April was a very special month at Shriners Hospitals for Children — Portland with the return of our board members to the hospital for the monthly board meeting. Previously, our last in-person board meeting was held in February 2020 – more than a year ago! It was wonderful to resume our in-person conversations! A special thanks to Margaret Gamon and Harlan Pine who set up the auditorium to broadcast the teleconference call via Microsoft Teams for those who were unable to attend in- person.

This year, we have two new Shriners joining our board, Charles Ward and Ted Balestreri. Mr. Ward joins us from the Al Aska Shrine Center in Anchorage, Alaska. Mr. Balestreri joins us from the Al Kader Shrine Center and lives in Dallas, Oregon. Also with the New Year, Rick Holloway from Idaho’s El Korah Shrine Center is our new Chairman of the Board and Gale Kenney from Washington’s Nile Shrine Center will serve as Vice Chairman.

Did you know that our hospital is supported by nine (9) Shrine Centers? I always enjoy calling out the names of the Shrine Centers as they have a wonderful flair and mystique: Al Aska, Hillah, El Korah, Al Kader, Masada, Afifi, Al Shamal, Nile, and Gizeh. These Shrine Centers cover our entire catchment area from Oregon, Washington, Idaho, Alaska, and all the way to Western Canada.

It is through the support of our board and their vision for our strategic plan that the Portland Shriners Hospital continues to grow and to reach our full potential. In the months ahead, our board members will continue meeting monthly at our hospital. It is because of over 97 years of support from our Shrine Centers, board members, Daughters of the Nile, and Ladies’ Oriental Shrine of North America that the Portland Shriners Hospital has been able to continue our legacy of advancing research and providing excellent pediatric orthopaedic care for all kids ages 0 to 18 years old!

Thank you!

Dereesa Reid, MBA
Hospital Administrator at Shriners Hospitals for Children – Portland

You’re invited to participate in a virtual walk benefitting Shriners Hospitals for Children – Portland! We encourage all Shriners, Ladies and temples to join in on the fun – regardless of where you are! Follow these steps below to get started:

1. Sign-up for FREE at strollrollandshine.org or by clicking the button below.
   2. Share the news with your friends and family and raise funds to your page.
   3. Once you sign-up you’ll receive an event toolkit with plenty of fundraising ideas!
   4. Walk in your neighborhood, a local park, or anywhere you can put in the steps.
   5. Post pictures of your walk on social media using the hashtag #ShineforShriners to engage with patients, SHC-P staff, and other Shriners and Ladies as they post about their walk!
   6. Follow us on our social media pages for more opportunities to win prizes!

We look forward to hosting you virtually for Hospital Day, previously known as Divan Days, during our virtual walk – Stroll, Roll & SHINE! For this year’s event, we will be hosting our Shriners & supporting Ladies groups through video conferencing software – making it easier for those living far away to participate!

During the event, attendees will:

• Receive hospital updates and news.
• Hear patient families share about their experience receiving care at the Portland Shriners Hospital.
• And more!

Use the link below to register for the event!

Last month, we were featured in a segment on KGW-TV highlighting our Adaptive Ski & Snowboard program. With proper COVID-19 safety measures in place, our recreational therapist, Caroline Scott, CTRS, was able to coordinate our Adaptive Ski & Snowboard Program to safely accommodate patients for 3 fun-filled weekends in April!

This 30-year program makes it possible for patients of all ability levels to ski and snowboard.

Watch the segment by clicking on the image above to hear what our patients and families had to say about the event!

We Need Your Help

Due to COVID-19, many of the toy drives that usually support our hospital’s supply were not held last year or this year and because of this, our supply of toys is dwindling. As a pediatric hospital, toys are important for the work we do – they can act as an incentive to help patients strive to achieve their treatment goals, to help a nervous patient feel at ease in the hospital, or to help celebrate a treatment milestone.

We are asking that you and your fraternal members help support the Portland Shriners Hospital by creating your own toy drives in your community!

All toys must be new and in the original packaging. For a complete list of accepted toys, please refer to this list.

For any questions regarding toy donations, or to schedule a drop-off, please contact Lynda Luce at 971-544-3338 or lluce@shrinenet.org.

Support through AmazonSmile

Did you know that you can support Shriners Hospitals for Children at no cost to you? It’s as easy as going to smile.amazon.com and selecting Shriners Hospitals for Children as your charitable organization of choice. Every time you shop, Amazon will donate a percentage of eligible purchases to our organization! It’s a simple way for you to support Shriners Hospitals for Children – with no cost to you!