Bill Crawford and his daughter enjoy the water fountain they helped bring to Piccolo Park

In 2010 he began attending monthly meetings of HAND and pitched in to make things happen. Bill worked with other HAND Board members and neighbors on the annual neighborhood clean-up and the push to install a water fountain at Piccolo Park. The advent of light rail and the streetcar in the neighborhood meant that major changes and opportunities were unfolding. Bill attended the PSU Transportation Class offered by the City of Portland Bureau of Transportation to learn the ropes of neighborhood activism and local traffic and transportation issues. During the class Bill investigated and championed the replacement of the unsafe pedestrian bridge over the train tracks that will be one of the only crossing points after the Milwaukie light rail project is completed. Through advocacy and finesse, Bill successfully pushed UP and the City to replace and improve the Lafayette Street Pedestrian Bridge - connecting Southeast neighbors to one another. Seeking a "bigger frame of reference" for how things work, Bill joined the board of Southeast Uplift this summer. He values hearing ideas, challenges and solutions from other board members. And, while thinking locally, he continues to think about the bigger issues that our neighborhoods and city will face in the future.

If you'd like to learn more about these projects, contact Bill at bill@handpdx.org.
He answers a couple of questions from SE Uplift.

Q.What was your inspiration for being active in your Neighborhood Association?

A. I was writing for a small newspaper in North Portland called The Sentinel. My bread and butter there was talking to the wise men and women who knew everything that happened in their neighborhoods. Without exception they were all heavily involved in their neighborhood associations. They were so inspiring to see advocating for what they thought was best for the neighborhood. Once I moved to the HAND Neighborhood I thought it would be a good idea to participate myself. 

There is also a legacy of successful community activism here. Without the neighbors coming together in HAND during the early 70's, the whole neighborhood would be under a sprawling freeway. Neighbors put a stop to the Mt. Hood Freeway project and changed the whole outlook of Portland as a livable city forever. Now HAND is a part of town people want to live in. In a bizarro alternate universe without neighborhood activism, it wouldn't be that way.

Q. Why is volunteering important to you?

A. My neighborhood is in a part of town that is changing so rapidly. In a few years, we'll have a light rail, streetcar, a new bridge, a bike highway and all the development -- good and bad -- that comes with those amenities. It's important to me to do what I can to make my own backyard the best place I can. 

Sometimes I feel like I live in a sitcom. My friends from high school keep moving back to Portland from all over the country. Not just Portland, but this neighborhood in particular. My daughter Róisín was born two years ago and now my Mom is moving to the neighborhood. You could say I have a number of interests in the area.

Portland Parks and Recreation have begun their annual Movies in the Park series! Beginning in late June and going through September 12th, there will be a new film (or several films) featured each week in parks across the city. 

The Kerns Neighborhood Association will be hosting a movie on July 11th at Oregon Park (NE 30th & Oregon St). The festivities, including live music and food vendors, will begin at 6:30 and The Hobbit will be shown starting at dusk. If any local businesses are interested in helping sponsor the event, please contact kernsna@gmail.com.

Richmond, Sunnyside, and HAND have also teamed up and will be presenting Planet of the Dinosaurs on Saturday, August 17th at Sewallcrest Park, SE Market and 32nd Ave. Look for more details about that event in the August issue of e-News.

Here is a list of a few upcoming films for July happening in our neighborhoods:

• Thursday, July 11th - The Hobbit
• Oregon Park, NE 30th & Oregon (Kerns)

• Thursday, July 25th - Brave
• Hazeltine Park, 5416 SE Flavel (Brentwood-Darlington)

• Sunday, July 28th - Jack the Giant Slayer (Subtitled in Spanish) 
• Lents Park, SE 92nd & Holgate (Foster-Powell)

For a complete, city-wide listing off all the Movies in the Park, please visit:

http://www.portlandoregon.gov/parks/article/446659 

The Holgate Library will be continuing a series of reading events for young people and toddlers, as well as a plethora of classes. Among the reading activities will be Toddler Story time, where two-year olds accompanied by an adult will be able to enjoy interactive stories, songs and games designed to help develop language skills.

The Library will also be offering six Citizenship classes starting on July 6th at 10:45AM. This class will be aimed at those who are learning to become United State Citizens. You will learn about the process of becoming a citizen, learn American history, government, and get help preparing for the examination. Classes are in English and are taught by library volunteers. For more information about how to sign up, call 503-988-6318.

For more information about the events and activities happening at the Holgate Library, please visit their calendar at  https://multcolib.org/library-location/holgate/events. 

For general Multnomah County Library information, please visit https://multcolib.org/