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About Just out. (Portland, OR) 1983-2013 | View Entire Issue (Jan. 21, 2005)
10 JUSt OUt • January 21.2005 Trnrrwinews Don’t Miss the Rate Train! Your Schedule is My Schedule • • • • Free Consultations Interest Only No Down Payment Options First Time Home Buyers H ouse by Pat Young Metropolitan Community Church 29th Anniversary Celebration Sunday January 23, 2005 9am and 11am worship Special Reception for founders and former members between the services at 10am Fireside Room 2400 NE Broadway 503-281-886« L aw O ffice of J ames D. Me J ames D. M c V ittie Artorney-at-Law, Lie. in OR & WA the Equity Foundation establishes Paul Higgins Endowment Fund Russell Leggroan • cell: 503-750-3350 • LRussell5@yahoo.com 503-722-3842 • 888-635-5446 415 17th Street, Suite 5 • Oregon City, OR 97045 I O n quity Foundation recently estab lished a $100,000 endowment fund to provide housing support for people with HIV or AIDS. The fund is named after its bene factor, Paul D. Higgins, who in 1996 deeded his North Portland home to Equity with the under standing that his son, Christopher, could live there for the final years of his life. Christopher died of AIDS last year. Equity then took on the task of preparing the house for sale. It was an extremely generous gift, and Equity was proud to carry out Higgins’ wishes hy establishing this new endowment fund. Kraus was the project manager who put in more than 175 hours getting the house ready. He brought in contractors for some tasks such as painting the inside and outside, removing bars from the windows, taking down part of the back deck and fixing the floors and countertops. But he also did a lot of work himself—replacing light fixtures and towel racks with higher-quality items. He invested time in the little touches that can make a house look significantly better, as well as increase the sale price. It was easy for him to join the project, espe cially after his partner, Steve Dotterrer, who happens to be co-chairman of the Equity board, 503.224.661 1 806 sw B roadwax , SYI P ortland , O uego O WWW.MCVi TTIE-LAV Multnomah Antiques Annual January Sale 10%-50% off! Dining Tables & Chairs China ~ Silver ~ Glass ~ Table Linens Mon.-Sat. 10:00am - 5:30pm . Sun. Noon-4:00pm In Multnomah Village • 7764 SW Capitol Hwy. • 503.245.8283 pan SPPIHG DBL C rlc C ray SANDI MCDOWELL REALTORS F. xcfwtiowai H omka 1345 N Palm Canyon Dr (760) 833-5434 Palm Springs. CA 92262 CONDOS • VACATION HOMES • HOTEL PROPERTIES • APARTMENT BLDGS. The proceeds from the sale of this North Portland bungalow will be the seed money for an endowment fund that will provide housing assistance to people living with HIV/AIDS Your #1 choice 24/7/365 503.227.1212 COLDUUeiL BANKeR □ FERNANDO RUIZ Multi-Million Dollar Producer REALTOR (760) 325-4500 BUSINESS (760) 831-2798 CELLULAR (760) 325-4578 FAX (888) 453-3414 TOLL FREE Just Out subscriptions make great gifts for family and www.justout.com or call 503-236-1252 RESIDENTIAL BROKERAGE 1555 S. Palm Canyon Drive Palm Springs, CA 92264 ps4good@aol.com But the organization couldn’t have done it without the help and expertise of Kathy Mac- Naughton, Kevin Kraus and Donna Meyer. When Equity asked MacNaughton to help them value the property and ultimately list it, she didn’t hesitate to join the project by donat ing her time and services. She was, at one time, a board member for the organization and has a great deal of respect for the dedication and professionalism of the volunteers and staff. “It’s such a wonderful way for me to have an impact on the Equity Foundation,” says Mac- Naughton, owner of MacNaughton Group Realty Trust. “I am able to give them services that are expensive, and it’s just a win-win situ ation. It allows me to provide them with assis tance in an area in which I am an expert, and I can make a large donation this way.” What really made this project fun for MacNaughton was seeing everybody roll up their sleeves and get involved, especially Kraus. “Talk about dedication and work,” she says of his effort to prepare the house for sale. “When it came time for the property to go on the market, it was a dream come true. So the volunteers and the organization are the ones who really made it happen, not me. I was there as one piece in a really wonderful effort hy everyone.” told him that there was this “opportunity” for him if he wanted to “volunteer,” explains Kraus with a laugh. “I knew I was getting into a lot of work, but it was so up my alley,” says Kraus, who works for Reach Community Development, a nonprofit housing corporation in Portland. “It was a fun job and a way for me to make a big difference money-wise for Equity.” Another person who made this project a success was Meyer, partner at the law firm of Fitzwater and Meyer. The Equity newsletter reports that she “and her team led by Phil Hing- son resolved an issue with a lien and cleared the title for sale. Their work eliminated a $17,000 debt that had been carried on the property.” MacNaughton and Kraus acknowledge another important aspect of the project. Not only did the improvements to the house increase the property value, but their work also improved the neighborhood. “It was really neat to walk away knowing that not only did the Equity Foundation raise money for a terrific cause and lived up to the wishes of the donor, but we also left the com munity better,” says MacNaughton. JT1 P at Y oung is a Portland free-lance writer and gay and lesbian historian.
