For more than 70 years, Boys & Girls Clubs of Portland Metro has been proud to serve young people and families in the Lents community. That commitment remains as strong today as it has ever been.

As part of our long-term strategic vision, we are excited to share an important update about the Lionel Clegg Boys & Girls Club powered by PCC Structurals. The sale of the Clegg Club facility to the Oregon Vietnamese American Cultural Center (OVACC) has officially closed, marking a new chapter for this important community asset.

While ownership of the facility has transitioned to OVACC, BGCP remains committed to the Lents community and to continuing to provide high-quality youth programming for generations to come.

This transition represents a new model for how we maximize community assets while preserving long-term access to high-quality youth programming.

What This Means for the Community

Under this new arrangement:

• OVACC is now the owner of the Clegg Club facility, while BGCP will continue providing Boys & Girls Clubs programming at the Lionel Clegg Boys & Girls Club through a long-term lease agreement with OVACC, ensuring our long-term presence in Lents. 

• The building will continue to operate as the Lionel Clegg Boys & Girls Club powered by PCC Structurals. 

• BGCP will continue providing afterschool programming for youth, while OVACC develops its own cultural, educational, and community programming for the broader SE Portland community. 

• BGCP and OVACC will continue working together as each organization determines the most effective use of the building and opportunities for future collaboration. 

For many years, the Clegg Club has been a place where young people have built friendships, developed confidence, and discovered their potential. This transition allows that legacy to continue while creating opportunities for the building’s impact to grow across the broader community.

Why We Are Making This Change

Like many nonprofit organizations, BGCP has spent the past year evaluating how we can build a stronger and more sustainable organization for the future.

Rather than allowing valuable community facilities to remain underutilized, we are pursuing innovative approaches that maximize every square foot of community space while generating resources that can be reinvested directly into serving more young people.

This transition allows us to:

• Preserve Boys & Girls Clubs’ long-term commitment to the Lents community. 

• Maintain the Club name – Lionel Clegg Boys & Girls Club powered by PCC Structurals. 

• Create opportunities to increase utilization of the facility throughout the week and serve more members of the community over time. 

• Build a collaborative relationship with another mission-driven community-based organization. 

• Build financial capacity to expand youth programming across the Portland metro area. 

Looking Ahead

The Clegg Club ownership transition is one component of our broader long-term strategy, which is focused on expanding access to Boys & Girls Clubs programming while building a stronger and more sustainable organization.

Over the next four years, BGCP plans to grow from five stand-alone Club facilities to more than 30 Club sites by expanding afterschool programming into elementary schools and workforce development opportunities into middle schools, high schools, and corporate spaces throughout the area. By partnering with schools and local employers, we can meet young people where they already are while reducing the long-term overhead associated with operating additional stand-alone facilities. This approach allows us to invest more resources directly into youth, families, and high-quality programming.

Our goal is to expand access to Boys & Girls Clubs programming—not reduce it. While our footprint of stand-alone buildings may become smaller, our footprint of community impact will become much larger.

We are excited about what this new chapter means for the future of the Lents community and look forward to continuing to work alongside OVACC and sharing future opportunities for expanded collaboration with the community.

Thank you for your continued support of Boys & Girls Clubs of Portland Metro as we work together to build a stronger, more connected future for the young people and families we serve.

Terry E.Johnson
Chief Executive Officer