Peggy was being groomed to be an executive director before she moved to Oregon to be closer to family. Little did she know, a few years later, illness would force her into early retirement.

Smart, educated, and now needing assistance with daily life, Peggy is now a resident in our assisted living and a Maybelle Center member. Peggy reflects what it felt like to serve as a member of our interview committee…

Since our earliest days, Maybelle Center has played an important part in the education of healthcare providers. In partnership with universities, we host practicums for student nurses to explore the complex link between poverty and health inequalities that can often hinder care. Every year, many members volunteer to open their homes to nursing students from OHSU, University of Portland, and Concordia University. We sat down with one of our members to get a glimpse into the experience: An interview with Michael J. Smith, Maybelle Center for Community member. The interview has been edited for clarity.  What does visiting with students bring to your life? “It’s a chance to socialize for an hour, once a week. And more importantly, it gets me out of my apartment, instead of me being in there all day. I also like it because the students I visit with don’t judge me for my faults. They treat me with respect and dignity. “My form of autism is more difficult to spot than others – I have a high functioning form. I’ve had bad experiences where people treat me differently because of who I am.” You mentioned autism makes your life more difficult. Has your relationship with…

We’d like to share a special letter from our member Michael that gives you a glimpse into his journey and why Maybelle Center is so important to him.

We sat down to talk with Marie to get an insider perspective on what it’s like to visit members as a volunteer.

“Every conversation is a gift,” says Calvin Martinez, who co-directed the film.

Debuted at Hope in the Heart of Portland, October 2, 2019 Special thanks to the Walters Family Foundation for making the video possible!

Photos from our annual fundraising event, Hope in the Heart of Portland, on October 2, 2019

Completely unscripted, totally surprising, and one of the moments we’ll remember from Hope in the Heart of Portland (our annual fundraiser) on Wednesday – it was so incredible, we had to share it! Words seem inadequate to express the joy and hope we witnessed as our member Vince pulled out a folded $20 bill from his pocket and pledged it to the community he loves so much.  After paddles raised during the special appeal from $10,000 to the $100 level, our auctioneer asked if anyone wanted to support Maybelle Center at any other amount. Vince didn’t have a bid number, as he didn’t expect to contribute financially. But that didn’t stop him! Vince held his $20 bill high and waved it to make sure it was seen. Vince’s outpouring of love would be beautiful enough on its own. But a donor, Matt Fedota, was touched by Vince’s gift and immediately threw up his paddle to match it. That set off a ripple of bidders throughout the room, many of whom had already given at another level – all raising their paddles in solidarity with Vince. Many of us were overcome with emotion – a mixture of surprise, hope, and pride. I know I’ve never been so…

Healthy finances mean we can focus on building a healthier, and more connected Portland Originally published in our 2018 Annual Report.