Professional Services in Damascus

WeVillage is a drop-n-go daycare, preschool, and summer camp where children learn by doing. The facility was founded by Karen Beninati who was inspired by her love of children and the positive volunteer experiences she had at her son’s school. Using her background in film production, Karen handles all of the behind-the-scenes details in order to create a holistic, community atmosphere for learning. To that end, she employs teachers who all have degrees in early-childhood education, are certified in first aid and CPR, and undergo thorough background checks.

During visits, kids play dodge ball in the park, draw pictures, and visit nearby museums. These activities are aimed at helping children improve their mental and physical skills while building the social skills necessary to succeed in school and make meaningful connections with their peers. Kids are also exposed to international culture via yoga classes, world music, and global cuisine.

End the wicked ways of gravy stains, lasagna snafus, and premium-grade motor oil blemishes. Today's Groupon delivers $25 worth of green cleaning power from ecodrycleaner for $12. Bring your sullied garments to one of three locations in Bethany, Broadway, or Old Town for alterations, free delivery to many zip codes, and environmentally friendly cleaning methods that eliminate Ragu from Earth's cardigan.

No tape or promise of sweet-buns is strong enough to keep a child still for the duration of an entire picture session, only the attention of a seasoned photographer. Christy Rimrodt has a stylistic affinity for capturing the emotions and energy surrounding children and maternity, though her talents extend well beyond such photogenic themes. Today's deal lets you choose the location of your shoot from anywhere within 50 miles of the Portland area. You can capture the innocence of your niece, the dove-tailed happiness of your children, or the third trimester glow of pregnancy over the course of a one-hour shoot ($200 value). After your shoot you get to schedule a viewing appointment with Christy to observe your modeling skills on a 70-inch projection screen ($150 value) and see what extra photo packages are available for purchase outside of your Groupon. Plus, you get an 8x10 print ($50 value) and two 5x7 prints ($70 value).

Capturing True Emotion is driven by a dynamic band of instructors who rove across the continent with cameras and teaching skills in hand. By fusing their narrative, tech-savvy minds together into one oversize head, the educators provide comprehensive guidance on both camera operation and creative visualization, giving participants complete control over all of their camera settings. During the hours spent in the company of other pupating shutterbugs, students convene at a tantalizing location to practice skills such as controlling depth of field by adjusting the aperture, composing a family portrait so there's not always a burning zeppelin in the background, using alternative angles to avoid red eye, and other techniques.

When not re-creating classic poses, Portland Pin-Ups's owner and resident photographer Mike Long travels the world, but it's no vacation: he spends his international journeys teaching other up-and-coming shooters the photography techniques that have come to define his career. His experience now stretches more than 20 years and began with retouching other photographers' work—some clients include Apple and Adidas—long before the invention of Photoshop or smiling. It was a serendipitous learning experience for Mike, who took to heart the many ways mistakes could be avoided during shooting, leading him to discover his own passion for photography.

Mike's career continues to prosper with every shoot at his intimate Portland Pin-Ups studio. Here, he helps customers select poses that flatter their figures, then accents images with vintage patinas and backgrounds such as a beach, a World War II airplane, or a train station. Subjects can also choose to amp up their looks with help from resident stylist and makeup artist Hollie Olsen, who draws from her performance-art background to help bring a photo session's story to life.

The Bicycle Transportation Alliance (BTA) aims to make bicycling safe and convenient through advocacy, encouragement, and bicycle-riding education. By supporting bike transportation, the organization aims to improve the physical health and environmental sustainability of communities. BTA’s trained safety ambassadors teach bicycle-safety lessons to 5,000 students annually in 60 elementary schools across the state. During its safety program, three sessions focus on in-class learning and seven propel students onto bikes, starting on the playground and gradually moving out onto the street. A community ride follows the course, where volunteers and parents ride from the school to a local park. Students who have studied in the course each receive their own helmet to ensure they are equipped to ride safely.