In October of 2022, Brett Zimmerman reached out to Oregon Walks in search of an organizational host for his capstone project at Simmons University. As a firefighter/EMT with Portland Fire & Rescue, Brett is all too familiar with the reality of traffic violence. After years of responding to crises that often felt evitable, Brett wanted …
“Living Without Refuge” is an Article You Won’t Want to Miss Continue Reading »
Each year, members and supporters of Oregon Walks gather to break bread, celebrate, honor, and raise funds for the organization. We call this event–this party!–Walkstars. This year we are gathering on Saturday, September 30th at Zenger Farms from 5-7:30pm. We are incredibly excited to come together, in person, for the first time in years. We …
Over the years, Oregon Walks programming has been made possible by incredible partners who put their time, energy, and passion for community into everything they do. When we reached out to the Multnomah County Library on Belmont last year as our Black to Nature Walking Series launched, Jeanie Diaz responded with excitement to engage. As …
Over the course of a few months, Portland Community College students Robbie Ippolito and Donovan Murphy partnered with Oregon Walks to address the 181 recent sidewalk closures that ODOT announced in February of this year. In one of their spring Geographic Information Systems (GIS) courses, these two students created a phenomenal database that lets users …
PCC GIS Students Map ODOT Sidewalk Closures Continue Reading »
The Latest – June 26, 2023 We are thrilled to share that our first round of community conversations was a great success! We had a fantastic turnout and engaging discussions with our neighbors. We have covered three sections of 82nd Ave: from Cully down to Lents and in between. A big thank you to everyone …
The 82nd Avenue Coalition and Metro are thrilled to host a series of neighborhood-specific conversations along 82nd Avenue, and we want YOU there We know 82nd Avenue is changing. We aim to convene interested neighbors to discuss their current views about 82nd Avenue and their hopes for the future. It is also an opportunity to …
Oregon Walks is excited to announce the naming of Zachary Lauritzen as our Interim Executive Director. For the previous two years, Oregon Walks was skillfully led by Metro Councillor-elect Ashton Simpson. As he transitions into this role, we want to thank him for his service to our organization. While we are sad to see Ashton …
Announcing Our Interim Executive Director – Zachary Lauritzen Continue Reading »
Hey everyone! As you may have already heard, I’m leaving my position as Executive Director here at Oregon Walks, and my last day is coming up at the end of this year. I wanted to take a moment to let you know how much I’ve enjoyed my time here—and you’ve played a part in that. …
On July 13th, Oregon Walks and its core partners–Asian Pacific American Network of Oregon (APANO), Unite Oregon, and Verde–hosted the first 82nd Ave Coalition meeting since the official transfer of 82nd Ave from the State of Oregon to the City of Portland. The group of 30 people shared stories of their experiences on/around 82nd Ave, …
In 2018, Portland Black community members across the diaspora (Immigrant, Afro-Indigenous, ADOS) came together to develop a framework that bridges the gap between our community and mainstream environmental justice efforts. This walking series will highlight important aspects of what became the Afro-Ecology Framework, including community, spirituality, and justice while connecting us back to our spaces …