Michelle Lagos and Tom Barretto

Making The Cut

By Nikki Jardin

One of the primary elements that make our community such a beautiful place to live is how giving its people are. Portlanders seem to be, by their very nature, a generous bunch. Whether we’re talking about financial gifting to one of our many non-profits or by donating time and energy, this city is made of folks who care.

Michelle Lagos is one such community member. Owner and operator of Designs by Michelle; her Southeast hair and makeup salon, Lagos regularly contributes to a variety of local causes either through financial support, or by donating her considerable artistic talent.

Growing up in Eugene, Lagos moved to Portland in the early 1990’s. Now, a longtime volunteer for a variety of organizations here, Lagos has always felt the desire to give back to her community. Two years ago, Lagos began to look for a new outlet for volunteering. A friend mentioned SMYRC, the Southeast Portland LGBTIQ youth organization and drop-in center. Many of its youth are dealing with difficult “coming out” experiences, feeling underrepresented in schools, and like many, figuring out their place in the world.

“I had initially gone there with no expectations, thinking I wanted to be a mentor, for six hours a week,” she said. “What ended up happening is that I built a relationship with these youth and leadership and ended up getting involved in a way I didn’t think I would.”

“I fell in love and developed a passion for working with LBGTIQ youth, and I ended up quadrupling the time I had originally planned. Also, as an entrepreneur who had always done things on her own, I learned to work in a team and to co-vision with others. I went in thinking what I’d be able to do, what skills I would be bringing in, and ended up finding that I was actually the one receiving the benefits.”

Lagos reflects on her experiences with the youth, and has strong feelings about the work they do together.

“Things were powerful, and maybe this is a funny word, but it felt magical. It was really special. SMYRC is a very self-empowering program, it’s solid. Many these kids have so much they’re dealing with: gender identity, sexuality; some of them are dealing with poverty issues and addiction. This type of self-empowerment is imperative for healing, to understand that your voice matters, that you can have kinship. I’ve seen them take all that, and find their paths and,” she pauses and smiles. “Damn, that’s exciting.”

Her work at SMYRC has also given her inspiration to take a new direction in her life of learning and community building. Lagos has since decided to return to school and work towards a BS and possible future Master of Social Work degree in the Social Sciences. She hopes to work in a counseling capacity with youth.

Lagos parts on a meaningful note:

“The activist Gracie Lee Boggs is a mentor of mine. This woman was really proud of the fact that she lived with the people, and she was passionate about making change. She said that, ‘if everybody would just do a little, great things can happen’, and that is something I think and feel strongly about.”

Michelle Lagos’ salon Designs By Michelle is located at 3523 SE Belmont Avenue. Check out her website at www.atlantis-studio.com.

Contact Nikki at Nikkij@idmagazineor.com

Dr. Tom Barreto – “Cuál es Mejor?”
By Nikki Jardin

When Dr. Tom Barreto reflects upon his volunteer mission work—bringing eye exams and glasses to underprivileged countries in South America—his words speak to the satisfaction and hopefulness that comes from bringing good works into the world.

“This is my way of giving back,” he said. “I’m fortunate to be in an occupation that gives me the opportunity to offer something to others in such a significant way. To be able to give the gift of sight is a wonderful thing.”

Barreto, an optometrist in Portland, opened his shop Eyes on Broadway in 1991, and has been contributing to our local community while also providing more far-reaching efforts ever since. He currently sits on the board of the Equity Foundation, and his practice contributes regularly to such local non-profits as Our House and Basic Rights Oregon.

His work in South America began when he was a student at Pacific University and became familiar with Amigos; a community-service program focused on volunteerism in South America. At the time, he didn’t have the financial or time resources to travel, but has since gone to Nicaragua, the Philippines, and most recently, Peru with other eye doctors and students to bring vision to those in need.

“On this last trip we traveled to the Colca Valley, in Southern Peru. I had met another doc who suggested we bring eye care to the local people who had no access to this sort of care. One of the things about living in that area, it’s at such a high altitude, over 13,000 feet, so just by living where you are exposed to that much ultra-violet light, vision is going to be affected. We saw many people who had cataracts. Unfortunately, we were not set up to help those more serious cases, but I did just recently talk with a group of surgeons who are planning on making a trip there to address that.”

Flipping through a manila folder of photographs, Barreto points to a picture of himself sitting next to an older woman–

“She was lovely,” he says, “Look at her dress. All of the women make their own dresses, with incredibly intricate beadwork designs. This woman had been losing her vision to the point that she couldn’t do her close-up work anymore, and it was wonderful to be able to provide glasses so that she could continue doing this sort of handiwork. She was so excited that she could see again.”

Through various outreach efforts, Barreto and a team of ten other doctors and students were able to collect over 2500 pairs of glasses to distribute to villagers in the area. The team worked 12 hour days, examined hundreds of people who were bussed in from surrounding towns and waited in line for hours to receive assistance. At the end of their four day mission, over 1200 people had been given eye exams and glasses, free of charge.

“You know, in the end I’m probably getting more satisfaction out of this than the people we are trying to help,” he says, “we all need to do something for those less fortunate than ourselves.”

If you are interested in donating your old prescription eyeglasses, please contact Eyes on Broadway at 503-284-2300 or visit their website at www.eyesonbroadway.com

Contact Nikki at Nikkij@idmagazineor.com