Zsa Zsa is back in the hospital...and other news of note

...or not. I'm returning to writing with some regularity. 2010 taught me that I can't write daily; at this point it is a luxury I can not enjoy.

So in prep for writing this new year I listened to the news this morning. Quite frankly it was either about the successful Rose Parade, the snow that has closed some of our major roads, and the new regarding Ms. Gabor. Maybe it's me, but it doesn't feel like much fodder for thought.

So, I'll begin this year as I ended the last - with familia. This is the closest we got to a group photo over during our time together over the Christmas/holiday break.

We're by Morro Rock and it is cold, and windy, and cold. Did I mention was cold? But each of us was dressed warmly enough that we were able to enjoy the weather at least for a while.

You can't see much of Matt's face, he's busy enjoying the vertical vista, but if you go to the link below you can learn more about the work he does.

Perhaps I'm partial, well I know I am, but it would be great to hear more news about folks like him and the sort of work done by Outside In - his workplace.

Their mission is "to help homeless youth and other marginalized people towards improved health and self-sufficiency. We are...service providers and advocates, experts in understanding adolescents, a federally qualified health center, a licensed mental health agency, and leaders in serving GLBTQ youth.

His work was recently recognized in this article -

Light A Fire 2010

Our annual celebration of the nonprofit community highlights the individuals and organizations that are making Portland a better place to live, love and grow.

http://www.portlandmonthlymag.com

Photo: Daniel Cronin

Matthew Eidea Sachse

Extraordinary Staff Member: Winner #2TDE

Outside InDEO

During the five years he spent teaching in a large public high school in Los Angeles, Matthew Eide, 37, watched countless teens get let down by the educational system. “When there are 35 students in a class,” he says, “all the kids who might have unique needs end up slipping through the cracks.” So when Eide became the education coordinator for the Urban Ed Alternative School at Outside In—a 42-year-old nonprofit that provides health services, counseling, housing, employment opportunities, and education for low-income and homeless youth&#8212he decided to tailor the system to the students, meeting with each one individually and building a custom program around how each kid learns best. Students can work solely with volunteers during drop-in tutoring, or they can participate in community projects Eide has developed, such as an oral history project about gentrification and redlining as told by North and Northeast Portland elders. The school’s message: it’s never too late to reinvent yourself. The only requirement: when you show up, you work. As a result, hundreds of homeless youth have obtained a GED, entered college, and found jobs. But the most important ingredient in the program is the confidence the teachers show in their students. Says Eide, “It’s our job—our calling—to believe.”