I survived a hot sauce competition
Oregon State Legislature sent this bulletin at 09/19/2023 06:00 AM PDT
Hello Friends,
Thank you for subscribing to my newsletter. Here’s another update from “the interim” – in between legislative sessions. Thanks for staying up to date with my office!
Oregon Jewish Museum and Center for Holocaust Education Tour & Town Hall
This month’s constituent event will be a *free* tour of the museum. On September 23 from 1:00-2:00p.m, the Jewish Museum will host up a small group of constituents for a tour and conversation with Dr. Margles.
There are just 8 spots left–sign up today! If you are interested in participating, please sign up here.
Note: Because space is limited, we will email you to confirm you’ve secured a slot. Each attendee will be responsible for their transportation and parking.
Ribbon cutting at the Kalapuya Early Learning Center
Last week, I visited the Kalapuya Early Learning Center for its grand opening. It is helping make early childhood education more accessible for families in the Tigard-Tualatin School District. It was also fun to see the amazing Karen Twain, for whom the playground is named. She’s a legend in the Tigard-Tualatin School District and a big reason why our district is a statewide leader in early childhood education.
Mayor Heidi Lueb, TTSD School Board Chair Tristan Irvin, and I at the Kalapuya Early Learning Center.
Tigard-Tualatin School District Staff Welcome Back
A couple of weeks ago, we welcomed back the staff from every school in the Tigard-Tualatin School District to kick off the new school year. For my remarks to the educators, I read an excerpt from Peter Greene’s essay, “A Good Teacher is Not Like a Candle,” which Gladstone Mayor Michael Milch first introduced to me. It’s about how teachers must take care of themselves to be effective in the classroom.
Educators face immense pressure to do right by the students they teach, causing burnout, exhaustion, and high rates of turnover in our school system. Students need teachers at their best, and they can’t be that if the pressure of the job drives them out of it.
On stage with Rep. Courtney Neron (HD-26) and Mayor Lueb (and Elizabeth, the First Toddler of Tigard).
NW Oregon Labor Council Labor Day Picnic
It was great to say hi to folks at the annual Labor Day picnic. Shout out to the Labor Council and their new director, Laurie Wimmer, for organizing such a successful event. Labor Day is a time to honor and reflect on the Labor Movement in the United States and the many contributions and achievements it has won for all of us. I grew up in a union household, and I will always be an advocate for working families.
Senator Wlnsvey Campos (SD-18), me, and Rep. Annessa Hartman (HD-40) at the picnic.
Giving brief remarks to the attendees.
Oregon Nurses Association Political Awards Luncheon
I was honored to receive the Friend of Nurses Award from the Oregon Nurses Association. I was proud to support and co-sponsor HB 2697, which requires hospitals to have at least one nurse working for every seven patients. This award was in recognition of my advocacy for that bill and for greater investments in the healthcare workforce pipeline. In a letter I authored with 19 legislators co-signed, we asked the Joint Committee on Ways and Means to invest $40 million (and unlock $110 million in federal matching dollars) to expand educational opportunities and pathways across the healthcare sector.
Proudly accepting the “Friend of Nursing Award,” which is now displayed in my office in the Capitol.
AIDS Walk Northwest
On Saturday, I participated in the annual AIDS Walk Northwest event with my LGBTQ+ Caucus colleagues. Each year, AIDS Walk Northwest raises essential funding for the Cascade AIDS Project, Our House of Portland, and Prism Health. The event, which is in its 36th year, serves as an annual reminder of how HIV and AIDS have impacted American life and society.
Representatives Travis Nelson (HD-44), Rob Nosse (HD-42), Dacia Grayber (HD-28), and me.
Representative Rob Nosse gave a beautiful speech about how members of the LGBTQ+ community have the same rights as any other person to demand that their government serve and protect them and their families. It was a powerful reminder of the federal government’s despicable response at the start of the AIDS pandemic, and how far we’ve come with treatment and support of those impacted by the virus–though that progress toward equal rights is not universal nor complete.
Rep. Grayber and I proudly wearing our participant medals.
Bethlehem House of Bread Hot Sauce Competition
After the AIDS Walk, I participated in the Bethlehem House of Bread’s Tenth Anniversary fundraiser. Bethlehem House of Bread is a gem of our community. It serves as a food pantry and community center, providing goods to whoever needs them–and also workshops and classes teaching essential skills.
Me, Superintendent Dr. Sue Rieke Smith, and President Yi Kang-Hu, confident and happy before the hot sauce competition.
At the fundraiser, I participated in a hot sauce competition with Tigard City Council President Yi-Kang Hu and Tigard-Tualatin School District Superintendent Dr. Sue Rieke-Smith (former Rep. Doherty was our official cheerleader).
Shout out to Cat Kuerbis who hosted the competition. She and her husband own Heat You Can Handle, a Salem-based hot sauce company. She hand-selected locally sourced hot sauces from several different companies. Shockingly, most of the hot sauces were delicious and totally bearable. The exception was the final one, which was made from Carolina Reaper Peppers and was intolerably hot. All three of us survived and lived to tell the tale.
Bethlehem House of Bread is an incredible organization that we are lucky to have. Please consider supporting them.
Dr. Sue, President Hu, and I, in deep distress during the competition.
Breast Friends’ FUNdraiser and Tigard Street Fair
On Saturday, I also went to two other events: the Breast Friends’s Breast Cancer Community Impact FUNdraiser and the Tigard Street Fair.
Breast Friends, a local non-profit, provides emotional support and education for women with breast cancer from diagnosis to remission. The FUNdraiser was like a street fair, with whiskey tastings, lawn games, a goat petting zoo, and a pop-up arcade. It was great to see the community come together to support such an incredibly meaningful mission.
President Hu and I quickly recovered from the hot sauce competition to make the Breast Friends event.
Lastly, the Tigard Street Fair has long been one of my favorite community gatherings in Tigard. The weather was great and there were a ton of vendors. Fun was had by all. If you weren’t able to make it, put it on your list for next year.
Visiting the Washington County Democrats’ booth at the Tigard Street Fair.
Thanks for reading,
Ben Bowman
Oregon State Representative
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