PORTLAND, Ore. −
Inspired by the community’s growing need for funding, the Portland Beavers and Portland Timbers today announced the teams have donated $30,000 in grants to six non-profit organizations through the Portland Beavers & Portland Timbers Community Fund (PBPTCF).
In partnership with Nike, Ross Electric and Spirit Mountain Casino, the PBPTCF gifted the PGE Foundation’s Community 101, Friends of the Children-Portland, Girl Scouts of Oregon and SW Washington, Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation, Oregon Children’s Theatre and Special Olympics Oregon through the foundation’s annual spring grant program.
Grant funding distributed to these organizations will go towards projects that support charitable initiatives in the Portland community, strengthen youth outdoor education programs, create scholarships for low-income youth and families to participate in camps and recreational activities and health research.
In its second year of giving, the PBPTCF aims to donate upwards of $100,000 to local organizations and projects. The $30,000 distributed through the spring grants is the first step towards reaching another aggressive giving goal set for 2009.
“Our dedication to community involvement is truly one of the founding components of our mission, and the Portland Beavers & Portland Timbers Community Fund is a significant part of our outreach efforts,” said
Merritt Paulson
, owner and president of the Beavers and Timbers. “I am thrilled that we are able to help impact the lives of children and families through support of these exceptional organizations.”
The PBPTCF was officially launched in January 2008 to support local, charitable non-profits in one of Portland’s four surrounding counties – Multnomah, Washington, Clackamas and Clark County in southwest Washington. The foundation donated more than $100,000 in its first year.
Focusing on youth education – specifically the K-12 grade levels – youth baseball, softball and soccer-related projects, childhood health and fitness and environmental awareness, the Beavers and Timbers have a goal of becoming the largest team community fund in either Triple-A Baseball or United Soccer Leagues and awarding $125,000 or more annually.
As professional sports organizations, the Beavers and Timbers are uniquely positioned to have a positive impact on the surrounding community. The mission of the PBPTCF is to make the quality of life better for children and families in the greater Portland area. The Beavers and Timbers strive to reach this goal through focused giving each year, as well as dedication to strengthening the bond between the teams and their fans through extensive community outreach.
In addition to the Community Fund, the Beavers and Timbers continue to partner with a number of causes and organizations in an ever-increasing community outreach effort. The Beavers and Timbers actively support thousands of community groups through donations to various fundraising events over the course of the year and look forward to continuing the tradition in the years to come.
For more information about how the PBPTCF can help your organization, please visit
www.portlandbeavers.com
or
www.portlandtimbers.com
and or contact Sierra Smith, community outreach manager, at ssmith@pgepark.com.
