by Keith Palau
Dedication of Timbers Army-themed room, July 12th, 2017
It was joyful but also bittersweet to be part of the dedication of two family visitation rooms for foster children and families at Beaverton’s Department of Human Services offices this afternoon.
Joyful of course because with the incredibly talented group of 107IST members who planned and executed the two makeovers, the rooms are all we’d dreamed they would be: warm, comfortable, welcoming environments that speak love and worth into the lives of children & families who are challenged in many ways, while honoring the clubs we love and support, our Portland Thorns and Portland Timbers.
Bittersweet only because we had such a blast working on the rooms that I’m sad that we’re finished and won’t be hanging out quite as intensely!
Core team members in the Timbers Army-themed Room
Some interesting facts and shout-outs about the two rooms (one Thorns/Riveters-themed, one Timbers/Timbers Army:
- The core team of 107IST members Dawn Bauman, Wendy Broussard, Randi Staller, Alex Staller, Kacy Kozloff, K Hudson, Barbara and Kevin Zuercher, and Gloria Palau (plus amazing DHS staffers Regina Carpenter and JP Mosser) spent 3 months planning and executing the makeovers
- Talented 107IST artists designed and painted beautiful murals: Hannah Mueller and Jackie Feller in the Thorns room, Ryan Pollard and Michelle DeFord in the Timbers room
- $8,500 was raised in just over 48 hours from 107IST members and other soccer fans; we stayed well under budget so there’s money left over for future DHS/107IST projects
- Major in-kind gifts from La-z-Boy Furniture, Sherwin Williams in Woodstock, Chick-fil-a and Insomnia Coffee saved $7,500 that otherwise would have been spent on the rooms
- 107IST members, including regional supporter groups (RSGs) like Montana Volunteers, donated many scarves, coloring and sticker books, crayons and colored pencils, games, toys, and Xbox One games
- We even had an SSFC/ECS friend donate 12 Xbox One games and two controllers ;-)
- 93 107IST members volunteered a total of 800 hours working to clean, tape, prime, paint, bring in furniture, hang photos, and stage the rooms
- 107IST photographers donated 11 prints
- The Timbers and Thorns each donated a signed and framed kit, and Coach Mark Parsons and Diego Valeri & his family donated signed balls and spent an evening painting in the rooms, with Thorns player Meghan Cox and other Timbers and Thorns staff joining in as well
Furniture in the Thorns/Riveters-themed room; time to chill for a minute
The rooms have been in use for the past month, and are a big hit with foster kids and their families as they spend time together. THANK YOU to the hundreds of you who’ve been involved! You gave your money, your time, your energy, passion, creativity, talent and enthusiasm. You are making a difference not only in the lives of children in great need of extra love and support, but also showing the hard-working DHS staff that the Timbers Army and Rose City Riveters care about them and support them in their efforts to serve and protect these often vulnerable members of our community. I am greatly honored to be part of your 107IST Community Outreach Team! I encourage you to continue finding ways to volunteer with your fellow Rose City Riveters and Timbers Army, or to dip your toe in the water if you’ve not yet done so. I’ve made amazing friends and been blessed beyond what I could have imagined by doing so myself. Thanks again!
C'mon, this photo HAD to get in here. ;-)
Link to photos of the Timbers Army-themed room today
Link to photos of the Thorns/Riveters-themed room today
EDITOR'S NOTE: MLS announced today that Keith Palau is in the running for MLS Community MVP of the Year. If he wins, MLS will donate $25,000 to Embrace Oregon to support more projects like this one.
Read more about MLS Community MVP and vote for Keith here.
