blogs

In 2018, the fourth  season of NeighborWalks begins in June! We excited about the fabulous walks we have planned for in and around Portland. One exciting thing this year is that we are expanding our walks to include Clackamas and Washington counties!

by Elaine Friesen-Strang

J oin AARP Oregon staff and volunteers this July at an AARP Activist  & Volunteer meeting near you.  Discover what we are doing in your community. Get an update on AARP’s local, state and national outreach and advocacy efforts for the first half of the year and what's ahead.

Did you know 4th graders who can’t read at grade-level are four times less likely to graduate from high school?

On April 13th, AARP Oregon, 1000 Friends of Oregon, Rogue Valley Council of Governments, Transportation Growth Management Program, Oregon Chapter of American Planners Association hosted the Rogue Valley 17 Livability Solutions Forum: Future of Housing in Medford. The event focused on exploring how the Jackson and Josephine Counties can create more housing options, identifying barriers and challenges to more innovative housing that support residents across age, ability and income spectrums and how “missing middle housing” can be instrumental in building successful multi-generational communities.

Join AARP Oregon Volunteer State President Elaine Friesen-Strang for some coffee and conversation. Come share your thoughts and hear about the issues AARP is working on this year. Meet other area volunteers and learn about the projects, programs and events you can get involved in.

Newberg is making it easier for people of all people of all ages and abilities to live and thrive in the city as Newberg becomes Oregon’s fourth community to join the AARP National and WHO Global Network of Age-Friendly Communities. The other four Age-Friendly Oregon communities are: Portland, Multnomah County and Springfield.

The third season of  NeighborWalks begins in May! We are excited to invite you to join us this year at one or all of the dozen walks that we have designed for you!

By Elaine Friesen-Strang

If one happens to walk past James Hipsher’s house, one might notice a wooden box supported on a post.  It is behind the hedge row, but close enough to inspect.  Its glass front is hinged, and inside the box is a piece of paper with poetry on it.  The box is shared with the next door neighbor, and the two neighbors alternate months for posting.  The poems are changed each Friday.  When it is Jim’s month, he posts his own poetry.