Hood River, Ore. – SafeSpace Child Advocacy Center of The Gorge celebrated breaking ground on its planned new facility on Friday, May 26, in Hood River. SafeSpace staff and board members, along with leading donors and elected officials gathered at the site of the new facility to mark the milestone of starting construction.
A highlight of the event was announcement of a $500,000 grant award from the M.J. Murdock Charitable Trust. The Murdock Trust grant brought the SafeSpace Capital Campaign to a total of $4.2 million. Capital Campaign Chair Dillon Borton rallied the attendees to stay focused on the goal of reaching $5 million before the construction is complete.
“We are honored to have the support of the Murdock Trust, along with a growing list of foundations, businesses and generous individuals who have generously donated to this campaign,” said Borton. “Thanks to this amazing support we are getting closer to our end goal of creating a permanent home for SafeSpace that is the right size to expand and improve services for children who urgently need our help.”
SafeSpace Executive Director Beatriz Lynch added, “Support for this campaign demonstrates that we care for our region’s children. We care, we worked together, and something extraordinary is happening today. Right here, in this building, the lives of thousands of children will change for the better.”
Lynch thanked major donors of the campaign, including: The State of Oregon, Providence, Columbia Gorge Health Council, The M.J. Murdock Charitable Trust, The Ford Family Foundation, The Collins Foundation, Wy’East Foundation, HEDCO Foundation, Roundhouse Foundation, Rotary Club of Hood River, and KeyBank. She also thanked leading individual donors Mike Oates, Lee & Karen Fairchild, and Chris Zukin.
Former State Representative Anna Williams, an early advocate for the project, also gave remarks at the event. According to Williams, raising $2 million for a new home for SafeSpace during the 2022 legislative session was the highlight of her legislative career.
Completion of the new home for SafeSpace is anticipated by Spring 2024. It will replace a small, rental space that was not designed for the specialized services of child abuse assessment. The new facility, located off of I-84 in Hood River on Wasco Loop, will double the organization’s capacity from 160 to 320 cases per year. Plans for the new facility also include onsite bilingual pediatric mental support services for children who have experienced severe trauma.
SafeSpace Capital Campaign Team members include: Dillon Borton, KeyBank Vice President; Jenn Dillard, Community Volunteer, Real Estate Broker; Claire Griffin, Owner of Griffin House; Erin Mason, SafeSpace Board Member (Detective, Hood River); Mike Oates, Owner of Oates Orchards; and Craig Ortega, Senior VP Columbia Bank. The capital campaign consultant is Mark Sherman of Mark Sherman Consulting.
Other community members are supporting the project through participation on the SafeSpace Facility Team, which includes: Tanner Hall, Windermere; Anne Medenbach, Copper West; and Jeff Dellis, Architect. The general contractor for building renovation is Griffin Construction.
More information about SafeSpace and the capital campaign can be found at: safespacecac.org/campaign