#21 Randal Wyatt: Taking Ownership PDX

Musician, activist, and founder of nonprofit Taking Ownership PDX, Randal Wyatt discusses his journey to creating Taking Ownership and the work they do in the community. As well as why he thinks the model works so well in Portland and how creating the organization has made him a better leader.

Other topics discussed…

– Why he’s so optimistic.

– How he got into the music scene in Portland.

– The inspiration behind starting taking ownership PDX.

– Challenges of organizing volunteers.

– Leadership through team management.

– Challenges in becoming a registered non profit.

– Dealing with anxiety / what self care looks like to him .

– Why other cities haven’t adopted the Taking Ownership model.

– Types of work Taking Ownership does.

– The unique story of Randal becoming a homeowner.

– PDX Housing Solidarity Project & Back Home ADU.

– What it’s like having his kids see him do this work.

– What song has defined his year.

– How you can get involved with Taking Ownership.

Find Randal here.

Find Taking Ownership PDX here.

Check out Randal’s Excellence Awards discussion here:

Loving Room Fund Candidates

As a company, Living Room donates 5% of our annual profit to local charities. As individual agents, we donate a minimum amount per transaction to one of our Loving Room Fund charities, along with allowing our clients to choose a charity and donate on their behalf. Every three years, Living Room agents collectively elect and invite a group of charities to present at our company meeting so three new charities can be selected. After all the charities present, we then vote on the next group of Loving Room Fund recipients. This year, ten organizations with varied focuses all pulled at the heartstrings, making for a very difficult decision. We had so many wonderful organizations with great causes and missions present, I wanted to take the time to recognize them all. Below you will find links, descriptions, and missions of all the organizations we were blessed to hear from. If any of these stories resonate with you, I urge you to donate, whether money or time, to help them continue the beneficial work they do within our community.

 

Greater Than – The mission of Greater Than is to support and empower students from poverty- impacted communities to thrive in school, college and career. To that end, we identify and convene quality best-in-class partners (based on track record, evidence of impact) and recruit them to join our collaborative whole school model on their own dime. Our programs focus on students and families from Oregon’s most poverty-impacted communities, promote culturally responsive family engagement. We work closely with parents, who are the primary drivers of program priorities, are long-term—we work with students and their families from Pre-K through college and career, and are inclusive—we do not “cherry pick” students and are deeply committed to educational equity.

Harper’s Playground – Our quest to design and build playgrounds that work for everybody began in 2009 after our five-year-old daughter Harper tried to approach a play structure in her walker at the park a few blocks from our home—and got stuck in woodchips. Frustrated she was unable to climb, slide or simply play in virtually all playgrounds, we set forth to design and build a better model and fund it ourselves. In 2010, we created Harper’s Playground, a non-profit organization dedicated to building better, all-inclusive playgrounds around the world. Our first project? Uniting our community to help redesign and rebuild that very same playground in our neighborhood.

Impact NW – Impact NW is a premier provider of educational and social services in the greater Portland metro area. Our mission is to help people prosper through a community of support. Impact NW is a private non-profit organization that began in 1966 as Portland Action Committees Together, Inc. (PACT). Four neighborhoods came together and created the agency to address the growing problems associated with poverty in the area. Since our inception, Impact NW has been a leader in providing individuals of all ages with the skills and resources necessary to achieve success and to advocate for themselves and their communities. Annually, over 30,000 low-income children, youth, families, seniors, and adults with disabilities participate in Impact NW’s comprehensive anti- poverty programs.

Oregon Wild – Founded in 1974, Oregon Wild (formerly the Oregon Natural Resources Council or ONRC) has been instrumental in securing permanent legislative protection for some of Oregon’s most precious landscapes, including nearly 1.7 million acres of Wilderness, 95,000 acres of forests in Bull Run/ Little Sandy watersheds (to safeguard the quality of Portland’s water supply) and almost 1,800 miles of Wild & Scenic Rivers. With a staff of 14, including regional coordinators, Oregon Wild’s strength is its active grassroots citizen network. Through the power of 3,000 members, over 15,000 e-mail activists and dozens of active volunteers, Oregon Wild works to maintain environmental laws, while building broad community support for our campaigns.

p:ear – p:ear builds positive relationships with homeless and transitional youth through education, art and recreation to affirm personal worth and create more meaningful and healthier lives. Each year our programs serve almost 900 homeless and transitional young people ages 15 to 24. To truly exit homelessness, kids must develop the internal strength, skills and foresight to make healthy choices. p:ear provides a safe, non-judgmental environment in which youth are trusted to outgrow unproductive and harmful behaviors. They offer individualized mentoring and education programs in a safe, reliable setting designed to foster trust, build self-esteem and to teach homeless and transitional kids – who all too often are regarded by society as disposable, “hopeless cases” – that they are valuable individuals with a future who have something vital to contribute to this community.

Partners for Hunger Free Oregon – We are leaders in the anti-hunger movement. We envision an Oregon where everyone is healthy and thriving, with access to affordable, nutritious and culturally appropriate food. To bring that vision into reality, we raise awareness about hunger, connect people to nutrition programs, and advocate for systemic changes. Our mission statement highlights the three strategies that are fundamental to address hunger at the scale of the problem and tackle the root causes: learn, connect, advocate. This model–gathering and disseminating information, expanding access to key anti-hunger programs and engaging stakeholders in public policy reform– builds on our strengths and leverages the expertise of our partners and those impacted by hunger. As a relatively small non-profit with 10 staff, we draw strength from a wide network of partners, advocates, leaders and donors across the state. From mayors to moms to chefs to doctors, people across the state join this movement in making change. Together, we can end hunger in Oregon.

ReBuilding Center – We offer affordable used building and remodeling materials with the goal of promoting the use of salvaged and reclaimed materials — a non-profit resource to strengthen environmental, economic and social fabric of local communities. We accept donations of reusable building materials that are then priced at 40-90% off retail market values. We do this to make them affordable to people of all income levels. We are a resource for information and materials. Inventory changes daily, so plan your projects, bring your measurements and get ready to be inspired!

Rose Haven – Rose Haven is a day shelter and community center serving women, children and gender non-conforming folks experiencing the trauma of abuse, loss of home and other disruptive life challenges. We break the cycle of homelessness by providing meals, clothing, first aid, mailing addresses, hygiene, restrooms, showers as well as educational programs and guidance through medical and social services. By meeting basic needs and building trust, we empower our guests to explore long-term change.

Transition Projects – Transition Projects helps people transition from homelessness to housing in the Portland metro area. Each year, we assist more than 10,000 people through a broad array of services, resources, and tools. On any given day, we help meet the basic needs of more than 500 people experiencing homelessness through our Resource Center. On any given night, we provide a safe place to sleep for more than 800 people with nowhere else to turn. In any given year, we help place more than 1,000 people into affordable housing – and then support them in retaining that housing. Founded in 1969, Transition Projects is a 501(c)(3) non-profit agency that today employs a staff team of more than 275 people working across a network of 9 program sites around Portland.

Urban Gleaners – Urban Gleaners’ mission is to help alleviate hunger by collecting edible, surplus food that would otherwise be thrown away and redistributing it to agencies that feed the hungry. The concept of picking up and redistributing food is a simple weapon in the fight against hunger. Hunger is less a problem of scarce resources but rather inefficient distribution. Urban Gleaners’ programs include Food to Schools, Emergency Food Relief, Summer Free Farmers’ Markets, and a pilot program called Mobile Market aimed at bringing relief to food desserts.

Living Room Realty ~ Year 1

Last week marked the first anniversary of my joining Living Room Realty, which was a very big deal after nearly 26 years in the same office! Like moving to a new house after many years, changing work homes is exciting. Why’d I make a change after all of those years? Well, I decided it was time to align my workplace with my ideals.

The day I walked in for my first meeting with Jenelle Isaacson, the owner of the company, she greeted me with a warm welcome, a vegan lunch made of freshly harvested, organic greens and an invitation for Bender, my canine companion, to make himself at home.

Bender the real estate dog at work

Things I  about LRR:

  • It is a local, woman-owned company
  • Beautiful offices in awesome locations (Clinton-Division, Alberta, NW & Multnomah Village)
  • The Loving Room Fund for charitable giving (more on this in a moment)
  • It is very inclusive and gay friendly
  • It is super dog friendly
  • We are a B Corp (https://bcorporation.net/about-b-corps)
  • We recycle and even compost!
  • Awesome marketing materials to make listings fly
  • Great staff

Little things really make a difference to me. When you meet me at the office you’ll find that we use real glasses, mugs, and towels; skipping all the plastic and paper. By the way, we have a great tea selection, high quality coffee, and even soda stream bubbly. So, let me know when you want to come in and have a cup.

Did you know?

I donate 1% of every commission I earn through our fund to give back to my community. For the next three years our recipients are Rose Haven, Oregon Wild and Urban Gleaners. The really cool part is that when you buy or sell property with me, you get to pick which one of them I will donate to. Which is your favorite?

Rose Haven is a day shelter and community center serving women, children, and gender non-conforming folks experiencing trauma, poverty, and physical and mental health challenges. They restore stability and dignity for 3,500 guests annually.

Oregon Wild works to protect and restore the wildlands, wildlife, and waters that make Oregon the best place on Earth to live. Right now, one of their main efforts is aimed at permanently protecting over 500,000 acres of wildlands in and around Oregon’s only national park – Crater Lake – as Wilderness. They’ve also been a strong advocate for Oregon’s native wildlife such as wolverine, salmon, sea otters, and gray wolves.

Visit their website

Urban Gleaners rescues edible surplus food that would otherwise be thrown away from grocery stores, restaurants, event sites, farms, and farmers markets. They collect roughly 50,000 pounds of food each month and deliver it free of charge to hungry children and their families through their Food to Schools program here in Portland.Their mission is to reduce waste and want simultaneously.

Visit their website

Gratitude and Honors

It has been a great year and I have met many new colleagues and clients who have become friends. I am so grateful to the fabulous folks I have had the pleasure of working with this past year. Thank you for your support and your votes for me to receive the Five Star Professional Award for the 8th time-WOW- this means so much to me!

Here is the link to participate in their program. http://www.fivestarprofessional.com/homesurvey

There are many excellent agents at Living Room, so I was delighted to be recognized as one of the top ten achieving brokers in the company. As I approach my 28th year in this business, I can truly say I still love helping people find their way home, and I am glad to have found my way to my work home.

 

Happy 2019!!!