FACES OF MAC

Earlier this year, the United States Tennis Association (USTA) Pacific Northwest 9.0 Women’s 65s team — lead by team captains MAC’s Gay Hart and Mary Kurz — competed at the national championships in Orlando, Florida. The tournament was held at the newly opened USTA National Campus, which boasts 100 courts, including 40 of clay. Teams from nearly every section of the USTA, and from across the country, were represented. The PNW team included players hailing from Eastern Washington to Southern Oregon and points in between. After several days of intense competition, the PNW team made it to the semifinals and then on to a hard-fought final match. With a deciding win, they brought the national championship home!

Eric Earle

Eric Earle took inspiration from the pandemic in the form of starting a nonprofit, Public Health Supply (publichealthsupply.org), which delivers face coverings to local clinics that work with underserved populations. “I bought a set of N95 masks because I wanted my family members to have them. I had been reading about masks and all the research behind how effective they are at protecting people,” Earle says. “When the masks arrived, I opened the box and thought: ‘Wow, this is incredible! N95 masks are notoriously difficult to find. But here they are!’ It just made so much sense to me that I could start a nonprofit and deliver them to local people in need.” Earle grew up in Portland and has been volunteering with organizations such as the suicide hotline Lines for Life, the downtown syringe exchange Outside In, and the Red Cross. He says that understanding these local efforts and communities gave him confidence that he could start a nonprofit. “There are many great nonprofits doing good work. My research told me that much of this was happening on a larger scale. Masks and PPE were being sent to hospitals and food

banks,” Earle says. “But oftentimes, smaller, local clinics were struggling with flimsy surgical masks or homemade masks. I felt as if someone who knew the local ecosystem along the West Coast could help deliver the proper equipment where it needed to go.” Professionally, Earle runs a local tutoring company called Tutor Portland, focusing on math and science coaching for middle and high school students. Last fall, the company hosted a tutoring hour in conjunction with Youth Programs at MAC. He’s also studying for the Medical College Admissions Test (MCAT) right now, and plans to apply to medical school next spring. MAC’s Member Services team is known for going the extra mile, or sometimes 26.2.

Rachel Braun

Administrative Coordinator Rachel Braun completed her first full-length race in the form of the virtual Revel Mt. Hood Marathon earlier this year, training while working remotely for MAC during the club shutdown. Member Ann Blume, who first met Braun as a member of the House Committee, has always been impressed by her ability to multitask. “Running a marathon takes an incredible amount of dedication, time and energy. Rachel’s workout routine is challenging, yet she is always cheerful and enthusiastic. Training and completing the marathon during both the pandemic and upheaval at the MAC is inspiring. It shows how focused and committed she is.” “I love working out, and lifting has always been my first choice, but with MAC closed, training runs were an easy option,” Braun says. “It also gave me something to focus on and some consistency in a time when I was grasping for any sense of a schedule.” Braun adds that great service and taking on a new physical challenge have a lot in common. It’s about being prepared for whatever arises. “I started running half marathons last year and was hooked, but wanted to do at least one full one,” she adds. “How many people can say that they ran their first marathon on an unsupported course during a global pandemic?”