On Thursday, February 11th Serendipity Center celebrated Valentine’s Day a few days early with school dance! Students of all ages were able to boogie and have fun dancing with their classmates. Thank you to the Serendipity student council for organizing the event and decorating our cafeteria. Also thank you to all the staff members who worked hard to make sure all students had a fun and safe afternoon before our mini-break.
Serendipity Center would like to thank our invaluable community partners for the outpouring of love and support we received this holiday season. Without your support Serendipity Center would be unable to fulfill the need of supplementing our families over the two week break. We would like to recognize a number of organizations and individuals who made in-kind donations of warm winter clothing, food bags, and classroom gifts for all of our students this year!
Thank you to Central East Portland Rotary and St. Joseph the Worker church for providing many food bags for our families over the holidays. Thank you Pricewaterhouse Coopers Tax Team, Glendoveer Golf and Tennis, and Nike for brightening our student’s holiday season by fulfilling classroom gift requests. Also thank you to our long list of individuals who made donations over the holiday season and wonderful board of directors for being so involved and invested in our student’s futures. Please read the list of December donors below.
2015 December Donors: Richard Abrahamson; Jeff & Bess Austin; Judith Baldwin; Jeff Benzinger; Bill & Margaret Bitar Foundation; Amy Blake; Mike & Lynn Buchanan; Anne Chamness; Norm & Cathy Dull; Employees Community Fund of Boeing; Bettianne & Al Goetz; Gresham Ford; Jenee & Jonathan Hilliard; Harriet Jackson; Bonnie Jepsen; Madeline Jepson; Mark Kummerer; Dr. Thuy-Trang Lam; Peter Mahoney; Mediaworks; OCF Josephn E. Weston Public Foundation; ONPOINT Community CU; Gail & Alan Pasternack; PEO Chapter DB; Melvyn & Margie Rieff; Ulysses & Narda Sherman; The Kinsman Foundation; Beverly Thomas; Dianne & Gary Wells; Mark Wharry; Ben & Elaine Whiteley; Debra Wright; Dale Farr; Greg Wolleck; Jane Potter; Robert Carus; Wells Fargo Community Support Campaign
Serendipity Center was recently awarded a $2500.00 grant from the Kinsman Foundation! The local Milwaukie, Oregon non-profit unexpectedly selected Serendipity as a recipient, and we are grateful for their generosity. Kinsman Foundation began awarding grants in 2003 in the areas of historic preservation, arts & culture, and health care policy, and have continued to be a beacon of philanthropy in Oregon. We thank them for their anonymous selection.
Click here for more information about the Kinsman Foundation.
On Saturday, Novemeber 21st Serendipity Center was named the benefit non-profit at the 525 Design Pop-Up Shop. The pop-up shop hosted and organized by Nike employees is an annual event that showcases the talents of Nike’s employees. Items for sale ranged from jewelry to screen printed posters to leather goods. As the benefiting non-profit, 10% of all vendor sales were donated to Serendipity Center! We would like to thank Cayle and Golanz of amrikaii for bringing this awesome opportunity to Serendipity (pictured below). At the event Serendipity sold prints made by our students and art therapist Arianna and hosted an informational booth explaining our mission and services. Thank you Nike, Team 525, Cayle & Golnaz, and Fanny Ho for supporting Serendipity Center.
On Friday, October 30th Serendipity Center students celebrated Halloween with our annual Harvest Festival! The event, one of the most anticipated of the year, is a fun Friday afternoon featuring an apple cider press, pumpkin picking in our therapeutic garden, face painting, and a Halloween dance. Ghouls and Goblins of all grades and ages were invited to participate in the days activities.
The Harvest Festival is one of the most ambitious school-wide events of the school year. Thank you to all of the staff who volunteered to paint faces, serve cider, and do all the odd jobs necessary to make this one of the most successful and fun Harvest Festivals to date! Special thanks to our PBIS Coordinator Gretchen, our Student Council members and their supervising staff, David A. and Arianna, as well as our TTIP students for producing such a memorable afternoon.
On Thursday, October 15th Serendipity Center held it’s annual Family Night. Serendipity families came together to enjoy pizza and refreshments, meet their teachers, tour the campus, and browse our clothes closet. Each year Family Night continues to grow, 2015 was the largest one yet! With students and families joining Serendipity Center throughout the school year Family Night is an important milestone to create a deeper connection with our student families.
Serendipity would like to thank our Clinical Supervisor, Jen Rondema for organizing such a fun event, as well as all the staff who led tours and helped produce the event.
On September 16th, 2015 Serendipity Center received a grant from the Oregon Jewish Community Youth Foundation, a program of the Oregon Jewish Community Foundation for Life Skills and Nutrition materials. This generous donation supplied curriculum and replenished cooking tools for our JFR Life Skills room. The Oregon Jewish Community Youth Foundation (OJCYF) is “an organization designed to encourage a lifelong passion for philanthropy and social activism” for high school students grades 9-12. Serendipity would like to thank the teen board at OJCYF for selecting Serendipity Center! The OJCYF donation has already directly impacted and increased the quality of education at Serendipity.