Rojo & Napoleon Visit Serendipity Center to Film with CNN

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Our very special friends from Mountain Peaks Therapy Llamas and Alpacas, Rojo and Napoleon visited Serendipity Center today along with two producers from CNN! They will be featured in a segment for the series, Vital Signs, hosted by Sanjay Gupta. The show will focus on the positive effect animals and pets can have on our overall health. At Serendipity, it’s clear that every time Rojo and his friends visit the collective spirit of our students and staff is raised.

We would like to thank Lori Gregory and Shannon Hendrickson for always supporting Serendipity, and for letting us be apart of your very special moment in the spotlight.

Thank You For Your Holiday Support!

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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 Awarded Grant from Kinsman Foundation!

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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.

525 Design Pop-Up Shop

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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.

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Serendipity PBIS Harvest Festival

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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.

Serendipity Center Family Night

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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.

Thank You Oregon Jewish Community Youth Foundation!

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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.

The Summer Harvest Has Begun!

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Serendipity Center’s ESY program is in full-swing! Going into our second week of the extended school year, Garden Coordinator Nicolas has been taking students into the garden to harvest an abundance of summer veggies. Today students were able to harvest yellow squash, LOTS of delicious green beens, and green chili peppers. Serendipity would like to thank the employees of PGE, Point B, and Capital One for their volunteer efforts in caring for the Growing Minds Garden.  Due in part to the help of volunteers, and the work of all the Serendipity staff and students, the growing minds farm looks to have another bountiful season.

Congratulations to the Graduating Class of 2015

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The evening of June 17th, 2015 was a major milestone in the lives of six Serendipity students. Last night staff and student families gathered to celebrate the graduating class of 2015. It was a night for reflection of accomplishments and excitement for what the future may bring. Each graduate self-selected a staff to speak on their behalf during the ceremony. The touching tributes were a reminder of the many obstacles our graduating class has overcome to become young, educated adults.

Thank you to all of graduation speakers, the families in attendance, TTIP teacher Brenda for organizing the ceremony, and everyone who made the evening so special for our grads. Good luck class of 2015! We know you will do great things.

 

Students Enjoy a Field Trip to the Oregon Zoo

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On Tuesday, June 16th students at Serendipity Center enjoyed an end of the year field trip to the Oregon Zoo! More than 70 students across ages and grade levels were excited to experience the variety zoo exhibits. From California Condors, to Polar Bears, to African Elephants students marveled at all of the amazing animals.

Serendipity Center would like to thank all of the staff and parent volunteers for helping make this field trip an awesome experience for everyone in attendance. A special thank you is in order to Lower School teacher Tyler for organizing the trip. It was a perfect way to end the school year and start summer!