Community Partners: Portland Timbers and Portland Thorns FC

Timbers and Thorns FC stand together with Friends

Athletes, fans, and management rally for the Gorge

This year, the Portland Timbers and Portland Thorns FC harnessed the power of sport to help the Gorge recover from the Eagle Creek fire, through their community platform, Stand Together. Through the sale of two Gorge-themed scarves, they and their fans raised more than $62,000 to help support Friends of the Columbia Gorge's Eagle Creek fire-response efforts.
 
Kristel Wissel, vice president of community relations, says the fire’s impacts on the Gorge’s towns and natural areas spurred the team to act. “At our core, we reflect our city and our region, and are committed as an organization to giving back and helping make our community a better place.”
 
With Stand Together’s key values of encouraging youth activity and wellness, education, diversity, and environmental awareness, assisting in Gorge fire response efforts was a natural cause to support. “It’s about doing something; not just saying something. The Gorge is a huge part of our community, for our staff, athletes, and supporters. It’s a treasure to all of us.”
 
The next step was to partner with local agencies and nonprofits involved in responding to the fire. “We wanted an organization that’s active in the sphere of restoration. Friends of the Columbia Gorge rose to the top.”
 
They already had a perfect fundraising tool: a Multnomah Falls scarf and Columbia River Gorge scarf that had been part of the teams’ Scarf of the Month series in 2014. The scarves, designed in-house and made in Washington, retail for $30. The teams decided to re-introduce them to fans and donate all proceeds to Friends.
 
Within a week of the fire’s start in early September, the Timbers launched the fundraiser, and in October, presented Friends with a check for $46,000. As scarves continue to sell, the teams’ donations will continue until supplies run out. Scarves are sold at the Timbers Team Store, online, and at retail locations in the stadium on game days.
 
Friends is using the funds to support Gorge recovery efforts, through our stewardship work, outreach and support of Gorge communities, and youth education programs. "Support from the Timbers and Thorns community last fall was crucial in helping us launch a new effort to work with the U.S. Forest Service and other partners to combat the spread of invasive plants on lands burned by the fire," Friends Executive Director Kevin Gorman noted.
 
Wissel says the team is happy to be standing together with Friends. “Between advocacy for the Gorge and restoration work post fire, Friends is really impressive. They’re very communicative and transparent regarding the use of the funds and other donations to help with restoration.”

Laura O. Foster has written eight guidebooks about Portland and the Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area. Her work has been featured on Oregon Field Guide, Oregon Art Beat, and AM Northwest, and in Portland Monthly, Willamette Week, the Portland Tribune, and The Oregonian. She has been an Oregonian since 1989.

Photo: A Gorge protection-themed "tifo" is unfurled at the north end of Providence Park before a Portland Thorns FC match, Oct. 2, 2017. (Courtesy of Karen Hardigg)

View Profiles

View 2017-18 Annual Report

View Profiles

View 2017-18 Annual Report