Boys & Girls Clubs of Portland Metro to transition Sellwood programming

Organization will sell Sellwood facility; Clubs explore school-based partnerships for 2016-17 school year

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
December 1, 2015

Portland, OR – The Boys & Girls Clubs of Portland Metro (BGCP) announced today that they will sell their Sellwood Club facility and transition Club programming in that community to better meet the evolving needs of the children and families they serve. The decision was formalized by a vote of BGCP’s Board of Directors after a full evaluation was conducted focused on the economic needs of the families and communities currently being served by the organization, as well as identifying where children and families are located today within the Metro area who are in most need of services.

The Clubs have been at the forefront of providing facility-based enrichment programs for youth ages six to 18 throughout the Portland area for nearly 70 years, providing them with a safe, secure, and enriching place to belong when school is not in session.

“We have had the extraordinary privilege to serve the Sellwood community for 46 years,” said Erin Hubert, CEO, BGCP. “As communities evolve, we need to stay focused on our core mission of serving children with the highest needs with responsible stewardship of our donors’ investments, while remaining nimble in our ability to be serving where children and families need us most. We look forward to working together with the Sellwood community to reconfigure program services in this neighborhood while also putting ourselves in a better position to financially meet growing needs in underserved communities.”

Factors weighing into BGCP’s transition from a facility-based program include:

  • Over 70% of the youth currently served at the Meyer Memorial facility come from communities outside of inner southeast Portland with the majority of the youth coming from the North Clackamas School District, requiring the Club to progressively increase resources to meet this need
  • Government funding and foundation support of the Meyer Memorial Club has significantly decreased due to the economic stability of the neighborhood surrounding the facility
  • Costs related to the maintenance of the overall facility, coupled with transportation related expenses, has made a significant impact on overall operations

BGCP’s leadership will move forward with the sale of the Meyer Memorial Club facility and will continue exploring available options to partner with schools to provide a continuum of service delivery to the Sellwood community. Active conversations are also underway with the North Clackamas School District to identify options to bring Club programming to youth in need in their community for the 2016-17 school year.

BGCP has assured the Meyer Memorial Club families that there will be no interruption in services before the end of the 2015-2016 school year.

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