Sarah Cohen-Doherty, 1982-2020
As our Community Impact Manager from 2017 to 2020, Sarah found synergy between her knowledge of early childhood education, background in marketing, and experience in project management. She was a ray of sunshine and exemplified what it is to be a community change-maker. Her passion and commitment to SVP’s work shone brightly, and it reverberated throughout our Partnership. Sarah earned her Master of Arts in Teaching from Willamette University and brought firsthand experience as an early childhood teacher, trainer, and Center Director for education and equity-focused organizations. At SVP, Sarah was energized about addressing systemic issues in the field of early learning, with a lens on the impact of our work.
Sarah lived in Oregon for more than 20 years, and at the time of her passing she lived in SE Portland with her husband Brian, daughter Maysa, cat Slink, and dog Clooney. Sarah was always drawn to animals. Being an only child, her dog was her best friend growing up and she could be found inventing games that only the two of them understood. She loved to travel – her top three favorite places were Galway, Glastonbury, and Istanbul.
Equity Journey
Sarah was deeply committed to our equity commitments and her personal equity journey. Here is an excerpt of what she wrote in June 2020:
Let me start by saying, I am white. My skin color has afforded me privilege my entire life, as has my socio-economic class, coming from a two-parent home, and the opportunity for higher education. I have not always been aware of these privileges, and related opportunities, that others don’t experience…I began connecting the pieces and revisiting history with the awareness of a broader perspective. I realized that my personal experience of feeling like an “outsider” due to being raised Jewish in the Midwest, while attending an Episcopalian school, did not compare with the fear, the injustice, and systemic racism that people of color faced daily. As a Jew, I have experienced generational trauma. I have seen swastikas painted on fences near my home. But, without realizing it, I was still “safe” in my white skin. When my mixed-race stepdaughter entered my life seven years ago, I began experiencing the world in a whole new way. Not only was I learning to become a mother, my eyes started to open to racial biases right here in our Portland community. The inequities had always been there but my blinders were finally coming off. Every day I continue to learn how little I know, and every day I strive to do better… I realize that what I feel is less than a drop in the bucket compared to generations of parents of color. What I know is that, if she was white, I would not be having these same emotions…. Let us not lose hope. Let us keep learning and growing, both individually and as a community. And, may we all be contributors to a more just future.
Sarah’s Passing & Remembrance
We were devastated when Sarah passed away unexpectedly in July 2020. We were overwhelmed with messages of admiration and support from the SVP community – Sarah was truly loved and has been profoundly missed.
Gifted with the trifecta of intelligence, dedication, and charm, Sarah chose a clear path to making a positive impact in her community. And Sarah didn’t join alone -- she brought her family with her. Her husband Brian was an early contributor to what is now the Financial Partner Team. He shared that, "Her passion for the work SVP was doing was something I heard almost daily… she truly loved what she did. And she knew we all need to keep moving forward and making this world a better place, that what we do is truly important."
Her father Jerry and mother Ruth were first active volunteers and donors before becoming engaged Partners in 2018. “Sarah was so happy and proud of the work of SVP,” Jerry and Ruth shared. “Sarah was a shooting star that shined so bright and impacted so many people. And we are very proud of her and her many achievements, especially her lifelong dedication to children, early childhood literacy and education, and bringing generations together. We honor her legacy.”
As our lead for communications, Sarah always had a steadfast purpose to seek clarity, transparency, and warmth. She was always striving to share with our community the best of SVP and the transformational impact that we make in our community. We know she would not only expect us to move forward, she would demand it (with graceful persistence). Her voice may be quieted, but her indelible mark on SVP will never be forgotten.
The Sarah Fund
At the request of her family, shortly after her death we established The Sarah Cohen-Doherty Memorial Fund, dedicated to SVP Portland’s goal that all children have access to high-quality, culturally-relevant early learning experiences. Donations to this fund support early childhood literacy, quality preschool, and advocacy. We cannot think of a better way to celebrate Sarah’s life than to continue the work to which she was so committed. In the first year alone, more than $70,000 was raised and that number continues to grow. These funds have added support to both SVP Portland’s internal operations and contributed to grants for Community Partners Sarah was closely involved with, including Threads of Justice Collective and Latino Network, as well as the Center for African Immigrants and Refugee Organization (CAIRO).
The Sarah Award
In addition to the fund, in 2020 SVP announced the Sarah Cohen-Doherty Community Impact Award. Each year, this award will recognize a person within the SVP Portland community (inclusive of staff, Investor Partners, Encore Fellows, and Community Partners) who epitomizes the wonderful characteristics that enabled Sarah to have such a positive impact at SVP:
Warmth, compassion, and genuine care for others
A focus on developing strong, meaningful relationships
A personal commitment to equity and supporting SVP’s diversity, equity, and inclusion commitments
Being a changemaker in the community to ensure that all children thrive
The selection process begins with an open call for nominations in June followed by an initial review by Sarah’s parents, SVP Partners Ruth and Jerry Cohen. Ruth reflected on the amazing 2021 nominees, “The candidates were all just amazing people, for what they do for SVP and for what they do for the organizations for which they work.”
The finalists were then reviewed by a committee composed of staff, Partners, and other community members. We bestowed the inaugural 2021 award to Sadie Feibel, Deputy Director of Programs for long-time Community Partner Latino Network. Sadie has worked tirelessly to connect children, parents, and schools to create positive change on both an individual and systemic level. In her role, Sadie leads school-based programs for underserved children and families of color in Portland.
Jerry presented the award to Sadie: “We want to thank you for representing the ideals of this award, along with all the nominees, but in particular you stood out as someone who carries forward that spirit. Somewhere up there, and around us, is that energy of Sarah, and you're carrying it forth. We so appreciate what you're doing, how you continue to carry that spirit.”
Sadie shared her thoughts on being selected: “Ruth and Jerry, thank you for this tremendous honor. Thank you most of all for sharing Sarah with all of us. Her light and her example can continue to inspire us to be kind to one another while we fight this long fight for a better world for all of our children, where all of our children can feel that same joy that we know lived in Sarah, and that we felt in every interaction with her. So thank you for this and thank you to SVP… The work of loving and teaching and preparing our youngest children for success is so close to my heart and I stand here in gratitude with all of you.”
Legacy
Please consider a contribution to the The Sarah Cohen-Doherty Memorial Fund, dedicated to SVP Portland’s goal that all children have access to high-quality, culturally-relevant early learning experiences. Donations to this fund will support early childhood literacy, quality preschool, and advocacy. We cannot think of a better way to celebrate Sarah’s life than to continue the work to which she was so committed.