Dear Friends,
What a busy and successful summer it's been! Our camps for preschoolers and school-agers have been fuller than ever and Community Rec & Ed has been enjoying high attendance (in part, perhaps, due to activities being inside our air conditioned facilities at Slabtown and the Pearl). In the meantime, we continue to get lots of new referrals for supportive services for older adults in our Senior Program and SAGE Metro Portland.
It was so much fun for me to be invited by our Summer Camp staff to share my knowledge of Friendly House history with kids during our Blast From the Past session. I shared old photos of activities and children used their best history detective skills to figure out the Who, What, Where, Why, and When of them. Friendly House kids are so smart! They were also fortunate to have Tanya March of Mike's History Tours share the history of Northwest Portland with them.
In this issue, you will find out about what's happening with Friendly House Playgroup, an old-timey volunteer ice cream social and air conditioned activities YOU can get in on in August, not to mention news about the LPGA tour in Portland and a beer drinking, happy dancing, music-filled night out for you and your main squeeze. Please read on!
In gratitude,

--Vaune Albanese
Executive Director

Friendly House Playgroup:

Calling all babies and toddlers!

We've been getting questions about Friendly House Playgroup, so here's what you need to know. Playgroup is set to begin the school year on September 21st and will run each Monday & Friday from 9:30 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. Playgroup is open to parents, grandparents, and other caregivers and their children up to three years of age. It's a great place for adults to meet friends and for babies to explore a wide variety of activities. We have a backyard with a play structure, an indoor play park and a classroom with age-appropriate options. For more information, click here!

We are very happy to welcome Teacher Megan into the role of Playgroup Coordinator.

Megan has been with Friendly House since the fall of 2014 as the Head Kindergarten Teacher in the After School Program. This summer, she has been a Head Teacher in the Summer Program leading campers in an exploration of cooking, swimming, and all sorts of adventures. Megan will continue teaching in the After School Program this year, along with coordinating playgroup. She'll be greeting parents and children, running circle time, and making sure the classroom and materials are ready and engaging for our playgroup friends. Here is a little more about Teacher Megan: she has studied sociology and Elementary Education at the University of Rhode Island and is originally from the Pacific Northwest - her mother is also a teacher. Megan is a lover of the great outdoors, literature, cats, good food, and helping children achieve their wildest dreams in a safe and nurturing environment.