CIVIL LIBERTIES AND WOMEN’S ISSUES
The Civil Liberties Defense Center (cldc.org or 687-
9180) gives support to activists, protesters and ordinary
citizens who know their rights have been trampled but may
not be able to afford an attorney. CLDC Executive Director
Lauren Regan and other CLDC members also conduct
“know-your-rights” trainings around the state and coordi-
nate and serve as legal observers for local actions, such as
the recent Seneca biomass plant protest. CLDC also gives
legal support outside of Oregon, such as for California’s
Winnemem Wintu Tribe and as far away as Keystone XL
pipeline protests in Texas.
SASS (Sexual Assault Support Services sass-lane.org
or 484-9791) has been Lane County’s primary sexual
assault responder since 1991 and is one of only two agen-
cies in Oregon focused solely on providing services to
survivors of sexual violence, SASS board president
Lindsey Gelser tells EW. SASS provides an “empower-
ment-based, survivor-centered approach to change societal
conditions that allow oppression, especially sexual vio-
lence, to exist.”
Gelser points out that SASS “is incredibly important to
our community and is very relevant because of the work
and discussions around sexual violence taking place in our
community, at the University of Oregon and around the
nation,” and we agree.
Also vital to the wellbeing of our community and pro-
tecting those who need our help is the work of
Womenspace (womenspaceinc.org or 485-8232).
Womenspace’s mission is to prevent violence in intimate
partner relationships in Lane County and support survivors
in claiming personal power.
THE UNHOUSED
Eugene and Lane County can still do more to fight
poverty and aid the unhoused. But let’s take a moment to
admire the amazing work local nonprofits have done to
address these problems. In 2013-2014 the Egan Warming
Center (eganwarmingcenter.com or 689-6747) gave shel-
ter to 1,124 individuals. Egan, which is administered by St.
Vincent de Paul, is “a coalition of community members
representing service providers, religious congregations,
nonprofit support agencies, social activist communities
and local government who have come together to ensure
that homeless people in Lane County have a warm and
safe place to sleep when temperatures drop below 30
degrees between November 15 and March 31.”
Community Supported Shelters (communitysup-
portedshelters.org 683-0836) has pro-
vided Conestoga huts at Opportunity
Village (opportunityvillageeugene.
org or 606-4455) and around town
such as at the Eugene Safe Spots it
manages. These rest stops and villag-
es give the unhoused a leg up and the
dignity of a home and access to toilets
and showers.
The Nightingale Public Advocacy
Collective (respectexistence.org or
485-1755) will be running rest stops
for the unhoused and is continuing in
its efforts to “establish and operate a
self-governed village-style communi-
ty focused on health and wellness.”
Nightingale also supports the efforts
of SLEEPS (Safe Legally Entitled
Emergency Places to Sleep) and the
Whoville camp, which calls attention
to the right to sleep as a basic human
right.
MEDICAL CARE
Universal Health Care on the Streets
of Eugene
Occupy Medical (occupy-medical.org or 316-5743) is
something you have to see for yourself. Watch the all-vol-
unteer crew gently and cheerfully care for those in need,
starting with something as simple as a haircut at the
Gorilla Hair Salon or as dramatic as saving a life. You can
also experience it for yourself. OM is truly universal
health care, turning no one away, whether they are insured
or not.
The big red-and-black bus shows up every Sunday at
the downtown Eugene Park Blocks (8th and Oak) between
noon and 4 pm and dispenses socks, burritos (courtesy of
Burrito Brigade), peanut butter, coffee, herbal medicine,
health care, prescriptions and more, according to OM med-
ical director, Dr. Bruce Harrow.
Harrow says Occupy Medical’s work to care for
wounds, treating or preventing infections, has kept people
out of the emergency room and prevented possible ampu-
tations. OM’s mental health care has also kept people out
of the Johnson Unit. Born of Eugene’s Occupy encamp-
ment, OM is the little bus that could, and it can do it even
better with your donations.
Stitching Holes in the Social Net
A WARM PLACE TO REST AT
THE EGAN WARMING CENTER
Let’s not mince words: The work done
throughout this community by White Bird
Clinic (whitebirdclinic.org or 342-8255) is
astonishing. Established in 1969 by a coali-
tion of concerned citizens — doctors, stu-
dents, activists — wanting to provide medi-
cal and legal aid to folks in need, White Bird
today has become a sort of crisis catch-all,
providing dental and medical care, drug and
alcohol treatment, crisis intervention ser-
vices (largely through its roving CAHOOTS
vans), mental health services and legal
assistance and case management for low
and no-income individuals.
Staffed largely by volunteers, this orga-
nization has committed itself to plugging
the holes in our community’s social welfare
KIDS EXPERIENCE THE OUTDOORS
WITH NEARBY NATURE
PHOTO COURTESY OF NEARBY NATURE
net, creating a kind of alternate care system. And all this
vast, comprehensive care requires money. As volunteer
coordinator Ben Brubaker points out, “Any donations that
we receive help support the clients we work with in a vari-
ety of ways. It underwrites all of the different programs
that we do. Individuals can even specify a certain depart-
ment or area.” Brubaker says that, among the new devel-
opments at White Bird, he is particularly stoked about a
new area of coverage for White Bird’s mobile-care sup-
port. “We’re excited about CAHOOTS being able to
expand into Springfield any time now,” he says.
EDUCATION
Want to help fund education? Support the top-notch
nonprofits around Lane County that make it their business
to teach kids about the world around them in creative,
engaging ways. Take Willamette Resources and
Educational Network (WREN), for example, which leads
free Wetland Wanders every month in the West Eugene
Wetlands. January 2015’s wander is at Swallow Pond,
where WREN (wewwild.blogspot.com or 338-7046) staff
and volunteers will guide kids and parents through the
wetlands to observe lichens, aquatic animals and plants.
For costumed gambits through local parks, Nearby
Nature (nearbynature.org) is just the thing. Volunteers
dress up as woodland creatures and guide kids through
natural areas, where they learn about ecosystems through
hands-on activities and crafts.
Tech-centric Thinkersmith (thinkersmith.org or 632-
4096) is perfect for kids of all ages, with a focus on
encouraging young women to enter tech fields, and it
provides opportunities for students to delve into computer
science while exploring their creativity. Currently
Thinkersmith is raising money for a permanent facility in
order to expand its offering of classes, so find the
Indiegogo link on its website — the fundraising campaign
ends Dec. 31.
For a broader donation, check out the Eugene
Education Foundation (eeflane.org or 790-7744), which
awards grants to schools in Eugene School District 4J.
Last school year, EEF granted money for improving music
education, growing the School Garden Project and sending
kids to see Shakespeare plays in Ashland, to name only a
few causes. Outside of 4J, the Bethel Education
Foundation (betheleducationfoundation.org or 913-1740)
PHOTO COURTESY OF EGAN WARMING CENTER
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eugeneweekly.com • December 24, 2014
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