For Lin Jacobus of Salmon Creek, all it took was a phone call from Portland’s Jeff Lorton and the wheels were set in motion for her company’s efforts to help the people of Haiti.
Lorton, who had been a customer of her Vancouver company, Water & Air Works, had had a dream about helping people in Haiti. He awoke with a sense of purpose and started working his contacts.
He said he called the big water companies first and was told it would take 30 to 60 days for a decision on whether they could make a donation.
When he contacted Jacobus, 53, he heard “yes” right away.
Water & Air Works supplied 250 cases of Freedom brand bottled water, each with 24 half-liter bottles, and another 50 or so 5-gallon bottles that are reuseable. Lorton, 42, said Jacobus also was instrumental in getting other water companies to help. Combined they supplied 10 tons of water.
“I wouldn’t have been able to have done this without Lin and her husband,” Lorton said. “Because they said yes, it gave me more heart to carry on.”
Lorton was able to rally enough volunteers to fill a 40-foot container with supplies. He said his two brothers who live in Vancouver — Garrett Lorton, 30, and Brian Lorton, 32 — were instrumental in pulling off the effort. The team is now working on securing a second container.
For more information about Lorton’s efforts visit his Facebook page for the project, which is called Portland-Haiti Relief Container. Donations also can be sent to the Portland Haiti Relief Fund, which was set up at US Bank.
Jacobus said she thought people would be interested to hear about what was accomplished.
“It might just spark something,” Jacobus said.
Former B.G. blogger starts new chapter
Nicole MacDonald and her husband, Jeff, moved from Battle Ground to Washington, D.C., last June. Nicole continues to maintain the blog on giving up sugar that won media attention on both coasts, and her husband landed a job with C-Span.
Nicole MacDonald, 34, is working on a book based on her blog (http://myyearwithout.blogspot.com), which continues to win readers. That’s especially so since MacDonald offered a guest post to the blog, Crazy Sexy Life.
“The regular writers are some pretty famous people, including one of the authors of ‘Skinny Bitch,’” MacDonald said. “Since then, my page views have soared.”
MacDonald’s blog typically gets 5,000 to 6,000 hits a month. Halfway through January, it had already gotten 10,600 hits.
MacDonald decided to give up sugar as her 2008 New Year’s resolution, but has stayed away from the sweet, white substance since.
Unemployment held bright spots
Carrie Beveridge was featured in a January 2009 story about rising unemployment. She was laid off in December 2008 from her job as a geologist at a Vancouver engineering firm. Beveridge still hasn’t landed a full-time job, but she’s keeping herself busy with consulting gigs.
“I’m thinking about starting my own business,” the 41-year-old Vancouver resident said. “I do a lot of environmental work — heating-oil tank issues.”
To cope with the stress of joblessness, Beveridge worked out at Princeton Athletic Club, which closed last fall after 24 years in business. Beveridge said she was lucky that the club expired about the same time as her membership, so she didn’t lose any money.
The last year has brought more than struggle, however. Beveridge married boyfriend Mark Breitenbach in October. Their wedding was at the courthouse, but unemployment wasn’t why they eschewed a big bash. “That’s not my style,” she said.
Bits ’n’ Pieces appears Mondays and Fridays. If you have a story you’d like to share, call Features Editor Elisa Williams, 360-735-4561, or e-mail elisa.williams@columbian.com.
