Thorns FC donates $140,000 to four player-selected local charities from semifinal ticket profits

Portland Thorns FC have donated $140,000 to four local charities from the Oct. 23 semifinal ticket profits, the club announced today. Thorns FC players selected Girls on the Run, Girls Inc., SHE FLIES and Street Soccer USA as the benefiting recipients of $35,000 each.

Girls on the Run is a transformational physical activity based positive youth development program for girls in 3rd-8th grade, teaching life skills through dynamic, interactive lessons and running games. The program culminates with the girls being physically and emotionally prepared to complete a celebratory 5K running event. The goal of the program is to unleash confidence through accomplishment while establishing a lifetime appreciation of health and fitness.

Girls Inc. of the Pacific Northwest provides life-changing programs and experiences for youth ages 6-18 that help them grow up healthy, educated, and independent. In partnership with schools throughout Portland, Seattle and SW Washington, they focus on holistic youth development. The combination of long-lasting mentoring relationships, a pro-girl inclusive environment, and research-based programming equips young people to navigate gender, economic, and social barriers, and grow up healthy, educated, and independent.

SHE FLIES is an initiative under the Sport Oregon Foundation umbrella working to support, engage, and celebrate girls and women in sport across Oregon. With a mission to connect girls and women across Oregon to sports, SHE FLIES creates inclusive communities through programs, partnerships and networks, making sport a welcoming place for all — all body types, all races, all ages, all income levels.

Fighting poverty and strengthening communities through soccer, Street Soccer USA believes everyone deserves to grow and develop within the supportive context of a team. Street Soccer USA emphasizes developing self-determined problem solvers, team players and community leaders and surrounds them with the support and opportunities necessary to achieve their goals in life.

Honored as one of Portland Business Journal’s top corporate philanthropic businesses of 2022, the Portland Timbers and Thorns FC have donated more than $550,000 to charities this year. In April, the club hosted PTFC For Peace, a mixed squad Timbers-Thorns scrimmage that raised more than $600,000 for UNICEF in Ukraine. The club has also dedicated over 1,220 player, staff and supporter volunteer hours this year, and since 2012, our annual Stand Together Week has mobilized 6,875 volunteers to provide the Portland metro area with 22,464 hours of service at more than 302 events benefiting youth, women and the environment.