Sarah Cohen-Doherty’s Legacy

By Jerry Cohen, SVP Partner and Sarah’s Dad

January 26 would mark Sarah’s 39th birthday, so we would like to take a moment to honor Sarah, the bright light that she shared with SVP Portland, and tell you how you can help us sustain her legacy.

As we all know, Sarah was a shining smile of determination and hope; one always had her undivided attention and support. And she was both connector and maven.

Immediately after her death late in July 2020, SVP established the Sarah Cohen-Doherty Memorial Fund to support programs and grants that were especially meaningful to Sarah. In just two months, over $70,000 was raised and that number continues to grow. These funds have added support to both SVP Portland’s internal operations and grants to Community Partners like the Center for African Immigrants and Refugee Organization (CAIRO) and Latino Network. SVP’s unique philanthropy model, where donors invest time and money to address our community’s toughest challenges, is something that appeals to our family.

This year we hope to raise another significant amount of funds to continue this good work. Please consider making a donation in Sarah’s honor here.

In addition to the fund, SVP is announcing the Sarah Cohen-Doherty Award, to be given to the member of our Partnership who most embodies the relationship-building skills and care for others that Sarah expressed so naturally in her everyday life. We look forward to selection of the recipient and celebrating this award at our Summer Social (date TBD), when hopefully we can meet again in person.

Thank you for sharing your heartfelt stories of Sarah’s impact in your life and in the community. We are truly grateful for the ripples of love and hope she created in her short life that carries us all forward.