It’s official: this year’s Leaving a Legacy fundraiser will be held May 17th, location to be determined. We are so excited for this annual opportunity to reconnect, share stories, and plan for the future with the amazing JHC community. Click here to buy tickets, sponsor, or donate an auction item!
See you in May!
For more information on the NW Environmental Health Conference click on the link: Registration
EPA awarded $25,000 grants to the Josiah Hill III Clinic (JHC) for its “Healthy Homes, Healthy Congregations: Green Steward Project” and Beyond Toxics for “The Families and Air Pollution Project”. The former is a partnership with Ecumenical Ministries of Oregon (EMO). Three churches and a mosque in Portland have been selected for the pilot project. The grants will assist these two community-based organizations as part of the EPA’s Environmental Justice Small Grant Program, to conduct outreach and empower local communities to address environmental and public health issues.
At the event which took place December 16, 2011 at the State Capitol, the Oregon Environmental Justice Task Force (EJTF) was also recognized for effective implementation of the State environmental legislation, as well as the Task Force’s initiatives that incorporate environmental justice consideration into State agencies’ programs. EPA Regional Administrator Dennis McLerran presented the awards. Speakers included Curtis Robinhold, Governor’s Chief of Staff; Ben Duncan, Chair, Oregon EJTF and Robert Collin, Oregon EJTF/Willamette University.
L to R: Dennis J. McLerran, EPA Region 10 Administrator; Sheryl Stohs, PhD., EJ Community Liasion; Charles McGee II, Executive Director, JHC; & Jenny Holmes, Environmental Ministries Director, EMO.
Congratulations Jesse on being our Exceptional Volunteer of the Quarter! Jesse recently moved to Portland from Connecticut with his new wife. He is a Research Associate at OHSU studying liver and lung cancers. Jesse has a Master of Arts in Applied Medical Anthropology from the State University of New York at Buffalo and a Master of Public Health degree from the University of Connecticut. While in the process of studying for his MPH, he had a paper published on health hazards from occupational chemicals, highlighting the need for safer alternatives to reduce the use of highly toxic chemicals in the workplace. Jesse loves brewing beer, riding bikes, and kayaking and is excited to kayak every river in the Northwest!
Josiah Hill III Clinic and the Interfaith Network for Earth Concerns have partnered with the EPA to create the “Healthy Homes, Healthy Congregations: The Green Steward” project. JHC and INEC staff met recently with Sheryl M. Stohs PhD, the Environmental Justice Community Liason for EPA Region 10 to discuss the launching of the project. In attendance at this meeting were JHC Board Member Bruce Watts, Jenny Holmes and Alison Warren of EMO-INEC and Charles McGee, II of JHC. Next steps for the Green Steward Project will be: selection of participating congregations, hosting a series of presentations/discussions around environmental health and justice, and familiarizing the Green Steward Ambassadors with their project work.