25 Acts of Giving to Celebrate Scott Edwards Architecture’s 25th Year
Author
Vanita Carrillo-Rush
In honor of our 25th anniversary, Scott Edwards Architecture has decided to put our passion for making our world a better place to purpose by performing 25 Acts of Giving in 2023. This will include volunteering our expertise and labor, improving our neighborhoods and natural areas, and contributing to causes we care about. Follow along on this page as we track our progress throughout the year.
Portland Winter Lights Festival participant and artist host
Hosted a pdxAMBUCS Adaptive Tricycle Build at SEA HQ and volunteered as builders
SEA team participated in Big Al’s “Bowling with Heart” bowl-a-thon as a Gold Sponsor, helping raise over $87,000 for Doernbecher Children's Hospital.
SEA joined R&H Construction and several other industry firms at a Friends of Trees tree-planting event at Happy Valley Park. Together, the group planted over 800 saplings.
Earth Day SOLVE Inner Eastside Litter Pick-up
For the 7th year in a row, a group of Scott Edwards Architecture staff volunteered for the National Rebuild Day program for Rebuilding Together, a nonprofit organization that assists low-income homeowners with needed home repairs at no cost. The organization helps the elderly, people with disabilities, families with children, and veterans.
SEA hosted a Rose Haven donation drive to collect gently used clothing and household items for the organization’s day shelter and community center. Rose Haven serves women, children and gender non-conforming folks experiencing the trauma of abuse, loss of home and other disruptive life challenges.
SEA volunteers join Oregon Humane Society’s Doggie Dash event to help run the registration tent—the added bonus here is that you get to see all the dogs! This event raises funds and awareness about the work OHS is doing to support our animal friends.
Designers from SEA participate in the ACE Mentor Program of Oregon as volunteer mentors. ACE is a free after-school program for high school juniors and seniors interested in Architecture, Construction and Engineering. Students collaborate on a building design project under the guidance of mentors, gaining valuable career skills, networking with professionals, and exploring potential careers.
SEA and NV5 gathered together a group of volunteers to participate in the Chehalem Park and Recreation District trail maintenance work party at Bob & Crystal Rilee Park. This 327-acre park at the summit of Parrett Mountain has a network of horse, mountain bike and pedestrian trails through fields and forest areas, and SEA is partnering with NV5 to complete a master plan for it later this summer.
Architects from SEA volunteer for the Architecture Foundation of Oregon’s Architects in Schools program. Architects in Schools delivers arts programming, environmental understanding, awareness of cultural links to history, career awareness and communication skills to elementary-aged students, inspiring the next generation of designers.
The American Red Cross visits SEA HQ with their mobile blood drive van and 24 staff members donate blood.
SEA hosted the National Organization of Minority Architects Portland Chapter (NOMA PDX) at our HQ for a "Making & Maintaining Your Design Portfolio" workshop, part of the organization's Career Transitions Workshop series. Participants had a chance to introduce themselves and share why making a portfolio was challenging for them. Then the group, including SEA designers, collaborated to provide tips, best practices, and inspiration for crafting a compelling portfolio.
Scott Edwards Architecture supports the annual Delicious Donuts school supply drive!
A group of SEA staff participated in a build day with Homebuilder’s Association where we built 8 picnic tables for Safe Rest Villages. Safe Rest Villages are alternative shelters for people experiencing homelessness, and in addition to providing temporary housing, they provide services to help people make the transition to permanent housing.
Partnered with Sabin CDC to develop and fund their inaugural “Our Shared Palette” art scholarship program. The scholarship is open to LGBTQIA+ individuals and members of minority communities (ethnic, racial, or cultural) between the ages of 15-24 and aims to recognize and reward exceptional artistic talent. Our Shared Pallete provides financial support, mentorship, and a platform for artistic expression, removing some barriers to participating and tying to Sabin's mission to "Re-Engage Community" and promote social equity and livability within their affordable housing developments.
Several Scott Edwards Architecture team members volunteered at the 2023 National Organization of Minority Architects (NOMA) Portland – Building Bridges Towards Just and Joyful Futures Conference, serving as room monitors, registration table attendants, and wayfinding guides. NOMA is a professional organization for individuals practicing architecture and allied professionals to advance justice and equity in communities of color, and this conference allows attendees to delve into the impact of the built environment by fostering industry inclusivity.
SEA sponsored the Architecture Foundation of Oregon’s Honored Citizen event honoring Hermann Colas, Jr. and his storied career as the founder of Colas Construction. SEA staff both attended and volunteered at the event and a great time was had by all!
A group of SEA volunteers joined Northwest Children’s Outreach for a morning and helped sort and package donations. They are a 100% volunteer-based organization that provides diapers, clothing, formula, blankets, toys, and other necessities to vulnerable children in the community and our team was happy to contribute to their efforts.
Scott Edwards Architecture team members volunteer at the Meals on Wheels Central Kitchen, helping to prepare meals that are distributed to those in need. The Central Kitchen produces more than 5,000 meals daily!
SEA and client Wonderlove co-sponsor a public art piece in Portland’s Central Eastside. The piece is a large mural painted on one of Wonderlove’s street-facing site walls. It depicts a galactic event not unlike the Big Bang, but with some quintessential Portland flare incorporated to symbolize this area’s revitalization.
SEA staff organizes a SMART Reading book buy and drive. SMART Reading is a children’s literacy non-profit organization that serves Oregon’s high-need schools and marginalized communities by providing books to young kids and opportunities for volunteers to read with students. The SEA team collected books at the office and took a group trip to Powell’s and purchased 240 books to donate!
The Scott Edwards Architecture Interiors team participated in the Helping Hands tree event, a program where volunteers decorate trees to be donated to Doernbecher Children's Hospital as a way to spread joy and cheer to patients. The team chose a cat theme for their tree and it turned out pretty purr-fect, if we do say ourselves.
An Agave Dogs Rescue bottle drive is hosted at SEA HQ. Agave Dogs Rescue is an organization based in Portland that rescues dogs in Texas and other southern states. The bottle drive funds pay for spay/neuter surgeries, helping stop the cycle of overpopulation. SEA collected more than 180 cans!
A group of SEA sewists created more than 30 cozy kennel beds for Cat Adoption Team, a non-profit based in Sherwood, Oregon, that helps our feline friends find their forever homes.
SEA, LMC, and Bridge Housing collaborated to design and fabricate a courtyard art installation at Cedar Rising, an affordable housing development in Aloha, Oregon. SEA provided pro-bono design services to create an Oregon-inspired outdoor scene. LMC and Bridge Housing covered the fabrication and installation costs to bring the courtyard’s metal art piece to life.
SEA hosted a hygiene and personal care item donation drive for Love One Community, an organization serving those experiencing housing instability in Clackamas County, Oregon by providing laundry cleaning days, showers, meals, personal care resources, and community connections.
