Tom’s Tidbits- These companies CHOSE to build our Sellwood Community

Greetings,

It seems all too easy to see the dark side of the world today and almost impossible to see the light. Whether you turn to politics, the environment, the economy, or elsewhere, it can be a pretty depressing landscape. “Polarization” is the watchword of the day and while I may disagree that that’s the problem instead of a symptom, it’s unarguably real. But there is light if you look; there are still things that bring and hold us together, and I’m eager to share a real-world example from our own Sellwood neighborhood.

The Sellwood Community House (SCH) is a neighborhood gem. In October we were honored to be a part of their Halloween Spooktacular event where we saw real, honest-to-goodness community in action. People came together to create something that benefitted all of them without benefiting any one person directly. I’ve attached two brief videos from the event (about 15 sec each, here and here) and if you have time I hope you take a look. You’ll see pure magic… hundreds of kids and their parents rollicking through the SCH, costumes of every description, piles of treats and candy, games and activities, and all the adults who made it happen. It will warm the coldest heart but the magic of Spooktacular is not really what I’m writing about.

Here’s what actually caught my eye… look at this poster from the event and you’ll see 27 sponsors that stepped up to help make Spooktacular happen. Now look closer because it’s not obvious… you won’t see the Big Boys like Moda, Intel, or Nike, but you will see massage therapists, tattoo parlors, tiny storefronts, even individuals. (You can see all their website links in our “Digging Deeper” section below.) Sure, there’s some self-interest for the businesses involved and our logo is there with everyone else’s, but let me tell you that the business advantages of having your logo on a single-event poster are pretty slim. None of these people or companies supported Spooktacular because they thought it would make them rich, they came together because they thought Spooktacular was a fun event for the neighborhood kids and because Sellwood Community House is valuable and worth supporting. They CHOSE to help build community… business case be damned.

Our country, and indeed the world, is going through some pretty tough times right now. There’s no single identifiable cause but I think one of the major contributors has been a loss of community. The American Dream has changed from “security for my family, freedom, and maybe my kids do better than I did” to “be a billionaire”. Ayn Rand’s radical individualism rules the day, and Thatcher’s once-controversial quote that “there is no such thing as society” has devolved even further into Musk’s “empathy is a weakness”. We no longer see ourselves as citizens in a society with shared goals, but as people coincidentally thrown next to each other in a dog-eat-dog world. Just like the “polarization” I mentioned at the start of this article, the loss of community is both a cause and symptom. It’s a “doom loop” that drives us ever further apart.

The answer to losing community is, of course, building it back. When we choose to connect with each other, we at least have the opportunity to see our neighbors not as the stereotypes we’re too often presented, but as complex people with their own goals and methods, their own strengths and weaknesses. Thatcher is right until we choose to build the society she shuns; Musk is right until we choose to use empathy as the strength it is. Community isn’t a fluff word or a naïve wish, community is the very essence of a neighborhood, state, country, or world. And most importantly, community is a CHOICE. We were privileged to watch dozens of employees and volunteers, 27 companies, and hundreds of children CHOOSE to make the magic of community real. In this season of Thanksgiving, in a very dark world, I thought this was one of the brightest glimmers of light I could share.

Make a great day, and a great COMMUNITY,

aaazTomSignature

Digging Deeper…

***UPDATE*** We wrote about the Sellwood Community House in our September newsletter when they put out a desperate plea for donations to stay open in the wake of a flood and a painfully slow insurance settlement. On September 12^th they sent a plea to raise 100K in the Fall and by the 17^th they’d raised $26,461. They’ve certainly raised more since but are still short of their goal. If you want to choose donating to SCH as your way to build community, you can reach them here.

If you’d like to support any of the individuals or companies that stepped up to support SCH, we went out and found all their websites. With Christmas shopping on the way I’m sure they’d all like to hear from you. And remember, for every $100 you spend at a chain store only $13 stays local, but spending $100 at a LOCAL business keeps $48 swirling around our local economy. Just sayin’.

Eastmoreland Neighborhood Association Tip Top Tattoo

SMILE Neighborhood Association Britt Bragg Real Estate

The Springer Group Real Estate AOI PDX

Cascade Hasson Sotheby’s International Realty- Tage Packebush

PDX Sliders Melisa Pierson Real Estate Broker

Sebastiano’s Siciliano Meliora Clinic

American Family Insurance- Lee Cannon Powell Veterinary Center

Bar West Bridgetown Baby

PNW Home Improvement Affordable Estate Planning

Papa Haydn Fairlane Coffee

QFC Grocery Westmoreland Liquor

The Sellwood Bee The Last Rodeo