The artwork Wendy contributes to the Street Roots office is “made with love,” she said. She began creating chalkboard art because of conversations she had with Helen Hill, an artist and veteran Street Roots volunteer. “Helen is the best!” Wendy said. “She would sit and talk with me as I was sketching. We’d talk about so many things related to the imagery. She helped me vision; she inspired me to create for others.”
Wendy is often the artist behind the chalkboard artwork, and her favorite subject is bridges. “They’re not just a way to get to the other side,” she said.
Wendy’s favorite bridge is the Steel Bridge. “It’s not the most beautiful bridge,” she said, “but for me, it’s the most important one. A lot of people live beside and around that bridge.”
When she first arrived in Portland six years ago, Wendy camped underneath the Tilikum Crossing Bridge. “That bridge helped me get through those first months in Portland,” she said. “At night, I’d lay there mesmerized by the changing lights and the beauty. It helped me sleep. I felt safe there.”
Wendy moved to the northwest from Florida six years ago. She drove to Oregon in a big blue Oldsmobile, stopping along the way to visit friends. She’s used to adventures and traveling alone. “I traveled a lot by myself growing up,” she said.
“I came to Portland because I heard there were job opportunities here,” she said. She had worked for MCI, the communications corporation, for 19 years. “Can you imagine the feeling of suddenly being laid off?” she asked. In one sweep, she said, “17,000 people were laid off during a takeover.”
Wendy’s focus in college had been nursing, but when she got her license as a practical nurse, she realized “that work wasn’t for me.” An artist by nature, Wendy’s true interests are in cosmetology, but she’s not licensed in Oregon.
“I’ve been looking for a job for a long time,” she said. “Just start me off, give me a future with a pension.”
Wendy has been with Street Roots since September 2019. “I was looking for resources,” she said. “I saw people in line in front of Street Roots, so I checked it out. They invited me in for a cup of coffee.”
In addition to contributing art, Wendy became a Street Roots vendor. She has had several sales posts over the past two years, from St. Johns to Northwest Portland. “People are so nice, she said. “Even if they don’t give me a dollar, their being nice to me means so much.”
Wendy believes that working as a Street Roots vendor has helped her in many ways. “It changes you, selling papers,” she said. “This kind of work helps someone who’s shy and doesn’t have a lot of friends. It helps you meet people.”
“And Street Roots feels like home,” Wendy said. “Everybody who works here, from the vendors to the staff, is open to new ideas whether they’re good or bad. People stop and listen to you. And when people listen, it feels wonderful!”
Wendy sells in the NW area around Glisan. You can also support Wendy through @StreetRoots Venmo. Her badge number is 541.
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