It’s a full nine months away—but we’ve set the date for the CAPACES Leadership Institute’s Grand Opening celebration!

On Friday, July 13^th and Saturday, July 14^th, 2012, hundreds of community members and Institute supporters will gather to officially open and inaugurate the Institute’s permanent home at 356 Young Street in Woodburn.

Today, PCUN President Ramón Ramírez is sending a letter to U.S. Secretary of Labor Hilda Solís formally inviting her to be the keynote speaker for the Grand Opening.  Secretary Solís promised Ramón that she would attend and now we’ll work with her staff on scheduling.

We chose July 13^th in part because it will be the first anniversary of the Institute’s incorporation as an independent non-profit organization.  We expect such a wide and rich array of participants for this historic occasion that, we decided, one day just won’t suffice.  In addition to the “celebration”, we plan to organize activities that engage and illustrate topics central to the Institute’s mission.

As we’ve mentioned in recent e-updates, the Institute’s first course sessions are already underway—next door at PCUN’s Risberg Hall.  We expect that, by July 2012, a full complement of courses will have been completed and new ones will be in development.

The mid-July weather in Oregon’s Willamette Valley is (usually) very conducive to an outdoor celebration and the activities we envision.  Earlier in the year, not so much.  That’s another compelling reason to hold the Grand Opening next summer.

So “save the date” and rest assured that we’ll be sending out ample details as the occasion draws nearer.

All kinds of folks have already volunteered to help construct the CAPACES Leadership Institute’s permanent home.  We’ve hosted dozens of groups.

Last Saturday’s group, however, was a first:  it was organized by and composed of women who are leaders in our movement.  Thirteen women-plus a few friends and supporters-turned out to make their contribution as well as learn and practice new skills.

Co-led by Mujeres Luchadoras Progresistas (a CAPACES-network organization) and Institute Executive Director Laura Isiordia, this volunteer brigade did more than nail wall sheeting, dig a post-footing  trench, prepare truss blocking, and de-nail boards for re-use.  “We sent a message today,” Laura declared, “that women who have little experience in construction can do this work and we must do it.  We’re already building the Institute in every other way.”

Some local women have taken an active role in the Institute building construction before.  On September 24th, movement leaders increased that participation and made it more visible.  They also decided to set another brigade for Wednesday October 26th and they welcome the participation of more women-from the community and beyond.

To sign up for the October 26th women’s brigade, contact Laura at lauraisiordia@fhdc.org   Other work brigades continue every Saturday.  Contact Javier Lara at javierl@pcun.org to sign up.

The Institute has more “firsts” to report.  On September 22nd, eight emerging leaders in our movement came together for the first session of:  “CAPACES 101.”  It begins the Institute’s first course, five two-hour sessions exploring our history, accomplishments, values, big ideas, and big challenges.  We plan to offer CAPACES 101 again in late October and several times during 2012.

In the next few days, we’re poised to put up the Institute’s own website.  Watch for our special alert and be among the first to visit it!

Last month, we reported to you on the drama of raising the CAPACES Leadership Institute building’s walls.  That, it turns out, was nothing, compared to the roof trusses installation.

At dawn last Wednesday, a truck with a large crane and a load of custom-built trusses rumbled onto the building site.  By early afternoon some 70 trusses were all in place, thanks also to the quick and skilled work of our core building team, augmented by several volunteers from the Carpenters’ union.

Thanks to time-lapsed photography, set up and edited by Gene Wixson (our chief construction consultant from Greenhammer), you can paste this link http://db.tt/fo4vuPe into your browser and see in 30 seconds a good amount of the installation.

On August 15^th, passersby at the site saw only framed walls laying on the concrete slab floor.  Thirty days later, the walls were up, the internal concrete block walls finished, and the trusses installed, thanks to incredible support from individuals like stone mason Pedro Martínez and organizations like Portland Youth Builders.  This coming Saturday, the weekly work brigade will be composed of and led by women—both from the local community and our supporter network.

Our fundraiser last week in New York City was a clear success.  On a busy weeknight, 18 people gathered to learn about the Institute and deepen relationships with our movement.  We still need to raise about $30,000 from individuals to reach our goal; you can make a tax-deductible contribution online at https://npo.networkforgood.org/Donate/Donate.aspx?npoSubscriptionId=1002782&code=Donantes%202010)

We’re not waiting to have doors to open in order to offer the Institute’s first course.  Tomorrow, we’ll hold the first class of the five-session course we call “Movement 101.”  A dozen leaders new to our movement will dig into our history, our values, accomplishments, beliefs, and challenges, as well as articulate what calls them to serve and organize.

Sincerely,

CAPACES Leadership Institute