Faces of MAC

Joy in Every Step

Everyone deserves to find their community, and junior member Elise Markham discovered hers in triumphant fashion. Upon turning 8, she became eligible to compete in Special Olympics, and in doing so, won her age group for individual skills!

“She wore her medal every day for the next week!” reports her mother, Marie Markham. “Elise loves being around people. Community truly fills her heart. There aren’t a lot of athletic opportunities for people with special needs outside of Special Olympics, so for Elise to have a place to feel part of an athletic community and also learn skills and gain confidence is so special for her.”

Elise got started in Special Olympics because one of the family’s closest friends, former special education teacher and MAC member Carrie Gross, started coaching her and other individuals within the Special Olympics. Markham started with bowling and has moved between different sports each season, her favorite being soccer, because she gets to work on dribbling the ball and scoring.

“I love what the Special Olympics has done for Elise. You see the joy in her step as she runs up and down the basketball court or shoots at the goal. She feels part of something bigger than her, and it’s something that’s just her own,” her mom says. “Sports completely changed my life. I became more confident, goal driven, and disciplined. Elise is definitely more confident and as she gets older, and I hope some of those other things will develop, as well!”

Marie adds that Elise loves to explore MAC. “Sometimes she’ll be in swim class or dance. Other times we’ll move around shooting hoops, playing squash, or running on the track. Accessibility is important to our family, so finding activities that she can do and enjoy are important.”

She says MAC is accessible to their son Michael is so many ways. “He could spend hours testing new sports and bumping into friends. That gives us a chance to be with Elise and support her needs. We always enjoy a dinner at the Sports Pub as a family after practice.”

Marie’s parents were members, and she has been part of the club since she was a young child. The variety of athletics opportunities at MAC helped Marie grow into a competitive runner and even win Mel Fox Amateur Athlete of the Year Award. She now coaches track & field and cross country at Lincoln High School, and started a nonprofit, Wildwood Running, to support young female distance runners.

“Elise sees how important sports are to me. She is not very verbal, but she can ask me about my run and if I had fun. I love that she associates my running and coaching with fun. We may never be able to compete at the same level, but she can find a place that accepts her ability and welcomes her unconditionally.”

Spreading Happiness

Ask anyone who comes through the club’s Fourth Floor Entrance every morning what makes them smile, and at least some of them are bound to say it’s being greeted by attendant Nan Ramirez. A MAC employee for nearly three decades, Ramirez takes great pride in chatting with members, employees, and guests about sports (college football is her favorite), how their day is going, and any other topic that might come up.

But her gift for brightening people’s day is just the beginning of the interesting and impressive things about Ramirez. For starters, her 29-year run at MAC is among the longest of current club employees. “I moved here from California and needed a job,” she recalls of getting hired in the ‘90s. “It’s been the best. Why would I need to go anywhere else?”

Before taking up her post at the Fourth Floor Entrance, Ramirez spent many years working the phones as a switchboard operator, and she has an abundance of stories to tell about what it was like before the club had direct phone extensions and voicemail. During the COVID-19 pandemic, she was called upon to take a new role that she has grown quite fond of. “I just love the interaction with people,” she says when asked her favorite thing about her job.

If passersby were to peek over the counter of the entrance desk, they might notice that Ramirez is also a talented artist who sketches on whatever paper is nearby. In addition to her doodling habit, she took up painting as a personal passion project many years ago.

Since then, she’s amassed a large collection of stunning oil paintings featuring flowers — especially roses, which her mother loves — as well as birds and landscapes that she shares with family and friends. “I enjoy taking what’s special about the world and putting it down so other people can see it,” she explains. “It’s bringing the beauty of the world to other people’s attention.”

Now, members get a chance to see her talents on display. Ramirez has generously donated three large oil paintings to the Multnomah Athletic Foundation to be auctioned during MAF Week in March. Later this month, they’ll be hung up in the Reading Lounge for all to enjoy before the auction.

The funds raised from the sale of her paintings will support the foundation’s work of creating academic and athletic opportunities for underserved youth in the greater Portland area. This chance to use her talents to give back to others, Ramirez says, makes her very happy. And that’s what she’s all about — spreading happiness, helping others, and being part of this special community.