Our partnership for a stronger Rockwood
The Rockwood neighborhood in East Multnomah County is one of Oregon’s most diverse and high-need communities. An area of longtime civic underinvestment, Rockwood is home to the state’s largest concentration of children and adults covered by the Oregon Health Plan. These realities made Rockwood a priority for CareOregon to invest in.
In spring 2022, CareOregon announced the start of a 10-year partnership with the Boys & Girls Clubs of the Portland Metropolitan Area, and in particular its Club at 454 SE 165th Street in Rockwood.
Our partnership included renaming the 4-year-old Rockwood location as the CareOregon Boys & Girls Club at Rockwood. CareOregon and Boys & Girls Clubs share a goal of building program partnerships that improve social health and access to health care while fostering connection, belonging and community engagement.
CareOregon’s commitment to Rockwood bolsters Boys & Girls Club of Portland Metropolitan Area’s efforts to address systemic disparities in the communities that the Club serves, says CEO Terry Johnson. “Since we joined forces in 2021, we’ve been able to significantly ramp up quality programming while giving our Club members access to more-nutritious snacks and meals during out-of-school hours.”
“The partnership with CareOregon is game-changing, and the impact translates directly to our Club members and their families.”
- Terry Johnson, CEO, Boys & Girls Club of Portland Metropolitan Area
Growing our Rockwood relationship
Our relationship with the CareOregon Boys & Girls Club at Rockwood is at the center of our commitment to promote equity and inspire success and wellness for youth and families.
We’ve appreciated additional opportunities such as:
- Naming the Boys & Girls Club of Portland Metro as our official community-based organization partner for the 2022 CareOregon Starlight Parade.
- Investing in the new La Plaza Esperanza building, on the Rockwood campus, as a hub for culturally specific services benefiting Latino youth and families.
- CareOregon employees volunteering at the CareOregon Boys & Girls Club.
- Providing multi-year grant support to other partners on the Rockwood campus, including Open School, New Avenues for Youth and Holla School (now located at 146th and SE Stark).
We have much more to share about our commitment to Rockwood. See details in our 2022 partnership report.
