The last Match Day Drive of the 2016 NWSL *regular* season is coming up on Sunday. Since school is kicking off, we are working with the HOPE program to replenish their school supplies for Vancouver-area school kids.

The Homeless Outreach Promoting Education (HOPE) program is a program that works with area homeless shelters to provide support to families with school-aged children. The goals of HOPE are to help students maintain consistent education while their families are in transition, provide educational opportunities to homeless students, and ensure that the schools and families are meeting students’ needs. HOPE works with families to get kids registered for school, arranges transportation for kids to keep going to the same school even if they move outside the school’s boundaries, provides tutoring and after-school programs, and helps families find resources in our community.

The Riveters are asking for donations of basic school supplies to help HOPE achieve their mission. The organization has requested the following items:

• Markers
• 3-ring binders
• Metal blade scissors
• #2 pencils – mechanical pencils are not permitted
• Colored pencils
• Scientific calculators
• Composition notebooks

Please bring these items to the Fanladen (1633 SW Alder) before the last home match. The Fanladen will be open from 4:30pm – 6:00pm on Sunday, September 11th.

In May of this year, many of you took the time to complete a survey created by Andrew Guest, PhD and Anne Luijten from the University of Portland. As you may recall, the purpose of the survey was in part to determine why the Thorns are one of the most popular women’s sports teams in the world. Thank you to those who took the time to add your contribution via the survey and interviews.

Dr. Guest has shared the results of the research with us, which you can view here.

While some of the contents won’t come as a surprise, it is an incredibly informative piece and great for sharing.

Time to vote for who has captured our hearts during the 2016 season. We started off with a bang, and the Thorns are racing toward playoffs in a good position.

Take a couple of minutes to think about the player contributions this season and who you want to see honored after the final home match of the regular season on September 11th.

As we get ready for the last three home games of the regular season, it’s time to fire up the Match Day Drive again!

For this drive, we’re asking for tampons, pads, condoms, diapers, and baby formula. This may seem like an odd assortment of items, but all are listed as critical needs by the organizations we have been supporting all season. Most of these women’s health-related items are expensive and overlooked during your average donation drive.

The need for pads and tampons is high given that these items are not covered by food stamps and the annual costs for these items can be over $70 a year per person, as noted in a New York Times article in early 2015.

The donations will be collected for Rose Haven and for Janus Youth Program, which has an Access Center located right above the Fanladen. Janus works with area runaway and homeless youth on emergency shelter, job placement, access to services, and education assistance. Janus was founded in 1972 and today serves over 6,000 Portland youths and families per year.

This Match Day Drive will last through the next two home games. Please bring your donations to the Fanladen (1633 SW Alder) before or after the Thorns matches on Sunday, 9/4 and Wednesday, 9/7. The Fanladen is open 2 hours before kickoff and for 1 hour after the team takes their lap.

Everyone’s journey as a soccer supporter is unique. For me, the rhythm of the game has been the underlying beat driving my life. I have lived in a lot of different places, experiencing and being influenced by soccer in all of them. However, it wasn’t until I joined the 107ist and the Riveters that I felt like I had found a true home in the soccer community. We are a family that mobilizes our love for the beautiful game to help the community around us. “Spread the Love” has become synonymous with soccer support in Portland and in our other affiliated communities. It is an important part of being a Portland supporter, one which we take very seriously.

In the last few months, the Riveters have been driving this charitable ethos by supporting not one, but three organizations in our match day drives. These three worthy causes are Impact NW, Rose Haven, and Raphael House. These organizations were chosen because each one offers key programs and support to the most vulnerable populations in Portland.

Impact NW works to help combat poverty and empower people to better their lives. They help an estimated 36,000 people each year to break the generational cycle of poverty. They have programs that help a wide variety of people, including children, families, seniors, and adults with disabilities. These programs include everything from domestic abuse help, to parenting courses, to housing and food assistance. Impact NW works closely with other community organizations, schools, businesses, and governmental agencies to help as many people as possible.

Rose Haven focuses specifically on helping women and children who are victims of abuse, have lost their homes, or have had other disruptive life experiences. In 2015 alone they helped over 3,000 people. They are LGBTQ friendly, and they also accept pets of all kinds. They have a health clinic, a community center, and a place to “shop” for clothing on site. In addition to these services, they also offer food and financial aid, career assistance, help in transitioning to permanent housing, creative courses, and support groups. Here is what they said to us in a recent letter:

“Thank you so much for supporting the lifesaving work of Rose Haven. We are so delighted to be in a partnership with your amazing group. The oral hygiene products recently donated as a result of your drive are so appreciated. We want you to know that you have played a significant role in helping the increasing number of women and children who are suffering from homelessness and abuse in our community. Because of you, we are able to maintain sanctuary for those who need it most.”

Raphael House also helps victims of abuse, assisting people of all ages, genders, backgrounds, and sexual orientations. On site they have an emergency shelter, a food pantry, a clothing closet, as well as an advocacy center to help people get back on their feet. They have career resources such as resume writing help, an interview style counselor, and computers and phones to help people with their job searches. Over half of the people they help are children, so homework help is available, as well as a safe space for children to play basketball and soccer. They also offer support groups, crafts, yoga, and therapy animals to help people heal from the trauma they have experienced.

Over the last few months we have collected a total of 1,571 oral care, bath supply, and pantry items for these three organizations. This equates to 394 pounds of supplies which have gone to help people in need. Out of these totals, 209 pounds of food were collected for Impact NW, completely filling their bare pantry. Those provisions have specifically helped people who needed emergency food assistance. We were also able to collect 937 travel-sized personal care items for Rose Haven and 178 full-sized personal care items for Raphael House. These donations have assisted the many different types of people who have come into these organizations needing assistance to get out of the difficult and sometimes dangerous situations in which they found themselves. Our support has helped people get back on their feet, allowing them another start at life and helping to break cycles of poverty and abuse.

We will continue to collect more donations in our match day drives, so keep your eye out for additional opportunities to give. However, if you would like to find out more about these worthy organizations or want more information on volunteering your time, click the links below:

Impact NW: http://impactnw.org/main-navigation/how-to-help/

Rose Haven: http://rosehaven.org/

Raphael House: http://raphaelhouse.com/

The Reign may be coming to Portland this Saturday, but the heat is here to stay!!

Please bring donations that help members of our community as the temperatures rise. We are working with Rose Haven and Raphael House to collect sunscreen, reusable water bottles, sunglasses, hats, aloe lotion, or anything to beat the heat! Rose Haven works with women and children who are in need of daily resources but do not have stable housing. Raphael House provides transitional housing to victims of abuse and their families.

Please drop off your full-sized or travel-sized items before or after the match on Saturday. The Fanladen will be open from 5:30pm to 7pm and again after the Thorns take their final lap.

This is the FINAL match before the Olympic break, so hit up those summer sales while you still can!

The 2016 NWSL Final will be in Houston, Texas at BBVA Compass Stadium on Sunday, October 9th. We know most of the details, just not the teams.

Now, as a true Thorns supporter, I’m hoping that the Girls in Red make it back to the final this year. I think they have a fighting chance of it, especially if the Olympians come back right after the break. I’d really, really like it if that happened.

But I am also planning to go to the final no matter what, already having purchased plane tickets when Alaska Air had their vouchers at the Timbers game last month. (It would be sweet to get some sort of promo deal like that for a NWSL match, wouldn’t it?)

Anyway, if you are planning to go to the final and are at a bit of a loss about tickets, please let me provide some guidance.

When tickets went on sale a couple of weeks ago, I opened up an account with BBVA Compass and ordered 40+ tickets and got a great group rate. Not the most expensive tickets, but I have started purchasing seats in section 108, with the capacity to expand to section 109 if necessary. Tickets are $34 total, and I’m managing the group purchase. If you’re interested in sitting with fans who are there for the love of the game, keep reading and perhaps I can help you out. If the current price point isn’t in your budget, they have a few other options as well—though, if you purchase tickets outside this group order, it may be more difficult to transfer your ticket to the Thorns supporters section (if there is one) in October.

Now, obviously, this purchase was made before knowing who will be playing, so, there is a big “IF” factor to take into account.

IF THE THORNS MAKE THE FINAL, the Riveters will work to secure more tickets in the Thorns supporters section and will sell them to our members. There will be a very short turnaround to plan the trip, but we will be able to purchase a block of tickets per my ticket rep. This section might be in the upper level, as ticket sales are doing okay right now. And that’s a good thing!

Anyone involved in my group order can and will be relocated to the Thorns supporters section, meaning we will get new tickets that will be for the supporters section for the Portland Thorns. In other words, section 108/109 is not a supporters section. This will be a normal, sit-and-watch-the-match section.

I can add more tickets to my group order as needed, so if you have read through this whole post and you would like to get in on my group order, please email me at gabby.rosas@gmail.com and we can get things going. In case it needs to be said, these are not Riveters official tickets. These are just tickets for folks who want to go to the final and sit with like-minded fans. If you are interested in some sort of hotel group rate, please let me know and I can work on getting that set up for folks. There are a lot of places to stay within walking distance of BBVA Compass Stadium.

If you would like to purchase your own tickets to the 2016 Final, please feel free to do so online (link above) or by calling Steve Bracale in the Houston Dash Ticket Office at 713.276.7531. He is the ticket rep I am working with for my group order.

If we change sections, I’ll change the tickets and take care of all of the hassle. All you have to do is sit back and enjoy the ride.

**Fine print** If you do decide to go in on my group ticket order and then do not travel to Texas, please do not ask for a refund. I cannot get a refund on the tickets once purchased, but I can try to give you a list of folks who are looking for tickets, just like any other match.

Tickets are now on sale for our second trip to Seattle. We have 2 kegs secured (thanks 2 Towns Cider and Lompoc Brewing). We have 2 buses. Now we just need you, your voice, and your passion for the Thorns!

The Riveters have purchased 100 Lower Grandstand tickets, just like last time. This means no hiking up to the furthest corner of the stadium. Normally, these tickets are $25 each, but with the group discount, they are $15 each. Here are the details for our group ticket order opportunities:

Ticket only – $15 plus Eventbrite Fees – LOWER GRANDSTAND. You will need to pick up your ticket in Seattle when the bus gets there or the tickets will be left at Will Call.

Bus only – $29 plus Eventbrite Fees – you either have your own ticket or will be acquiring your own ticket. The Riveters will be in the LOWER GRANDSTAND, and those tickets are normally $25 per ticket.

Ticket & Bus combo – $44 plus Eventbrite fee

You will pick your bus while we wait to load up on travel day, so don’t worry about there not being an option here.

All participants in our group agree to the 107ist Away Travel Code of Conduct for Riveters Away Travel.

Rules for the buses:

NO GLASS ALLOWED ON THE BUS. While we are allowed to bring food and drink (adult beverages are way okay), you are not allowed to have glass containers. Please plan accordingly.

NO #2 ON THE BUS! The bathroom on the bus has a very small storage tank! We will be stopping at a rest stop about halfway through the drive (or about 90 minutes in).

General trip info:

There are no age restrictions in the Riveters or on our buses. If you’re a party of 1, coming with friends, or want to make it a trip for the whole family, please join us.

Memorial Stadium does not allow away supporters to have flags or two-sticks. Please leave all noisemakers at home; those will not be allowed into Memorial Stadium either.

At the last match, we were allowed to bring in sealed water bottles. We are checking with the stadium to see if that policy is still in effect.

Bring food and drink. Keep glass at home. Clean up after yourself. Keep an eye on each other. We all want to have fun.

Schedule for Saturday, August 27th – This is an early morning trip, so please keep that in mind!!

8am – Bus departs from the Oregon Convention Center (NE Holladay St between NE 2nd and MLK)

12pm – Bus arrives at Memorial Stadium under the Space Needle. The Riveters will be escorted into the stadium (and out after the match).

2pm – Kickoff of match

9pm – Bus arrives back at Oregon Convention Center to drop road warriors off

If you have any questions or concerns, we will be happy to address them in the comments on this post. Come join us in Seattle!

https://www.eventbrite.com/e/rose-city-riveters-seattle-away-2-tickets-26611325190

Can you believe we are already in the middle of the season?

For this Match Day Drive, we are asking Riveters to bring beauty and grooming supplies so we can donate them to organizations who are helping homeless women and victims of domestic violence throughout the Portland area. Our items will be donated to our partners at Rose Haven and Raphael House.

Many of those who are seeking the support of these two organizations do not have access to these daily comfort items that were a part of their routines. For many women, these are basic items to which they no longer have access. Being able to put on makeup or do your hair is not just about looking good, but also about emotional empowerment and being ready to take on the day! Many of the women served by Rose Haven and Raphael House are preparing themselves for events where they may need elevated confidence and support, such as job interviews, court dates, or children’s concerts.

Please bring new packages of makeup, lotion, hair product, hair supplies, hair brushes, combs, deodorant, and other beauty supply items to the Fanladen before you head into the match! Remember to keep all hair types and skin colors in mind while shopping. The Fanladen is located at 1633 SW Alder and is open 2 hours before the Thorns kickoff and for an hour after each match. This drive will be in effect for July 2nd and July 9th, so if you forget or are out of town this weekend, bring it to the next!

The Thorns are playing Chicago this week, so we thought we would do a socks and underpants drive. If you squint, you can see the connection (white sox = sock drive).

Please bring packages of new socks, underpants, bras (and extenders!), and any other undergarments you would like to contribute. The recipients will be adult women (plus sizes are a plus) and children.

We will be contributing these items to three different organizations: two that we have worked with before and we know the people they serve are in need, and a new organization. The two existing organizations are Rose Haven and Raphael House. As a quick reminder, Rose Haven works with women and their children who do not have steady, consistent housing. They offer day services such as warm meals, new clothes, personal hygiene items, and community events. Raphael House serves those who are or have been victims of domestic violence. They have a undisclosed facility where these individuals and families can go and receive support as they make a transition from a violent environment.

The new organization we will be collecting resources for is Rahab’s Sisters. This group serves vulnerable and exploited women in the Portland area. They are working to provide food and new clothing to the people they serve. We want to be able to provide them with socks, underpants and bras to help those in need.

Our mission at Rahab’s Sisters is to offer “Radical Hospitality” to vulnerable and exploited women in the Portland Metro area, especially those that have been impacted by the sex industry, domestic violence, poverty, substance abuse, and homelessness.

Their vision of living in a city where all women are safe ties in with what the Riveters stand for. They have an active social calendar with events and fundraisers about which we hope to help spread the news, and in which we hope to participate in the future.

The Fanladen will be open from 5pm – 6:30pm on Wednesday, June 22nd for donations. We will also be open for 1 hour after the match, from 9pm to 10pm, if you have anything you need to drop off.