A senseless crime at The Dougy Center

Over the weekend, I was stunned to learn that someone evidently had set fire to the main building at The Dougy Center, a Portland nonprofit founded in 1982 with a one-of-a-kind mission to provide support to grieving children and their families.

You can read details of the "suspicious fire" here: http://www.oregonlive.com/news/index.ssf/2009/06/fire_damages_dougy_center.html. And you can read about The Dougy Center here: http://www.dougy.org/

Some of you may know that I serve on the agency's board of directors. Last Thursday, just three days before the fire, the board met to review the agency's finances and adopt a budget for the 2009-10 fiscal year.

While the economy has taken a huge bite out of virtually every nonprofit's investment income and, on top of that, caused a dip in individual and corporate donations, we were pleased to learn we were ending this fiscal year in good shape -- a tribute to how well the agency is run.

Just last month, Lori and I and friends attended The Dougy Center's annual fundraising dinner and auction -- the single most important event of the year, given that the agency does not receive federal, state or local government funding.

Now, with the main building needing extensive repairs or replacement, the center is asking those who can to help out with a donation. On behalf of the 300 families a year who are served by Dougy'speer support programs, I ask you, friends, to consider helping out. You can mail a check to:

The Dougy Center
PO Box 86852
Portland, OR 97286

Thanks.

Photo by Kimberly Wilson, The Oregonian