Ruby Ramirez Receives 2025 Sarah Cohen-Doherty Community Impact Award

At this year’s SVP Portland Summer Social, we had the honor of presenting the 2025 Sarah Cohen-Doherty Community Impact Award to Ruby Ramirez, a champion for equity in early childhood and a vital force in SVP’s work through her role on our Portfolio Management Team.

Ruby serves as a Program Officer at Oregon Community Foundation, where her leadership and advocacy are grounded in deep community connection and an unwavering commitment to equity. Across her roles, she leads with heart and clarity, helping to reshape systems that support children and families.

Reflecting on the award, Ruby shared:

“I only had a few chances to connect with Sarah, but it was always clear that we shared a passion for reducing disparities and building equitable early learning environments. Like me, Sarah deeply believed that all children - regardless of ethnicity, income, religion, gender, or zip code - deserve access to high-quality, culturally relevant early learning experiences.

Today, my work continues to focus on moving our early learning system forward. I’ve witnessed the transformational impact of SVP’s capacity-building efforts and the strong, trust-based relationships SVP fosters with Community Partners. Thank you all for doing this work collectively to create real, lasting change.”

About the Award

The Community Impact Award was created in 2021 to honor the legacy of Sarah Cohen-Doherty, a former SVP Portland staff member and visionary leader who passed away in 2020. Sarah was known for her fierce belief in community-led change, her courage to challenge the status quo, and her deep relationships across Portland’s early childhood ecosystem.

Each year, the award recognizes someone in the SVP community who exemplifies the values Sarah embodied:

• Genuine care for others

• A focus on developing meaningful relationships

• A personal commitment to equity

• A changemaker in the community who works to ensure that all children thrive

Ruby embodies all of these, and more. In Carolina Castaneda del Rio’s words, SVP Director of Community Impact:

“Ruby’s presence on SVP’s Portfolio Management Team has brought invaluable insight, accountability, and wisdom to our grantmaking. She listens with care, acts with intention, and leads with a deep sense of shared purpose - all qualities that Sarah embodied in her own work.”

Please join us in celebrating Ruby Ramirez and her extraordinary impact. We are so lucky to be in this work alongside her.

Pictured here: Sarah’s Parents Jerry and Ruth Cohen, Award Recipient Ruby Ramirez, SVP Portland Executive Director Lauren Johnson