The Sound of the Pacific Northwest

There's an art exhibit called Please Touch organized by ReVision Arts and curated by Barbara Oswald. Barbara very graciously accepted to talk to us today about this interesting concept. 

In the Pacific Northwest, we have a serious problem with drugs, crime, homelessness, domestic violence... so many issues that, believe it or not, improve when this one thing gets better…  We’re talking about reading… Children who cannot read proficiently by the fourth grade are four times less likely to graduate on time—hindering their chances to succeed in college, career, and in life. And here’s an alarming statistic… In Oregon, more than half of 3rd graders are not reading at grade level. There is an organization in Oregon that is working hard to boost reading levels in school. We’re talking about SMART Reading. To talk about SMART Reading, we have invited Jessica Bowersox, SMART Reading’s Executive Director. 

October is known as National Disability Employment Awareness Month and is also a time to raise awareness for specific conditions like Down Syndrome. National Disability Employment Awareness Month highlights the contributions of people with disabilities to the workforce, encourages inclusive hiring practices, and promotes an accessible work environment. So, today, we’re talking to an organization in Portland that empowers individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities. We’re talking about PHAME, with PH, not F. To talk about PHAME, we have invited Dana Dinh, their Outreach & Student Engagement Manager.

Today we’re speaking with Megan Mayes, Director of Community Relations for BELLWETHER HOUSING. They know a thing or two about housing… They operate over 3,500 low-income apartments throughout the Puget Sound region. 

Homelessness is a significant and growing problem in the Pacific Northwest. Something needs to be done and soon!  “Portland Rescue Mission” is one of the many organizations working hard to make a difference and end homelessness in the Pacific Northwest.  They are so committed to their mission that their Interim CEO, Erin Holcomb, spent 24 hours on a bench in Portland this week. In Seattle, the CEO for Bread of Life Mission, Kim Cook, also spent 24 hours on a Bench in Seattle this past week. Before they did it, we recorded an interview with Erin Holcomb to ask her about "Conversations on a Bench."

Salem Radio Seattle will be at Missions Fest Seattle. This is a free event with keynote speakers and 60 seminars and exhibits. This is happening Friday and Saturday Oct 10th and 11th at the Highlands Community Church in Renton. For more information go to MissionsFestSeattle.org.

We thought, since we’re gonna be there, it would be a nice idea to talk to one of those 60 exhibitors that will be there with Salem Media Seattle. We chose Vision House. And to talk about Vision House, we invited their Executive Director, Derek Sciba.

Derek Sciba has 15 years of nonprofit leadership experience, having served with global relief organizations such as World Concern and World Vision. Before stepping into the nonprofit world, Derek worked as a television news reporter, where he told stories that sought justice for families facing trauma.

There's a very important gala taking place on October 4th and it’s the ALS Northwest Silver & Gold Gala at the Oregon Convention Center in Portland.

To talk about ALS Northwest and their upcoming gala, we have invited Cassy Adams, their Executive Director.

Do you know a woman who’s had a cancer diagnosis? Team Survivor Northwest provides a vital lifeline - offering free fitness programs and a healing community that improves health outcomes for women with cancer. On October 4, you can directly support these transformative services by attending Team Survivor Northwest's 30 Years Strong Gala. As a listener of this station, use code RADIO to save $20 on tickets. This is your chance to invest locally and support women with cancer in their healing. Visit TeamSurvivorNW.org now to reserve your seat. 

To talk about this Gala and more we invited Ericka Newman , Team Survivor Northwest Executive Director. 

There’s an organization in Portland that has been coming to the rescue of homeless youth between 15 and 25 years of age since 2002. Their name is p:ear. To talk about p:ear, we invited Tony Camacho Martinez, their program director.

Have you ever wondered about the people you see all the time, like your bus driver, your baker, your garbage collector? What’s interesting or fun about their jobs? What ticks them off? What makes them smile? Well, we thought it would be a great idea to talk to them. This week, we talked to a Community Transit bus driver in Washington. We had a great conversation and learned a lot about him and his job. Listen to our conversation with David Scroggins of Community Transit here...

There’s a Volunteer Expo coming up on September 4th at Pioneer Courthouse Square in Portland. To talk about this event, we’ve invited Melissa Wilmot, Public Relations & Social Media Manager, Community Relations at The Standard Insurance Company.

Poverty Bay Blues and Brews is on Saturday, August 23rd. To learn about this great event, we have invited Brian Snure, who has been in charge of the festival since the beginning, 16 years ago, and Steve Swank, AKA the Music Man; he’s the one that has booked the bands since they started the festival!

Get your tickets here: https://www.drinktomusic.org/

 Our guest today is Jared Walker. He founded “Dollar For” in 2012 in Portland, Oregon. He created it to prevent medical crises becoming financial crises. He wants to make charity care known, easy, and fair.

If you’ve lived in the Pacific Northwest in the last 3 decades and you like listening to radio, you’ll recognize the name Georgine Rice… She’s the host of the Georgene Rice, Mon-Fri at 4 pm on 820 AM, The Word, and she’s been in KPDQ in Portland for over 30 years!

Today on the Sound of the Puget Sound, we had the chance to talk to Greg Roth. He is the Director & Executive Producer of the movie “We Ride Why.” 

He is also the founder and Creative Director of the local music website Seattle Music Insider. Greg was raised in a musical family, and, like his brothers John and Robert, played in various bands, as well as writing and producing his own projects. 

Each year, hundreds of thousands of children grow up in America’s $30 billion foster care system, only to leave and enter its prisons, where a quarter of all inmates are former foster youth.

Seattle author Claudia Rowe has ideas on how to fix this problem, and she wrote a book about it. 

In Wards of the State: The Long Shadow of American Foster Care, Claudia Rowe paints a visceral survival narrative showing exactly where, when, and how the system channels children into locked cells.

Gina Tarnacki is a local travel writer, and the author of “100 Things to Do in Washington State Before You Die.” She gave us amazing tips on some of the things to do in Washington before we die. 

In 2018, Yori, a 3-year-old from Seattle, drowned in a pool when he was just 3 years old. We’re talking to his mom today. Chezik, his mom, knew she had to do something to honor her child. That’s how “No More Under” was born.  Chezik Tsunoda is the founder of this organization and she’s talking to us today.

Music Aid Northwest was created by a group of very successful musicians in the Puget Sound to raise and provide funds for music programs in Washington State. Why, you may be asking yourself… Well, to answer this question, we have invited the Music Aid Northwest Executive Director, Bob Tomberg.

Recently, one of our co-workers gave us the shocking news that he had been diagnosed with Parkinson’s Disease. We knew it was a serious illness, but what else did we know about it? Not much… We know that’s what Michael J. Fox has… I guess that’s it. We started learning a little bit from our co-worker but we thought it would be beneficial for our audience if we talked to the experts about it. Today we’ve invited to the show, Dr. Marci Nemhauser, who’s in charge of Social Services at The Northwest Parkinson’s Foundation.