On July 14th and 15th more than 15 volunteers and residents came together to address roof repair needs in the Arbor and the Cedar Shade mobile home parks in the Cully neighborhood. More than ten people had their homes looked at, and almost all of those were patched up and received repairs. Roof repairs are a critical component in home repair, because roof issues are often the root cause of other problems in the home--exterior or interior. See photos below.

The next Mobile Home Repair Program Meeting is this Wednesday, July 19th, at 5:30 pm. Dinner and childcare provided. 

Upcoming repair days you can be involved in: 

• July 27 & 28th at the Arbor Mobile Home Park from 10-4pm. (*Meet at the Living Cully Plaza)
• July 30th at both parks from 4-8pm. (*Meet at the Living Cully Plaza)

On Thursday, June 29th, 10 volunteers gathered at the Living Cully Plaza to learn about mold removal, safety and prevention. They then dispersed into small teams and headed to the Arbor and Cedar Shade mobile home parks to address mold issues in residents’ homes. Volunteers went to 10 mobile homes or RV's to check in about mold conditions and help with removal/clean-up.

More repair days with the Mobile Home Repair Program are coming up! We are always looking for more volunteers, no construction experience necessary. Check your calendar and see when you can join us for the following events: 

Roof Repair Days: 
July 14th from 2-6pm
July 15th from 9-1pm

Arbor Mobile Home Park Repair Days:
July 27th from 10-4pm
July 28th from 10-4pm

Window Repair & Replacement Day:
July 30th from 2-8pm

If you are interested in volunteering on any of these dates, email/call Brenna Bailey: bbailey@stcharlespdx.org / 612-360-5682

by Leif Kehrwald

As I reported at Masses this past weekend, it is likely that we will end the fiscal year in the black. This is significant because it has been a decade or more, I'm told, since the parish ended a fiscal year in the black. Pasted below is the financial summary as of the end of May. As you can see we are $9582 in the black. I don't yet have June's report.

That's the good news. And I am grateful to the staff and the Administrative Council for their fiscal prudence. I am even more grateful to all parishioners for your generosity. Thank you. 

The not so good news is that offertory giving in May and June were at historic lows. Offertory giving averages $10,000 - $15,000 per month. May and June were well below average. Summer is a difficult time for cash flow. Church attendance and contributions are traditionally down, but payroll and nearly all other expenses remain the same. We work hard all year long attempting to fulfill the mission of St. Charles. We are also working hard to be fiscally responsible to ensure that St. Charles has a long and vibrant future. 

Five Bucks a Week. Here's an idea put forward by a couple of people on the Administrative Council. Would you be willing to increase your offertory giving by just five bucks per week? When is the last time you increased your gift to the parish? I know that for some, this just isn't possible. No problem. And yet for others, it's quite doable . . . maybe even more. Consider it. Thanks for your generosity.

Any questions about parish finances, please contact me at lkehrwald@stcharlespdx.org or at 503-351-9889.