Join Us in Sharing Gratitude
December 10, 2020
In a year filled with struggle and unease, Ben wants you to know: “I’ll help you.”
Ben, a core member at Neahkahnie House, reminds us that we are at our best when we generously respond to the needs of each other. At L’Arche Portland, we laugh, cry, struggle, learn, and grow together and we are grateful for every moment of it. In the face of unprecedented disruptions to the daily life of our homes and community, I have witnessed countless times when our friends and supporters have generously responded to our needs in beautiful and inspiring ways.
Ben and Therese cooking together in 2019.
Your support has allowed us to maintain full, vibrant homes where friends with and with-out intellectual disabilities share life together. The friendships formed in our homes are immediate responses to loneliness and isolation, feelings that are far too familiar to many of us this year. Each member of our homes has a net of support that spans both as wide as the arms of their housemate, and as wide as our supportive community. With the support of generous donors like you we were able to open our third home last year. Dena, a founding Gabriel House member, recently reflected on her experience of sharing life in the home:
“One of the things I really appreciate about Gabriel House is our community. It’s not just the people who live in the home. It’s the families of people who live in the home, it’s their friends. It’s amazing to watch it continue to grow.”
A Transformation from “Staying-at-Home” to “Being Together”
I’m inspired by the collective commitment of core members, assistants, and house members to not only meet each other’s basic needs, but to support one another’s happiness and mental health. Together, we continue to experience joy and gratitude on a daily basis. And probably more dancing and laughing than a typical household enjoys. Your gifts keep us dancing and laughing.
Members of our homes are making great sacrifices to keep one another safe. Our core members are missing things they love and look forward to such as jobs, volunteering, concerts, day programs, Kiwanis Camp, and seeing friends and family outside of our homes. It hasn’t been easy. But spending more time at home has also led core members to make the experience of our many new assistants more welcoming than ever. In fact, Adam is almost always at the ready to open the door at Nehalem for his friends returning home. Your gifts keep our homes full and welcoming.
Adam, Annie Rose, Pooh, and Therese celebrating the 4th of July together.
The commitment of our assistants has shone more brightly than any other year. They have sacrificed relationships, travel, and participation in protests for social change. It hasn’t been easy. But they have filled our homes with creativity and possibility, connecting our core members to friends and family whom they haven’t been able to visit. Having assistants who transform “staying-at-home” to “being together” is a remarkable thing to experience and witness. Your gifts support this creativity and possibility. E, a live-in assistant at Neahkahnie House, has been supporting Erin and other core members to call people listed in the home’s Circle of Friends directory. E is appreciating this experience:
“It’s been so important to connect with people while we’ve been in quarantine. Even sharing small things like what we ate that day helps us feel connected. And witnessing relationships between Erin and former assistants has been really special. A lot of the people we call tell us that the phone call was the best part of their day. Also, it’s not a particularly difficult thing to do. There’s not a lot of planning involved. Especially when I think about what I would want after I am no longer a live-in assistant; I would want to be connected. Maintaining our circle of friends allows that to happen.”
Thank you for empowering a lasting community of friends. I’m most grateful this year for all of the rich ways that the L’Arche Portland community lifts each other up. Ben exemplifies the spirit of our community when he announces: “I’ll help you. Will you help me?”
L’Arche Portland relies on the generous support of donors like you to maintain our three homes. During this holiday season we are grateful for your belief in the mission of L’Arche Portland. We recognize all of the ways that you show up and ensure that our community remains vibrant, and invite you to join us again today by financially supporting L’Arche Portland. Will you help us?
With gratitude,
Andrew Noethe, Executive Director | Community Leader
