Do you love talking to new people? Put your gift of gab to work by helping Community Energy Project (CEP) get the word out in Lents!
CEP provides free weatherization and safety repairs to low-income seniors and people with disabilities in the Lents Urban Renewal Area in SE Portland. Our goal is to make sure those who need our services know about our services. www.communityenergyproject.org
Volunteers will knock on doors and sign up people who are interested in our free services.
Participants must have strong verbal/social skills, be 18 or over (unless accompanied by a guardian) and be prepared for inclement weather.
The day begins at 10:30 with a training and orientation session (with tasty food!) and we carpool out to the Lents service area. Canvassing lasts about 3 hours, and we should be back in NE Portland by 4pm. Cyclists welcome! We frequently work with Service Learning Students and Community
Service agencies. Meet at Community Energy Project’s office – 422 NE Alberta Street, Portland OR.
Our next canvassing days are:
Saturday, February 11th
Saturday, February 18th
Please contact Sherrie Smith at outreach@communityenergyproject.org or call 503.284.6827 x106 if you’d like to participate.
Got a little press time through Comcast Newsmakers this month, giving us a chance to talk about our programs. Ken Ackerman interviewed Outreach and Marketing Supervisor Sherrie Smith about our programs. Check it out:
10/26/11 Update: We’re sorry to announce that we have cancelled our Energy Educator training that was scheduled for 11/3 at OMSI. We will look for a new time after the New year
If you are interested in a future training, and have suggestions for good times after the new year, I’d be happy to speak with you. Thank you all for your interest in our training program.
If you haven’t had a chance to utilize our highly acclaimed Energy Educator Training, then your chance has arrived!
Not sure what our training is about? Read on, faithful followers.
Please join us for Community Energy Project’s (CEP) energy educator training, “Small Measure Weatherization: Facilitating Community Empowerment, Education, and Involvement,” on Thursday, November 3rd at the Oregon Museum of Science and Industry (OMSI) in Portland, Oregon. There is an optional, free pre-training session where you can meet us out in the field at a live community workshop the evening before the full training.
The training will cover:
CEP’s service delivery model
Tips and lessons learned (logistics)
Curriculum design
Cultural competence
Outreach and volunteer management
Program evaluation
Training resources include:
Resource binder and CD with templates for PowerPoint, curriculum guide, participant handbook (English and Spanish)
Supplemental DVD to share back at the office
Small outreach window model
Interactive curriculum lab with CEP staff educators and energy educators from other agencies
As a bonus, you can also attend a live CEP workshop the evening before the training to see the full client program before the training
CEP’s Unique Methods
Community Energy Project has successfully provided interactive DIY Weatherization Workshops for over 30 years to about 1,000 households each year. Investigate CEP’s unique methods of adult community education, curriculum design, outreach and volunteer management, and program evaluation. Learn to reduce client barriers. For more information visit our website
Registration
The fee for this training is $300 per person. Agencies can send two or more people for $250 per person. All proceeds support Community Energy Project programs.
For payment and registration forms, click HERE to our registration page.
Please be sure to check the box on your registration form to let us know if you are also joining us for the the optional, free pre-training session the evening before.
Logistics
Morning Coffee/Tea and Lunch Provided
We will serve refreshments. Lunch will be provided by OMSI’s café, and each participant will receive a voucher to choose what works for them for lunch.
Parking is free in the OMSI parking lot. Enter the museum through the entrance marked, “Planetarium” which is to the right of the main entrance doors.
Lodging
Participants will need to arrange their own lodging. We can send a list of affordable places to say by request.
Interactive Models
We will provide one small outreach window for each participant as part of the training. All of CEP’s larger, hand-built interactive models will be on display and available for purchase separately. Details on ordering can be found at the training or on our website (scroll down products for “Energy Educator Series” http://www.communityenergyproject.org/purchase.html.)
Last year, Community Energy Project directly served over 1,800 households by providing weatherization, lead poisoning prevention, and water conservation workshops; direct weatherization and safety repair services; job training; and connections to energy assistance. CEP is growing – each year we have more volunteers, more requests for assistance, and within the same timeframe. We have become a host site for two AmeriCorps members, and have created a new Volunteer Coordinator staff position. At the same time, like many nonprofits, we have experienced budget cuts.
On November 10, 2011, join CEP as we celebrate the community, our friends, and successes at our second annual fundraiser – Bridge the Gap! The party will be just up the street at the brand new Kiernan Community Center behind St Andrews Church. The party is from 6-9pm, but doors open at 5:30. We are going to have a silent auction, live music by local musicians, dancing, food, spirits, and more. Tickets to the event are $50 and can be purchased at our Event Page.
You may have helped CEP when we Raised the Roof last year. We raised $10,000 and we now have solid roof over our heads. (If you haven’t already, check out the Before and After Photos) This year we have more space, more experience, and we’re not afraid to use it!
If you are unable to come to the event, but would still like to contribute, visit our Donation Page and you can donate any amount from the webpage! Just click the dropdown menu for “program designation” and go to Bridge the Gap!
We currently have three opportunities to work with CEP.
We are hiring for two part-time staff positions, and one 11-month AmeriCorps position.
Visit the Job Opportunities portion of our webpage for more information, and application packets.
Deadline for applying is 5pm PST Friday July 29th.
If you follow us on Facebook, you may have seen that we did not win the 100 Cars for Good contest. But do not cry! As runner-up, we received $1,000 and got to keep the HD Flip Camera that Toyota sent us.
And, well, it might have been a little bit of a joke at the end of our Application Video, but we decided to get a used bike trailer in order to reduce our fuel consumption. Beyond that, we let our Facebook followers name our trailer. It’s name is now Professor Rollie Von Wheelington, Esquire. But we call him The Professor for short.
So far, the Professor has already taken a load of computer e-cycling to Free Geek (saving us 9.7 miles of driving), and it’s next destination is to take a load of random recyclables to Far West Fibers (4 more miles). You can expect to see the Professor hauling outreach materials to different community events, carrying weatherization and repair materials to client homes, and much more all over Portland.
Welcome to the CEP Family, Professor. Be prepared to work as hard as we do!
Toyota’s 100 Cars for Good program will award 100 vehicles over the course of 100 days to 100 nonprofits based on votes from the public. A total of 500 finalists were selected based on their application as reviewed by an independent panel of judges who are experts in the fields of philanthropy and social responsibility.
CEP was chosen as one of these finalists, and has a 1 in 5 chance of winning a free Toyota!
On Friday, June 3, 2011 CEP will compete with four other nonprofits for the chance to win – and it will be up to the voters to decide.
Do more then wish us luck – vote for us! Follow us on Facebook and we’ll remind you closer to the date.
To vote for us on June 3, visit Toyota’s facebook page at www.facebook.com/toyota and click on “100 Cars for Good” – from there you will see the competing nonprofits for that day.
Here’s the 2,000 character proposal we submitted to become a finalist:
Community Energy Project (CEP) provides free workshops all over the Portland Metro Area, and distributes free supplies to qualified participants. We also provide services for low-income seniors and people with disabilities, all of which require a lot of driving and hauling of materials. We have workshops at over 140 locations, and provide direct service to over 350 homes every year.
A Toyota would be used for every one of our programs, to haul conservation and safety kits, presentation supplies, lumber, grab bars, and other safety equipment, as well as weatherization supplies. It would also be used to transport volunteers.
In our Weatherization Workshops, we teach participants how to conduct small-scale weatherization in their home, helping to reduce energy bills and conserve natural resources. A Toyota vehicle would be used to bring over 700 13-lb kits to the workshop to distribute to low-income families that participate in the class.
With our Lead Poisoning Prevention workshops, we teach families how to protect their children against the detrimental affects of lead poisoning, whether they are conducting a lead-paint disturbing project, or simply live in older housing. We distribute safety materials to over 550 families that attend the workshop.
In our Water to the Weather classes, participants learn how to protect the local watershed with activities in their own backyard. This conserves water at the time conservation is most important, and helps to prevent non point-source pollution to our rivers, streams, and drinking water. Over 50 households receive conservation kits per year.
For our In-Home Services, we provide free weatherization and safety repairs for low-income seniors and people with disabilities. We make two visits, one for an initial audit, and then a second to install weatherization materials such as internally mounted vinyl storm window kits and door weatherstripping. We also make safety repairs – everything from installing a grab bar to fixing a broken stair or installing railing down dangerous stairs. We provide these services to over 350 households a year, keeping seniors safer, more mobile and independent, warmer in their homes, and bringing down high energy costs.
We currently have a vehicle used by each program that gets poor gas mileage and needs expensive repairs. As a nonprofit, money spent on filling a vehicle that gets 9 miles to the gallon is money better spent on serving more people who need it with more services.
Don’t just wish us luck – vote for us on Friday June 3, 2011!
Community Action Partnership of Oregon (CAPO) will be offering a short term energy efficiency pilot to low-income homeowners that heat their home with Portland General Electric supplied electricity. This program is expected to last for only a couple of months and will be offered on a first come, first served basis.
For years now, CEP staff has been chasing roof leaks with buckets, covering computers with plastic during rainstorms, and climbing up on the roof in the pouring rain to try to stop the deluge on our heads.
On Thursday, December 2, we will be hosting a Raise the Roof! fundraising event at Cork – a Bottle Shop in the Alberta Arts District to pay for this critical repair. Mark your calendars, more information to come!
If you would like to donate to our Raise the Roof Project monetarily, with skilled labor, or supplies, please give us a call (503.284.6827 x102) or visit our website at http://www.communityenergyproject.org/donate.html
If you’ve ever eaten at Papa Murphy’s Pizza, you understand the deliciousness of an affordable take-n-bake pizza. Because it’s not cooked a the restaurant, food stamps are even accepted at Papa Murphy’s!
But how does that help CEP, you ask?
Well, because on Thursday, October 14th from 4-9 pm, 20% of the proceeds go to Community Energy Project! So make 10/14 your pizza night and head over to the 15th and Fremont location to get yourself a fresh-made pie. Buy a second and put it in your freezer for future nights when you just don’t feel like cooking.
We’re going to use the money to strengthen our Volunteer Services program, which is vital to serving low-income seniors and people with disabilities in a timely fashion. It is only with the help of volunteers that we are able to weatherize the majority of homes through our program before the New Year. Support our volunteers, support our seniors!
“I just wanted to thank you and your volunteers for coming… you installed a bath bar and weatherstripping… I so appreciate this program!” – CEP client
The new edition of Chinook Books are now for sale!
In order to make the books more affordable to everybody, we are selling them for $16 instead of the traditional $20 at this time of year. Also, CEP has both an advertisement and a coupon in this year’s Chinook Book! If you purchase $20 worth of materials from our retail fundraiser, you can get a free pack of Greenlite globe lightbulbs! With the purchase of a book, you’re only $4 from these energy efficient beauties.
Click HERE and check out what the book has to offer, or you can stop by our office and leaf through one.
Chinook Books work as fundraisers for organizations that sell them, and coupons support progressive local businesses and last until Halloween of 2011!
Thanks to funding from the Portland Housing Bureau, Community Energy Project is now able to make larger repairs (up to $2,500) to lower-income seniors along the Interstate Corridor Urban Renewal Area (ICURA). These repairs can include fixing gutters, patching part of a roof, or making small plumbing/electrical repairs.
For more details, click HERE to see the PDF for this new program.
If you think you might qualify, call us at 503.284.6827 x104 or email homes@communityenergyproject.org
Earlier in the month some students from Northwest Institute for Social Change working with KBOO conducted a documentary-style interview with our Executive Director, Program Director, and VISTA Volunteer Coordinator. To hear the interview, click the link below!
Over the past five years, CEP has had tremendous growth. We’ve gained new staff positions, taken on many new programs and services, and have served record numbers of people. With that comes the need for new positions, and the opportunity for staff to further expand their skills. As of July 1st, the following staff have new positions:
Chaun MacQueen was promoted from Outreach and Education Manager to Program Director
Perry Cabot was promoted from Lead Poisoning Prevention Program Coordinator to Community Education Supervisor
Sherrie Smith was promoted from Outreach Coordinator to Outreach and Marketing Supervisor
Wai Ming Tang was promoted from In-Homes Assistant to Lead Service Technician
Nicole DeKay was hired on as staff from Jobs Plus and is now the Executive Assistant and a Community Educator
This year we also have three new board members!
Mike O’Brien works for the Bureau of Planning and Sustainability, and is a Green Building Specialist. He joined us in March and is part of our Development and Fundraising Committee.
Darryl Joannides is a local entrepreneur and owns Cork – a Bottle Shop just up Alberta Street (you may remember they donated proceeds from a white wine to CEP last year). He joined us in April and is on our Development and Fundraising Committee.
Monika Fein is CPA and employee of a public accounting firm - Moss Adams LLP, and has worked with many nonprofit organizations throughout the city. She joined us in June.
These new changes will help us to more efficiently serve the community, and gives us more room to grow as individuals, and as an organization.
In order to focus our attention on completing our year-end reporting, ordering supplies for next years workshops, etc., we have put our Renovation, Repair, and Painting trainings on hold.
The waitlist will reopen again July 15, 2010 and we will resume classes in August.
If you are a contractor and would like a training before August, please visit www.epa.gov in order to find other organizations who are providing the training.
Alberta Art Hop on May 15th was a huge success!
The weather was incredible, the turnout was great, and a lot of community time and effort went into painting CEP’s new mural. We saw a lot of familiar faces with volunteers, interns, community partners, workshop participants, and community leaders.
The artists are still currently touching up the paintings (yes, even in the rain) and hope to be able to mount them on our walls soon.
Thank you so much to Art on Alberta for making this mural a possibility after so many years!
Chinook Book has offered us some free advertising in their next edition we purchase 50 copies of the popular coupon book. This means we can sell them for whatever we want! Find coupons on groceries, restaurants, family entertainment, travel and recreation, and more. This book has everything from discounted yoga classes to a free trip to the carwash.
While the Chinook Book normally costs $20, we are selling them for only $12. After all, why not make them as affordable as possible?
Stop on by the office (422 NE Alberta Street) and get yours while it lasts.
What better day to kick off this year’s round of water workshops then the first day of spring?
“Water to the Weather for Healthy Watersheds” is a free workshop in which participants learn the basics about evapotranspiration, water-wise irrigation, and how to reduce nonpoint source water pollution. The class discusses how to use a soil probe, calibrate your irrigation system, and how to measure weekly watering needs. This workshop is ideal for those who water outdoors and want to conserve water to protect the environment and reduce their bills. Qualified participants receive a free kit of conservation materials including a rain gauge, soil probe, bucket, hose nozzle, and more.
Volunteers will knock on doors and sign up people who are interested in our free services.
