For over 20 years, the Regence Boys & Girls Club has been a place where North Portland youth have built friendships, discovered new interests, and found caring mentors who believed in their potential. Because of that legacy, the decision to close this Club has been one of the most difficult decisions our organization has ever had to make.
After careful consideration, we have made the difficult decision to close the Regence Club at the conclusion of our summer programming cycle on August 14, 2026, and pursue the sale of the property (ideally to a community-based organization who has deep ties to North Portland).
We understand that this news is highly emotional for our members, families, staff, alumni, volunteers, and community partners. We also want to be very clear about one thing:
We are not leaving North Portland.
While this facility will close, our commitment to serving the North Portland community is not changing. In fact, our long-term vision is to increase our presence and impact in North Portland over the coming years through school-based programming, strategic community partnerships, and innovative service models that allow us to reach more young people in more cost-efficient ways; delivering the same level of impact we have been bringing to our communities over the past 80 years.
This transition is not about abandoning a community—it is about transforming how we serve that community.
Like many nonprofits, BGCP has faced significant financial challenges over the years, including recurring operating deficits, rising operating costs, and a rapidly changing funding environment. To ensure the long-term sustainability of the organization, we have had to make difficult but necessary decisions to align our operating expenses with our actual revenue trends. Closing the Regence facility is one part of a broader strategic organizational turnaround designed to stabilize the organization today while positioning us for sustainable and impactful growth tomorrow.
Building the Club of the Future
This transition is about more than balancing a budget—it is about building the Club of the future.
For more than 80 years, Boys & Girls Clubs of Portland Metro has fulfilled its mission by providing safe places, caring adults, and life-changing opportunities for young people. That mission remains as important today as ever. What is changing is the world our young people are preparing to enter.
Today’s youth are growing up in an economy that is evolving rapidly. Advances in technology, artificial intelligence, workforce automation, and changing labor market demands mean that young people will need new skills, greater adaptability, and stronger career readiness than ever before. They need opportunities not only to succeed academically, but also to develop leadership, financial capability, workplace skills, and meaningful connections to future careers.
We believe the Club of the future must evolve to meet those realities.
Rather than relying solely on traditional clubhouse models, our future will combine high-quality clubhouse experiences with programming delivered directly in schools and corporate workplaces. Through stronger partnerships with school districts and employers, we can better prepare every young person to thrive in a changing world, economy, and labor market.
This vision will come to life through our Future Ready 2030 Campaign, in which we are launching our quiet phase in September 2026. The campaign will build the philanthropic resources, strategic partnerships, and community support necessary to expand our reach, strengthen our programs, and ensure more young people have access to the experiences and opportunities they need to become Future Ready.
Our goal is not simply to sustain our mission—it is to build a stronger organization capable of serving significantly more youth with deeper impact over the next decade.
Summer programming at Regence will continue as scheduled through August 14.
Over the coming weeks, we will work closely with every Regence family to better understand their needs and identify the best options for continuing services. We plan to work with PPS to conduct a broader needs assessment and community survey gathering deeper input on the increasing need for out-of-school time programming in North Portland.
No child or family will be left behind. Our commitment is to ensure every current member has a pathway to continue participating in Boys & Girls Clubs programming or connect with other appropriate community resources. While our delivery model may change, our commitment to the children and families of North Portland remains strong.
We know this transition will be difficult, and we understand that many people will experience a sense of loss. We share those feelings. At the same time, we believe these decisions are necessary to preserve the long-term future of Boys & Girls Clubs of Portland Metro and create an organization that is stronger, more sustainable, and better equipped to meet the needs of future generations.
We are deeply grateful to every youth, family, staff member, volunteer, donor, and community partner who has made the Regence Club such a special place over the past two decades. That legacy is not ending—it is helping shape the next chapter of Boys & Girls Clubs of Portland Metro as we build the Club of the future and continue empowering young people to discover their full potential.
Terry Johnson
CEO
