Portland, OR. The Oregon Zoo’s Cascade Crest Ballroom was filled with nearly 300 guests on May 2nd, for a Central City Concern fundraiser called, “We are Family.” The annual event was headlined by Portland stand-up comic Julia Ramos and for the sixth year in a row, Oregon Jazz Hall of Famer Shirley Nanette. Jennifer Fidler and Lindsay Robbins helped organize the event. It raised $120,000 for Central City Concern’s Family Housing programs and Letty Owings Center. The center is a six-month residential addiction treatment program for pregnant women and their young children that includes parenting and life skills training. (Photo credit, Andrea Lonas)
The evening’s emcee: Karen Kern, Senior Director of Substance Use Disorder Services at Central City Concern
Central City Concern President & CEO Dr. Rachel Solotaroff with Board Chairman Bill Wiechmann
Julia Ramos, Stand-Up Comic
Jazz Society of Oregon Hall of Famer Shirley Nanette
About Central City Concern:
Central City Concern meets its mission through innovative outcome-based strategies which support personal and community transformation.
- Direct access to housing which supports lifestyle change.
- Integrated healthcare services that are highly effective in engaging people who are often alienated from mainstream systems.
- The development of peer relationships that nurture and support personal transformation and recovery.
- Attainment of income through employment or accessing benefits.
The success of these four elements results in a transformation of world view and self image from a negative to a positive outlook, enabling people to become productive citizens who want to “give something back” to the community.
Central City Concern (CCC) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit agency serving single adults and families in the Portland metro area who are impacted by homelessness, poverty and addictions. Founded in 1979, the agency has developed a comprehensive continuum of affordable housing options integrated with direct social services including healthcare, recovery and employment. CCC currently has a staff of 800+, an annual operating budget of $60 million and serves more than 13,000 individuals annually.
Here’s a video about the program:
For more information:
