Impact Partners

BRAVO YOUTH ORCHESTRAS

Have you been yearning to sing in community or keep your talent on an instrument sharp? BRAVO Youth Orchestras has two opportunities for community members of all ages to join them in making music!

Bravo Community CHOIR welcomes and accepts all people from ALL walks of life to come together with one sole purpose: Spreading Love Through Music! The choir has an eclectic repertoire and rehearses on Thursdays from 7:00 p.m.-9:00 pm at Bakery Block, Suite 110, 2222 NE Oregon Street in Portland. No one is exempt from participating in this choir! BRAVO welcomes anybody and everybody. If you have questions, please contact Choir Director Joshua Sommerville at joshua@oregonbravo.org.

BRAVO Community ORCHESTRA offers the opportunity to students, BRAVO staff, and community musicians to play and learn new repertoire in an orchestral environment, developing listening skills, fostering respect for others, and a sense of belonging. They rehearse on Fridays from 6:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m. at the Buckley Auditorium on the University of Portland campus, 5000 N Willamette Blvd in Portland. For more information, please contact Orchestras Manager Marian Gutierrez-Curiel at marian@oregonbravo.org. 

You can also catch two Bravo Youth performances later this year:

  • BRAVO Winds SUN Showcase – at 4:45 pm, Thursday, December 7, 2023, at James John Elementary School, Featuring the BRAVO Wind Students from Cesar Chavez and James John.

  • BRAVO Community Orchestra Fall Concert – at 7 pm, Friday, December 15, 2023, at the University of Portland, Buckley Center Auditorium. 

WISDOM OF THE ELDERS

In their latest newsletter, Wisdom of the Elders highlighted the work they’re doing through Wisdom Work Force, LLC – “a vital arm of Wisdom of the Elders, dedicated to habitat restoration and environmental conservation in the Portland area. Our team plays a crucial role in restoring the natural environment, applying Indigenous Traditional Ecological Knowledge (TEK) to create sustainable landscapes. We also specialize in removing invasive species and collaborate closely with the Portland Parks and Recreation and Forestry Department to safeguard local ecosystems. If you're passionate about making a positive impact on the environment, consider joining our team.” To explore opportunities and be part of this meaningful work, please get in touch with Adrienne at adrienne@wisdomoftheelders.org 

Wisdom of the Elders also offers a paid multimedia internship program, serving Native American & BIPOC students in the Portland area with a passion for multimedia and storytelling. Through this program, interns will have the chance to contribute to various projects and get hands-on experience in film and video field production, post-production editing, photography, archival work, and more! Do you know someone who would be a great candidate for this opportunity? You can share the program website and application with them with this link!

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IMPACT PARTNER HIGHLIGHTS

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Wisdom of the Elders is one of many community partners coming together with Portland Parks and Recreation to celebrate the 75 years of one of our city’s prized outdoor spaces, Forest Park! On Saturday, Sept. 23, join them and other community members to volunteer, learn, and celebrate together at this event, which kicks off at 8:30 a.m.! Wisdom of the Elders is offering a basket weaving workshop at the Lower Macleay trailhead from 9:30-11:30 a.m., led by Celeste Whitewolf, Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation elder; and Lise Gervais, a basket weaving instructor. More information on the event and the workshop can be found on this website – including a registration link for the workshop. You can also register for the workshop directly here. 

We’re digging back into the archives of KSMoCA’s work to highlight a fun way for folks of all ages to engage in an art moment together! If you haven’t already, check out KSMoCA’s Conceptual Art at Home project – a series of art prompts designed for K-8th grade students, but open for anyone to do! Prompts are written by artists who have worked with KSMoCA, and some of the organization’s broader community of friends. Make a drawing with one of their prompts, connect with a family member through a thoughtful interview, or learn about the work of an artist you didn’t know before!

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Impact Partner Highlights

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Black Food Sovereignty Coalition

Earlier this summer, The Oregonian highlighted the work that the Black Food Sovereignty Coalition is doing in the community in this great write-up on the Black Futures Farm and other programs – including a collaboration with another Impact Partner, WomenFirst Transition & Referral Center! BFSC is bringing them fresh produce to support their programming.

WomenFirst Transition and Referral Center

WomenFirst Transition & Referral Center is hiring for a number of FT and PT positions, including a Financial Manager, Family Resource Navigator, Administrative Assistant, Childcare Coordinator, and Domestic Violence Advocate. For more information, contact the organization’s executive Director, Shannon Olive, at shannono@rebuildwomenfirst.org. Please share with your network.

Rosemary Anderson High School

Rosemary Anderson High School just launched its Prep program for the upcoming school year! This tuition-free pilot program for an initial enrollment of 60 students builds upon the alternative, community-based model at RAHS, adding increased post-secondary prep schooling through advanced classes, an entrepreneurship program with local business partners, and an athletics program that includes boys' basketball and girls' volleyball. You can read more about the program here in an article from The Skanner! 

Constructing Hope

Constructing Hope has launched a project called “Building Legacy: Construction Industry Community Builders of Color,” documenting the historical contribution of BIPOC Pioneers in Oregon’s construction industry through storytelling. The site links to the biographies of these honorees, including Marcela Alcantar, Faye Burch, Shirley Minor, and James Posey. You can also find a set of moving interviews with these trailblazing community members on Constructing Hope’s YouTube page. They are also hiring right now for a part-time Fundraising Manager.

Impact Partner Highlights

Wisdom of the Elders

Wisdom of the Elders, a 2022 Impact Partner, is searching for an artist to design their new logo. They seek someone who will lend their expertise in bringing Wisdom a new logo and visual identity that reflects the organization’s new mission-driven focus. Could that be you or someone you know? Portfolios can be submitted to multimedia@wisdomoftheelders.org, along with a design proposal and suggested budget for consideration. 

Voz Workers' Rights Education Project

2022 Impact Partner Voz Workers’ Rights Education Project is hosting its Annual Dinner on June 23rd, and there are multiple ways for members of ninety-nine girlfriends to get involved. Tickets are available for purchase here: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/vozs-annual-fundraising-dinner-tickets-593154911307. Voz is also seeking sponsors at various levels for the event. More information is available through this link:  bit.ly/VozSponsors. Lastly, Voz is seeking volunteers – please contact Tanya Macedo via email at tanya@portlandvoz.org for opportunities to help.

Impact Partner Highlight: WomenFirst Transition and Referral Center

Liaison Elizabeth Fraser shared the following from her meeting with Impact Partner, WomenFirst Transition and Referral Center: “It struck me again, despite my extensive reading on the topic, the seemingly endless list of practical needs of women facing discharge from prison. In addition to providing individual financial assistance such as paying utility bills, storage units, driver’s license fees, transportation costs for family reunification, various skill development classes are offered. “

Impact Partner Highlights

The BRAVO Youth Orchestras Choir Program invites anyone and everyone who desires to experience community through music to their concert on Friday, April 21 at Jefferson High School (5210 N Kerby Ave, Portland, 97217)! The event’s theme is "connected"– focusing on the idea that, through music, we are all somehow connected to one another, whether we know each other or not. This event is free for attendees of all ages, with doors opening at 6:30pm, and the concert starting at 7:00pm. 

Impact Partner Highlight: Black Food Sovereignty Coalition

The Black Food Sovereignty Coalition is about to host Back to the Root in Tacoma, Washington from March 17-20– a PNW regional conference led by and for African and Black-identified farmers, food producers, and others working in food justice and ecologies. Participants at this annual event gather to network, dig into shared history, discuss experiences, learn about opportunities, and build strategies. This is a Black-centered event, and BRSC welcome all POC community members to join!

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Impact Partner Highlight: Rose Haven

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International Women’s Day (March 8) is a special day for impact partner Rose Haven. It’s the one-year anniversary of the grand opening for their new space, and the date they welcomed guests back indoors after two long pandemic years. Celebrate with Rose Haven on the evening of March 8 – either at their beautiful NW Portland space or the 10 Barrel Brewing after-party featuring a special-release pale ale. Bonus: It’s an opportunity to congratulate ninety-nine girlfriends Fellow Liz Starke, Rose Haven’s Development Director. Free to attend. RSVP here! 

Grantee Partner Update: Adelante Mujeres

Congratulations to past Impact Partner Adelante Mujeres’ staff member, Itzel Chávez Gómez, who was awarded the Give!Guide’s Skidmore Prize! The prize is an annual award from the Willamette Week that honors four young Portlanders who work every day to make Portland a better place. Check out the Give!Guide for more information on Itzel and the other awesome recipients of the Skidmore Prize, as well as the many organizations seeking your support this holiday season! You can check out a list of past impact partners and finalists featured in the Give!Guide here! 

Grantee Partner Update: BRAVO Youth Orchestra

BRAVO Youth Orchestra had their first choir performance December 9 at PSU for their Community Sing event. They reported that their students did a fantastic job that garnered a standing ovation! BRAVO’s in-school Preschool Program is up and running at Clarendon Learning Center, and going well. The organization is serving around 60 preschool-aged children by teaching them general music education. Up next is the BRAVO Community Orchestra concert at University of Portland's Buckley Auditorium TODAY, Friday, December 16th at 7PM (ninety-nine girlfriends Liaison, Anne Castleton has joined their ranks and will be performing with them!).

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News from Grants Steering Committee

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We are so grateful to you, our members, our volunteers, and our nonprofit community for countless hours of hard work and endless amount of grace it takes to get to this point each year.

We're streamlining our grantmaking process for 2023 to make it easier for our non-profit community and ourselves, and so that more of our members can engage and learn through our work in the future. We are centering trust-based philanthropy as we retool and reimagine how best to bring funds to our community, and to learn while we do it. We can't wait to show you what we come up with - stay tuned!

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A Wonderful Time was had by All

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It was such a gift to be able to gather together to celebrate our Impact Partners and our 2022 work. The music was lively, the food was yummy, and the opportunity to be together in real life was wonderful. Here is the link to the photos from the event for your enjoyment.  The password is Greatroom.  
Please credit Andrea Lonas Photography if you choose to share them on social media.

Urban Gleaners

One of our 2017 Impact Partners, Urban Gleaners, is seeking a new Executive Director! In their own words, “​​Urban Gleaners has a 16-year history of feeding children and families who are food-insecure in Multnomah and Washington Counties. Our mission is to collect delicious, fresh food before it can go to waste and get it to food-insecure children and families. Pure and simple. We see healthy food as a fundamental right in a just society.” They prefer to receive applications by 5p on Wednesday, November 30, 2022, and will start
scheduling interviews soon after that (position will remain open until filled). Learn More

Grantee Partner Update: Bradley Angle

Bradley Angle created a set of videos that delve into their programs for Domestic Violence Awareness Month – check out their YouTube channel! They also just started accepting cryptocurrency donation–for more information, visit their website.

To learn more about our Impact Partners’ accomplishments, challenges, and other insights, remember to check out their recently-completed reports to ninety-nine girlfriends!

Grantee Partner Update: BRAVO

BRAVO is expanding to its fifth site and is recruiting volunteers 2 or 3 days a week after school for tasks like setting up/breaking down classrooms, classroom management, and light admin duties. Volunteers would need to have a background check with Portland Public Schools (BRAVO will facilitate this), have the patience to work with kids, be flexible and be committed for at least a school term however they don't need any musical experience. If this feels like you, sign up here.

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Get to Know This Year’s Finalists

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The Grants Steering Committee is looking for one volunteer support person for each of our 10 finalists (who have yet to be determined). You would work directly with the nonprofit to assist with the recording of their video for Meet the Finalists and would deliver the video to our videographer. You might help with encouragement, advice, equipment, location, and/or anything else the organization needs to get ready for Meet the Finalists. This is a unique opportunity to learn and ensure a positive experience for our future Impact Partners! Reach out to us if this sounds like your thing.

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Become a Liaison for our 2022 Impact Partners!

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Would you like to learn more about our Impact Partners throughout the year and play a vital role in helping ninety-nine girlfriends in supporting them beyond the award? We are currently recruiting members to serve as liaisons for the incoming cohort of impact partners. Liaisons play a critical role as ambassadors, advocates, and allies to the organizations we support. This is a great role for someone who loves being in conversation with new people, building connections, and gathering and sharing information. For more information, contact Van, Impact Team Lead.