So many good community members out this week doing good things, including at Share's Soup's On event.
With the contentious, ugly political scene further fracturing our community, I look at some of the good people in the place we call home and wonder of what might be.
Allow me to take you through this week and the wonderful people I hung out with:
Sunday
If you ever have an opportunity to meet Kim Hash … take it! She is bright, dedicated, compassionate and delightful.
Kim is the director of development and communication for Share, an organization dedicated to lead the hungry and homeless to self-sufficiency by providing food, shelter, housing, education, advocacy and compassion through the strength of our community.
Share organizes a number of events to raise money for its mission. One such event was held Sunday. It was Soup’s On.
Here’s the way it works: Around 700 of Share’s closest friends shell out a few bucks to attend a soup extravaganza at the Hilton. Once in, you get to sample some of the best soups ever by some of the best local chefs ever.
Plus my soup was there. Hey, it happens.
Everyone there voted on their favorites, and Troy Lucio of the Hilton and Mychal Culver of Mill Creek Pub tied for the best stuff.
I’d like to also give a special shout-out to Ali Novinger. Ali — part of the Beaches team — gave an impassioned, eloquent speech advocating for Share.
Plus, Beaches and its chef, Matt Grimsley, allowed me to use Beaches’ kitchen. I mean, when your recipe includes 55 pounds of fresh tomatoes, 20 heads of garlic and 15 dozen eggs, you need space. Chef Matt also had an excellent soup at the event.
Oh, and a small word of advice for all you wannabe professional chefs: Seek professional help. And I don’t mean the cooking kind. Mad respect for all of you. Professional cooking is no country for old men. (But I’m gonna go against my own advice and try it one more time next year.)
Tuesday
There’s a young, self-proclaimed badass out there, and her name is Nan Henriksen. The former Camas mayor, who more recently headed up the successful county charter that restructured our government, was named the county’s First Citizen for 2015.
They held a little gathering — well OK, hundreds of people showed up, including a high school band — at the Hilton, and I sneaked in.
Of all the things said about Nan and all the things Nan said, I’m not sure I’ve heard a better quote than this one that Nan delivered:
“My community needed me, and I needed my community.”
No further comment needed.
Thursday
A few weeks ago, I did another “Lunch with Lou” contest centered around what your dreams might be. Vancouver resident Sandy Edmonson beat out dozens of other entries, and I met her Thursday.
Sandy — who is retired from the state Department of Social and Health Services where she worked as a case manager — has spent much of the past seven years sailing Mexico. She’s also a regular reader of The Columbian and my column.
Her dream was for everyone to discover “that people are people wherever you go, and there is much we can learn and enjoy when we take the time to meet them and explore their history and cultures.”
She has pretty strong opinions on our local politics — which I would describe as hoping we can get it together while there’s still something to get together.
Saturday
Today will end this long, enjoyable week with my attending a scary Halloween party. And my hope is — my dream is — that in the future I’ll be scared only on Halloween, not every time I pick up The Columbian and read about the latest stupid stuff going on with some of our politicians.
Morning Briefing Newsletter
Get a rundown of the latest local and regional news every Mon-Fri morning.
