Just out., May 18, 2007, Page 7, Image 7

_________________________________________MAY 18, 2007
out standin
Striving to Be Present
JUStlOUt
just asking
Engagement Team for the past four. Last month, she was the
Just Out asked those at
Q Center's first anniversary
party, "How have you taken
advantage of the center?"
recipient of the Multnomah County Health Department’s
V eronica L eixmjx
Public Health Hero Award in recognition for her work help­
Bingo Player
lea Livingston is a woman who has served Multnomah
G
County for 20 years and has been on the Community
ing those members of our community who are often disregarded and
overlooked: the chronically homeless.
•
“I just moved here from
Chicago, and it was really nice
My name is Glea Livingston.
to find this place, something
that anchors the community.”
I am known as a nurse. I work with the chronically homeless. That’s
anyone who’s been homeless for a year or more. 1 help them find housing.
A lot of these folks have criminal histories, mental health issues, drug
addiction, and this makes it difficult for many of them to find employment
and housing. Helping them keep the housing is often as difficult as find­
ing it. It’s understandable, though. I am also the secretary on the board of
SHARE, Senior Housing and Retirement Enterprises.
J amie R ea
Glea Livingston finds balance in the system.
Bicyclist
what I can do is be totally present with that one person in front of me right
My cause is really about relationships. For example, the people that
over use emergency room care because they don’t have health care.
now. One of my mantras I keep telling myself is, “1 can be 100 percent pres­
“It’s a fun place to be able to
ent for this one person.” Sometimes 1 can’t do much else.
come and talk to people, to
That affects all of us. It affects pocketbooks, at least. People who have
play bingo with no smoke and
drug addictions. Their addictions affect all of us. My cause really is about
A perfect day in Portland would he spent at least part of it in
building those relationships so that people see that. That’s my profes­
Powell’s. And 1 could putter in my garden all day. 1 have a lot of plants
sional life and my personal life.
people have given me in my yard, so there’s memories attached to the
no alcohol.”
different ones. 1 have a friend who died of brain cancer, and some of her
I am 57 years old. I feel about that old. It sounds like a lot bigger
plants are in my garden, so it feels special to be out there.
number than it feels like. In a lot of ways it feels better and better as
time goes on. You get more self-confidence and more financial inde­
pendence, but I also feel pretty adventurous. That’s a young thing.
K elly K irk
My first job was in high school. 1 worked at a little grocery store
Rose City Softball Association
across the street from my boarding school. It was summertime, and
Redwings Pitcher
there was no one there. I lived in this huge dormitory for 200 women,
My childhood ambition was to travel the world. I’m getting ready
to do a trip. I’m going to be working in a clinic in Peru for a week,
and I was the only one there. I made 90 cents and hour, but it was a real­
“It’s great that Q Center is here
ly long time ago.
to give people an alternative to
partly vacation, partly working. It’s a whole other way to experience
a culture, much different than just being a tourist.
the bar scene. It supports
My vice is dark chocolate. 1 love really gotxl chocolate. 1 teach peo­
education, arts and culture,
ple about nutrition and healthy eating, so I feel kind of guilty about it.
communities and families.
My first same-sex crush was on a nice straight girl probably. No, it
was a friend, a co-worker. It was play and fun and very exciting.
1 like to spend my down time gardening or reading. 1 also do a couple
of volunteer jobs. 1 raise assistance dogs for people with disabilities. 1 have
It’s great to see gays and
My inspiration is some of my co-workers. We have some remark­
lesbians and transgender people
able case managers who are brilliant people who have past histories of
together. It really shows the
being on the street and being addicted, and now they are professionals
diversity of our community."
that I really learn a lot from.
one dog now who is going to a 7-year-old boy, a golden retriever.
Luis L opez
The last queer event I attended was a SHARE board meeting. 1 also
My proudest moment was being nominated Multnomah County
Public Health Hero of the Year. 1 never expected anything like that. I feel
go to Out Dancing. That’s where I met my partner. 1 kx >ked down the row
Espresso Diva
and wondered what she was doing after class.
like I’m just doing my job. 1 mean, you can Google Multnomah County
Public Health and there I am. It’s really quite the honor.
“This is my first time here,
My highest hope for the cause is to keep my compassion even
but when I went to Gay Skate
though 1 see all the suffering, pain and frustration that system causes.
Night last month, 1 saw the
My biggest challenge is the disappearing health care services. I feel like
Keeping that balance is really a struggle. 1 find myself in a lot of ways
importance of doing stuff
a lot of my energy goes to advocating for my clients. Helping them make
related to being gay, related
their way through the system, seeing their services disappearing. I have
searching for that balance because I can’t change the system. 1 can only
be with the person I’m helping right then. ®
chats with myself that there isn’t anything 1 van do about the system, but
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