Ann Herzog Schneider / Bio

St. Andrew Martin Luther King, Jr. Award Winner for Community Service (Posthumously)

January 19, 2020

Once in a lifetime, an ordinary person come into our lives and does extraordinary things.  For those of us who knew her,  Ann Schneider was one of those individuals.   As Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. envisioned, Ann saw the content of each person’s character and helped celebrate the humanity in everyone she met.  Ann recognized the cultural richness and personal worth of everyone who came into her sphere.  She took joy in celebrating each person’s personal story, their background, their racial and ethnic heritage, their language and their innate goodness. 

Ann was actively involved in organizations that enhanced interracial and intercultural understandings.  During her childhood years,  Ann grew up in NE Portland attending Irvington Elementary and Grant High School.   Her college years were spent at Mills College, Lewis & Clark College and Portland State University.  She was an American Field Service exchange student in Brazil and visited that country again while attending Lewis & Clark.  She graduated with a BA in anthropology and later did graduate work in linguistics.  She taught English as a second language and did volunteer work in Los Angeles at a Native American social service center, where she met her husband, Stephen.

Ann lived a life of service. ..from her work as a teacher at the Metropolitan Learning Center to her work with Girl Scouts of America.  Her work with the immigrant community was well known.  For many years, Ann advocated for migrant farm workers in Hillsboro and with refugee and immigrant job seekers at IRCO, the Immigrant and Refugee Community Organization.  At Mt Hood Community College she developed and coordinated the Steps to Success Program for Non-Native English Speakers.  More recently, Ann supported international high school students in homes across the region through the Program of Academic Exchange (or PAX).   She served on the boards of the African Women’s Coalition and Kùkátónón , an African Arts Education Fellowship which supports those interested in the arts, cultural and historical teachings.  She was a founder of Grace Art Camp which enriched the lives of thousands of children.

Ann was an active member of St. Michael and All Angels Episcopal Church, Trinity Cathedral, the Cathedral of St. John the Baptist and Grace Memorial Episcopal Church.  In addition to those affiliations, Ann also fostered close relationships with our St. Andrew Catholic community.

Ann was a person of deep faith and was dedicated to enriching the lives of others through sacred dance, labyrinth guilds, quilting circles, craft fairs and support groups.   

Ann was a wife to Stephen, the mother of Kimberly and Lindsay and the grandmother of Cecilia and Elliott. 

St. Andrew Catholic Church is proud to offer the Martin Luther King, Jr.  Award for Community Service posthumously to Ann Herzog Schneider.