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Inspirational Storybook

Our United Villages

Community Outreach of Our United Villages believes that everyone can make a positive difference in their community. Below are six inspirational and innovative projects organized by Portland groups. This set of inspirational stories is but one testament to the power of a great idea combined with collective hard work! Please click on the links below to read each chapter.

Maya Angelou Summer Art Camp
giving kids a sense of place, a sense of self
Written by Nell Wagenaar Austen

Seeds of Harmony
where relationships grow and community can flourish
Written by John Ossowski

Northeast Portland Tool Library
building community one tool at a time
Written by Nell Wagenaar Austen

Boise Voices Oral History Project
every neighborhood has its own set of stories
Written by Judith Wild & Myste French

The Ainsworth Street Collective
transforming a neighborhood into a community
Written by Nell Wagenaar Austen

Swap n Play
sharing our abundance collectively
Written by Corinna Buchholz

These stories are based on site visits and in-depth interviews with people who were vital in moving the project idea forward. Through these interviews, we heard about the amazing cast of characters who got involved with and worked to sustain the projects. This is the first edition in an ongoing series that will showcase the community-building efforts of everyday people doing extraordinary things.

This book is intended to be shared with others and used as a source of inspiration for community-building efforts. It may not be altered, transformed, reproduced or used for commercial use without expressed permission from Community Outreach of Our United Villages.