On behalf of the SCA, we would like to salute longtime Sabin neighbor Diane Benson, who started the Sabin Garden Tour. She recently relocated to another state and will most likely be sharing her garden knowledge with her new neighbors there. She encouraged a lot of us to plant more pollinator friendly and native plants in our yards, and created a sense of connection through our landscapes. My yard is filled with many plants that she gifted to me from her own yard. 

Winter is a great time to plan for our springtime gardens and the Backyard Habitat Certification Program (brought to us by the Audubon Society of Portland, Columbia Land Trust and Friends of Tryon Creek) is a great way to learn more about creating native habitat in our yards. The East Multnomah Soil and Water Conservation District is having a Native Plant sale right now, where you can order many plants for just $3.  The Audobon will also have a native plant sale in April.

Let's carry on Diane's vision of making Sabin full of beautiful yards which help our vital pollinators thrive. A big thank you to Diane Benson for all the hard work she did while living in Sabin. We will think of you often as we enjoy the beautiful, buzzing yards in Sabin.
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Vanessa Renwick

Sabin School is making a bold move this year by eliminating its annual auction, an event that raised significant funds for the school but was also cost-prohibitive for many families to attend. This year, fundraising events will be spread throughout the year with activities that will help build a stronger sense of community. 

The school is excited to announce its third annual RUN FOR SABIN SCHOOL, which will be held on Friday, October 26, 2018. Parents, teachers, staff, and students are excited to participate again in this school-wide event. Sabin has a set an ambitious goal to raise $50,000 to promote educational excellence and support the success of ALL Sabin students. 

Funds raised will go toward reading and math interventions, restorative justice, educational assistants to support kids with special needs, and a family support services fund for those who struggle to cover basic needs. 

Run for Sabin School organizers are looking to the community to find supporters for this event. In addition to sponsorship forms for individual children, the school is also hoping to have corporate and business sponsorships. Are you a local business owner who would like to support Sabin School? All donations are tax deductible, and perks include advertisement on event materials, social media, and the school's immense gratitude. 

For more information on sponsorship information and coordinator contact inform, please download the Run for Sabin School sponsorship letter. 

This article originally appeared in the Sabin Community Association June 2018 newsletter.

On Saturday, June 2, 2018, about 75 volunteers gathered to participate in creating Sabin’s newest intersection painting at NE 17th Avenue and Failing Street. Sabin’s Junior Girl Scout Troop 45157 chose the site for their community project, because they were aware that traffic around the school moves too fast at times, and they wanted to connect the school with the broader Sabin community. The troop of seventeen fifth grade girls, led by Sara Lockman and Lisa Johnston-Smith, has been together since the first grade (2014). 

The intersection painting is the girls’ capstone project for the prestigious Girl Scout Bronze Award. The Bronze Award is the highest honor a Junior scout can achieve and requires at least twenty hours of building a team, exploring the community, planning a project, and taking action on that plan. Troop members Andi Bell and Esperanza Walsh took the initial lead on the project. Andi described the significance of the project: “Part of the Girl Scout law is try to make the world a better place, and that is basically what the bronze award is trying to do.”

Starting in September 2017, the troop came up with the idea and worked with City Repair’s Village Building Convergence to design and secure approval for the intersection painting — a project aimed at creating community space, slowing traffic, and bringing the community closer together. The troop worked to raise funds to pay for the cost of paint, supplies, permits, and other general expenses through a bake sale, bike raffle, and online donation site. 

The design, titled “Sabin Wild Roses,” features a wild rose at the center, representing the beauty of nature, children growing and developing, and the connections between us all. The bee and star represent Sabin School’s tickle bees and star mascot, and the trefoil is a nod to the Girl Scouts.

When asked what they learned during the project, Andi said, “I’ve realized that we are way more capable sometimes than we give ourselves credit for. We all did an amazing job!” Esperanza discovered that she didn’t know all of her neighbors, stating “this was a neat opportunity to meet them.” 

According to the Girl Scouts of America: “When you go for the Bronze Award, you represent what Girl Scouts can achieve in their communities.” The Sabin Community Association is honored to have these girls as members of our community and looks forward following their great work in the future.  

Mark your calendars for Saturday, May 12 for Sabin's 2018 spring cleanup event. See the ad below for details, or visit our Cleanup page for a full list of what to bring and what not to bring. 

Reading through past years of Sabin Community Association files, we found an early print copy of the Sabin Community Association news bulletin — what would eventually become the Sabin Community Association Newsletter (SCAN) — that was mailed to neighbors in the summer of 1977.
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The five-page newsletter, typed on legal-size paper, featured a number of topics including an SCA survey stating three goals: 1) “to improve neighborhood communication through a newsletter and neighborhood hotline”; 2) “to support Sabin School in educational activities as well as other groups which strive to improve the community”; and 3) “to upgrade home improvements, beautification of neighborhood streets, lights, parks, and neighborhood facilities.”

Although community issues have changed and evolved over the years, SCA’s goals remain on point with those of the early SCA board. We have made available this 1977 newsletter on SCA’s website, www.SabinPDX.org/newsletter-archives. It is an interesting snapshot into Sabin history from over forty years ago.

See page 4 of the April Sabin Community Association Newsletter for more details about the Spring Clean Up

If you had up to $1,000 to spend on our neighborhood, what would you do? The Sabin Community Association is excited to announce our new small grants program, offering two grants of up to $1,000 each. The purpose of the program is to use SCA funds for community programs that support the association’s guiding principles: Engaging the community, seeking to understand and meet community needs, supporting diverstiy, encouraging local businesses, preparing for the future and supporting sustainable living, caring for our natural environment, and partnering with community organizations.

The SCA board is seeking ideas from Sabin residents to build strong community participation and partnerships. Engagement of historically under-represented and under-served communities is a high priority for this small grants program. Interested in applying? The process is easy. The proposed idea must:

• Be within Sabin boundaries
  
• Demonstrate how it improves the experience of living in Sabin
  
• Benefit the Sabin community, rather than an individual or specific group
  

All ideas are due by May 1. We have included an idea card on page 4 of the newsletter that you can either drop off at the SCA Small Grants Box at the Albina Library vestibule (3605 NE 15th Ave., next to Whole Foods), or email your idea and information to sabincommunity@gmail.com. We look forward to hearing from you!