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11-21-2024 4:58 am • PDX and SEA Weather
MLK Breakfast
The Lowenstein Trust will present the 2021 Steve Lowenstein Award to Allen and Joy Fowler for their volunteer advocacy efforts on behalf of families with medically fragile children. The award, now in its 30th year, will be presented on Dec. 15 at the Portland City Council meeting.
As parents of a child with special needs, the Fowlers encountered many difficult and often insurmountable challenges. When their son, Amir, died in 2012, they created the charitable A MIRacle Foundation to help medically and cognitively challenged children and their families, connecting them with the information, resources and support they most need. The foundation’s programs and services have helped ease the financial and emotional burdens of more than 2,000 families and improved the quality of life for their children.
The foundation makes it possible for wheelchairs, hospital beds and other medically necessary adaptive equipment to be donated and provided to families in need, filling a gap when insurance coverage is not available. The foundation works throughout Oregon to provide park spaces and adaptive play equipment designed specifically for children with special needs. Weekly movie nights at Randall Children’s hospital and snacks for hospitalized children and staff are also available through the foundation. The Fowlers also have delivered stuffed animals and games, fulfilled holiday wish lists, and made special activities and events, such as Portland Trail Blazer games, accessible.
Over time, the Fowlers have grown and diversified the services the foundation provides, expanding its reach and beneficial impact to more families, caregivers, hospitals and schools. In the course of their work, the Fowlers have created connections and collaborations among a multitude of healthcare, educational and community organizations and businesses, providing tangible support, relief and gratitude among family members and especially the children. Those interested in learning more about the work of Allen and Joy Fowler can visit their website at https://amiraclefoundation.org.
The Lowenstein Trust is part of the legacy of Steve Lowenstein, who was a model of public service. Steve’s sense of purpose, integrity, and perseverance inspired many who have worked on issues of human rights and social justice. Throughout his life he was a vocal civil rights activist. Steve was founding director of Oregon Legal Services, author of a groundbreaking history – The Jews of Oregon 1850-1950 – and at the time of his death in 1990, had served for six years as chief of staff to former Portland City Commissioner Mike Lindberg. In his will, Steve established an annual financial award to provide recognition and assistance to individuals who have made significant ongoing personal sacrifice to help those in need. Please visit https://www.lowensteintrust.org.
