October 15, 2003

Paul G. Allen attended the groundbreaking event at the newest Albina Head Start center, the McCormack-Mathews Center today.

Albina Head Start broke ground on a new north Portland Head Start Center named after community All-Star Sharon McCormack and Wanda Matthews, the grandmother of life-long community member, Damon Stoudamire.

With the collective grant support of over $2.2 million dollars from the Paul G. Allen Charitable Foundation, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the Meyer Memorial Trust, the Collins Foundation, Damon Stoudamire, the Portland Trail Blazers, Region X Head Start Bureau and Spirit Mountain Community Fund, the Center will serve low-income children birth to five years old and their families who live in North and Northeast Portland.

"I'm really happy to be here today and be part of this project that supports all these kids and their families . Head Start is an important program that does so much for the Portland Community. Supporting education and successful organizations like Head Start is a priority for me and really reflects the Foundation's mission of building strong communities," said Paul G. Allen.

The McCormack-Matthews Center, located at the corner of N. Kerby Ave. and N. Bryant Street will feature one infant Early Head Start Classroom, two toddler Early Head Start Classrooms, and three Head Start Classrooms serving children three to five years old. The Center will also include an adult learning computer lab, Parent Resource Library, Media Center, Health Services, indoor and outdoor activity space, a kitchen, laundry room and office space.

Albina Head Start, nationally recognized as a model program, currently operates 24 classrooms in north, northeast, and southeast sections of Portland. The inner north/northeast area suffers from Portland's worst cases of pervasive poverty, unemployment, and indicators of general distress. The Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) designated this area an Enterprise Community because of the distress factors and the community's organized response to these factors.

African American and Hispanic children are highly over represented among the poor and the homeless. The inner north/northeast area has Portland's highest concentration of African American and Hispanic families. Three percent of Albina's 459 Head Start children are Asian, five percent are White, twenty four percent Hispanic, and sixty six percent are Black.

"I'm excited to watch the new center go up here in Portland and watch the progress of all the kids that will be served at this facility. I'm particularly interested in ensuring that all children have the opportunity to become excited about learning and are prepared to succeed in school," remarked Allen.

The construction of the Sharon McCormack Center, on $3 million dollars worth of land donated by the city, is a prudent approach to meet the AHS program's space requirements now and in the future. It will allow AHS to expand services for the working poor in Portland's poorest communities. Eighty percent of AHS families make less than $15,000.00 a year. The construction cost of the McCormack Center is $3.2million dollars.

Sharon McCormack worked for more than two decades to make Portlanders safer and more involved in their neighborhoods. She played a crucial role in the city's fight against poverty, racism and violence. Sharon was a leader in bridge building and community policing. Her work was recognized locally and nationally.

Wanda Matthews Stoudamire, one of 13 children of Mott and Florence Williams, was born in Monticello, Arkansas on April 19, 1916. She and her young family moved to Vanport, Oregon in 1941. It was in Oregon that her family would grow to nine children. She was happiest when surrounded by family in her Eliot Neighborhood home. Matthews passed away October 12, 1989.

Construction of the McCormack-Matthews center is scheduled to be completed in July 2004.

Notes: The Paul G. Allen Charitable Foundation recently made a $400,000 donation to North Portland's Albina Head Start for the completion of their new educational facility at the corner of Kerby and Bryant, dubbed the McCormack-Matthews Center.

This donation brings Paul G. Allen foundations total lifetime giving in Oregon to more than $33 million. Paul G. Allen foundations have given more than $24 million to nonprofits in Portland and Southwest Washington. In 2003 alone, Paul G. Allen Foundations have given more than $2 million to Portland and Southwest Washington.


To read about Paul G. Allen's recent visit to the Blazers Practice Facility click here!