Moreau Center for Service and Justice Newsletter: February 2025

Welcome to our February edition of the Moreau Center for Service and Justice Newsletter! Keep reading to learn about our upcoming programs, events, and other engagement opportunities. If you have any questions, please contact us at moreaucenter@up.edu.

Note: All Moreau Center events are either held on campus or have transportation provided.

Hands On Healing: Art with L'Arche - 3/8

Join us for an art event designed to foster creativity, relieve stress, and build meaningful connections with members of L'Arche Portland, a community of individuals with and without disabilities who celebrate life together. This event invites all to explore a variety of artistic activities, including sculpting, painting, and working with air-dry clay while building relationships with L'Arche members. Join us on Saturday, March 8th from 9:30 AM - 12:30 PM in the St. Mary's Lounge.

Join us Thursday, March 20th to volunteer with Night Strike from 6:30 PM - 9:30 PM. Night Strike is a humanitarian outreach program centered around community, connection, and kindness. They mobilize volunteers in order to meet the felt needs of our unhoused community; it is an opportunity for Portland’s unhoused neighbors to come enjoy a hot meal, receive a haircut, have their feet washed, and have their old clothing and sleeping bags replaced. Accompanied by a Night Strike Lead, we will walk around downtown Portland with hot cocoa, PB&J sandwiches, and socks for our neighbors living on the streets. More event details are posted on Engage.

L'Arche Coffee and Prayer - 3/22

Join us for a peaceful and uplifting coffee and prayer event with L'Arche Portland in the St. Mary's Lounge on Saturday, March 22nd from 10:30 AM - 12:30 PM! Whether you're seeking peace, connection, or inspiration, this gathering offers a warm, non-denominational space for reflection and fellowship. We'll start with a hot cup of freshly brewed coffee and good conversation, followed by a time of prayer where we can share our hearts and lift each other up. This is a great opportunity to pause, recharge, and connect with others in a meaningful way.

Gabriel House Garden Work Party - 3/29

Join us on Saturday, March 29th from 9:00 AM - 12:00 PM for a Garden Work Party with L'Arche, where we’ll come together as a community to care for the beautiful outdoor spaces we share at Gabriel House. Volunteers will work alongside L'Arche members to rake leaves, tidy up the garden, and create a welcoming environment for everyone. We’ll also be mowing the lawn, ensuring it’s lush and well-kept, and preparing the garden beds by clearing away debris and getting the soil ready for new growth. Additionally, we’ll be pressure washing outdoor surfaces like patios and pathways, giving everything a fresh, clean look.

Liberated Archives Exhibit - 2/26

You’re invited to visit the Liberated Archives Exhibit on the 2nd floor of Shiley Marcos, which will be holding a reception today, February 26th from 4:00 PM - 5:00 PM. The exhibit features three key components:

1. Black Lines, Bold Story – A narrative series featuring one BSU member from each class (freshman to senior).

2. Letters in Black Ink – A collection of personal reflections from current BSU members about their experiences at UP, a PWI.

3. Collaboration with PDX Don’t Shoot – A powerful visual and historical display highlighting life at UP starting from the mid-1930s, incorporating work from UP students (2023-2024).

Environmental Justice Community Event: Short Films Screening and Book Release - 2/28

As a collaboration between the Social Work Department and the Environmental Ethics and Policy Program, this event will be an opportunity to eat, dialogue, watch, share, and listen. Now is the time for communities on the front lines to unite, and honor/learn from our ancestors. This gathering is open to all and will generate inspiration, visions, power, and protection. The event will feature two short films, Blue River: A Call to Heal the Willamette and Remembering York, and the book release of Erin Goodling's Green City Rising. We hope to see you there!

St. Andrew Nativity School: Volunteer Track Coach Needed

St. Andrew Nativity School is looking for a volunteer track coach to support their middle school practices on Mondays and Thursdays from 4:15 PM - 5:45 PM, which will have 35-40 kids. Practice starts on March 10th and meets start the first week of April and will run for four consecutive weeks, skipping Easter break. Events include everything from the 100 to the 3000, and shotput, javelin (FinnFlyer), long jump and high jump. Background with track and field not required. Training is provided and volunteers will work with Coach Randy Dollar for his 19th season coaching. Contact Randy at info@nativityportland.org or 503-819-6931 with questions or interest.

Mt. Hood Kiwanis Camp: Counselors Needed

Mt. Hood Kiwanis Camp (MHKC) helps empower adults with developmental disabilities through equitable access to the outdoors and recreation. Each summer, MHKC seeks 200 college-credit/volunteer counselors and 90 paid staff to be a part of their summer camp on Mt. Hood for 1-8 weeks. Camp provides an immersive, hands-on experience for counselors and staff to build community, develop personal and professional skills, and have a positive impact helping campers have a fun and meaningful camp experience. Camp is an incredible experiential learning opportunity that has students walking away greater disability advocates with a deeper sense of self and community. Learn more at mhkc.org or email sarah@mhkc.org with any questions and to get connected!

Children's Cancer Association - JoyRx

Volunteer with Children’s Cancer Association – JoyRx to help transform the pediatric healthcare experience of children fighting cancer or other serious illnesses through programs that create immediate and measurable improvement to their mental and emotional wellness. Available opportunities include being a Volunteer Musician, Mentor, or Event Volunteer. Learn more here and email tpaterson@joyrx.org with interest!

^{Sophie is a Junior Nursing Major and Psychology Minor from Spokane, WA and has been involved in the Moreau Center since her Freshman year. Sophie’s first experience with the Moreau Center was with the Plunge Into Your Neighborhood pre-orientation program. She really liked the people and mission of the program, and began to volunteer on and off with Service and Justice Coordinator events as a freshman, where she realized that she loved the idea of working with the Moreau Center. At the end of her freshman year, she applied and interviewed for the Campus Volunteer Coordinator (CVC) position with Elementary SUN, and has been the CVC for Elementary SUN ever since. SUN (Schools Uniting Neighborhoods) programs provide after school programming for local students. In her role as a Campus Volunteer Coordinator, Sophie partners with James John Elementary and César Chávez K-8 in North Portland, where she volunteers and works to recruit and coordinate UP students to also volunteer with the SUN programs.}

^{Sophie has always loved giving back to her community because of the strong support systems she had where she came from, so when she came to Portland for college, she wanted to get involved in the community to make those type of connections and build that foundation. Sophie’s ‘why’ for being involved in the MCSJ is “North Portland has been so welcoming and the people have been so kind and supportive, so being able to give back to them in any way was why I wanted to do this role in the first place. I really love being able to connect with people and help them; I am a nursing major after all, so I like helping people. It is a big thing that drives a lot of what I do”. Sophie says that a lot of her nursing education translates into what she does with the SUN program, for example, in nursing classes they talk a lot about therapeutic communication. In her CVC role, she has had a lot of opportunity to practice therapeutic communication and take that trauma informed approach in having conversations with students who have experienced difficulties related to issues such as food insecurity and housing. Being able to enter into that with the nursing lens of listening and centering that person rather than imposing on the conversation has been something she has been able to practice within the SUN programs. Sophie is interested in going into pediatric nursing, so it has also been good experience to work with youth.}

^{Sophie’s favorite thing about the Moreau Center is how inclusive and supportive it is as an organization on campus. She believes they really focus not only on specific community issues that we’re seeing, but broader issues like the political climate, immigration, etc. They are taking important stances on current world problems. The Moreau Center has also connected her more to the people who live here and to people on campus who also care about supporting our community. Sophie encourages students to participate with one of the CVC programs, which offer various opportunities to get involved with regular volunteering with our community partners!}

^{MLK Day of Service}

^{Thank you to all of the Pilots who participated in MLK Day ON! This year, over ninety Pilots engaged in our day of service, working alongside partners to help build a Beloved Community on our campus and in our neighborhood. Our community members volunteered at St. Andre Bessette Parish, Our Village Gardens (pictured), St. Johns Swapnplay, Rose Haven, SOLVE Oregon, and the Chapel of Christ of Teacher. Many also participated in Green Dot Bystander Training to gain knowledge and skills needed to reduce interpersonal violence.}

^{Pilots After Dark}

^{During a recent collaboration with Pilots After Dark, the Moreau Center held a craft night for students to express themselves creatively through clay and make tissue paper flowers to donate to Rose Haven’s “Reigning Roses Walk” on Mother’s Day. Rose Haven is a day shelter for women, children, and marginalized genders experiencing homelessness and poverty. Thank you to the Pilots who supported us in making beautiful paper roses for their celebration!}

Do you have ideas for the Moreau Center? Whether you have ideas for content to feature in our newsletter or engagement opportunities you'd like us to explore, we want to hear from YOU! Your feedback is very important to us, as we want the Moreau Center's engagement opportunities and communications to reflect our community.

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"Being able to go into [conversations with students] with the nursing lens of listening and centering that person rather than imposing on the conversation has been something that I have been able to practice and use a lot with the SUN programs" - Sophie Grove '26

"Being able to go into [conversations with students] with the nursing lens of listening and centering that person rather than imposing on the conversation has been something that I have been able to practice and use a lot with the SUN programs"
- Sophie Grove '26