Parkrose Life Bryan Atkinson

JR Lilly is seemingly one of the most connected people in East Portland!

He is a cornerstone member of our community and a member of the Dineh (Navajo Nation). In this conversation, JR sets the tone by framing his identity by introducing himself from an indigenous worldview and how that framework of collectivism differs from individualism. He grew up in extreme poverty on the Navajo Reservation and wanted a way out of poverty. He studied business administration at Lee University in Tennessee. JR shares the many ways he’s sought healing from trauma and encourages others to seek healing.

JR came across the book One Church, Many Tribes by Richard Twiss, which was also an influential book for my faith when I read it (and later Rescuing The Gospel From The Cowboys: A Native American Expression Of The Jesus Way). JR worked with Twiss which brought him to the Northwest and was impacted by Twiss’s focus on being a good neighbor and being present in his community at the expense of his worldwide influence and income.



Because of JR’s humble desire to serve others coupled with his business background and experience with non-profit law, budgets, and fundraising at NAYA, he is often invited to be on non-profit boards. He currently serves on eight (8!) boards:Portland Parks FoundationUrban Forestry CommissionHistoric ParkroseOur Just Future (formerly Human Solutions)National Christian Community Development AssociationRedtail WoodworksMending Wings (Yakima)Peace Center Academy (Hopi)

in addition to committee work with:East Portland Action Plan, economic subcommittee cochairThrive East PDXEast Portland Tax Increment Finance Exploration CommitteeEast Portland Parks Coalition

These are all volunteer positions on top of his job as Director of the Office of Community Involvement for Multnomah County.

JR recently worked with the Trail Blazers for Native American Heritage Month.



He talks about being guided by a higher power and his journey of healing that led him to measure his impact differently as he matured. We go deeper from there and circle back to JR’s work in Parkrose, so if you’ve read this far without listening, give the podcast a listen and let me know what you think, or get in touch with JR!

Rich Waggoner has been writing songs since he was a teenager in Parkrose. He shares his nostalgia for the Parkrose he knew, and we preview four of his original songs about growing up in Parkrose.



For more info about Rich Waggoner and Parkrose Life, check out the show notes for this episode at parkroselife.com/nostalgia-rich-waggoner-podcast


You can check out more community stories and get real estate insights at parkroselife.com, and please share this podcast with a neighbor!

"Sports honestly saved my life," Gary Muzzy says in this conversation without any hesitation. For many years he has coached swimming and water polo at the youth and high school levels for both his organization Blue Crush and for Parkrose High School. As a swimmer herself, Gary's mother got him and his twin brother Larry in the pool at a young age. The pair excelled, but his brother went to jail at 17. Gary says he "gave up" around that time, but with the support of his mom, coaches, and mentors at after-school programs, he persevered and graduated high school. Melissa believed in him and supported his goals as a young adult as well.

Gary had a desire to give back to youth in a similar way, and the Parkrose water polo coach and superintendent Dr. Karen Gray both approached Gary to ask him to coach summer water polo and swimming, which led to the launch of Blue Crush Aquatic Club. Since then, Melissa and Gary have impacted countless youth, both boys and girls, and some of them received swimming scholarships.

We also talk about the racial climate of swimming and water polo, the current climate of youth club sports, and their hopes and goals for youth sports in Parkrose.

Crush Athletics offers swimming lessons (year-round is their goal), swim team, water polo, and they are adding other sports like volleyball, basketball, and futsal too. Check out parkrosepool.com for the hours and opportunities at the pool too.

If you want to contact Melissa or Gary, you can email crushathleticspdx@gmail.com.

You can check out more community stories and get real estate insights at parkroselife.com, and please share this podcast with a neighbor!

I met Officer Eric Zajac sipping coffee at the Rossi Farms barn. I expected police might be a bit guarded in this season of being heavily criticized yet undersupported to meet our community's high expectations. Eric struck me as open and down to earth, so it was an honor to interview him.

He shares about growing up in a nomadic military family, studying at New Mexico State, Portland intriguing him because of its community policing model, what it's like policing Portland in this era of distrust and increased homelessness, how these trends have affected him personally, and what it's like working in the Parkrose area specifically.

You can write Eric at eric.zajac@portlandoregon.gov.

In the episode outro, I reference a clash between the Proud Boys and Antifa that happened in August 2021. You can read these articles (linked to in the website show notes) to remember "yes, that actually did happen." It was scary and upsetting, and it could have gone even worse.

You can check out more community stories and get real estate insights at parkroselife.com, and please share this podcast with a neighbor!

Since so many people in Parkrose know of Annette Stanhope and have benefited from her work in the community but don’t necessarily know her well, I wanted to ask Annette about her life and interests before and outside her life in Parkrose. She grew up in a musical family in Issaquah but spent a lot of time at her grandmother’s house in… Parkrose! Her grandma was part of St. Rita Catholic Church that connected with the neighborhood through spaghetti dinners.

Annette studied literature at Seattle University, and that’s where she met her would-be husband Mark. It turns out dating long distance while he was in veterinary school years later allowed her to work for National Civilian Community Corps (AmeriCorps NCCC). Those varied experiences sparked her initial interest in community involvement, so she was ready to jump into community when she bought her grandmother’s Parkrose house. As a young mom, she wanted to meet more neighbors, so she joined the Parkrose Neighborhood Association and began meeting people. She also got involved with the Prescott Elementary parent group, and for the past few years, she’s worked for Historic Parkrose as well.

We discuss some history of the neighborhood and the effect that city planning and development have on our daily lives. Annette also shared that being so heavily involved can cause burnout and encouraged others to get involved. She’s got so much going on, so tune in and learn about Annette and some of the great projects she and others are working on in Parkrose!

You can email Annette at parkroseneighbors@gmail.com or outreach@historicparkrose.com for things specific to Historic Parkrose or message Annette on Facebook.

Annette shared a great way to participate in April 2022 is the Parkrose Community Plan open house! There are two options to be part of the same presentation and conversation: Saturday, April 9, 3:00 – 4:30 pm and Thursday, April 14, 6:30 – 8:00 pm.

You can check out more community stories and get real estate insights at parkroselife.com, and please share this podcast with a neighbor!

As the Life Skills Lead Teacher at Parkrose High School, Jake Dorr helps students with a range of challenges such as autism, Down syndrome, and other learning disabilities. He uniquely designs learning opportunities for his students based on their Individualized Education Plans (IEP). He also works alongside other Parkrose faculty so students with certain challenges can excel in the general education courses and graduate. He works with students in a classroom setting, and at other times he works as a "manager of an airport" since people are always coming and going and he has several responsibilities. He oversees schedules and works with educational assistants to keep everything going while maintaining flexibility with students' needs.

He shared several success stories of ways he has helped students and also gives kudos to the teachers and educational assistants and the collaboration and communication among Parkrose schools serving different ages of students and also the Life Education for Adults of Parkrose (LEAP) students.

Jake grew up in Philomath, and fun fact, he and I both met our wives while working as counselors at Camp Tadmor in Lebanon, OR.

As an artist, Jake incorporates a lot of icons and graphics in his teaching. You can check out his art or contact him at his website jakedorr.com, @whatjakesees on Instagram, and Jake of All Trades on YouTube.

You can check out more community stories and get real estate insights at parkroselife.com and please share this podcast with a neighbor!