POIC+RAHS' annual gala is coming up around the corner on November 3 at 6pm, taking place at the Hyatt Regency Portland at the Oregon Convention Center. The POIC + RAHS Gala is the organization's biggest fundraiser of the year, drawing a diverse array of business and community support.
POIC was featured on OPB for their collaboration w/ PSU to support BIPOC students and college graduates entering the workforce.
They are also hiring for various positions on their team.
A Friday morning with Trash for Peace
Francie Royce, liaison to Trash for Peace
On a Friday morning I arrived at the Trash for Peace warehouse on SE Water Avenue in Portland's Central Eastside, a bit before 9:00 am to look for Mo. A man greeted me and introduced himself as Mo, the day coordinator for Trash for Peace. Two other men entered the warehouse and Mo made introductions. Jim and Dave are hired to clean up the Central Eastside neighborhood. I followed Jim out the door as he rolled a custodian cart on our way to gather trash.
Building Local Power, a podcast, features Trash for Peace’s Ground Score Association initiative, a ‘peer-led’ effort organized by and for workers who identify as canners. Taylor Cass Talbott and Kris Brown from the initiative are interviewed: https://ilsr.org/canning-waste-episode150/
I learned so much about the origins of this 50+ year old organization which began by providing education, work experience, and opportunities to primarily Black adults in underserved communities. Their work is now centered on providing those same opportunities to youth who are at risk. With four school campuses many students have experienced homelessness, poverty, violence and the criminal justice system.
My visit with [2021 Impact Partner] Constructing Hope was a great experience. I spent a little over an hour there, got a tour of the facility, and had lots of time to chat with [leaders] Pat Daniels and Courtney Jenkins.
Also, they welcome guest speakers when classes are in session and inquired whether any Girlfriends might have expertise in these areas: HR and job interviewing, general life skills/balance, nutrition and physical fitness, financial planning, and strategies for dealing with stress and anxiety. They seemed very happy with their experience with ninety-nine girlfriends and are thrilled about the partnership." Betty, Impact Partner Liaison
There’s a lot going on at Bradley Angle. Renovating the Bonnie Tinker shelter is a big project for the organization, as the facility was long overdue for updates. They have worked to make trauma-informed upgrades, prioritizing the shared spaces, and are raising additional funds for the phase-two upgrades to the other areas of the facility.
This year, ninety-nine girlfriends will fund organizations from five focus areas that are working to dismantle systemic racism, advance anti-racism, and move our region towards racial equity. These FAQ and definitions provide additional information about our 2022 Funding Priority and process. Funds may be used for general operating or project support and impact partners can choose to have funds disbursed in one year or over the course of two years. Our Timeline provides key dates for application review, decision-making, and payment.
My visit with [2021 Impact Partner] Constructing Hope was a great experience. I spent a little over an hour there, got a tour of the facility, and had lots of time to chat with [leaders] Pat Daniels and Courtney Jenkins. They wanted to invite any and all Girlfriends to their events this year, which are posted on their web site, particularly their grand re-opening on 4/21 and their 15th anniversary celebration sometime this fall (TBA).
“The funds received from ninety-nine girlfriends helped pay the salary of a full-time, bilingual, registered Nurse Manager. The addition of this new position was critical for ensuring we were able to adapt from a walk-in to an appointment-based model. This appointment-based model allowed us to pre-screen patients for COVID-19 symptoms, have fewer patients in the clinic at one time, and better protect patients, volunteer providers and staff from potential exposure to COVID-19 and other illnesses. The Nurse Manager is an integral part of the medical team, who oversees the day-to-day operations of patient services. This includes providing direct patient care and supervising medical assistants and volunteers. This position was also vital for implementing the new electronic medical record system and developing policies and procedures around its use.” – Free Clinic
Rose Haven, a 2019 $100,000 impact partner, has accomplished their goal of opening a new day shelter in northwest Portland and we couldn’t be more excited for them! Learn more in this KATU news piece featuring Liz Starke, Rose Haven Development Director and Girlfriend.
"Because of the 99 Girlfriends grant, we were able to promote one of our Ground Score Coordinators to Operations Manager! Nic is helping us streamline our operations for our programs, including our People's Depot and our GLITTER programs."
Bradley Angle
2021 Impact Partner, Bradley Angle, is hosting their first community event and fundraiser! The Albina Scavenger Hunt is a free event that will have participants visit 10 locations of historic Black importance in the Albina neighborhood and complete challenges to earn points for raffle prizes! Taking place March 18 - April 3.
If you missed the Awards Celebration and Membership Kickoff we invite you to view it here. Coty Raven Morris was inspiring and we got to learn how our impact partners are already putting their awards to work in impactful ways. What a wonderful opportunity to learn more from them about how our grants are truly creating positive change.
Don’t miss the live performance by Coty Raven Morris from 3-3:15 pm and then we’ll hear from our new Impact Partners before kicking off 2022 membership!
We are thrilled to share that our 2017 Impact Partner Portland Homeless Family Solutions (PHFS) has been awarded a $2.5 million Bezos Day 1 Families Fund Grant! Click here to learn more about the great work PHFS continues to do through “investing wrap-around services to help families end their homelessness for good.”
As you have likely heard, we are well on the way to shifting to trust-based philanthropy in our grantmaking and education at ninety-nine girlfriends. This shift is weaving its way through all that we do including events like Meet the Finalists. In the past, we have asked our finalists to make presentations to us about why we should choose them to be funded. We’ve had a lot of conversations about how we might be able to do this differently or better with the goal of centering fairness and equity for each of our finalists.