PORTLAND, Ore. – The Portland Timbers [awarded] $75,500 in grants to eight youth-focused, nonprofit organizations working throughout the greater-Portland area through the Portland Timbers Community Fund (PTCF). The recipients were selected by the Portland Timbers Community Fund Advisory Board. Supported by founding partners JELD-WEN Windows & Doors, Alaska Airlines, adidas, PGE and Burgerville, the PTCF presented grants to AC Portland, All Hands Raised, Centro Cultural of Washington County, Girls Inc., “I Have a Dream” Foundation – Oregon, Lower Columbia Estuary Partnership, Playworks, and Virginia Garcia Memorial Health Center.
The $35,000 grant given to Playworks is the largest individual grant ever awarded from the PTCF, and will be used to launch the Playworks program at Portland’s Jason Lee School, providing resources for health education and sports options for the school’s approximately 500 students for the 2013-14 school year. The grant will also help support 14 other Playworks schools across Portland, impacting more than 6,000 students, for the upcoming school year.
"This investment by the Portland Timbers speaks to the commitment that they have to Playworks and the well-being of the children in our community,” said Tara Doherty, program director for Playworks. “As we celebrate our fifth year here in the Pacific Northwest, we’re proud to have made a positive impact on the lives of more than 10,000 kids thus far. The generous support of the Timbers allows us to fulfill our mission of bringing healthy, safe and inclusive play to kids every day.”
As part of the new Playworks program at Jason Lee School, the Timbers will help facilitate and engage in recess and after-school activities. Additionally, the Timbers have annually helped collect, organize and distribute school supplies to students at Jason Lee School through a partnership with Schoolhouse Supplies started in 2005.The PTCF set an aggressive goal of awarding $180,000 in grants to local nonprofits and field projects in 2013. Read more here
Through the club’s community outreach platform, Stand Together, the Timbers’ community mission is to harness the power of sport to improve the lives of children and families in the region through targeted programs, deep partnerships and philanthropic giving. For more on the Timbers community outreach programs and partners, visit www.portlandtimbers.com/stand-together.
