Bridging the Gap
Intergenerational community strengthens families
By: Jimmy Radosta
“It’s not a house, it’s a home.”
—Bob Dylan, “The Ballad of Frankie Lee and Judas Priest” (1967)
Imagine a place where children come home from school and, instead of plopping themselves in front of the television or getting into mischief, they visit the community center next door. There, they snack on milk and cookies while elderly tutors help them with homework.
Later in the afternoon, the kids play soccer in the nearby courtyard. When it starts raining, they move inside to the “mud room” to learn about nutrition. As dinnertime approaches, they pick a few vegetables from the memorial garden on their way home for a family meal.
Rhonda Meadows imagined a place like this. And with the help of a visionary team — politicians, developers, clinicians, donors, and many others — her dream is turning into reality.
“Five years ago, we had nothing,” Meadows says. “Little miracles can happen.”
The end result is Bridge Meadows, an innovative community set to open by March 2011 in the Portsmouth neighborhood of Portland. It was designed to bring together three generations: Foster children will find permanent, loving homes. Elder mentors will regain a sense of purpose. Parents will be less likely to get burned-out because of the ongoing support. Multnomah County Chair Jeff Cogen calls it a “win-win-win” situation for everyone involved.
Rhonda Meadows founded the organization after she took in a foster son, Allen, for a year. A human resources professional who has raised three college-age daughters, she quickly realized that the system was broken.
“I learned that he had moved four times in two years to different foster homes,” Meadows says. “The system has failed so many kids. Moving from place to place, how can you be successful in school? How can you get to know friends?”
Meadows, who has served as board chair for Self Enhancement Inc. and who has raised money for schools, was horrified by the statistics: About 850,000 U.S. children are languishing in the foster care system, with 15,000 in Oregon alone, many from homes shattered by crystal meth addiction. Of these kids, only 20 percent are adopted. The rest are shuffled around until they “age out” of the system, often ending up homeless or turning to crime.
“There is no peace in these children because they are so uncertain about what’s going to happen tomorrow,” Meadows says. “They blame themselves. It has nothing to do with them.”
According to Meadows, many foster parents don’t adopt because they fear losing financial assistance and psychological counseling for the children. “What encouragement do we have for people to adopt the hardest-to-place kids if we don’t have some support for them?” she says.
Meadows soon found out that there is a better way. She heard about an intergenerational community founded in 1994 near Chicago that shares her surname — Hope Meadows — and she arranged for a visit.
“There was so much healing,” Meadows says. “I’ve never seen so much love in a community.”
According to Bridge Meadows executive director Derenda Schubert, the model has proven successful among seniors: Loneliness goes away, while health stabilizes and even improves.
“The grandparents have such vitality and joy. It’s pretty amazing to see,” Schubert says. She recalls the most promising feedback she’s heard from seniors: “It gives you a reason to get up in the morning to be a part of these kids’ lives. It makes you want to live forever.”
Meadows returned to Portland eager to replicate these success stories, but in an urban setting. (Hope Meadows is spread over 22 acres on a defunct Air Force base in Rantoul, Ill. Its leaders continue inspire and help inform Bridge Meadows ) Before long she was meeting with city commissioner Dan Saltzman to encourage the city to buy the two acres of land where John Ball Elementary School once stood.
Cogen, who was Saltzman’s chief of staff at the time, says that Meadows has “worked a miracle” since those early meetings: “Rhonda in particular has just been this shining light of optimism. It’s going to make a real difference in the lives of kids and parents and seniors.”
One of the first donors to step forward was Windermere Real Estate, which gives back to the community through its nonprofit foundation. Windermere agents contribute a portion of every closed transaction to the foundation, and the money helps children and families facing homelessness. According to Joan Tate Allen, who chairs the foundation, Meadows “easily convinced us” to commit to raising $250,000 over four years.
“That goal was beyond anything we have ever attempted as a company,” Allen says. “Rhonda was absolutely inspirational.”
Bridge Meadows went on to raise a total of $11.5 million — 13 percent from private donations and 87 percent from public funds — and construction finally begins this summer. Under the direction of Guardian Management, nine four-bedroom homes are being built for families that agree to raise kids who are ready to be adopted through the Oregon Department of Human Services.
“[Residents] can have their own children and grow their family through adoption,” Schubert says. “They could be foster families or relatives raising their grandchildren or their nieces and nephews.”
Interspersed among these homes will be 27 units for seniors 55 and older, who will receive reduced rent if they volunteer for at least 10 hours a week as “surrogate grandparents” to the kids. Bridge Meadows will also feature a garden, an intergenerational center, a library, administrative offices and counseling provided by Morrison Child and Family Services.
For her part, Meadows simply wants to send a message to adoptive children that change is coming. She hopes to see the project eventually expand, and she’s excited that similar efforts are under way in Seattle and Florida.
“I’m just a believer that we as adults and community members, whether we have kids or not, have to start judging ourselves by how our kids are doing,” Meadows says. “With a city like ours, we can do better.”
Former state Rep. Margaret Carter hosts the Bridge Meadows groundbreaking ceremony 10 a.m. on June 15 at 4221 N Willis Blvd. bridgemeadows.org.
