JR Lilly is seemingly one of the most connected people in East Portland!

He is a cornerstone member of our community and a member of the Dineh (Navajo Nation). In this conversation, JR sets the tone by framing his identity by introducing himself from an indigenous worldview and how that framework of collectivism differs from individualism. He grew up in extreme poverty on the Navajo Reservation and wanted a way out of poverty. He studied business administration at Lee University in Tennessee. JR shares the many ways he’s sought healing from trauma and encourages others to seek healing.

JR came across the book One Church, Many Tribes by Richard Twiss, which was also an influential book for my faith when I read it (and later Rescuing The Gospel From The Cowboys: A Native American Expression Of The Jesus Way). JR worked with Twiss which brought him to the Northwest and was impacted by Twiss’s focus on being a good neighbor and being present in his community at the expense of his worldwide influence and income.

Because of JR’s humble desire to serve others coupled with his business background and experience with non-profit law, budgets, and fundraising at NAYA, he is often invited to be on non-profit boards. He currently serves on eight (8!) boards:
Portland Parks Foundation
Urban Forestry Commission
Historic Parkrose
Our Just Future (formerly Human Solutions)
National Christian Community Development Association
Redtail Woodworks
Mending Wings (Yakima)
Peace Center Academy (Hopi)

in addition to committee work with:
East Portland Action Plan, economic subcommittee cochair
Thrive East PDX
East Portland Tax Increment Finance Exploration Committee
East Portland Parks Coalition

These are all volunteer positions on top of his job as Director of the Office of Community Involvement for Multnomah County.

JR recently worked with the Trail Blazers for Native American Heritage Month.

He talks about being guided by a higher power and his journey of healing that led him to measure his impact differently as he matured. We go deeper from there and circle back to JR’s work in Parkrose, so if you’ve read this far without listening, give the podcast a listen and let me know what you think, or get in touch with JR!

Rich Waggoner has been writing songs since he was a teenager in Parkrose. He shares his nostalgia for the Parkrose he knew, and we preview four of his original songs about growing up in Parkrose.

For more info about Rich Waggoner and Parkrose Life, check out the show notes for this episode at parkroselife.com/nostalgia-rich-waggoner-podcast

"Sports honestly saved my life," Gary Muzzy says in this conversation without any hesitation. For many years he has coached swimming and water polo at the youth and high school levels for both his organization Blue Crush and for Parkrose High School. As a swimmer herself, Gary's mother got him and his twin brother Larry in the pool at a young age. The pair excelled, but his brother went to jail at 17. Gary says he "gave up" around that time, but with the support of his mom, coaches, and mentors at after-school programs, he persevered and graduated high school. Melissa believed in him and supported his goals as a young adult as well.

I met Officer Eric Zajac sipping coffee at the Rossi Farms barn. I expected police might be a bit guarded in this season of being heavily criticized yet undersupported to meet our community's high expectations. Eric struck me as open and down to earth, so it was an honor to interview him.

Since so many people in Parkrose know of Annette Stanhope and have benefited from her work in the community but don’t necessarily know her well, I wanted to ask Annette about her life and interests before and outside her life in Parkrose. She grew up in a musical family in Issaquah but spent a lot of time at her grandmother’s house in… Parkrose! Her grandma was part of St. Rita Catholic Church that connected with the neighborhood through spaghetti dinners.

You can email Annette at [email protected] or [email protected] for things specific to Historic Parkrose or message Annette on Facebook.

As the Life Skills Lead Teacher at Parkrose High School, Jake Dorr helps students with a range of challenges such as autism, Down syndrome, and other learning disabilities. He uniquely designs learning opportunities for his students based on their Individualized Education Plans (IEP). He also works alongside other Parkrose faculty so students with certain challenges can excel in the general education courses and graduate. He works with students in a classroom setting, and at other times he works as a "manager of an airport" since people are always coming and going and he has several responsibilities. He oversees schedules and works with educational assistants to keep everything going while maintaining flexibility with students' needs.

Sara Edmond looks for every opportunity she can to serve others, particularly people experiencing homelessness and women in the residential program she completed herself, Shepherd's Door, which is in the Russell neighborhood where she now lives.

I met Sara while volunteering at a Compassion Connect health clinic hosted by Gateway Church (also in Russell, and fun fact: where I went to preschool and was taught by Mrs. Rydman whom I discovered I now live 4 blocks from). Sara welcomed each clinic guest with care, and I noticed how even as a volunteer, she made sure to do everything at a high standard. Compassion Connect even asked me to film her demonstrating her role for a volunteer training video. In addition to speaking to women with Portland Rescue Mission, Sara is part of a Search and Rescue team from Union Gospel Mission that brings resources, food, and love to homeless camps in the Gateway and Parkrose area.

Sara is passionate about her involvement with Gateway Church and works as a caterer for Holiday Inn.

If you'd like to talk with Sara, you're welcome to message her on Facebook or email her at [email protected].

Andrew Speer has been a resident of the Russell and Argay Terrace neighborhoods for many years, and he was elected to the Mt. Hood Community College District Board of Education in 2019 to a four-year term representing Zone 3. We chat about the possibilities for the Maywood Park MHCC campus. He also was selected to a 20-person commission to review the City of Portland’s charter, our constitution, which is a two-year process.

Amy Driscoll is the Program Manager at David's Harp connected to Parkrose United Methodist Church in the Parkrose Heights neighborhood. She's a board-certified music therapist with a Bachelor’s in Music Therapy from Marylhurst University. We chat about the sad history and sad current state of affairs in mental health care in the state of Oregon and how David's Harp fills in gaps in service. Many of the people David's Harp live nearby on their own, in adult foster care, or in residential care facilities. They're our neighbors, and Amy shares how we can engage adults with mental illness and addresses common misconceptions as well as volunteer opportunities at David's Harp. She also shares about the Parkrose Heights Community Garden and how neighbors can be part of it!

Masha Egorenko works at Parkrose Middle School through IRCO as a Slavic Community Coordinator & Youth Advocate. She shares about Slavic culture and community, the history of immigration from the former USSR, ethnic identity, and faith-based values. She talks about what the Slavic community's strengths are and her advocacy efforts to improve school services for Slavic families.