Impact Partners

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! 

Liaison Trina Brodsky shares these thoughts from her recent visit to Project Lemonade’s headquarters at Lloyd Center Mall.

Project Lemonade has served the foster youth community for 13 years. Their free store remains central to their mission, allowing children to shop for essential items including coats, shoes, clothing, and a special item. Ninety percent of the inventory is new!

Beyond the store, Project Lemonade offers comprehensive support through mentoring, resume writing, and interview preparation, as well as paid internships. The assistant store manager is a graduate of the internship program and a former foster youth. Furthermore, their scholarship program supports trade school and university goals, both with traditional scholarships and by offering supplementary aid for housing, transportation, and food–often not covered by traditional scholarships.

Project Lemonade is seeking support with public relations and marketing to build awareness for their new location and services at the Leftbank building at 240 N Broadway, where they will move by this June. If you have any information or connections that could assist in these areas, please let Trina know. 

POIC celebrates cohort graduation

Another 2025 Impact Partner, the Portland Opportunities Industrialization Center (POIC), celebrated the graduation of their Community Safety Worker program pilot cohort in January. The two-year program offers graduate-level coursework that transforms low-wage, frontline labor into a sustainable and respected career path.

Recognized as one of the nation’s first formal efforts to professionalize community-based violence prevention, the program is already setting a new standard. Learn about this success through the story of program graduate Zach Salu. 

Albina Vision Trust tour

Albina Vision Trust, a 2025 Impact Partner, welcomed Girlfriends and community partners for a rainy December walking tour of the Albina neighborhood. Participants learned about the area’s history and how Albina Vision Trust is advancing housing and stability after decades of urban renewal and displacement in Portland’s Black community. Working with architects and community partners, they are leading redevelopment of 94 acres of land near the Moda Center and Willamette River.

The tour included Albina One, a newly completed 94-unit affordable housing development offering culturally specific education, mentoring, workforce training, and family support for Black and other historically marginalized communities, as well as the former Portland Public Schools headquarters, now slated for a transformative restorative development. Plans call for more than 1,000 homes, mixed-use commercial space, an education hub, greenspace, and enrollment stabilization for three historically Black schools, with priority access for displaced community members. The tour concluded at the site where Albina Vision Trust plans to cap I-5, reconnecting Upper and Lower Albina and creating new housing, greenspace, and bike- and pedestrian-friendly infrastructure. Interested in a monthly tour? Sign up for one by emailing Beckie Lee.

A Liaison Update from Andrea Allison

Things are happening with Impact Partner Finability. Jolene Fuller was recently promoted from program officer to director of programs — a role through which she will oversee program growth, strengthen community ties, and continue empowering the survivors the organization serves. They have also hired a strategic partnership officer with a financial focus, based in Colorado. 

Director of Programs Jolene Fuller, Board Member David Stock, and Executive Director Stacy Sawin  (Photo courtesy of Andrea Allison)

Working Theory Farm Tour

On July 30, 10 Girlfriends carpooled to Hillsboro for a tour of Working Theory Farm, a 2024 Impact Partner. They were treated to a lengthy 90-minute tour of the beautiful 24- acre property that grows vegetables, fruit trees, chickens (for eggs), and pigs (being raised to sell by fall). A small pond surrounded by trees creates a quiet space for staff, youth, and visiting seniors from Centro Cultural.

A centerpiece of this farm’s model is that high-school-aged youth (from alternative schools and Harkins House, an alternative to detention) participate in paid summer work to learn about and participate in all aspects of organic farming. Produce is offered for purchase through community-supported agriculture shares* (sold out this year), and through collaboration with Centro Cultural for distribution through their Free Food Mercado. 

Bagel, a spunky mixed breed with a zest for fetching, followed behind her bosses David Altuzar (communications manager) and Henney Sullivan (development director).   

David Altuzar was recently hired (partially funded through our Impact Award). He summed up the experience as follows:   

“As if on cue, clouds rolled in to soften the summer sun during the ninety-nine girlfriends visit. As we strolled through the fields, we paused to meet the pigs and chickens and to share how our no-till, regenerative, organic practices are both a commitment to the land and a vehicle for transformation. Along the way, the Girlfriends saw youth actively working and heard how vital it is for young people to have spaces like this, where they can find purpose, connect with the earth, and redefine their relationship to food and community.

One of our youth, Maverick (15), captured it best: ‘Working here makes me more appreciative of everything I have — in knowing the process, the love, the energy, the hard work that goes into growing food.’ ”

All who participated felt grateful for the Working Theory Farm staff taking time to treat the Girlfriends to this tour during their busiest time of the year. When it works for our Impact Partners, a visit to experience the mission of their organization enriches our knowledge and appreciation of all the pieces that our partners manage. Beyond vegetables…it was food for the soul!


Path Home

Last week, Path Home presented their Lullaby Project at Alberta Rose Theater. Through an ongoing partnership with the Oregon Symphony, the Lullaby Project uses creative expression to build bonds and improve maternal health for families experiencing homelessness. The project pairs musicians from the symphony and local singer-songwriters with parents from Path Home to create personalized lullabies for their children, expressing comfort and hope for the future. The project was an inspiring showcase for these powerful collaborations and received coverage from the Oregonian and KOIN. To learn more about the project and listen to prior seasons of the project’s lullabies, visit Path Home’s website. 

FinAbility

FinAbility’s Survivor Advisory Committee just wrapped up their first 2-year term, working to ensure that the organization’s work is trauma-informed, accessible, and relevant – and they’ve created an impact report of their accomplishments since 2023…check it out on their Instagram or LinkedIn. Also, do you know anyone who would like to get more involved with their work? They are recruiting board members.