MAF Commends Elevate Oregon with 2020 Impact Award

The Multnomah Athletic Foundation annually awards more than $100,000 in grants to nonprofit community partners that support youth athletic participation. Each fall, the foundation recognizes one of those partners with the Impact Award, which goes to the organization that best exemplified community collaboration over the last 12 months. The 2020 winner, Elevate Oregon, serves Parkrose, Oregon’s second-most diverse school district. Elevate’s Deputy Director Paul Morris shares how the nonprofit is building relationships and changing lives:

“Here at Elevate Oregon, we address historical disparities experienced by underserved, at-risk Parkrose youth through a community-driven approach of daily connection, wraparound services and innovative teaching strategies. We’re here to give youth, who face a myriad of obstacles to success, a fighting chance to reach their dreams. We work toward those solutions every day with in-school classes as well as after-school and summer programming.

Our Ninth Grade Counts program offers incoming ninth graders a fun and engaging experience getting a jump on their high school career, and includes a 0.5 credit upon completion. Students meet with Elevate Teacher Mentors and Parkrose staff to get academic support in English and math, future planning, peer bonding and field trips in and around Portland.

We know kids need to be healthy to be at their best academically. In our summer and after-school programs, students don’t just get a leg up on their academic and professional lives, they get outside for some fun healthy activities, time in nature and playing sports! Last year, the Multnomah Athletic Foundation’s partnership funded Elevate’s free summer program, including a basketball camp, which helped kids learn resiliency, bond with their peers, develop or continue healthy habits, prepare for the school year and build community.

Our focus on self-sufficiency, resilience and integrity instills a positive work ethic and a career-minded attitude in students who often lack the role models who can help them carve a path to success. Last year’s African American Career Day Panel was a highlight for me in this area. Ten Black Portland professionals led small roundtable discussions with youth, engaging in insightful conversations and sharing their pathway to success. The all-star speaker lineup included individuals from Wieden & Kennedy, Intel, the Portland Police Bureau, the National Association of Minority Contractors, Multnomah County Education Service District, the City of Portland Office of Human Rights and Allianz Global Investors.

Each panelist volunteered their time because they know what it’s like to be a student of color in a school district where teachers often don’t look like their students. Currently 67 percent of Parkrose students and 92 percent of Elevate students are youth of color, while 87 percent of their teachers are white. The challenges that confront Elevate students put them at significant risk. We know it can take a variety of life-changing opportunities, like our career panel, to reach a community of atrisk kids, and we’re working hard to provide those opportunities here in Parkrose.

Learn more about Elevate Oregon at elevateoregon.org. To support amazing community nonprofits through the foundation’s grant program, visit MultnomahAthleticFoundation.com.