Page 4
May 22, 2024
PCC And Partners Abuse Victim Creates Nonprofit...
Break Ground!
Continued from Front
Continued from Front
the 2018 Metro Housing Bond
and other sources, this project
aligns with regional goals for
housing affordability and ac-
cessibility.
PCC’s new Opportunity Cen-
ter at 42nd Avenue (located at
4299 NE Killingsworth St.)
opened last fall to the communi-
ty. It is a collaborative endeavor
supported by the Department
of Human Services, NAYA and
Home Forward, offering a com-
prehensive array of services, ed-
ucational resources, and work-
force development initiatives.
This center’s primary mis-
sion is to address racial and
economic disparities by pro-
viding residents with access to
education and career-track em-
ployment opportunities. The
services offered include career
exploration, coaching, skills
development, and comprehen-
sive support systems to help
individuals achieve their goals.
Funded
by
the
2017
PCC bond measure, the
50,000-square-foot Opportuni-
ty Center at 42nd Avenue is a
state-of-the-art structure aim-
ing for LEED Gold certification
for integrating Cross Laminated
Timber (CLT). This is a sustain-
able and eco-friendly construc-
tion material that contributes
to the building’s warmth and
inviting atmosphere.
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But a visit to her own grand-
mother changed her outlook and
eventually became the basis of a
nonprofit she started in Septem-
ber, Inner Beauty in U.
“I cried to her that I’m not
pretty, I don’t matter and no-
body thinks I’m special,” but
her grandmother came back with
wise words. “She said, ‘At the
end of the day, the only thing that
matters is your heart. You are not
responsible for how somebody
else treats you, and your beauty
comes from within.’”
That’s the message Merri-
weather brings to other troubled
young women at The Inner Beau-
ty in U, according to its website:
“We are actively involved in
domestic violence prevention
and Education. We provider food
resources, clothing resources,
housing assistance, resume and
job search, credit repair and
business start-up.”
Merriweather wants to help
any young, at risk women, even-
tually to include young men, to
learn to deal with the difficult
and sometime unfair situations
they find them in preventing
them from having healthy, happy
and productive lives.
When she decided to leave
Las Vegas, by which time she
had her mother had healed their
relationship, she stayed with her
for the next year as she began to
turn her life around.
“Women need to understand
there is nothing so terrible or so
bad that you can’t find a way out
of it,” she said. “There is noth-
ing you’ve done that you don’t
deserve to be loved.”
That’s the basis of Inner
Beauty in U’s philosophy, Mer-
riweather said.
“Inner Beauty in U is a real
story about real women who
know there is more out there,”
she said. “Anyone can change
their life and be more than they
thought they can be.”
Real change is never easy, but
Merriweather hopes to make oth-
er women’s lives better because
they will have an organization
that is on their side and will do
whatever it takes to help another
woman overcome the obstacles
that may be holding her back.
“We don’t want to turn any-
one away,” she said. “And at the
end of the day if I only able to
reach one person, I go to sleep
knowing someone’s life has been
changed. That’s all I care about
at the end of the day.”
In short, Merriweather wants
to give struggling young women
the support she didn’t have when
she needed it most.
It took a while for Merriweath-
er, 50, to get back on her feet and
to help other young women, and
she gives a lot of credit to Ka-
londra Porter-Wright of the non-
profit Porter House Resources,
who became a mentor and helped
her through the ins and outs of
becoming a 501(3)c nonprofit as
she was getting Inner Beauty in
U off the ground.
“I’ve often thought what
would have happened if Kalon-
dra had been there when I was
17,” she said.
But it’s her staff, particularly
Bri Williams, with a master’s
in social worker, and Chan-
dra Haynes, who has a mental
health certificate in African/
American health. They work
with clients individually and
also train mentor volunteers,
Merriweather said.
“So, Kolandra helped with
the financial aspect and Bri and
Chandra have been with me, en-
couraging me, wouldn’t let me
quit, from the very beginning,”
she said.
To learn more about Inner
Beauty in U, go to https://in-
nerbeautyinu.org. Call 360-
723-2344 or send an email to
Innerbeautyinyou11@gmail.
com. More volunteers are need-
ed and donations and sponsors
are encouraged.
Health care resources for you
Get help with appointments, getting coverage, mobile showers and more
MAY 27
JUNE 6
JUNE 17
Mobile Showers
10 a.m. to 1 p.m.
4244 SE 91st Ave, Portland
Equitable Giving Circle
10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
4212 NE Prescott St,
Portland
Doreen’s Place (for residents only)
12-2:30 p.m.
610 NW Broadway St,
Portland
JUNE 10
JUNE 18
MAY 28
P:ear (for youth only)
9-11 a.m.
338 NW 6th Ave, Portland
MAY 30
Hacienda CDC (for residents only)
9:30-11 a.m.
6735 NE Killingsworth St,
Portland
Mobile Showers
12-2 p.m.
247 SE 82nd Ave, Portland
JUNE 3
Doreen’s Place (for residents only)
12-2:30 p.m.
610 NW Broadway St,
Portland
JUNE 4
Jean’s Place (for residents only)
1:30-3:30 p.m.
18 NE 11th Ave, Portland
Union Gospel Mission
2-3 p.m.
3 NW 3rd Ave, Portland
careoregon.org/connect-to-care
Clark Center (for residents only)
9-10:30 a.m.
1437 SE MLK Blvd, Portland
Mobile Showers
10 a.m. to 1 p.m.
4244 SE 91st Ave, Portland
JUNE 11
P:ear (for youth only)
9-11 a.m.
338 NW 6th Ave, Portland
JUNE 13
Hacienda CDC (for residents only)
9:30-11 a.m.
6735 NE Killingsworth St,
Portland
Mobile Showers
12-2 p.m.
247 SE 82nd Ave, Portland
Union Gospel Mission
2-3 p.m.
3 NW 3rd Ave, Portland
JUNE 24
Mobile Showers
10 a.m. to 1 p.m.
4244 SE 91st Ave, Portland
JUNE 25
P:ear (for youth only)
9-11 a.m.
338 NW 6th Ave, Portland
JUNE 27
Hacienda CDC (for residents only)
9:30-11 a.m.
6735 NE Killingsworth St,
Portland
Mobile Showers
12-2 p.m.
247 SE 82nd Ave, Portland
connect to care