It was a great partnership between SVP Portland and Morrison. It served as a role model for many years. In the end, we accomplished all that we had intended. Our biggest impact was actually on the financial side: we put in a new financial system that vastly improved their billing cycles, outsourced their building maintenance (saving $50K/quarter), and revamped their real estate management. Overall we calculated we did all of the above and saved them almost $2 million over the four years. We also contributed many, many hours of volunteer time. I can’t recall the total.

A year ago, we set an extremely ambitious agenda for our capacity-building investment with KairosPDX. Nine generous and expert Partners and one highly talented Encore Fellow joined our team to “roll up our sleeves” across five+ capacity goals. What follows is some of the measurable progress we’ve made so far and what lies ahead for year two.

After an intensive due diligence process, I went before SVP’s Capacity Investment Team with the final investment proposal agreed upon by TPP’s leadership and the SVP investment team. A 9-month, $5,000 investment was approved, including an SVP Partner volunteer effort to help develop a strategic plan, a marketing & communications plan and business plan. We now begin the search for a Lead Partner!

SVP Investee The Children's Book Bank officially launched their A Story Like Mine project with an event at fellow SVP Investee, Kairos PDX with Latino Network and the Native American Youth and Family Center on Multicultural Diversity Day, Monday, October 19. The project is focused on better meeting the needs of the children by making more culturally diverse books available.

In May, a team of SVP Partners and volunteers was formed to partner with Latino Network staff and explore the ways in which Juntos Aprendemos—their early childhood program—could be scaled. Juntos Aprendemos prepares low‐income Spanish‐speaking children for success in kindergarten through classes that promote their cognitive, social, emotional and physical development, while in parent classes their mothers and fathers learn effective ways to support their children’s learning.

I am pleased to share that SVP’s Capacity Investment Team--the group of Partners in charge of overseeing SVP's community investments--has approved the reinvestment proposal co-developed this summer by the Native American Youth and Family Center (NAYA) and the SVP Reinvestment Team. Our investment includes an additional two years of Partner time and expertise and a $50,000 general operating grant ($25,000 each year, contingent upon strong partnership progress).

Adelante Mujeres is excited to announce that our Early Childhood Education (ECE) program is gearing up to serve more children. Our new partnership with the Oregon Child Development Coalition’s (OCDC) Head Start program will allow us to more than double the number of children we serve and expand the services we provide.

One of the key kindergarten readiness strategies that emerged from the Ready for Kindergarten (R4K) Collaborative was Transition to Kindergarten. This strategy has focused on creating an effective transition for children entering kindergarten (particularly those who have received little or no prior formalized childcare or preschool) and to help prepare families and schools for kindergartners.

Kali Ladd is Executive Director of KairosPDX, an education focused non-profit attacking Portland’s persistent achievement gap through innovative pedagogy, community collaboration and family partnership. She recently attended the New Schools Venture Fund 2015 Summit, an annual gathering for education innovation thought leaders. Brené Brown, research professor at the University of Houston Graduate College of Social Work was the keynote speaker and she has spent the past decade studying vulnerability, courage, worthiness and shame. Below are Kali’s reflections.