19.10.13

In which I lay bare my heart and ask you to come to the Weston Awards.

Friends and family, are you wondering why you haven't seen me around much in the last couple months? Well, I've been working my tail off as Board President of Oregon Walks, the state's walking advocacy organization. I can't say enough about our cohort of board members who have been doing some insanely awesome heavy lifting to make sure our nimble, scrappy organization is well-poised to continue our twenty years of history of adding a needed voice to the region's active transportation advocacy scene. Between our letters on projects like the CRC and SW Barbur, to our work out in Washington County to partner with Adelante Mujures and empower Latina women to document their unsafe streets in their neighborhood, to the fantastic Walktober programming that somehow coincided with this gorgeous autumn weather, I consider myself truly lucky to have stumbled into this position and to be afforded the opportunity to see our organization continue to thrive into the future. It's not always been easy, but it's certainly been emotionally satisfying and personally gratifying work, and it resonates strongly with my personal politics and interests.

The craziest part of all this? We've been writing letters, organizing programming and planning our annual fundraiser without an Executive Director! Just imagine how much we'll be able to accomplish when we are able to reinstate and rehire new staff that will be tasked with the near-impossible task of filling the shoes of a one Steph Routh.

This is where you come in! :)

The Weston Awards are this next Saturday, October 26. It's our annual fundraiser, and I wouldn't be on facebook grovelling for your money and volunteering opportunities if I didn't sincerely, truly believe we're on the precipice of an important, unprecedented opportunity to forge new partnerships between active transportation, local economic development, public health and social equity activisms, and if I didn't truly believe that you digging into your wallet wouldn't sincerely make a difference in our ability to stand up for the right to roam. I've thrown my heart into the cause, and it'd mean the world to me if you were able to buy a ticket and attend next week. Early Bird rates on tickets expire tonight; go ahead and buy one this evening! I mean, do it right now! If you can't make it next Saturday (especially if you'll be busy watching the Timbers clinch the Supporters Shield, which HOW THE HELL ARE THESE EVENTS OVERLAPPING, THE TIMBERS WILL WIN THEIR FIRST PIECE OF HARDWARE AND I WON'T EVEN BE WATCHING, THAT'S HOW COMMITTED I AM TO THIS CAUSE) any donation, from $50 to $5, would warm the cockles of my heart.

Hope to see you there. You're all wonderful. Onward, Rose City.

http://wpcwalks.givezooks.com/events/the-2013-weston-awards/