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 announce a new partnership with the Oregon Vietnamese American Cultural Center (OVACC) that will strengthen the Lionel Clegg Boys & Girls Club powered by PCC Structurals and expand opportunities for the broader SE Portland community.

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

Under this new arrangement:

• OVACC will purchase the Clegg Club facility, while BGCP will lease back dedicated program space for at least the next 21 years, 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 manage the property and continue providing afterschool programming for youth, while OVACC will offer cultural, educational, and community programming throughout the week.

• Shared spaces—including the gym, computer lab, and Club Café—will be utilized collaboratively, allowing the building to serve significantly more children, families, seniors, and community members than ever before.

• A pause in programming will occur over the Fall term (September – December) to reset operations & systems with OVACC.

For many years, the Clegg Club has been a place where young people have built friendships, developed confidence, and discovered their potential. This partnership allows that legacy to continue while expanding the building’s impact across the entire 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 partnerships that maximize every square foot of space while generating resources that can be reinvested directly into serving more young people.

This partnership allows us to: 

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

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

• Increase utilization of the facility throughout the week.

• Strengthen collaboration with another mission-driven community-based organization.

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

Looking Ahead 

The OVACC partnership 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.

While our footprint of owned buildings may become smaller, our footprint of community impact will become much larger.

We are excited about what this partnership means for the future of the Lents community and look forward to celebrating this new chapter with OVACC at a community ribbon-cutting event this October.

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