Thank you to all who attended and supported Macdonald Center's 5th Annual Hope in the Heart of Portland event on Saturday April 27, 2013- held at the Atrium at Montgomery Park. Over 200 guests attended and we have raised over $50,000 that will be generously matched by the Maybelle Clark Macdonald Fund. Check back soon for a full story on the event and in the meantime, take a look at our event pictures!

Thank you to our 2013 event Sponsors!

Match Sponsor
Maybelle Clark Macdonald Fund

Presenting Sponsor
US Bank

Champion of Hope Sponsor
Natt McDougall Company

Patron Sponsors
Becker Capital Management
Oregon Health & Sciences University
University of Portland

Bistro Table Sponsors
Bateman Seidel
Convergence Networks
First Republic Investment Management,
Food Services of America
Guardian Real Estate Services
Income Property Management
JD Fulwiler & Company
LMC Construction
Mount Angel Abbey
NW Natural
Northwest Resource Federal Credit Union
Providence Health & Services
Rick Harris CPA
The Boeing Company

Marylee King is retiring after 8+ years at Macdonald Center. Join us in honoring her time and energy and wishing her well on her next adventure!

Thursday March 28^th

2-4pm

Macdonald Center

121 NW 6^th Ave

Light refreshments will be served.

 

If you are unable to attend but would like to send Marylee a note they can be mailed to 121 NW 6^th Ave Portland, OR 97209.

For questions, contact Sarah Knuth at 971-202-7451 or sk@macdcenter.org.

Grand Opening Celebration of Macdonald West

Where Dreams Come True

December 6 at 4:00 p.m. – 121 NW 6^th Ave

Presentations at 5:00 pm

 

Macdonald Center will host a Grand Opening Celebration on December 6 to commemorate the completion and opening of the seven story Macdonald West.  Macdonald West will house the expanded service hub for the Center’s outreach and support services for low-income individuals and 42 units of affordable housing for the working poor in the Old Town community.

The support of the community, the city, the county, and the state during a very difficult economic climate, combined with Macdonald Center’s loyal donors over the past twenty years, provided the resources and energy to make this project a reality. LRS Architects and Howard S. Wright have lead the design and construction teams for what will become safe and secure housing for the working poor.  The studio apartments will provide affordable housing for low-wage workers earning up to 60% of area median income.

The capital campaign to raise the remaining funds for the project – Building a More Connected Community – has also achieved a major milestone with nearly $12 million raised for the construction costs and a program investment fund.  Major contributors to date include Meyer Memorial Trust, HEDCO Foundation, Ann and Bill Swindells Charitable Trust, The Collins Foundation and a bequest from Maybelle Clark Macdonald. 

The Grand Opening Ceremony, Macdonald West: Where Dreams Come True, will celebrate the history of the building site including the 106 year old West Hotel and music venue legend, the Satyricon, as well as the positive momentum and bright future of the Center and Old Town Chinatown Community. Speakers at the ceremony will include: Pat Janik, Macdonald Center Executive Director; Father Richard Berg, CSC, Macdonald Center founder and former Executive Director; and Multnomah County Commissioner, Nick Fish.

The Grand Opening Ceremony will begin at 4:00 pm; presentations will begin at 5:00 p.m. and the event will conclude at 6:00 p.m.  Please call 503-222-5720 ext 7445 for more information.

Macdonald Center is seeking passionate and invested board and committee members to join our leadership team! This is a wonderful volunteer opportunity that is essential to the Center. This is an exciting time in the history of the organization, with a second facility scheduled to be operational in November 2012, and growth in the center’s programs that help low-income individuals.  Please take a look at the following information and consider this opportunity for yourself, or another individual that you think would make a great candidate.

Demographics of the people we serve

• Primarily low-income adults and seniors, with an age range of 22 to 82
• 15% live in the Macdonald Residence – an assisted living facility for people dependent on Medicaid
• The other 85% live in substandard housing in Old Town and downtown Portland or are homeless
• 66% are male; 34% are female
• 60-70% suffer from mental or physical disabilities
• All  are socially isolated and have limited or no contact with family or friends

 Core Metrics

• 54 residents in the Macdonald Center’s Assisted Living Residence
• 350 people served each week through our three main programs
• 80 individuals receiving financial payee services through our Independent Living Services program
• 374 volunteers contributing 17,547 hours of volunteer service each year

 

Helpful characteristics for those looking to join the board include…

• Commitment and passion for serving the underserved
• Prior board experience
• Prior not for profit experience
• Willingness to actively participate in fundraising and friend-raising
• Media and government contacts and/or influence
• Well connected
• Public relations, marketing, communications
• Corporate and community leaders
• Planned giving, legacy
• Human resources experience
• High net worth contacts
• Implementers

To express your interest in joining the Macdonald Center board, please email Pat Janik at pj@macdcenter.org, with your resume and a little background on your skills/interests in regards to the center.

Construction is well underway for Macdonald Center's expansion project which is set to be completed in November 2012. The Daily Journal of Commerce provides a construction update and takes a look at the challenges and extra work involved when building in a tight space. Check out the full article here!

You can check out Oregon Business Journal's video (we're one of only a handful of non-profits highlighted in the video) here or cut and paste this link into your browser. http://www.oregonbusiness.com/articles/104-october-2011/5961-video-100-best-nonprofits-2011

 

 

Groundbreaking Celebration for Macdonald Center's new Service Hub and Affordable Housing

The groundbreaking ceremony will begin at 2:00 p.m.; presentations will begin at 2:30 p.m. and the event will conclude at 3:30 p.m.  Please call 503-222-5720 ext 6 for more information about attending the private ceremony.

Macdonald Center will host a private groundbreaking ceremony on September 8 to commemorate the start of construction on an expanded service hub for the Center’s outreach and support services for low-income individuals and 42 units of affordable housing for the Old Town community in a new seven-story structure.

The project to replace the 106-year old West Hotel became possible when the organization’s founders and developers placed a right-of-first-refusal on the property adjacent to Macdonald Center’s existing service center and 54-bed assisted living residence. This one action, twenty years ago, protected the site for future development that would benefit the vulnerable and forgotten poor that Macdonald Center serves in Old Town.

The support of the community, the city, the county and the state during a very difficult economic climate, combined with Macdonald Center’s loyal donors over the past twenty years, provided the resources and energy to make this project a reality. The generous support of Maybelle Clark Macdonald, whom the Center is named after, and the fiscal responsibility of the Center’s board of directors created the conditions and the foundation for this major construction project.  Then, in August 2010, Macdonald Center was named as one of two organizations in the tri-county area to receive the maximum allowable award of Federal Low Income Housing Tax Credits through Oregon Housing and Community Services, generating more than $8 million in project development funding. 

 LRS Architects and Howard S. Wright are leading the design and construction teams for what will become safe and secure housing for the working poor.  Demolition of the existing structure at 127 NW 6^th Avenue has been completed and the new building will be finished by November 2012.  The studio apartments will provide affordable housing for low-wage workers earning up to 60% of area median income. The combination of affordable housing and expanded social services will provide a unique “continuum of care” to the neighborhood.

The capital campaign to raise the remaining funds for the project – Building a More Connected Community – has also achieved a major milestone with more than $11 million raised for the construction costs and a program investment fund.  The campaign goal is to raise $12 million by fall 2012. Major contributors to date include Meyer Memorial Trust, The Collins Foundation and a bequest from Maybelle Clark Macdonald.  Two new grants will be announced at the ceremony: $100,000 from Ann & Bill Swindells Charitable Trust and a $235,000 challenge grant from the HEDCO Foundation.

Speakers at the ceremony will include:  Jeff Yandle, Macdonald Center Board President; Father Richard Berg, Macdonald Center founder and former executive director;  Margaret Van Vliet, Director, Portland Housing Bureau; Multnomah County Commissioner Deborah Kafoury; and Peter Burger, Macdonald Center Board Member and Capital Campaign Chair.

Join us for a presentation and discussion with

Dr. Karen Cameron

University of Portland Nursing Professor and Macdonald Center Friend

 

“Giving Voice to Older Homeless Women with Depression.”

Stories, Challenges, Recommendations for Care, Further Research and Policy Development

 

Thursday August 11^th

3:30-4:30pm

Macdonald Center

605 NW Couch St Portland OR 97209

 

For questions or to RSVP please contact Marylee King at mk@macdcenter.org or  503 222-5720 ext 3

Thomas (Tom) DeJardin was recognized for his many years of dedication and hard work.

Smiles and laughter filled the center and courtyard last night as Macdonald Center honored Tom DeJardin both for his service as a Board Member and as one of the Founders of the Center. Tom served on the Board from 1994 until July of 2011 and was the first Director of the Center.  His vision, along with that of Fr. Richard Berg and Mary Sue Richen helped bring Macdonald Center to life 20 years ago.  During his tenure he has seen the Center grow from a dream in the basement of the Downtown Chapel, to building the only Medicaid funded Assisted Living facility in Oregon.  And now, at the end of his direct service, the Macdonald Center is embarking on a new adventure, building a new Center and low-income housing right in the heart of Portland’s Old Town/Chinatown community.  Tom’s knowledge of the community, his guidance and dedication has seen the Center through these changes, but it is his sense of humor that will likely be missed most.

Jeff Yandle, current Board President, Fr. Richard Berg, C.S.C., Macdonald Center’s founder, Pat Janik, current Executive Director and Marylee King, current Center Director all spoke of Tom’s passion for the people we serve.  Fr. Berg and Tom told stories about the early days and the trials of trying to create a non-profit that is truly different and truly makes a difference in the lives of so many.

Volunteers in Action

Two of our wonderful volunteers - Tim and Margaret - were interviewed for KATU's 'Everyday Heroes' segment, which aired Friday, June 24th.  If you missed it, you can watch it by clicking here.

Please share the link with friends - it's a great way to introduce the Macdonald Center and our work to new people.

Thank you to Tim and Margaret and all of the volunteers who take the time to reach out and be a part of our lives and the lives of those most in need in our community.