This spring, Bev celebrated the completion of her third writing group with us at her building, an affordable housing property in Portland operated by EngAGE NW.
Over the past three years, Bev has become quite an advocate for Write Around Portland, encouraging her neighbors to join her. She noted that in her building, “you have people who might tend to dislike someone, but they don’t really know them. I thought this one lady was bizarre and I didn’t really socialize with her much, but when she came into the writing group, I realized she was a very intelligent and interesting person!”
Thanks to your support, Bev now tries to keep the writing group going after Write Around Portland leaves, recognizing the good it’s doing for her community. “It gets people out of their rooms. Being with other people is healthy, and you end up having a lot of fun.”
Bev has seen several neighbors become more self-confident, including herself. She said, “In the past, I wouldn’t have been jumping at the opportunity to share what I wrote, but now I’m excited to share.”