Central City Concern Benefit Celebrates Healthy Families

Jennifer Fidler (l) and Lindsay Robbins (r), We Are Family Committee Members

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:

http://www.centralcityconcern.org/ccc

Elisa Klein

I’ve been a professional journalist and writer since 1987, (and long-time reporter for KOIN-TV.) As a nationally published reporter, with a Master’s Degree in Journalism, I love to report positive news and information. Journalism has also connected me with another non-profit where I served as a leader; the Northwest’s biggest writer’s organization: The Willamette Writers.