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street roots
April 12, 2013
R I S I
« » » Ami
O
Vendor’s life inspires family’s support of others
month ago, Paul Gefroh came to talk
to me. It had been two years since he
had lost his son. The memory of Nick
is still very fresh in his heart.
We talked about
Nick’s involvement with
Street Roots, his
childhood and his
'S compassion for others.
Nick was a former
DESK
board member and
By Israel Bayer
vendor with Street
Roots and had sold the
paper on Northeast
Ninth and Broadway, in
front of the old Portland Teachers Credit
Union (now OnPoint).
The one thing Paul and I had in common,
even though we didn’t know each other
well, is that we had seen his son at his
absolute best and at his absolute worst.
Nick was a true Oregonian, growing up in
Estacada. He had a vast knowledge of
sports and the Grateful Dead. He loved the
Oregon Ducks, the Portland Trail Blazers
and the New York Mets. He had a smile and
a laugh that was warm and charming,
capturing the hearts and minds of those
around him.
Nick struggled with addiction on and off
for most of his adult life. When he was
doing well, Nick contributed to the world
around him by mentoring others. During
his time at Street Roots he not only helped
vendors, he helped contribute to the future
vision of Street Roots by serving on the
board of directors.
A
Street Roots is ready for
anything, large or small
■Trim and Street Roots’ Vendor Coordinator Cole Merkel
j started around the same time. Jim was a Street Roots
I vendor. Cole was a Jesuit Volunteer a year out of
college and looking to make a difference in the world.
For more than a year, Cole watched Jim struggle to get
sober. Jim slept in the office doorway and spent rainy
afternoons in the Street Roots office making calls to
treatment centers.
Jim went to meetings and made honest attempts to find
community and remain sober. The more time they spent
together, the more Cole began to learn about his life. Jim
had experienced years of substance abuse and has a
traumatic brain injury that still effects him today.
When Jim got into an apartment last summer, the Street
Roots staff couldn’t have been happier for him. He’d come
so far. He was taking
active steps to remain
Jim wiped his hands
sober and had a roof over
together and put them in
his head for the first time
the air as if fully
resigning his past to make in five years.
room for the present. He
A few weeks ago, after
went straight to an AA
Jim’s father died, Cole
meeting, and as soon as
says the two took a walk
he got back to his
through Old Town. Jim
apartment gave me a call
had a bottle of vodka in
to
let
me
know
he
was
OK.
__________________________ his bag and was having a
hard time not drinking it.
“Having stopped drinking when I started at Street Roots
in solidarity with so many of the vendors who struggle
with addiction, I told Jim about the time last summer I’d
poured an entire bottle of grain alcohol down my kitchen
sink that one of my housemates had left behind,” says
Cole. “It was one of the most liberating experiences I have
ever had.”
Israel Bayer is the
executive director o f
Street Roots. You can
reach him at
israel@streetroots.org
or follow him on
Twitter @israelbayer.
One vendor in particular that Nick looked
out for was Don G. - a gentleman who had
cerebral palsy. Don was restricted to a
wheelchair and would journey to Street
Roots every day from a nursing home on
the eastside of Portland to sell the paper in
the Lloyd District. Nick would regularly
help Don to his location and check on him
to make sure hustlers on the streets were
not taking advantage of him. Nick was a
patient and caring human being.
When Nick wasn’t doing well, an alcohol
and heroin addiction rendered him hard to
handle. He drifted in and out of
homelessness and time again broke the
hearts of those around him, especially his
family.
Sometimes there is no explanation for
the storm that builds inside a person.
Regardless of how many lighthouses
remained lit for Nick, in the end, the storm
was too strong and consuming. Nick passed
away at the age of 41.
In the end, Nick’s family decided to
create a vendor fund in his name. We are
able to honor Nick and by doing so we’re
supporting his memory and supporting the
vendors.
Readers can give a donation to the fund
by writing a check to Street Roots, Attn:
Nick Gefroh Street Roots Vendor Fund, or
by giving online at www.streetroots.org. All
donations will go toward supplies for
vendors to be successful.
Thank you to Nick’s family and everyone
who supports our vendors.
Drawing by
Helen Hill. You
can see and
rena
rend" more
about her work
on page 15.
W ith o u t a s e c o n d th o u g h t, J im p u lle d th e b o ttle o u t o f
his backpack and dumped it into the trash can. The smell
of cheap vodka emanated. Jim wiped his hands together
and put them in the air as if fully resigning his past to
make room for the present. He went straight to an AA
meeting, and as soon as he got back to his apartment gave
me a call to let me know he was OK.
Jim’s story is not unique.
“In the few years I’ve been at Street Roots as the vendor
coordinator, I’ve befriended hundreds of vendors and
witnessed countless moments of victory and failure,” says
Cole. “The thing that places Street Roots in such a unique
position to serve is that we are a small and dedicated crew
working to make a tangible difference in this world. Some
days, that work is as vast as facilitating a social media
campaign to save $2 million in services from the city’s
chopping block. Other days, it is as simple and profound as
having a supportive conversation with someone that
encourages him not to take that next drink.”
While Jim is now housed and sober, there are countless
other vendors struggling with the harsh realities of urban
poverty who are using Street Roots to empower
themselves toward something better.
At Street Roots, we’re ready for anything, and we are in
it for the long haul. That’s precisely why we need you now
more than ever. Find out ways to give on the back page
and we appreciate your love and support.
Street Roots creates income opportunities for
Executive Director Israel Bayer
people experiencing homelessness and poverty by
israel@streeiroots.org
Managing Editor Joanne Zt
reducing a newspaper and other media that are
y two weeks, launching
on Fridays, and is available exclusively through our
street vendors or by subscription. We are proud
members of the North American Street
Newspaper Association and the International
Network of Street Papers.
Street Roots
211 NW Davis St.
Portland, OR 97209
503-228-5657
Fax: 503-227-3117
www.streetroots.org
www.news.streetroots.org
MW
Board o f Directors
Bruce Anderson (Chairman! Michael Anderson (Vice-
chairman), Heather Stadick (Treasurer), Eddy Barbosa
(Secretary), Rich Rodgers, Brad Taylor, Leo Rhodes,
Ken Hawkins, Nora Coon, Darren Alexander
/
"\j
cole@streetroots.org
Operations Director Sarah Beecroft
Program Assistant Kara Dimitruk, Jesuit
Volunteer AmeriCorps Member
kara@streetroots.org
Grant Writer Sarah Cloud
Development Assistant Cynthia Kiehl
Reporters Jake Thomas, Alex Zielinski, Robert
Britt, Sue Zalokar
Photographers Leah Nash, Ken Hawkins, Kristina
Wright, Christopher Onstott
Stay connected with us online
through Facebook and Twitter
Volunteers
Mary Pacios, Jan Bayer, Ann Ereline, Vinnie Kinselia,
Sharron Thompson, Ann-Derrick Gaillot, Art Garcia,
Joe Thick, Erin Fenner, Stacey Heath, Taurin Skinner-
Macginnis, Amber Bieiman, Bethany Hague,
Michelle Holbert, John Lisifka, Rowen Canoles
Street Roots Rose City Resource
Street Roots publishes the Rose City Resource, a
comprehensive booklet of services for people
experiencing homelessness and poverty.
To inquire about getting an order of the Rose City
Resource for distribution, please write to
pdxrosecityresource@gmail.com. Resources are also
available online at www.rosecityresource.org.
Vendors
Street Roots vendors buy the newspapers for 25 cents
each and sell them for $1, keeping the 75 cents in
profit for themselves. Io order to keep die cost low to
our vendors, we receive additional support from
donations and in-kind contributions.
$$ Tin;
i.
khG” 'asms
75c
goes directly to the vendor
who sold you the paper
•'
■wwsv,
I
25c
goes toward
printing costs
Vendor orientations are at 1 p.m. every Monday,
Wednesday and Friday at the Street Roots office.