With the Thorns season extending into the playoffs, we’re also extending our Match Day Drives. This Sunday, please plan to lend a hand to the individuals and families served by Impact NW.

Impact NW is a local organization that has been helping low-income Portland residents since 1966. Today, they have services available in Multnomah, Clark, Washington and Clackamas Counties and parts of Washington state.

“By working with schools, businesses, faith communities, other community-based organizations and governmental agencies we create a safety net and springboard for community members to improve their quality of life and achieve independence.”

Impact NW offers immediate assistance to those in our community who are either homeless or in transition, and often those they are helping do not have access to food prep stations.

Please bring non-perishable pantry items to the Fanladen (1633 SW Alder St) before you head into the stadium. The individuals and families these organizations are helping may not have access to a safe home to go and cook in, so if your item requires cooking, please make it microwavable and easy to open. Often those seeking help are in need of very substantial foods, like peanut butter or tuna. Below is a complete list of the items we are looking to collect:

• Oatmeal (packets)
• Peanut butter (jars and single-serve cups)
• Cereals (single-serve packages)
• Pop-Tarts
• Noodles and pasta (canned with pop-up lids, cups, or microwavable bags)
• Rice dishes (cups, microwavable bags)
• Mac & cheese (regular boxed and microwavable)
• Fruit cups
• Fruit leather
• Granola/trail bars
• Crackers
• Rice cakes (Quaker)
• Assorted nuts (single-serve packages)
• Juice box packs
• Canned goods (pop-up lids are best, please) – Soup, vegetables, tuna, chili

When people ask me about the differences in supporting the Timbers and the Thorns, I give complicated answers about the different fan bases and supporters groups, and the intersections and overlaps of the two, and demographics and visibility and growth and whatnot.

But then I find myself at the airport just after noon on a Monday to greet a team who’s just won a league Shield and I forget all those things.

It’s not about the number of butts in seats. It’s not about who sells how many jerseys. It’s not even about that Shield.

It’s about support.

We will be there, win or lose. We will be there, rain or shine. We will be there.

There were somewhere in the neighborhood of 50 of us at PDX Monday afternoon to greet the team as they arrived home as 2016’s NWSL Shield winners. They looked tired from their travels, but happy to be home, and ready to get to work preparing for Sunday’s playoff match, the first home playoff match for the Thorns in franchise history.

Among stalwart supporters and national team members, is one of the littlest Riveters, Harper. She’s new to us, but to me, she represents future generations of players and supporters.

She wore sparkly shoes to the last home match. She sat on her dad’s shoulders and waved a flag as the team came off the field. She’s one of us. She’s all of us. She’s just a tad shorter. But someday, she’ll kick a ball on that field or design tifo that’s raised in the stands. Next level, next generation support.

Last we checked, there were still a few tickets left for Sunday’s match. Go get them. Bring a friend.

Start thinking about what possible excuses you can give your boss should the need for another airport greeting arise.

In each of the four National Women’s Soccer League seasons, the Rose City Riveters have presented a trophy to the Thorns player who exemplifies what the supporters consider to be vanguard traits: connecting the spirit of the club with the city’s character, and their selfless contributions to both. These trophies have evolved over the years and intentionally carry an element describable as “We-Can-Do-It-Ourselves” if you may. Utilizing the makers and engineers at the local creative space ADX Portland, this year’s trophy features a reclaimed industrial gear, hand-crafted rose made of copper and steel, and fabricated steel background featuring the Riveters badge. It also has some fancy words on it which are about to be explained.

Some schools of thought insist that it is defense which wins games. The Rose City Riveters have determined that its consummate defender and backline leader has won not just hardware but their hearts. Emily Menges, who has worn her fervency like a badge of honor for her whole career, was voted as Player of the Year after a week-long poll contributed to by hundreds of Riveters. To commemorate this choice, Menges was presented this unique trophy after the final home match of the 2016 season on September 11th.

Throughout this season Menges has been a standout, a vital play-maker who has helped to keep the Thorns in the NWSL playoff race. She has shown to be a steady, reliable and club-minded player during a season loaded with instability thanks to national team call-ups, unfortunate injuries and the dreams of success for all who played at the Rio de Janeiro Olympics. Her individual production on the pitch is the stuff of highlight reels. Amazing as those efforts have been, when combined with her numerous displays of genuine appreciation to her teammates, supporters and everyday fans of the Thorns (those smiles and finger-points and waves which are less noticeable by the large cameras but noted and shared all the same by individuals), they have endeared Menges to us as a step above all.

It is interesting to note that the 2016 Riveters Player of the Year choice was the first year where the figures showed significant parity among the candidates rather than a singular, distinctive pick. This should be considered as high praise not just to the choice of Menges, but to all who were close in the running, who were voted for en masse, as well as those who have been considered in the past. We are fortunate to have a proud club, one that is full of talented and impassioned players to consider and honor.

Congratulations to Emily Menges, thank you to all of the players, and Onward Rose City.

Ever had a moment (or several) of incredible gratitude for our amazing capos, drums, and horns? How many times have you thought to yourself, “I should buy them a drink!”

Now is your chance.

BYCAP—Buy Your Capo A Pint—will be held September 11th, when the Thorns take on WNY Flash. In advance of the match, we’ll pass the hat (well—buckets) throughout the north end to collect your cash contributions towards pints. These “pint dollars” will in turn be funneled back into our community to provide financial aid opportunities at nonprofit Rock & Roll Camp for Girls, which aims to build girls’ self-esteem through music creation and performance.

“Creative voices of girls and women need to be amplified to create social change. Girls need positive role models and support for their creative endeavors. We can build a community where girls support each other rather than tear each other down. We can empower girls to recognize, understand and respond to discrimination. ‘Girls Rock’ is more than just a slogan.” —Rock & Roll Camp for Girls

Please help your beloved capos, drums, and horns give back to our community through BYCAP. 

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!