a guy. Brian pulled together a fantastic raffle including donated goods and gift certificates from local businesses including:

donationtable_CFAC

Huge thanks to these businesses for donating to this cause. We appreciate your support! For those who couldn’t stick around until 4PM for the raffle drawing, we’ll be notifying winners by phone shortly.

Additionally, we’d like to extend gratitude to the barbers Jen Mattson and Tariq B for volunteering their professional services to our customers and their caregivers. They did a fantastic job and gave some very fine cuts yesterday. And big thanks to Lorissa Prestwood Porteous, provider De Linda French Davis, INW Operations Director Ron Spence, and INW Board President Bill Beckett for helping the event run so smoothly!

This was truly a community event and we look forward to the 2nd Annual Cuts for a Cause event next summer!

Join Us in October for a Community Forum on Big Changes in Brokerage Services

CustomerForumOctober2013Image10/04/2013: Please note – we have cancelled the October 7th forum. Please join us on either the 9th or 21st!

Independence Northwest continues its community outreach on big changes to brokerage and I/DD services in Oregon. In the last six weeks, we’ve held six highly successful community forums presenting to nearly 150 community members – and we’ve got three more scheduled for the month of October.

Join us if you’d like to learn more about the K Plan, the upcoming needs assessment requirement, new options for case management, plans for a new universal ISP, changes to provider payment and rates and much more.

Remember to RSVP to Rachel at 503.546.2950. You may also email her at rkroll@independencenw.org. Space is limited, so reserve your space at one of our evening or day sessions today!

Big thanks to all the families, customers, providers and community members who have joined us in the past few weeks. Your questions, comments, concern and input continue to make a difference in the restructure of the I/DD system!

Announcing the 1st Annual CUTS FOR A CAUSE Benefit for INW Customers – Sept 22, 2013

C4C-jpgWe’re proud to announce what we hope will become an annual tradition: Cuts For a Cause, an event on Sunday, September 22nd, that will offer free haircuts to our customers and their caregivers and will raise money for our emergency fund, a small pool of money we keep to help out our customers in times of extreme need. We will be partnering for this event with Heritage Barbershop, a newly-opened business that has generously offered the time and talent of its barbers to make this event possible.

Heritage proprietor Brian Porteous is no stranger to giving haircuts to people with disabilities. He spoke to me recently during a haircut of my own about his experiences early in his barbering career in California. “There was a group who came in every couple of months and I learned really quickly that just like everyone else, people with disabilities are all different from one another,” he told me. “Next to giving a good cut, a barber’s most important skill is communicating with the person in the chair, and that’s all about treating every person as an individual.”

 

Space is limited and must be scheduled ahead of time. Please call Rachel at our office (503.546.2950) to schedule an appointment. If the free haircut slots fill up we’d still love it if you’d stop by and say hello. We’ll have free popcorn and will be having drawings for prizes every 30 minutes or so. And of course we’ll be accepting donations from those of you are able to give a few dollars to what we think is an important cause. We can’t thank Heritage Barbershop enough for their support and generosity and look forward to a long partnership with Brian and his barbershop.

 

If you’d like more information or would like to donate please contact me at 503.546.2950 or ron.spence@independencenw.org

 

Thanks,
Ron Spence, Operations Director

 

  • What: Cuts For a Cause, a fun benefit offering free haircuts to Independence Northwest’s customers and their caregivers
  • Where: Heritage Barbershop, 22137-B East Burnside in Portland
  • When: Sunday September 22nd from 11 am to 4 pm

Remember, all free haircuts must be schedule ahead of time. Please call today to reserve a spot. Contact Rachel at 503.546.2950.