Special Funds

 Friendly House has three Special Funds:  donate to to support a community need.

Logan Nettleton Scholarship Fund

Preschool scholarships for low-income and homeless families.

 

Rebecca Longaker Scholarship Fund

After School and Summer Camp scholarships for low-income and homeless families.

Vera’s Purse

Funds for low-income women 60+ to escape and avoid homelessness.

Logan Nettleton Scholarship Fund

In August 2019, Logan Nettleton’s promising life was cut short at age 19 by gun violence. Logan was a second-generation graduate of Friendly House Preschool, and a student at Portland State University. She was a fearless proponent of social justice, and we believe Logan’s Fund for Friendly House Preschool scholarships reflects her values of inclusion, equity, and the importance of communities coming together to support each other.

Friendly House Preschool has been a beloved feature of NW Portland since the 1940s, educating generations of young learners. We offer a compassionate and enriching preschool experience. We are committed to continuing to provide preschool at low or no cost to families in our community who need it most. We believe, and research supports, that a high-quality, educational preschool experience with seasoned teachers and developmentally appropriate curriculum is critical to children’s success in school, in the workforce, and in life.

We offer scholarships for both our full-day 10-hour class, our part-day seven-hour class, and for Head Start students to attend beyond the 3-hour allotment established by the state of Oregon.

Your support of this program provides children with the best start in life, and enables families to thrive despite facing hardships, such as single parenting, being unable to work, low wages coupled with a growing cost of living, and supporting a family while attending school.

It’s easy to donate.

To make a contribution online, click here!
To make a contribution by mail, make checks payable to Friendly House with Logan’s Fund in the memo field. Mail to:

Friendly House
Attn: Development
2617 NW Savier St.
Portland, OR 97210

If you would like more information about contributing to Logan’s Fund, please email us at donate@fhpdx.org or call (503) 228-4391.

Friendly Thoughts

The scholarship helps our family because we are a low-income family. We love the opportunity that our boys get from going to the preschool at Friendly House. My son has learned a lot and I was blown away by what he had learned. He recognizes and counts to 10 using his fingers better than when it was just me counting with him. We absolutely love the teachers, as well—they’re so warm and welcoming and easy to talk with.

Our scholarship has been monumental in allowing us to provide a steady and consistent learning environment for our foster daughter. Being new to our role within the system, we were lucky to have discovered Friendly House. Its accessibility met our needs, and the curriculum met hers. Beyond the learning, the friendships with peers and adult role modeling from her teachers show an increasingly positive effect on her. This scholarship brought our foster daughter stability in a time in her life where she had the least of it, yet craved it most. We are beyond grateful for the gift, and for Friendly House. 

Rebecca Longaker Scholarship Fund

The Rebecca Longaker Scholarship Fund has raised over $650,000 since 2007 to support several hundred children with access to safe, affordable, and enriching After School and Summer Camp programming.

Rebecca Hall Longaker, the daughter of Barbara & Jud Longaker, was a student at Chapman Elementary. When Rebecca died at age 10 from a misdiagnosed heart ailment, her parents started the Rebecca Longaker Scholarship Fund in memory of her generous and kind spirit. Rebecca’s family and friends support this fund because they believe, like Rebecca did, that children should have a safe and enriching place to be when they can’t be home with their families.

Today, Rebecca’s fund ensures that children from houseless families and families at risk of houselessness receive the support and care they need to thrive, including healthy snacks, food assistance, extra homework help, new shoes and coats in the winter, and extracurricular opportunities like art, athletics and hands-on STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) experience.

 

It’s easy to donate.

To make a contribution online, click here!
To contribute by mail, make checks payable to Friendly House with RLSF in the memo field. Mail to:

Friendly House
Attn: Development
2617 NW Savier St.
Portland, OR 97210

If you would like more information about contributing to the Rebecca Longaker Scholarship Fund, please email us at donate@fhpdx.org or call (503) 228-4391.

Friendly Thoughts

“I am so appreciative of the scholarship I receive for aftercare at Friendly House. I am a single parent of two children, ages 7 and 9, and a full-time nursing student at OHSU. Finances are extremely tight, and I have to use private loans to help cover living expenses and child care costs. If it were not for the scholarship, I wouldn’t be able to manage to afford the aftercare, which is absolutely essential while I’m in school. Thank you so much for the work you do on behalf of the families who need financial support!”

“As a single, working, full-time mom and as a part-time student, receiving this grant is crucial for our family. Without the afterschool scholarship that my families receives, I would not be able to afford a safe and rewarding daycare such as this… I appreciate and value this scholarship beyond measure. Thank you for being so amazing and supportive of our kids!”

“We are very grateful for our Friendly House scholarship, and because we have it, my two daughters have been able to attend the program. I have not been able to work for about a year, not full-time anyway, because I was involved in a very terrible accident last March… When the girls go to Friendly House, it’s their only time that they can participate in activities after school because I have been too weak this past year to be able to even take them to the park so they can be active. Without Friendly House, our quality of life would greatly suffer! Thank you!

Vera’s Purse

Vera’s Purse is Friendly House’s direct response to Portland’s growing homeless problem.

Named in honor of our beloved former mayor, Vera Katz, Vera’s Purse was created by a visionary group of women who want to help low-income, older women escape and avoid homelessness.

A long history of unequal pay, interrupted work history for child rearing and parent care, discriminatory hiring practices, and inadequate income for savings results in women having fewer resources in retirement. Additionally, accessing and paying for health care—a problem for many older adults—becomes more problematic for women as they age. Numerous studies show that older women have greater health care needs and have higher out-of-pocket health care expenses than older men. The lack of affordable housing paired with an increase in the cost of living makes aging women one of the fastest growing homeless populations in Portland.

This fund may be used by Friendly House Senior Program and Elder Pride Services clients for short-term emergency rental assistance, application fees, and other eviction prevention and homeless intervention supports. Vera’s Purse provides Friendly House staff with yet another tool to help the vulnerable among us to live safely, with dignity and independence.
Friendly House is honored by the inaugural donors who chose us to steward this fund, and we encourage you to join them by supporting Vera’s Purse. All donations to Vera’s Purse go directly to client assistance. 

It’s easy to donate.

To make a contribution online, click here!
To make a contribution by mail, make checks payable to Friendly House with Vera’s Purse in the memo field. Mail to:

Friendly House
Attn: Development
2617 NW Savier St.
Portland, OR 97210

If you would like more information about contributing to Vera’s Purse, please email us at donate@fhpdx.org or call (503) 228-4391.

Vera’s Purse Impact Stories

A 73 year-old woman living in North Portland thought she had mailed out a money order to her landlord, but came to discover that no money order was ever sent. It was discovered that she was exhibiting signs of dementia and was having a difficult time accepting her new condition. Thanks to Vera’s Purse, we were able to catch her up on rent and arrange automatic rent payments in the future. 

A 78 year-old woman was recovering from years of theft and abuse from her immediate family members. With funds from Vera’s Purse, we were able to assist her with paying for her medication, electric bills and a new identification card when her wallet went missing, and we have been able to support her in adjusting to a life without abuse for the first time.

A 66 year-old, visually impaired woman who uses a wheelchair as her primary means of mobility was in the process of divorcing her husband of 20 years. Her husband was her main caregiver and was also an excessive collector, making it difficult for her to navigate around her home using her wheelchair. She was in a very difficult situation. Her true comfort during this difficult process came from her two beloved dogs, but she found that she kept getting small itchy and painful bites on her skin. It turned out that her companions had fleas, and she was getting recurring bites from them. Vera’s Purse has enabled us to provide support for her in so many ways, including paying for flea treatment for her dogs, allowing her bites to heal, and allowing us to further assist her during this difficult transition.