In 1885, Portland’s civic leaders founded Boys & Girls Aid to find safe homes and permanent families for children with neither. More than 120 years later, we’re still making that happen. Boys & Girls Aid is dedicated to impacting the lives of children in need. To do this, we offer programs for children and youth that provide permanent homes, safe places to stay temporarily, and mentoring.
It is no coincidence that Boys & Girls Aid was founded just two years after the transcontinental railroad reached Portland. Oregon’s only city at that time, the railway opened Portland’s doors to a growing and diverse population. Entrepreneurs, adventurers, and opportunists crowded Portland’s streets. And so did homeless children.
Portland’s leaders came together in search of a solution. Rather than employ the traditional orphanage model, these men broke with convention. Children, they asserted, thrive best within a family. Boys & Girls Aid was created.
Unique because of our history, experience, and vision, Boys & Girls Aid continues to take the lead in providing innovative programs for children and families in Oregon.
In celebration of 120 years of service to children, Boys & Girls Aid, led by then Board President Mike Thayer, worked with local author and historian David Peterson Del Mar to publish “Through the Eyes of A Child.” The book provides a comprehensive look at the first 120 years of our agency’s history.
To purchase a copy, contact .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) at 503.542.2321.