Just out., June 01, 2007, Page 9, Image 9

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Clawson succeeds Tim Healea, who served as
interim coordinator during a leave of absence from
Q Center’s board.
Clawson loves cooking, movies and travel, and
she is the mother of two dogs. She and her partner of
16 years married in Massachusetts in October 2006.
Hambleton Project Closes
Sharon Hambleton underwent advanced med­
ical treatment for her ovarian cancer at the
Mautner Project for Lesbians with Cancer in
Washington, D.C.
“Her vision was to have a similar project here in
Portland,” said Hambleton’s partner, Lorie Hansen,
who co-founded Hambleton Project with Carol
Brownlow and Jan Dillon.
Brownlow added: “She came home wanting to
start something similar for lesbians who don’t have
support. Sharon died before we could get it off the
ground, but we still wanted to do it as a tribute.”
Hambleton Project was founded in 1997 to sup­
port lesbians with cancer, their partners and their
friends by providing referrals, resources, advocacy
and support groups. In October 2005, its board
witnessed declining numbers of members and calls
from lesbians requesting the program’s services.
With the energy of new board members and
successful fund raising, it seemed Hambleton
Project would create a stable foundation with
a committed volunteer base and increased board
membership. Despite efforts to keep the project
alive, the board, with the guidance of co-founding
members, unanimously decided to close Hambleton
Project effective June 1.
e
Co-chairwoman KJ Jensen is a breast cancer
survivor. “My partner left me six weeks after I fin­
ished treatment. We had been together for 17
years,” she said. “If we had been living in Portland,
this wouldn’t have happened.”
Hambleton Project was unique because it
provided support for the partner, who is truly the
primary caretaker. “It’s a huge toll,” she added.
“1 had tons of support, and she had none. That, to
me, is the biggest loss.”
Brownlow told Just Out: “I’m feeling conflicted.
I think the organization provided wonderful servic­
es, but it seems as if the community’s needs are
changing, so those services may not be as needed as
they were 10 years ago.”
Brownlow said Hambleton Project’s closure
might be, in part, because of Portland’s wider
acceptance of lesbians. “It's also difficult for a small
nonprofit that operates strictly with volunteers to
be a priority when we all lead such busy lives these
days.”
Jensen speculated that the organization is
a casualty of the Internet age. “I think the pendu­
lum has swung so that we turn to the anonymity of
the Internet rather than have face-to-face contact.
As a certified nurse midwife, I’ve seen the same
thing with women scheduling C-sections. It’s
a swing away from personal empowerment, but
I think it will come back,” Jensen explained.
According to Jensen, a core group of 30 to 50
people held the project together, while 550 people
have been supportive through the years. They will
celebrate Hambleton Project’s 10 years of service to
the lesbian community from 3 to 5 p.m. June 10 at
the Ecotrust Building, 721 N.W. Ninth Ave. Call
Jensen at 503-577-5952 if you would like to attend.
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As shown in the increasing significance of the
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