Impact Partners

Albina Vision Trust

On September 3 the Portland City Council passed a resolution directing the City to identify and negotiate with a development partner regarding the future of City-owned parcels surrounding the Moda Center and Veterans’ Memorial Coliseum. The resolution acknowledged that Albina Vision Trust has already come forward and fits the City's criteria for this developmental partnership. For years, Albina Vision Trust has been working on the ongoing comprehensive community-based vision for the restorative development in Albina. This is another important step forward that reflects the years-long efforts of Albina Vision Trust, one of our 2025-26 Impact Partners.

Our tour of Project Lemonade hit the sweet spot

A great group of girlfriends showed up last week for a tour of Project Lemonade’s new facility. We admired their bright and welcoming digs and learned more about the programs they offer. What began as a pop-up store for foster youth has grown exponentially. In addition to the stunning new store, the program fulfills individual wishes, offers paid internships for foster youth 16 and older, and supplies individuals pursuing higher education with "fill the gap" scholarships to help cover food, rent, and transportation.

Girlfriends who attended shared:

“It’s clear Project Lemonade reflects the same values as ninety-nine girlfriends. The passion, commitment, and pride that we saw today speaks to the impact that Project Lemonade is having on foster families. What an honor it is to support them.”      

“This was a profound experience.” 

“Being the liaison for Project Lemonade has been a true inspiration to me. I feel that I have gotten as much from them as I have provided. They are an incredible group!” – Trina

Visit their website for News and Events or to support their work. Donate.

We were inspired by the Chicas Program!

At a wonderful gathering for Girlfriends, attendees learned how Adelante Mujeres, our two-time Impact Partner, is using their Chicas Program to power educational equity.

The Chicas Program was founded in 2002 by three women who recognized that Latine voices were underrepresented in decision-making roles in the US, there was a dearth of Latine voices in policymaking that affected their lives, and Latine women can and should lead through empowerment. Their response, the Chicas Program, is a mentoring/education program that operates in three Washington County school districts and serves girls from third grade through college. It also engages their extended families.

Their high school graduation rate is 100%!!!

Here are two great opportunities to support this wonderful program.

Volunteer at their Farmers Market - Adelante Mujeres runs the Forest Grove Farmers Market, open every Wednesday from 4pm - 8pm, until October 28, 2026.

Help supply the chicas - Things like notebooks, sketch pads, sticker printers, fidgets, snacks, clipboards, and more are all welcome.  

Contact Andrea to learn more or donate, or go to their website.

CRAG LAW CENTER

2025 Impact Partner Crag Law Center recently celebrated two legal wins that were the culmination of years of research, collaboration, and dedication. 

In mid-August, a federal judge ruled that the proponents of an 8,000-acre logging project had not done enough to understand and address the project’s potential harm to the northern spotted owl. The northern spotted owl is on the brink of extinction, and the population is declining by more than 5% each year. With roughly 3,000 owls remaining in their range from Northern California to British Columbia, the court’s ruling marks an immense victory for a deeply vulnerable species.

In late August, the Thurston County Superior Court upheld science-based protections for more than 19,000 miles of headwater streams. These streams are vital to the well-being of numerous rivers and ecosystems, and the trees alongside them filter pollution and regulate water temperature. Groups in the timber industry had sought to overturn the streams’ science-based protections, but Crag attorneys defended both the protections themselves and the process that led to their creation.

POIC Updates

Portland Opportunities Industrialization Center’s (POIC’s) Community Safety Team is working with the City of Portland, health care institutions, and other community-based organizations to reduce violence and gun-related deaths. Their work has received national recognition in The New York Times. 

Their 2026 Summer Culinary + Hospitality Emergent Fellowship Academy cohort completed the program and received their official black coats. 

Ten young women ages 12-17 completed POIC’s first-ever Girls Etiquette Program to strengthen self-esteem through lessons in healthy communication, self-care, positive self-talk, and relationship building. 

Project Lemonade

On June 10, Project Lemonade moved into their new location in the Left Bank Building at 240 N. Broadway. Trina Brodsky, our liaison to Project Lemonade, attended the opening and was excited to see the venue filled with supporters, staff, and donors. Beyond the lovely refreshments and enthusiastic DJ, the atmosphere was truly celebratory. Tours showcased a beautiful new store on the lower level with an expansive storeroom, while the upper level features glassed-off offices and a large multipurpose community room decorated with an amazing mural. This new space will allow Project Lemonade to continue their existing programs while launching additional services to support youth in foster care.

A private tour, just for ninety-nine girlfriends, is in the works. Stay tuned for details after the summer break. Not up for an in-person tour? Watch a short video about the new space.  

Portland Opportunities Industrialization Center

POIC's Healing Hurt People team and researchers from the OHSU Trauma Center and OHSU Gun Violence Prevention Research Center recently gathered to present their joint project in a soft launch exhibition. The study, "Journeys: A Photovoice Project," is rooted in visual storytelling and centers on the experiences of POIC intensive case managers to capture the unseen aspects of their work.   

The project has drawn national attention for its unique research approach: the Photovoice methodology. Photovoice reimagines how violence prevention and intervention programs can collect and assess data by putting cameras into the hands of frontline workers. The resulting images offer an unfiltered look at the experiences of the POIC team and the community members they serve.

"You have to remember that through all the chaos in these photos, a good story came out of it. A lot of recovery came out of it." — Ronnie Salu, POIC frontline worker and Photovoice team member. 

Frontline workers are the core of the violence prevention and intervention movement. By documenting their realities, the team can make this work more visible, valued, and viable. View photos.

POIC

On April 28, POIC, in partnership with the Opportunities Industrialization Center of America, hosted the first inaugural Portland STEMFest, an event designed to expose K-12th grade students to high-demand careers in science, technology, engineering, math, and the skilled trades. They brought together 40+ STEM industry leaders and companies who engaged more than 500 K-12 students in hands-on activities, demonstrations, and career exploration.

Activities for students included:

  • Hands-on STEM experiments and demonstrations

  • Career exploration in construction, engineering, and technology

  • Interactive exhibitor booths led by industry professionals

  •  Live problem-solving and design challenges

  • Exposure to real-world tools, equipment, and career pathways

“We’re so excited to bring STEMFest to the Portland community. If kids are going to be prepared to pursue high-demand careers in the years to come, we have to start enabling them to see themselves in those professions now. Introducing them at an early age will open any door they can imagine,” said Megan Bell, Director of Employment & Training at POIC. POIC is building a K-career pipeline, introducing students to STEM early and connecting that exposure to education, training, and employment opportunities aligned with industry demand.

Crag Law Center

Crag Law Center Senior Staff Attorney Meriel Darzen and partner organizations Cascadia Wildlands, Oregon Wild, and Umpqua Watersheds filed an emergency motion for a Temporary Restraining Order after volunteers documented the Bureau of Land Management illegally logging trees up to 250 years old and 67 inches in diameter near Yoncalla — trees the BLM's own rules require it to protect. See more about the work Crag is doing to hold BLM accountable in this article from Oregon Wild. 

Project Lemonade

Project Lemonade is saying farewell to its 10-year location at Lloyd Center, with its recent Super Hero Day as its final event. Liaison Trina Brodsky reports having a great time volunteering at the event: “The kids were so excited and the staff was so supportive of everyone!” The organization is now moving to a new location in the Left Bank Building, (in the Albina District!). They begin the move to their new home this week. Mark your calendar for the new space’s grand opening on June 10! More details to come.

POIC

Last summer, our Impact Partner Albina Vision Trust (AVT) opened Albina One, a 94-unit family-centered housing development in Lower Albina. AVT recently posted a video on its YouTube channel celebrating this building and what it means to the community it supports. One of our other Impact Partners, the Portland Opportunities Industrialization Center (POIC), is also a partner in this work, supporting Albina One residents with culturally specific education, mentoring, family outreach, employment training, and career placement services for Black and other people of color households. Albina One is the first AVT development in the district, with more to come, and the organization has just secured $15 million in a major investment from the Meyer Memorial Trust.

Additionally, POIC has recently published their 2025 Impact Report, highlighting their major accomplishments in supporting more than 3,000 people through their education, employment, family and wellness, and community safety programs. 

POIC is seeking volunteers

POIC (Portland Opportunities Industrialization Center) is looking for volunteers for their first STEMFest. On Tuesday, April 28 from noon-5:00 PM, more than 500 students will gather at the Tony Hopson, Sr., Center for Self Enhancement for a free, fun-filled celebration of science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM).

Children and families will explore STEM through hands-on activities, interactive experiments, and real-world learning experiences. They’ll also connect with STEM professionals and college students to see what’s possible beyond the classroom.

Can you volunteer to help facilitate activities, assist with student check-in, and support event set-up and clean-up? No experience is necessary. For more information, visit this link and sign up to volunteer, marking your group as “other: ninety-nine girlfriends.”

Project Lemonade Super Hero Day coming up

Project Lemonade is hosting its annual Super Hero Day on April 17–18 at its Lloyd Center location. This event brings together more than 200 foster youth for a day of shopping and fun activities alongside live superheroes, and they need volunteers to help in the store and at activity stations! Shifts are just 2 hours: Friday, April 17 between 2:45–6:00pm, or Saturday, April 18 between 11:00am–4:00pm. You can check out this video from last year’s event, and if you’re interested in volunteering, contact the organization’s liaison, Trina.

Albina Vision Trust

In case you missed it, KOIN produced a segment last month on Albina Vision Trust and the 1803 Fund, covering their vital work to return Black Portlanders to the historic Albina neighborhood in North and Northeast Portland. They interviewed Albina Vision Trust’s executive director, Winta Yohannes; and Rukaiyah Adams, CEO of the 1803 Fund, about their collaboration. Check out the video on YouTube. 

Crag Law Center fighting to save Oregon’s wild spaces

Liason Cheron Calder reports that Craig Law (another 2025 Impact Partner) has filed a federal lawsuit “challenging unlawful logging in SW Oregon forests.” Crag is representing Cascadia Wildlands, Oregon Wild, and Umpqua Watersheds to challenge the Bureau of Land Management (BLM)’s “42 Divide Forest Management Plan,” which would allow aggressive logging of nearly 7,000 acres of public forest near Camas Valley in Douglas County. 

The project threatens land set aside as conservation reserves and intended to protect older forests and imperiled wildlife such as the northern spotted owl, marbled murrelet, Oregon Coast coho salmon, and western pond turtles. The area also supports a vibrant ecosystem of trees such as Douglas fir, cedar, and madrone and other plant, animal, and fungal communities. In addition to decimating the living ecosystem, the proposed logging would leave behind forests more prone to extreme wildfire behavior.   

Crag filed the lawsuit to stop BLM from evading the law, protect thousands of acres of mature older forests, and prevent creation of dangerous and unnecessary wildfire conditions.  

Recognition for Portland Opportunities Industrialization Center (POIC)

Last week, Portland's mayor proclaimed March 6 as Joe McFerrin II Day in honor of the president and CEO of POIC and Rosemary Anderson High School (2025 Impact Award winner) and the organization’s impact in our city. Mayor Keith Wilson lauded McFerrin II for “demonstrating an unwavering commitment to mentoring and uplifting young people,” with “30 years of service to the organization and the broader Portland community.” Congratulations for this well-deserved recognition of POIC’s commitment to equity, workforce development, and youth empowerment in our community!