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.

Macdonald Center holds Annual Volunteer Celebration

Macdonald Center hosted its annual Volunteer Appreciation event on May 25 in the Center’s Hospitality Room.  Over 30 volunteers enjoyed coffee and cake and inspirational remarks by Evelyn Gerardo Challis, Director of Mission Integration and Spiritual Formation at Providence Health and Services. Marylee King, Center Director, reported that 374 volunteers provided 17,547 hours of service last year, the equivalent of 8 full-time employees!

Evelyn joined us in thanking our volunteers for their service to the forgotten poor. She praised us for providing a place of belonging and a sense of community for so many people in Old Town.  “No one is forgotten…. everyone counts…… everything matters” was one of many poems shared during the celebration.

To the 344 volunteers who could not join us this afternoon, THANK YOU for the generous ways you have shared your time and energy with the Macdonald Center! 

$10 tickets are still available. You'll save 10-20% off almost everything at Macy's (at Washington Square Mall only) tomorrow, plus you'll also receive an additional $10 off one purchase of $25 or more.

Coupons are only good tomorrow, Saturday, May 14th, at the Washington Square Mall Macy's.

The total cost of the $10 ticket goes directly to support Macdonald Center's programs and services.  (tickets are not tax-deductible.)

So stop by the Center office today (at 605 NW Couch Street) and ask the staff to get you a ticket for a great deal and a great cause!

Ed Mosey Recognized for Service on the Board of Directors

Outgoing board member Ed Mosey was recognized for his dedication and service on the Macdonald Center Board of Directors to a standing-room only crowd at the Arlington Club on April 26.  Ed served on the board for nine years, from 2002 to 2010, and took on many leadership roles including Chair of the Board. He was instrumental in guiding the board through many transitions and helped secure the future of the organization. During his tenure, the organization acquired Outreach in Burnside and preserved an important social service program for the mentally ill in Old Town. He also led the board in making the decision to purchase the West Hotel which will be turned into affordable housing for the working poor this July.

Jeff Yandle, current Chair of the Board, hosted the ceremony at the Arlington Club.  Fellow board members, including Tom DeJardin and Peter Burger, reflected on Ed’s dedication and commitment to Macdonald Center.  Many board members were recruited personally by Ed and credit him for the opportunity to make a difference for the forgotten poor in our community.  Father Dick Berg was also in attendance at the ceremony and shared his memories of working with Ed Mosey at the Center.

Thank  you Ed Mosey!

Are you a poet?

Then you could help Macdonald Center win a grant up to $10,000 and a song made from the poem!

The CTK Foundation is asking for grant submissions of a very different kind: 

a 4-8 line poem that reflects Macdonald Center's mission. The poem chosen by us for grant submission will also be included in our next newsletter along with a brief writer’s bio.

Please submit your poem to sw@macdcenter.org before March 23rd.  Good luck and have fun!