Celebrate the role communities play in fostering a greater welcome for everyone, including immigrants and refugees, during the third annual Beaverton Welcoming Week from Sept. 15 to 24. During the week, more than a dozen family-friendly events are planned throughout the city and hosted by community partners to showcase the importance of being welcoming.
“It’s a critical time to remind everybody who lives here that you’re welcome and we treasure the culture that you bring to our city,” said Mayor Denny Doyle. “In Beaverton, we’re from all over the world.”
Featured events include an interfaith river walk, a story slam, emerging entrepreneurs fair, community potluck, film screening and more, and are about bringing the community together to celebrate the contributions of immigrants and build cross-cultural relationships and understanding.
“Welcoming Week is a chance to celebrate the values that unite us as neighbors,” added Diversity Advisory Board Vice Chair Oswaldo Bernal. “It makes our city more welcoming to everyone who calls Beaverton home.”
The largest event of the week is the city’s International Celebration on Sept. 16 from 1 to 6 p.m. at the Tualatin Hills Athletic Center located at 50 NW 158th Ave. The event demonstrates our many cultures through music, dance, interactive activities, food and art.
Share your experiences and pictures at Welcoming Week events with #BeavertonWelcomes. All of the events are free and open to the public. For more information about Welcoming Week, visit www.BeavertonOregon.gov/WelcomingWeek or contact Megan Cohen at
503-526-2584 or equity@BeavertonOregon.gov.
This local celebration coincides with National Welcoming Week, which is composed of hundreds of local events across the country in member cities of the national organization Welcoming America. Beaverton officially became a Welcoming City and member of Welcoming America in April 2015. While Beaverton was one of the first cities to join (and the first in Oregon), the national network now includes more than 80 municipalities and 100 plus nonprofit organizations leading a movement of inclusive communities. Welcoming America members share the belief that being a welcoming community for all, including immigrants and refugees, makes us stronger economically, socially and culturally.
Full Schedule of Welcoming Week Events:
Thursday, Sept. 14 (pre-Welcoming Week bonus events)
Beyond BOLD: Opening Reception | 5:30-6:30 p.m. | Beaverton City Library, Cathy Stanton Room (12375 SW 5th St)
Come see the city’s Beyond BOLD photography display! The BOLD program develops leadership capacity in Beaverton’s immigrant and refugee communities and communities of color.
Story Slam | 7-8:30 p.m. | Beaverton City Library, Auditorium
Have a “moving” story to share? Want to hear others’ stories of departures and arrivals? The Story Slam is an open mic, friendly storytelling competition. Come tell a story or just enjoy the show!
Friday, Sept. 15
Celebrating Indian Culture | 6:30-8 p.m. | Conestoga Recreation & Aquatic Center, THPRD (9985 SW 125thAve)
Enjoy food, rangoli, Indian dancing, henna tattoos and a photo booth celebrating Indian culture.
Saturday, Sept. 16
Latin America in the Market: A Celebration of Mexico and Central American Independence Day | 8 a.m.-1 p.m. | Beaverton Farmer’s Market (SW Hall Blvd. between 3rd and 5th St)
Celebrated with fresh-from-the-market food demos and tastings, Latin American music, heritage crafts, a curated mini marketplace of Latin American merchandise, piñatas, and a special bilingual children’s book reading from author Patricia Morrissey!
Beaverton International Celebration | 1-6 p.m. | Tualatin Hills Athletic Center (50 NW 158th Ave)
Join us for an afternoon of art, dance, music, and interactive activities showcasing our many cultures in Beaverton.
Interfaith Riverwalk | 9:30 a.m. – 1 p.m. | Cook Park (16659 SW 90th Pl Tigard)
Tualatin Riverkeepers and Washington County faith partners invite you to visit the watershed and learn the value of water through performance, dialogue and reflection.
Sunday, Sept. 17
Symphony of Cultures | 3 p.m. | Village Baptist Church (330 SW Murray Blvd)
The Beaverton Symphony Orchestra will present a free multicultural concert, inspired by a solidarity concert conducted in Germany to welcome refugees from Syria.
Welcome Beaverton Potluck | 4 p.m. | Evelyn M Schiffler Memorial Park (SW Erickson Ave)
Immigrants and U.S. born residents of Beaverton will share a meal and build relationships at this local potluck. Space is limited, RSVP to Lorie Jacob at lorie.ros@gmail.com. Include your name and what food you plan to bring.
Monday, Sept. 18
African Film Screening | 6 p.m. | Beaverton City Library, Auditorium
Come see a family-friendly film presented by the Cascade Festival of African Films! The film festival is well known for the incredible richness of its films, as well as for the unique opportunity it presents to interact with some of the leading lights in African cinema.
Tuesday, Sept. 19
Cultural Fusion Poetry | 6-8:30 p.m. | Beaverton City Library, World Languages Room
Build cultural bridges with Prisma Comm as a bilingual (Spanish/English) community poet guides the group through the creative process, writing poetry to express how we feel about each other, our city and our personal life experiences. RSVP by calling 503-644-2197 x2 or online at www.beavertonlibrary.org/register.
Behind the Scenes with Beaverton Civic Theatre | 7 p.m. | Beaverton City Library, Auditorium
Explore welcoming through the comedy You Can’t Take it With You, a comedy about meeting another family for the first time. It’s followed by You Do Speak English, Don’t You? a play based on the challenges that Czech-American couple Mark and Helena Greathouse have experienced.
Wednesday, Sept. 20
We are a Welcoming Community Rally | 6 p.m. | Sidewalk along SW Hall Blvd at Fifth St., across from the library
Join Campaign Nonviolence to acknowledge the efforts of community groups that welcome refugees and immigrants. Learn more about services provided to Newcomers in Washington County including food, transportation, tutoring and resettlement assistance.
Thursday, Sept. 21
We Welcome Entrepreneurs Beaverton | 4-8 p.m. | BESThq (12745 SW Beaverdam Rd)
Adelante Mujeres and BESThq invite entrepreneurs to network with state and local nonprofits, agencies and resources for starting and growing their business in Beaverton! Stay for the fiesta with food, music and mingling.
Saturday, Sept. 23
Learning about Taiwan from the Art of Tea | 1-3:30 p.m. | Beaverton City Library, Meeting Room A
Join the Formosa Association of Student Cultural Ambassadors on a family-friendly journey through Taiwanese tea history, attending a tea ceremony, preparing mashed Hakka tea and sampling bubble tea.
About Beaverton
The city of Beaverton is home to more than 95,000 residents and is Oregon’s sixth largest city. We are a friendly, active and responsive city well-known for our exceptional community services and amenities, helping Beaverton residents enjoy a high quality of life. Ranked in the top ten of Money magazine’s 50 Best Small Cities in America for 2016, Beaverton truly is “The Best of Oregon.”
For more information, reminders and community news, visit www.BeavertonOregon.gov. Also follow Beaverton on Facebook at www.facebook.com/CityofBeaverton or Twitter at www.twitter.com/CityofBeaverton.
