Idealist Consulting has a long-standing partnership with Project Lemonade, a nonprofit organization focused on inspiring self esteem to help foster care youth thrive. Project Lemonade provides new clothing to children in grades K-12, internship opportunities, and their WISH program, which supports access to extracurricular activities like swimming lessons and music classes.

Shop at Participating Businesses: A percentage of profits will be donated to Project Lemonade.

Donate Clothing: Clothing for youth up to age 18 must be brand new. We’re looking specifically to collect summer and fall clothing at this time, but any new clothes are welcomed! Participating businesses on Mississippi Ave and Idealist Consulting will have bins to collect cothing.

On April 24th, Multnomah County Chair Jessica Vega Pederson released her FY2026 Executive Budget and executive budget letter. This was a difficult budget that required making difficult tradeoffs to prioritize direct services for those who rely on the County most. This includes a focus on services for children and families, rent assistance and homeless services, substance use and mental health treatment, and community safety services. 

The release of this executive budget kicks off seven weeks of public work sessions with the Board of County Commissioners and County staff. The Board will also host three public hearings for members of the community to comment on the County’s operating and capital budgets:

• Wednesday, May 14, 6 to 8 p.m., Multnomah Building Boardroom, 501 S.E. Hawthorne Blvd., in Portland.

• Wednesday, May 21, 6 to 8 p.m., East Multnomah Building, 600 N.E. 8th St., #300, in Gresham.

• Wednesday, May 28, 6 to 8 p.m., Virtual-only. Find more information about the public hearings at the Multnomah County Budget Office.  

Please consider further engagement with our budget process - anyone can sign up to testify or leave a comment through the Chair’s Budget page as a next step. 

If you would like to learn more about the Chair's decisions and/or need help preparing for these hearings, consider signing up for our May 3rd community budget engagement training that our office is offering, in partnership with the County Office of Community Involvement and the Coalition of Communities of Color.

Also, thank you to the 4,000+ people who engaged with our annual budget survey! Results are available at this dashboard.

Sincerely,

Sara Ryan & An Bui

Chair's Office Budget Engagement Team 

The Multnomah REACH program is facilitating another FREE four-part Taste of African Heritage cooking demo series this May! Please save the date and RSVP for classes on May 14, May 21, May 28 and June 4 from 6:00-7:30pm at the First A.M.E Zion Church (4304 North Vancouver Ave, Portland OR 97217).

RSVP highly encouraged: forms.gle/u8GJ7PwomK2PTg3QA

#MultcoREACH

Shape the Future of Portland: Take the “Your City, Your Choice” Survey

The Oregon Values and Beliefs Center wants to hear from you! Our 2025 Portland: Your City, Your Choice survey asks Portlanders about life in the city today and their hopes for its future — from neighborhood amenities and safety to City Council representation and community priorities.

Now in its second year, this survey is part of a long-term effort to track how Portlanders’ views and experiences change over the next decade. It’s helping to benchmark trends — and to inform important decisions being made right now about the city’s future.

Just 15–20 minutes to complete
Win one of twenty $50 gift cards to local Portland businesses
Anonymous and confidential

Your voice matters — and your input will help city leaders and policymakers better understand the values and needs of Portland residents across all four new City Council districts.

ovbc.info/2025_PDX to take the survey and help shape Portland’s future

The Portland Bureau of Transportation (PBOT) and Multnomah County Library are teaming up once again for the seventh annual Bike to Books design competition after a three year hiatus. Starting today, May 1, Portlanders are invited to design original bike lane art to celebrate bike month and the hundreds of miles of bike lanes around the city. Participants start with the standard bike lane icon and put their own flair on it for the chance to add color and whimsy to Portland streets! 

Together, PBOT and the Library are excited to introduce a new age group category this year. Adults (ages 18 and up) are now able to submit bike lane art alongside Pre-K – 12th graders. Grand prize winners (one per age category) will have their designs installed on one of Portland’s many bike lanes and neighborhood greenways by PBOT striping crews. Second and third place winners will also be eligible for prizes.     

Throughout the month of May, visit your local library for free, bike-related events and classes like Bike Storytime or PBOT-led Basic Bike Maintenance workshops. 

The Bike to Books program has brought colorful creativity to Portland’s bike lanes for years. From fungi and reading octopi to bicycle-riding strawberries and fire-breathing dragons, there is no limit to what Portlanders will create! The bureau even offers suggested rides for seeing some of the artwork in Portland's eastside and North Portland.  

Contest rules and guidelines

To participate, pick up a copy of the design sheet at your local library branch or visit PBOTs Bike to Books website for a downloadable copy. Once your design has been created you can drop it off at your local Multnomah County Library branch, no later than Sunday, June 1. To find your nearest open branch and for information on hours visit multcolib.org or call 503-988-5123.  

You can also scan or take a picture of both sides of the form and email it to PBOT at biketobooks@portlandoregon.gov. We accept .jpgs, .pngs, and .pdfs. Please check your image so that it is clear and has a higher resolution if possible. Make sure to keep the original copy.   

Design sheets are available to pick up or download in English, Spanish, Vietnamese, Chinese, and Russian.

Entry must be original artwork in the following brackets: Pre-Kindergarten to 2nd grade, 3rd through 6th grade, 7th through 12th grade, and adult. Multiple entries welcome. Entrants must live in Multnomah County to be eligible to win.

Bike to Books first began in 2017 by PBOT and Multnomah County Library to encourage kids to bike more, read books and, better yet, bike to their local library! Since then, 19 original artworks have been installed in Portland bike lanes. 

The Reconnecting Albina Planning Project (RAPP) is a partnership between the Albina Vision Trust and the City of Portland to create urban development strategies that center restorative development for Portland’s Black community and reconnect the physical fabric of the Lower Albina neighborhood.

Help the city strategize how to restore the physical fabric of the Albina neighborhood and support Portland’s Black community. Use the Pin It mapping tool to pinpoint places you love, challenges you see, and ideas for the future. Don’t wait—add your comments today!

Pin it by March 31. 

VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITY: Apply HERE

Community Board for Police Accountability

The new Community Board for Police Accountability can make recommendations about Portland Police Bureau practices, policies and directives, with a focus on community concerns.

We want people from every part of Portland to share their voice, especially those who have not been involved before. If you want to serve your community and help government make better choices, then we want to see your application.

Apply by April 14, 2025 to:

• Work with the Office of Community Police Accountability to investigate reported misconduct of Portland Police officers and their supervisors

• Review cases promptly, fairly and impartially

• Impose appropriate discipline

• Make recommendations to Police Bureau regarding police practices, policies and directives

Monthly meetings will take place on weekday evenings. The 21 community

members selected to serve on the board will receive a $500 per year stipend.

Want more information or support with your application?

Email CBPAinfo@portlandoregon.gov or call 971-610-1963.

Join East Multnomah Soil & Water Conservation District at a FREE workshop this spring from the comfort of your own home or in your neighborhood!  Learn tips and ideas from landscape experts on how to create an attractive, low-cost, and low-maintenance landscape that will benefit people, water, and wildlife. With topics ranging from naturescaping to attracting wildlife to water conservation to climate resilience and more, you will learn how to plan for and create the yard benefit people, water and wildlife!

A few workshops that are coming soon!

• Thu, 2/27: Intro to Naturescaping from 6-7:30 PM via Zoom

• Wed, 3/5: Creating an Edible Landscape from 6-8:30 PM via Zoom

• Sat, 3/9: Rain Gardens 101 10-12:30 PM via Zoom

• Wed, 3/12: Creating an Edible Landscape w/Columbia Slough Watershed Council from 6-8:30 PM at the Double Mountain Overlook Taproom (1700 N Killingsworth St, Portland, OR 97217)

• Sun, 3/23: Intro to Naturescaping from 10-11:30 AM via Zoom

• Wed, 3/26: Intro to Stormwater: Solutions for Healthy Waterways w/SymbiOp from 6:30-8:00 PM at SymbiOp Garden Shop (3454 SE Powell Blvd, Portland, OR 97202)

• Thu, 3/27: Landscaping for Wildlife from 6-7 PM via Zoom

• Sat, 3/29: Urban Invasive Weeds from 10-12:30 PM via Zoom

To check out the full schedule of workshops and to register, visit the website (emswcd.org/workshops)!