Inside the Investees

(From the June 2004 Newsletter)

SVP Portland is very proud of the excellent organizations we have invested in during our first three years. These include Morrison Child and Family Services, Metropolitan Family Service, the Free Clinic of Southwest Washington, and Children's Relief Nursery (formerly Portland Relief Nursery; please see article below). Altogether our investees represent over $500,000 and hundreds of hours of volunteer time donated by SVP Partners--as well as significant cash and in-kind donations from other individuals, businesses, foundations and government sources, generated by SVPP involvement.

The newest SVPP venture is Kids Cafe. This is a national initiative, established locally by the Boys and Girls Club of Portland in their Blazers' Club facility. This Kids Cafe serves hundreds of hot meals each week to low-income children attending the Club's after-school and summer programs.

Working together, the Boys and Girls Club and Social Venture Partners have secured funding that includes $130,000 from SVPP, and $200,000 from the Meyer Memorial Trust, to open a Kids Cafe at its Wattles Club in Southeast Portland.

The new Kids Cafe will have its grand opening celebration on July 13th, to which all Partners are cordially invited. SVPP Board Chair Jeff Grubb and Kids Cafe Lead Partner Mike Maerz will participate in the ribbon-cutting. Come tour the facility and join in celebrating this new resource in our community! Please see the Calendar for details.

Meanwhile SVPP is continuing to work with the Boys and Girls Club to open a Kids Cafe at their Hillsboro Club, and to expand service at their Blazers' Club.

SVP's involvement in this successful effort, hailed as an innovative model for addressing needs in the community, was the brainchild of our 2003 Investment Team. We expect to field a new Investment Team in 2004. Partners interested in joining the Team please email Miriam.