By Nancy Varekamp
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Throughout its growth, changes and challenges, the Hollywood Senior Center has benefited from two constants: its commitment to serve seniors and the 48-year tenure of a member of its board of directors.
Paul Clark was one of the young local businessmen in 1973 who founded the center as a project of the Portland Jaycees Hollywood committee. This summer he’s retiring from the center’s board of directors.
Clark and other longtime leaders contribute significantly to the center’s success, according to executive director Amber Kern-Johnson.
“It’s pretty unique to have individuals involved that long with an organization,” she said.
Kern-Johnson began working at the center 12 years ago as, remarkably, only the fifth director in its history. Her predecessor, Jim Paynter, retired after 21 years.
Clark recalled that he and fellow Jaycees had a tiger by the tail when they founded the center. The Jaycees offered leadership training and civic involvement opportunities.
Success was the goal, but failure offered its own lessons.
“If you go broke, you don’t have to bring it home,” Clark said.
The Hollywood group’s civic involvement had included taking troubled youths on camping trips, hanging holiday lights, installing U.S. flags for holidays and even burning brambles on a vacant lot that is now the Hollywood Transit Center. An earlier Jaycees project had been a drop-in center for seniors in a storefront on Belmont Street.
“That kind of went successful,” Clark said.
Later he and Tom Turner were together at the Hollywood Burger Bar – now Reo’s Ribs – and noticed a van drive by. It was marked “Gresham Senior Center.”
“That gave us the idea of a larger, more comprehensive senior center in a big building,” he said.
“We had no idea,” he said, about what it would take to develop a successful senior center. “It was way above our pay scale.”
Yet they succeeded, and the group received the Project of the Year Award and $5000 from the national Jaycees.
The original senior center was less than 50 feet from today’s venue, in the building that today houses Spud Monkey’s Bar and Grill. Jeri Hunt was the first director, followed by Paul Campbell, Larry Schuck, Paynter and then Kern-Johnson.
The board of directors included several Jaycees and others whom Clark called “heavy weight people who knew people.” Among them were Jane Cease, Jim Douglas, Eric Fuller, Paul Hart, Steve March, Gary McDonald, Mother Mary Michaels and Ed Perkins. Schatzie Perkins served as the center’s bookkeeper.
The board designed programs to serve seniors, including activities, classes and outreach. Next came the gift shop – with items made only by seniors – just a few doors away at Sandy Boulevard. It’s location at a bus stop drew a lot of business, Clark noted.
From a business sense, the Jaycees faced two challenges, he explained. It took financing and elbow grease to open the center, and more to continue it.
“Building anything isn’t rocket science,” Clark said. “You’ve got to think of that next step.”
In 1965, the federal Older Americans Act began providing funding for services for seniors. The Hollywood Senior Center received – and continues to receive – that program funding through Multnomah County. Other grants helped pay for facilities. Local businesses contributed and the Jaycees raised funds through several means, including newspaper recycling.
Clark is relieved the board didn’t jump at more opportunities, like constructing senior housing. Options to move to a third location were also considered and rejected. He credits the senior center’s sound fiscal standing to the board of directors being weighted on the business end and fiscally conservative.
Kern-Johnson pointed to the center’s current funding sources. In addition to 30-40 percent from government support, bills are covered with fundraising events, corporate contributions, foundation endowment support and planned giving. In fact, this summer’s restroom renovation will be financed by the center’s investments.
Clark takes pride in the board of directors’ adaptability, and continuously being aware of needs that seniors have.
The center serves about 1700 seniors each month. In addition to classes and social contact, it offers case management, information and assistance, wellness services and support groups. It also manages the Neighborhood Gleaners program.
Clark praised the center’s efforts during the pandemic to keep food deliveries going, along with so many of its other services – moved temporarily to the internet.
“They’ve made a huge effort to reach out and tried to be as creative as they can so people aren’t isolated,” he said.
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July 01, 2021 at 08:29AM
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