Month: October 2023

Recap of the 2023 Alice Awards

Posted on by Kayla Kennett

On Saturday, October 14th, the Oregon Zoo became a habitat for one of our favorite species—transportation visionaries. The 2023 Alice Awards brought together nearly 200 people who share a common commitment to help create a safer, more accessible, and more sustainable transportation system. 

Together, we enjoyed an evening filled with inspiration, community, and generosity, raising an astounding $70,267 through sponsorships and individual donations to further our mission.

 

 

Highlights

The program kicked off with a special video message from Congressman Earl Blumenauer, a national champion for bike and pedestrian issues. In his remarks, he emphasized the importance of community-based transportation advocacy and extended his sincere thanks to our award recipients for their dedication to improving Oregon’s transportation system.

Congratulations again to our 2023 Alice Awards winners and finalists. Learn more about them here.

Then, Poison Waters brought her signature style and charisma to the stage as our emcee. She helped pay a heartfelt tribute to her close friend, Darcelle XV, who was posthumously recognized with the Lifetime Achievement Award.

We were also delighted to have auctioneer Amanda Valley, who led an exciting and successful live appeal, generating dozens of individual donations.

The evening culminated with the long-awaited results of the Alice Awards Raffle. One participant walked away with a brand new Tern E-Cargo bike, complete with a front rack and rear bags, courtesy of Clever Cycles. Another lucky winner received a car rear rack for two bikes, thanks to ReRack Portland. Finally, a weekend getaway to the Society Hotel was awarded to our Last Hero donor.

Thank you to our local business community for making these prizes possible.

 

 

 

Thank You!

The resounding success of the 2023 Alice Awards would not have been possible without the dedication and support of numerous individuals and organizations. We extend our deepest gratitude to everyone who attended, our generous sponsors, and the staff and volunteers who worked tirelessly behind the scenes.

Your contributions will reach far beyond this event’s success. As we look to the year ahead, we’re filled with hope, knowing that the momentum generated by your investments of time, talent, and resources will inspire others to join the movement, make donations, and further our cause. Together, we can continue building a transportation system that’s safe, accessible, and sustainable for all.

 

Thank you to our 2023 Alice Awards Sponsors

 

 

Announcing the 2023 Alice Awards Winners

Posted on by Kayla Kennett

The Alice Awards honors individuals and organizations shaping Oregon’s transportation landscape, leading with a commitment to The Street Trust’s mission to create a complete, safe, low-carbon, and multimodal transportation system for enhanced accessibility and equity.

The Street Trust is proud to announce the following 2023 award recipients:

The 2023 Alice Award recipient is The City of Tigard. This award acknowledges their outstanding work in building a multimodal transportation system that promotes a healthy and prosperous community. Their contributions include implementing an innovative e-bike sharing program, reducing speed limits, creating safe routes to school, and advocating for improvements on “orphan highways,” notably Hall Boulevard. The City of Tigard’s dedication to safety, accessibility, and sustainability sets an inspiring example for the region.

Walter “Darcelle XV” Cole is the 2023 recipient of the Lifetime Achievement Award. His dedication to better bicycling and safer streets in Portland spanned decades, starting with his involvement in the Bicycle Transportation Alliance in 1992. His enduring advocacy for improved bicycling infrastructure and safer streets in Portland continued steadfastly. Although Darcelle XV is no longer with us, his legacy lives on through the positive impact he had on the city and the cycling community.

Metro Councilor Juan Carlos González is the 2023 recipient of the Elizabeth Jennings Graham Award. He has shown exceptional dedication to championing transportation justice and equity, particularly through his roles on the Metro Council and Joint Policy Advisory Committee on Transportation (JPACT). His work truly embodies the spirit of the award, making a lasting impact on transportation justice in the region and creating a more equitable and accessible transportation system for all.

Shawne Martinez is the recipient of the 2023 Safe Streets for All Award for his unwavering dedication to promoting safer streets and sustainable modes of transportation, driven by his commitment as a parent to provide a healthier lifestyle for his daughter and combat climate change. His innovative approach, including documenting his transition from a diesel pickup to eco-friendly transportation, and advocating for responsible driving, sets a remarkable example and significantly contributes to improving street safety for all.

Recipients Reflects on Their Motivations

Dave Roth, Principal Transportation Planner at City of Tigard, shared his vision for Tigard’s mobility future:

“Our community is working together to ensure that everyone can participate, prosper, and thrive, regardless of their identity, experience, age, ability, or preferred mode of travel. We’re building a vibrant, equitable, and healthy city for generations to come, with safe, sustainable, and accessible mobility options at the core of our decisions.”

Poison Waters, a close friend of Walter “Darcelle XV” Cole, reflects on the legacy of this year’s Lifetime Achievement Award recipient:

“Darcelle taught me to be a person, not just a personality. Locally, he was part of numerous nonprofits, worked with the homeless long before it became a crisis, and always supported the houseless in our community. He and Roxy spent nearly five decades building their business, raising funds for charities, caring for friends affected by HIV/AIDS, and advocating for LGBTQ rights.”

Metro Councilor Juan Carlos González shares his commitment to creating an equitable and accessible transportation system:

“As the youngest and first elected Latino Metro Councilor, my commitment is unwavering in ensuring that underrepresented communities have a seat at the decision-making table. I’ve dedicated myself to advocating for safe, equitable, and accessible transportation systems, especially in neglected areas like TV Highway. Equity, accessibility, and safety are at the forefront of my vision for our community.”

Shawne Martinez, the 2023 Safe Streets for All Award recipient, reveals the motivation behind his advocacy for safer streets and sustainable transportation:

“Becoming a parent brought tremendous positive change to my life! I realized that driving a big stinky pickup truck was harmful to my daughter and everyone else around us. I made transportation choices to promote a healthy lifestyle. I want to be able to tell my daughter that I did everything I could to end car dependency and fight climate change.”

In addition to our winners, we’d like to recognize the following finalists who were nominated for an award this year!