by Bonny Cushman
It’s not often you hear of someone wishing to go ziplining for their 100th birthday, but that is just what Beaumont-Wilshire resident Juliana Bernstein is helping her client do through her new business, Second Valley Events.
Bernstein spent the last 15 years working as a physician’s assistant in primary care, geriatric medicine, and hospital administration.
“For many years I was really in love with my work,” she said. “It was my everyday job to hear people’s stories, understand what was going well and what needed fixing, and then offer whatever I was able to do to improve their lives. What a gift!”
Earlier this year, Bernstein decided to follow her dreams by creating Second Valley Events, which blends her love of listening to people’s stories and her previous medical experience with creating tailored end-of-life celebrations for her clients.
“I have the knowledge and experience to talk through individual diagnoses and symptoms and to sit with people who may be experiencing all of the range of emotions that can come in the last chapter of life,” said Bernstein. “I am comfortable with that and ready to have it be as much a part of the conversation as what kind of appetizers to serve.”
Bernstein noted that her goal is to serve all types of clients with a range of budgets. That way, her services can scale from organizing a potluck in the park to creating a rooftop blow-out party for hundreds of guests. Berstein is currently planning an event for her client to celebrate her 100th birthday at the Milwaukie Community Center. The event will bring together friends from across her life: a bowling league, knitting and sewing groups, the local garden club, and the historical society. It will also help raise funds for her client, who lives on a fixed income, to realize her lifelong dream of ziplining.
Beaumont-Wilshire resident Bonny Cushman is mother of one, wife, canner, prepper, walker, and avid gardener. She works as Program Manager for the Portland-based Regional Water Providers Consortium. In her spare time she coordinates the Alameda Elementary School Discovery Garden.