PORTLAND, Ore. −
Motivated by the community’s growing need for funding, the Portland Beavers and Portland Timbers today announced that they have donated $36,000 in their first round of spring grants through the newly formed Portland Beavers & Portland Timbers Community Fund (PBPTCF).
In partnership with Nike and Ross Electric, the PBPTCF was officially launched in January 2008 to support local, charitable non-profits in one of the four surrounding counties of the Portland metro area – Multnomah, Washington, Clackamas and Clark County in southwest Washington – and has set an aggressive goal of donating 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 obesity and environmental awareness, the PBPTCF has awarded $36,000 to nine different organizations with its spring grants. Organizations to directly benefit from the PBPTCF efforts include: Friends of Baseball, Boy Scouts of America, Portland City United Soccer Club, Peninsula Little League, Self Enhancement, Inc. (SEI), Big Brothers Big Sisters, Evergreen Little League, The Shadow Project and Incight.
Grant funding went to projects to rebuild baseball and softball fields, replace equipment ruined by floods, help facilitate the transition between education and employment for those with disabilities, mentoring and educational scholarship opportunities.
The Beavers and Timbers hope to eventually donate upwards of $150,000 annually, with a goal of becoming the largest team community fund in either Triple-A Baseball or United Soccer Leagues First Division soccer. As professional sports organizations, the Beavers and Timbers are uniquely positioned to have a positive impact on their surrounding community, and the creation of the community fund will be a key component in the effort to maximize outreach initiatives.
“There is nothing more important to our core mission than the Portland Beavers & Portland Timbers Community Fund,” said Merritt Paulson, owner and president of the teams. “I am delighted that we are making a meaningful difference to such exceptional, youth-focused organizations as Friends of Baseball, Incight, Evergreen Little League, Peninsula Little League, The Shadow Project, Big Brothers Big Sisters, Portland City United Soccer Club, SEI and Cascade Pacific Council Boy Scouts of America.”
The Beavers and Timbers’ community mission 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.
Prior to the official launch of the PBPTCF in January 2008, preliminary donations in 2007 ranged from $10,000 to Hollywood Little League’s baseball-field project to $5,000 to the Oregon State University Foundation for scholarships.
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 click on the Community section.
