What makes us tick

In light of recent tragedies, I’ve been reflecting on the role social media has taken in the aftermath of disasters. The responses to the hurricanes in the Southeast and the earthquakes south of our border remind us of the impact wide exposure of humanitarian goodwill can have to inform and inspire additional relief efforts. I’m…

If you’ve ever participated in a team relay, you know what a labor of love it can be. There are 12 runners to a team, 6 in each van and you are coordinating from van to van to pass the “baton” off to the next runner at each exchange point. Each van has to account…

There’s no doubt about it – the Coates Kokes office is beautiful. We moved into the Commonwealth Building in downtown Portland in 2011 (before my time here), onto the “unlucky” 13th floor. Superstitions aside, we have whiteboard walls, a fridge stocked with sparking water, a stunning, in my opinion, a 360-degree view of Portland –…

In the aftermath of the Pulse Nightclub shooting, Justin Torres for The Washington Post wrote “In praise of Latin Night at the Queer Club,” a tribute I shared among friends, many who identify with a letter in the LGBTQAlphabet, and many who don’t. The outpouring of support and the unity that followed that brutal attack…

Every two seconds, someone in the United States needs blood. Really, every two seconds. Most of us probably take for granted that the blood will be there, waiting for transfusion, if and when we or a loved one need it. But there’s no guarantee of that… unless we all do our part to contribute to…