(From the July 2008 newsletter)
You are getting a bird's-eye view here of SVPP maturing. As our seventh anniversary rolls around, we are looking deeply at our effectiveness in engaging Partners in philanthropy and leveraging our contributions in nonprofits through an extensive strategic planning process. We’re also adding new marketing tools, including our redesigned Web site: www.svpportland.org. But we can also celebrate great success, as you can read below. Our Partners helped establish a model for parental engagement in Portland schools that is being expanded. Some Partners have made a very direct impact on the lives of children in those schools. And we celebrate here new Board members and a renewed grant from OCF. Just watch as we grow and progress!
- Mark Holloway, Executive Director
Parental Engagement Program (PEP) Graduates!
(From the July 2008 Newsletter)
Back in the fall of 2004, the Investment Committee had a strong interest in selecting a project that dealt directly with public schools. After a number of discussions with different organizations dealing with public education in the Portland metropolitan area we finally found a way. Through guidance from the Portland Schools Foundation and the vision of John Horn, then principal at Kelly Elementary school, the Parental Engagement Program – PEP – was born.
Now,
almost four years later, we are proud of what has been accomplished in terms of measurable change and impact in the two schools selected for PEP, Kelly and Clark Elementary Schools in southeast Portland. At Kelly, major improvements were made in volunteer recruitment, parent attendance to school conferences and events, Latino parents’ involvement and room parents for every grade. In addition, we tracked the progress of 25 children belonging to these engaged parents and there was dramatic progress in their reading scores. At Clark, parental involvement was significantly increased through a major event per trimester including Reading Night with well-known author Eric Kimmel, and Science Night with the OMSI travelling lab.
The School Advisory Boards established at both schools brought together representatives of the school, community and business enabling Clark and Kelly to address projects that would’ve been impossible for the school alone to address. Both principals have expressed immense gratitude to SVPP for driving these efforts. Sharon Allen, principal at Kelly said, “The project which in my opinion most illustrated a capacity building experience was our playground” referring to the guidance that SVPP provided for the playground fundraising efforts. The new playground was finally installed last month after seven years of discussion! Clark’s Advisory Board expanded the school's Chess Club (see article below), formed a technology committee, and enhanced in-classroom libraries by launching an annual book drive for both Clark and Kelly. Christine Aanderud, principal at Clark, said “PEP enlarged, enhanced and brought a much deeper experience to Clark.”
Although SVPP’s funding of PEP has come to an end, we are delighted that the program will be expanded to cover four schools. This is the truest recognition of the impact of our funds and efforts. As was the case with Kelly, the program will be managed by SUN (Schools Unifying Neighborhoods) and administered by Portland Impact. This is only the beginning; Portland Impact’s goal is to have PEP at 20 SUN schools for the 2009-2010 school year.
For more information about this and other SVPP investments, click here.
Back in the fall of 2004, the Investment Committee had a strong interest in selecting a project that dealt directly with public schools. After a number of discussions with different organizations dealing with public education in the Portland metropolitan area we finally found a way. Through guidance from the Portland Schools Foundation and the vision of John Horn, then principal at Kelly Elementary school, the Parental Engagement Program – PEP – was born.
Now,
almost four years later, we are proud of what has been accomplished in terms of measurable change and impact in the two schools selected for PEP, Kelly and Clark Elementary Schools in southeast Portland. At Kelly, major improvements were made in volunteer recruitment, parent attendance to school conferences and events, Latino parents’ involvement and room parents for every grade. In addition, we tracked the progress of 25 children belonging to these engaged parents and there was dramatic progress in their reading scores. At Clark, parental involvement was significantly increased through a major event per trimester including Reading Night with well-known author Eric Kimmel, and Science Night with the OMSI travelling lab.The School Advisory Boards established at both schools brought together representatives of the school, community and business enabling Clark and Kelly to address projects that would’ve been impossible for the school alone to address. Both principals have expressed immense gratitude to SVPP for driving these efforts. Sharon Allen, principal at Kelly said, “The project which in my opinion most illustrated a capacity building experience was our playground” referring to the guidance that SVPP provided for the playground fundraising efforts. The new playground was finally installed last month after seven years of discussion! Clark’s Advisory Board expanded the school's Chess Club (see article below), formed a technology committee, and enhanced in-classroom libraries by launching an annual book drive for both Clark and Kelly. Christine Aanderud, principal at Clark, said “PEP enlarged, enhanced and brought a much deeper experience to Clark.”
Although SVPP’s funding of PEP has come to an end, we are delighted that the program will be expanded to cover four schools. This is the truest recognition of the impact of our funds and efforts. As was the case with Kelly, the program will be managed by SUN (Schools Unifying Neighborhoods) and administered by Portland Impact. This is only the beginning; Portland Impact’s goal is to have PEP at 20 SUN schools for the 2009-2010 school year.
For more information about this and other SVPP investments, click here.
Chess Leads to Success for Two PEP School Students
(From the July 2008 Newsletter)
The following is a story about how one of our volunteers is making a tremendous impact with his efforts as a part of the Chess for Success program at Clark Elementary School. It is a testament to the power in letting someone know that you care about them. This story is written by Joel Todd, the site manager for our SUN Community School program at Clark Elementary.
Trevor and Matt are the first students known in Clark’s history to make it to the state chess tournament. The question is, why are they the first?
Could it be because until now, there has been no child at Clark smart enough to qualify for the state tournament? That is highly unlikely. It is more likely that the students of Clark rarely had the opportunity to have qualified coaching and a regular place to play. Without Ralph Leftwich, SVPP’s volunteer who coaches the students, the support staff who also assist and a system of after school programming that encourages wide participation, the achievement would likely not have happened.
It is not difficult to imagine what some outcomes might be of this achievement. Matt and Trevor will undoubtedly be filled with a sense of accomplishment. Their classmates that burst with excitement at their accomplishment begin to believe that they, too, might be able to achieve as their classmates have. The news spreads and the students at the school begin to challenge themselves. They also begin to make the connection that if they don’t attend school, they can’t participate. They realize classmates, their school community and their families will celebrate their successes. Before long, it’s not that uncommon for a student or two to make it to the tournament, and thus the expectation of high achievement becomes a regular, everyday expectation.
The parents see their student accomplish a fantastic achievement and are proud of him. They feel validated for being good parents and are glad that Trevor and Matt have found something they are so good at doing. They know the school sees their children are special, unique and to be valued. The parents are more willing to work with the school because they’ve seen the opportunities provided to their sons.
The following is a story about how one of our volunteers is making a tremendous impact with his efforts as a part of the Chess for Success program at Clark Elementary School. It is a testament to the power in letting someone know that you care about them. This story is written by Joel Todd, the site manager for our SUN Community School program at Clark Elementary.
Trevor and Matt are the first students known in Clark’s history to make it to the state chess tournament. The question is, why are they the first?Could it be because until now, there has been no child at Clark smart enough to qualify for the state tournament? That is highly unlikely. It is more likely that the students of Clark rarely had the opportunity to have qualified coaching and a regular place to play. Without Ralph Leftwich, SVPP’s volunteer who coaches the students, the support staff who also assist and a system of after school programming that encourages wide participation, the achievement would likely not have happened.
It is not difficult to imagine what some outcomes might be of this achievement. Matt and Trevor will undoubtedly be filled with a sense of accomplishment. Their classmates that burst with excitement at their accomplishment begin to believe that they, too, might be able to achieve as their classmates have. The news spreads and the students at the school begin to challenge themselves. They also begin to make the connection that if they don’t attend school, they can’t participate. They realize classmates, their school community and their families will celebrate their successes. Before long, it’s not that uncommon for a student or two to make it to the tournament, and thus the expectation of high achievement becomes a regular, everyday expectation.
The parents see their student accomplish a fantastic achievement and are proud of him. They feel validated for being good parents and are glad that Trevor and Matt have found something they are so good at doing. They know the school sees their children are special, unique and to be valued. The parents are more willing to work with the school because they’ve seen the opportunities provided to their sons.
Board Election Results
(From the July 2008 Newsletter)
One great way for SVPP Partners to get involved in shaping the future of our organization is to run for a seat on the board of directors. At our annual meeting in May, we announced the results of this year’s election. Congratulations to Dina Alexander and Megan Leftwich on their election to the board. We also recognize Rance Gregory, Val Ilsley and Les Soltez on being re-elected to another term of board service. Special thanks for the contributions of Rupa Jack and Ralph Leftwich, who ended their terms of board service. If you have an interest in running for a board seat in the future, please contact Dave Smith for more information.
New Board Members,from left to right: Dina Alexander and Megan Leftwich. Learn more about Dina and Megan online at their member profiles.
One great way for SVPP Partners to get involved in shaping the future of our organization is to run for a seat on the board of directors. At our annual meeting in May, we announced the results of this year’s election. Congratulations to Dina Alexander and Megan Leftwich on their election to the board. We also recognize Rance Gregory, Val Ilsley and Les Soltez on being re-elected to another term of board service. Special thanks for the contributions of Rupa Jack and Ralph Leftwich, who ended their terms of board service. If you have an interest in running for a board seat in the future, please contact Dave Smith for more information.
New Board Members,from left to right: Dina Alexander and Megan Leftwich. Learn more about Dina and Megan online at their member profiles.
Oregon Community Foundation Renews SVPP Grant
(From the July 2008 Newsletter)
We are delighted to announce the continuing commitment and support of the Oregon Community Foundation (OCF) with the renewal of our capacity building grant for 2008. The renewal, granted in May of this year, consists of an administrative grant of $20,000 to help us to continue to grow and improve our infrastructure, and a $25,000 contingent grant, available on a dollar-for-dollar basis upon donations received from our Partners above minimum annual contributions. This gift follows OCF’s initial grant, awarded in August 2007, which totaled $60,000—a $35,000 administrative grant and $25,000 matching grant, which allowed us to raise an additional $30,000 in contributions from our Partners. A portion of the contingent grant ($10,000 for 2007 and $15,000 for 2008) is restricted to building a small future reserve for SVPP, with the balance available to fund our marketing and strategic planning efforts currently underway.
SVPP is deeply appreciative of the support of OCF and of all of our partners who are collectively working to help us develop our much-needed infrastructure and staying power that will allow our Partnership to grow and our impact to deepen for years to come. We will be conducting our annual Partnership campaign later this summer to draw on OCF’s second matching gift and increase our impact in the community.
We are delighted to announce the continuing commitment and support of the Oregon Community Foundation (OCF) with the renewal of our capacity building grant for 2008. The renewal, granted in May of this year, consists of an administrative grant of $20,000 to help us to continue to grow and improve our infrastructure, and a $25,000 contingent grant, available on a dollar-for-dollar basis upon donations received from our Partners above minimum annual contributions. This gift follows OCF’s initial grant, awarded in August 2007, which totaled $60,000—a $35,000 administrative grant and $25,000 matching grant, which allowed us to raise an additional $30,000 in contributions from our Partners. A portion of the contingent grant ($10,000 for 2007 and $15,000 for 2008) is restricted to building a small future reserve for SVPP, with the balance available to fund our marketing and strategic planning efforts currently underway.
SVPP is deeply appreciative of the support of OCF and of all of our partners who are collectively working to help us develop our much-needed infrastructure and staying power that will allow our Partnership to grow and our impact to deepen for years to come. We will be conducting our annual Partnership campaign later this summer to draw on OCF’s second matching gift and increase our impact in the community.
Partner Profile: Bill Porter
(From the July 2008 Newsletter)
Bill Porter and his wife Kieren have been SVPP Partners for three years. They have two lovely children: Evan, easy-going at age six, attends Tucker Maxon School and is a bundle of curiosity with interests in everything – he currently aspires to be a Buddhist monk or maybe join the Air Force; and Rosemarie, 18 months, is strong-willed and loves to swim, play in the Tupperware drawer, and go bike riding and camping with her family. Bill and Kieren met in Colorado, where they both worked for the Governor's Office (Bill as education policy aide, lobbyist and policy director and Kieren as a political aide and director of scheduling). They married in 1995 and moved to the Northwest in 1996. They love Portland and plan to stay. Kieren is the director of strategic communications for The Regence Group, the non-profit health insurer of Blue Cross and Blue Shield plans in the Northwest (Idaho, Oregon, Utah and Washington).
Bill is currently in transition. For almost seven years, he served as executive director of Grantmakers for Education, a national professional network that aims to build knowledge and improve effectiveness of educational philanthropy. While he greatly enjoyed his work, Bill recently decided to step into a new set of challenges and create with two friends a new venture, Education First Consulting. The firm's goal is to work with foundations and nonprofit advocacy groups to improve the impact of their efforts in education; the firm's Web site is www.educationfirstconsulting.com. Bill also sees this transition as an opportunity to have more time with his family, with a goal to work 25-30 hours a week and be more involved with his children day-to-day.
Bill referred himself to Social Venture Partners, as he was familiar with the SVP model from his interactions with Paul Shoemaker in Seattle. Bill sees SVPP's work as a nice complement to his professional work, a chance to do grantmaking himself and to localize his connection to the nonprofit community. He served on the Investment Team in 2006, and has been the Lead Partner for CCIP (Childcare Improvement Project) for two years.
In honor of Bill Porter’s service to Grantmakers for Education, their donors gave $900 to SVPP. Thank you, Bill, and good luck with the new venture.
Bill Porter and his wife Kieren have been SVPP Partners for three years. They have two lovely children: Evan, easy-going at age six, attends Tucker Maxon School and is a bundle of curiosity with interests in everything – he currently aspires to be a Buddhist monk or maybe join the Air Force; and Rosemarie, 18 months, is strong-willed and loves to swim, play in the Tupperware drawer, and go bike riding and camping with her family. Bill and Kieren met in Colorado, where they both worked for the Governor's Office (Bill as education policy aide, lobbyist and policy director and Kieren as a political aide and director of scheduling). They married in 1995 and moved to the Northwest in 1996. They love Portland and plan to stay. Kieren is the director of strategic communications for The Regence Group, the non-profit health insurer of Blue Cross and Blue Shield plans in the Northwest (Idaho, Oregon, Utah and Washington).Bill is currently in transition. For almost seven years, he served as executive director of Grantmakers for Education, a national professional network that aims to build knowledge and improve effectiveness of educational philanthropy. While he greatly enjoyed his work, Bill recently decided to step into a new set of challenges and create with two friends a new venture, Education First Consulting. The firm's goal is to work with foundations and nonprofit advocacy groups to improve the impact of their efforts in education; the firm's Web site is www.educationfirstconsulting.com. Bill also sees this transition as an opportunity to have more time with his family, with a goal to work 25-30 hours a week and be more involved with his children day-to-day.
Bill referred himself to Social Venture Partners, as he was familiar with the SVP model from his interactions with Paul Shoemaker in Seattle. Bill sees SVPP's work as a nice complement to his professional work, a chance to do grantmaking himself and to localize his connection to the nonprofit community. He served on the Investment Team in 2006, and has been the Lead Partner for CCIP (Childcare Improvement Project) for two years.
In honor of Bill Porter’s service to Grantmakers for Education, their donors gave $900 to SVPP. Thank you, Bill, and good luck with the new venture.
Welcome to New Partners
(From the July 2008 Newsletter)
Scott Langen
Formerly from the Midwest, Scott is a graduate of Eastern Illinois University, where he studied American Literature. Scott has a background in education and fundraising for nonprofit organizations, including former SVPP investee, Boys & Girls Clubs of Portland. He is currently the Grants Administrator and Corporate Relations Specialist for Human Solutions. Scott found his experience working with SVPP very rewarding and looks forward to expanding his involvement. Reading, the rain and cooking are a few of his favorite things. He shares his life with his partner Alan and two chubby cats.
Joan Hoffman
Joan is a rare native Portlander. For 23 years she has run a small residential Interior Design company, Hoffman/Hubbard Interior Consultants. One of her interiors is the Pittock Mansion. At this time she is semi-retired or “in transition” as she says. She holds her B.F.A. in Printmaking from the University of Oregon. Her son, Hawley Hubbard is 29. He and his wife, Leanna, have a one-year-old son, John. Joan loves to learn and tracks many issues including arts and culture, world politics, local community issues, mental health, homelessness, architecture and garden design. She is very active, enjoying skiing, walking, tennis, cooking, traveling and creates fused glass artwork. Her current plan is to “see the country” and may go by Sprinter van to do some open-ended exploration. She is also looking for a rescue Jack Russell Terrier to bring into her life.
Scott Langen
Formerly from the Midwest, Scott is a graduate of Eastern Illinois University, where he studied American Literature. Scott has a background in education and fundraising for nonprofit organizations, including former SVPP investee, Boys & Girls Clubs of Portland. He is currently the Grants Administrator and Corporate Relations Specialist for Human Solutions. Scott found his experience working with SVPP very rewarding and looks forward to expanding his involvement. Reading, the rain and cooking are a few of his favorite things. He shares his life with his partner Alan and two chubby cats.Joan Hoffman
Joan is a rare native Portlander. For 23 years she has run a small residential Interior Design company, Hoffman/Hubbard Interior Consultants. One of her interiors is the Pittock Mansion. At this time she is semi-retired or “in transition” as she says. She holds her B.F.A. in Printmaking from the University of Oregon. Her son, Hawley Hubbard is 29. He and his wife, Leanna, have a one-year-old son, John. Joan loves to learn and tracks many issues including arts and culture, world politics, local community issues, mental health, homelessness, architecture and garden design. She is very active, enjoying skiing, walking, tennis, cooking, traveling and creates fused glass artwork. Her current plan is to “see the country” and may go by Sprinter van to do some open-ended exploration. She is also looking for a rescue Jack Russell Terrier to bring into her life.
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