Sometimes you’re presented with an opportunity that you can’t pass up. One such opportunity means that Darren Davidson will be leaving the staff of SVP Portland this Fall. While we are sad to see him go, we also understand (and celebrate) that he is doing what is best for himself and his family. In Darren’s words, “It has been a privilege to work for an organization – and more profoundly with a group of people – so dedicated to having a positive, lasting impact on their community. It is the audacity of the vision and uniqueness of the model that brought me to SVP, but I stayed for the mission and the people.”

We revised our strategic framework this year so that we are well positioned to meet the moment and embrace future opportunities. “The priorities of our refreshed strategic framework build upon the work we’ve done as engaged philanthropists for the past two decades, what we’ve learned to be most effective, and what today’s moment demands of us,” says Board President Bob Tate. “Explicitly centering our Community Partners and our commitment to equity and social justice in everything we do underpins our vision of a step-change in impact while remaining steadfast in our focus on early childhood education."

SVP Portland is happy to announce that Cristina Melinte has joined our team as the new Encore Fellows Program Coordinator! “I am excited about this role because I love knowledge-sharing and community-building,” says Cristina. “I look forward to having honest and authentic conversations with the Encore Fellows to vet out their passions and help match them with organizations that will ensure a mutually-fulfilling fellowship experience.”

For Multnomah County Preschool for All, SVP Portland helped build relationships between key stakeholders, and collaborated with cross-sector allies to design the policy and drive the campaign. All young children in Washington County also deserve positive early learning experiences, which is why we joined the Washington County Preschool for All effort by providing a grant for the first phase of planning and serving on the task force. Our hope was to get the universal pre-K measure on the Washington County ballot this year, but we are disappointed to share with you that this will not be the case. We will pivot to a new strategy to collect signatures to qualify Preschool for All for the November 2024 ballot.

At SVP, we are committed to advancing racial equity because race and ethnicity play an outsized role in determining kindergarten readiness and because we know that equity is essential for building a strong, vibrant community. One way that you can advance racial equity is to educate yourself and others about issues impacting communities of color. When we begin with personal learning and reflection, we can realize our individual responsibility, and better understand how we can work collectively to make positive social change. SVP Partners and staff share what they have been reading, listening to, and watching as a part of their personal equity journeys. We hope this will inspire you!

ASK is an educational nonprofit organization in the Portland-metro area, founded 30 years ago by Bob Strickland, a Black veteran of the Air Force and leader in Portland’s African American community. It’s mission is to create equity through aerospace STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, and Math) education, with a focus on youth of color, girls, and economically disadvantaged students aged 10 to 21. Since Helen worked on automated vehicles and autonomous aerial systems at Intel before she retired, and because she was familiar with ASK through her involvement as a TeenFlight parent, the organization was a natural fit for her Encore Fellowship. Dan Perich has been passionate about aviation for his whole life, even earning a private pilot’s license, so ASK’s focus on aerospace and education was enticing when he retired from Intel.

A few months ago, our Community Partner, the Center for African Immigrants & Refugees Organization (CAIRO), forecast a need for $150,000 in cash to ensure program continuity, bridging the period between program service delivery and reimbursement from the Oregon Department of Education for an award CAIRO had been granted but had not yet received. The Finance Team responded by fast-tracking a Bridge Funding framework that allows us to be true to our mission and responsive to our Community Partners. The Finance Team quickly and thoughtfully approved an advance to cover CAIRO’s immediate cash need.

Jim Mauceri joined the Latino Network team as an Encore Fellow and the Capital Campaign Coordinator in September of 2021. "To say it has been a rewarding experience would be an understatement. The coordinator role has me involved in all aspects of the campaign, including fundraising, donor research, meeting coordination, event management, special projects, and liaison duties with the project team and Latino Network leadership. I have a newfound, fundamental understanding of how the nonprofit, public, and private sectors can intersect and create lasting change. I also enjoyed the opportunity to play a role in the production of our capital campaign video. The campaign represents an incredible team of people united in their desire to make La Plaza Esperanza a reality. The work is fulfilling, and I am humbled to play a small role."

Partners ask how they can stay connected to SVP – to learn about the work we are doing with our Community Partners, and how fellow Partners are engaged. Subscribing to and reading the newsletter is just one way to hear our stories. Read this post to discover other ways to stay in the loop!

Through our partnership with the Center for Equity and Inclusion (CEI), SVP Partner Leah Fox had the opportunity to attend their Facilitator Intensive training. "We learned numerous ways to frame conversations, build relationships, and coach leaders that have far-reaching impact. I've already begun to implement them in my personal life and can easily see ways in which they apply to my role at SVP and in my career."

We are sad to announce that due to sudden and unexpected personal circumstances, Rose will be leaving SVP to focus on family responsibilities. Since joining SVP in April 2019, Rose has been an invaluable and inspiring member of our team and the SVP community. Her leadership and coordination of Partner time and resources has ensured successful engagement with 20 Community Partners, and her grant work has secured hundreds of thousands of dollars revenue for SVP, the Equity Collaborative, and Community Partners. As disappointed as we are to see her go, we fully support the transition she’s making to care for her family.

A few years ago, Fran Hanchek’s wife gave him a gift certificate for the Model T driving school offered at the Western Antique Aeroplane & Automobile Museum (WAAAM) in Hood River. It is not every day that you get the chance to go back in time and get hands-on experience operating an old car. So when Fran retired from Intel in 2020, he knew exactly where he wanted to do his Encore Fellowship. Fran highly recommends the Encore Fellowship program: “My experience has been fantastic! The Fellowship provided a great transition from full employment to retirement, giving structure to my day. I learned some great skills that had been on my list to explore.”

I’m beyond excited that we’re on the verge of launching our first official dynamic team! As we’ve shared previously, this will explore one aspect of our broader governance evolution strategy toward being a more equitable, diverse, and inclusive organization. Feedback from Community Partner interviews and surveys last year urged SVP to clarify and strengthen our policy, advocacy, and influence roles. Therefore, our initial dynamic team will focus on the reality that culturally-specific organizations aren’t sufficiently resourced to prioritize policy and advocacy work. The team will determine how SVP can help clarify root issues and identify potential solutions, and then champion these to influence the flow of resources.

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. At SVP, Sarah was energized about addressing systemic issues in the field of early learning, with a lens on the impact of our work. We were devastated when Sarah passed away unexpectedly in July 2020. Sarah was truly loved and has been profoundly missed. Her indelible mark on SVP will never be forgotten.

The SVP team is excited to announce that Dylan Hall joined SVP Portland as our new Relationship Manager! “I am deeply passionate about serving the community of Portland in ways that significantly contribute to increasing the cultural and creative diversity of the city in profound ways,” says Dylan. “I dream of a Portland where traditionally-marginalized communities become the voices of leadership and change, and I believe with the right focus we can become the epicenter of a powerful, cultural paradigm shift. I couldn't be more excited and humbled to join this team and get to work doing exactly that!”

This year we extended and adapted our unique partnership with the Center for Equity and Inclusion (CEI). CEI is a specialized consulting agency focused on advancing equity, diversity, and inclusion efforts within organizations, education systems, and communities. Since our partnership launched in 2019, SVP has been a resource and capacity building partner for CEI, and CEI provides us trainings and consultation that help advance our equity work.

In November 2020, we celebrated a major victory: Multnomah County voters approved the Preschool for All (PFA) ballot measure. When fully implemented, PFA will provide free preschool for all 3- and 4-year olds in the county, though there is still significant work to be done to make this a reality. A September 2021 report (produced by SVP) detailed numerous, interwoven, and entrenched challenges and barriers for child care providers in Multnomah County that want to expand or establish new child care facilities. To address these needs and ensure that all children in the county have access to preschool, SVP Partners and collaborators recently launched the Child Care Facilities Initiative (CCFI), with the goal of shifting the Portland-metro child care facilities market to more efficiently and effectively connect supply and demand with minimal subsidies and interventions.

KairosPDX honored former SVP Partner Wendy Weissman at their annual Spread the Love Gala event this year. Wendy is the recipient of the 2022 KairosPDX Ambassador Service Award for her work with KairosPDX as an SVP Lead Partner for several years, and her unwavering commitment to the children in our community. SVP was a seed investor and early champion for KairosPDX well before the school officially opened almost 10 years ago. Wendy recalled “believing in their mission as well as the founders’ exceptional skills, passion, and vision.” She was able to apply her capacity-building skills, strategic planning abilities, and organizational development experience as a coach and mentor for KairosPDX as they built their organization.

Seven years ago, tragedy struck Kathmandu in central Nepal. A major earthquake killed 9,000 people and damaged or destroyed a half million structures, including thousands of classrooms. In response, the Nepali Association of Oregon (NAO) partnered with Intel volunteers to start a Rebuilding Schools for Nepal initiative. Julie Chang was one of the Intel employees who had the opportunity to not only volunteer, but travel to Nepal to assess how best to support the individuals and organizations during the rebuilding process. Julie’s passion to promote education in South Asia continued through the years. When she retired from Intel after 15 years of working in IT and the final 5 years with Sales and Marketing (SMG), she naturally chose an Encore Fellowship with NAO.