Student Mission Statements

MISSION STATEMENT 1: Alliance @ Meek High School is deeply concerned about the long-term opportunities available for our houseless Portland community members. We will be using our funds to support organizations in Multnomah County that offer job skills and career trainings, education opportunities, and housing solutions to people recovering from mental illness or drug addiction. We believe everyone deserves a second chance and a bright future.

MISSION STATEMENT 2: The students at Astoria High School have seen the effects of the pandemic and surrounding issues on mental health, domestic and sexual violence, and access to medical care. We hope to utilize services and assist nonprofits around Astoria and Clatsop County which focus on one or more of our concerns. It is vital that everyone has access to medical care, whether physical or mental, and protection from harm at home. Programs that provide shelter and temporary care would be of special interest to our group.

MISSION STATEMENT 3: Benson Polytechnic High School is highly concerned about the safety and well-being of people experiencing homelessness in the City of Portland. We will be donating our funds to organizations that provide access to food for the homeless, as well as shelter and other basic necessities. As homelessness is an ever-increasing problem in our community, we feel an obligation to assist in every way possible, and by donating to organizations that are heavily invested in the community, we can do that. Every person experiencing homelessness deserves basic human rights.

MISSION STATEMENT 5: Catlin Gabel CommuniCare’s mission is to support equitable access to healthcare for low-income Portland Metro Area communities. In light of recent national attacks on healthcare and reproductive rights, and the ongoing impacts of the pandemic, we recognize the need for increased medical support. Through partnering with nonprofits that provide accessible healthcare to Portland’s underrepresented communities, we aim to reduce the inequitable impact our nation’s health crisis has on these communities.

MISSION STATEMENT 6: The Central Catholic Agents of Change will work for equity for those in need throughout the Portland area. As a community, Central Catholic will provide hope for seniors, youth, veterans, single parent families, and members of the BIPOC community. We will focus on providing financial support for medical care and programs that benefit mental health and addiction services.  We will seek to partner with organizations that assist those with disabilities and members of our community that are experiencing houselessness. We will show the City of Portland the Power of Change!

MISSION STATEMENT 7: The Central Catholic Youth Action Team wants to work in collaboration with organizations that serve communities in the Portland Metro Area. We want to support BIPOC and LGBTQIA+ youth facing houselessness and dealing with a variety of personal and systemic matters, such as mental health, drug addiction, domestic violence/sexual abuse, and affordable housing, which can impact the quality of life for youth. We want to partner with community organizations and help provide financial support for programs that serve these communities on a regular basis, and which have done incredible work to help nurture healing of the Portland Metro Area, whether through services, policy work, or direct aid.

MISSION STATEMENT 8: Clackamas High School’s Medical Equity for Oregon strives to give access to medical care for any person in need, no matter class, race, gender, or economic standing. We value compassion, collaboration, and diversity in Medical Equity for Oregon. We will fund non-profit organizations that help people who need health access, including medical, hygienic, and mental health support. Medical equity is important because it is an ongoing issue for people who are struggling in our state.

MISSION STATEMENT 9: Clackamas High School is focused on supporting causes that help those experiencing domestic violence and sexual abuse, and causes that provide equitable access to healthcare. We will be using our funds to support those who have been deeply affected by the inequity and prejudice in healthcare, and those who have had their lives altered by domestic violence and sexual abuse in the Clackamas area. We believe that all people should feel safe, cared for, and important.

MISSION STATEMENT 10: The Advanced Leadership CommuniCare students at Cleveland High School will be granting money to organizations providing the necessary tools for adults and youth with intellectual, developmental, and/or physical disabilities to have equal opportunities within education and the workforce. We want to highlight the importance of expanding on these types of services, including job placement support, work readiness training, access to transportation, specialized education programs, or activism within the education system. We would like to see a step towards change in creating equal payment, exposure, and success for disabled people in the Portland Metro Area.

MISSION STATEMENT 11: The CommuniCare students from Building Consent Culture at Cleveland High School will be granting money to organizations that provide services for survivors of domestic or sexual violence, as well as education and prevention programs for young people, in the PDX Metro Area. Our class was created because we believe in our own impact as teenagers to foster a community of safe, equitable, and healthy relationships for all. We are looking for nonprofits that support survivors in their personal journeys toward safe and violence-free lives, while also offering programs that work directly with local youth and the education system to help prevent dating and relationship violence upstream. We hope our grants will help local youth develop supportive, healthy relationships and encourage young people to engage in creating safe and equitable spaces in their schools for all students.

MISSION STATEMENT 12: Cleveland’s C.A.R.E. Leadership students will support nonprofits that provide services for those who are houseless in the Portland Metro Area. Our group will donate our funds to nonprofits that provide shelter and refuge for houseless BIPOC individuals, work towards systemic change, and elevate the voices of those who are or have been houseless. Our goal is to create real change and find effective solutions.

MISSION STATEMENT 13: We, the Corbett High School CommuniCare group, are looking to support nonprofits that are guiding ecosystem restoration in the greater Multnomah County area.  We believe that climate change, and by extension forest fires, are becoming an increasingly large problem in the Pacific Northwest. By supporting groups that are leading or assisting forest projects, we hope to see healthy habitats start to return to previously dead or weak areas.

MISSION STATEMENT 14: The SWORD group at Corbett High School (Students Wiping Out Racial Discrimination) has chosen to support the fight for racial justice across the Portland Metro Area. We will focus on organizations that promote equality, anti-racism, and support for people of color. We believe equal representation and opportunity is paramount in the fight to end racism. We are looking to fund organizations that support anti-racism advocacy and provide opportunities for people of color in education, leadership roles, and positions of power.

MISSION STATEMENT 15: The CommuniCare team at Creekside Community High School is concerned about the limited availability of mental health resources available to adolescents and young adults in the Portland Metro Area, primarily people part of BIPOC and LGBTQ+ communities. This issue is important to us because it has not only impacted students on this team, it is also something that is connected to many other challenges people face in their day-to-day lives, and yet lack the support for the change they need. We would like to support organizations who are focusing on minorities and working to provide mental health services in order to serve more people and to help lessen the stigma of mental health challenges, as well as organizations using effective methods to improve mental health and help young people process trauma they may have experienced in a healthy way.

MISSION STATEMENT 16: We, the students of David Douglas High School, in partnership with CommuniCare, will be granting money to organizations providing reintegration services for those experiencing homelessness in Multnomah County. To break the cycle of homelessness, we must approach the root of the problem: temporary solutions. We will focus on organizations that provide job placement services, financial literacy programs, or addiction support to our homeless community, and those at-risk, with the intention to create sustainable change. We would like to see decreased homelessness and poverty rates to give people the opportunity to contribute positively and thrive in our community.

MISSION STATEMENT 17: The Maroon Student Store Management and Philanthropy team at Franklin High School will be granting money to organizations working to protect and defend the civil rights of historically oppressed and underserved groups in the Portland, Oregon region. We believe there needs to be more support for those who feel their rights are not currently protected or supported fairly and equally. We also believe that all humans should be treated with decency and deserve access to basic human rights regardless of identity. We will focus on organizations that seek to protect and strengthen the civil rights of said groups. We hope to see more trust and peace in our community while improving access to justice, fairness, and safety for all Oregonians.

MISSION STATEMENT 18: The Gray Student Store Management and Philanthropy team at Franklin High School will be granting money to organizations seeking to improve access to healthcare for all and supporting survivors of sexual abuse in Multnomah County. We believe it is a human right to have all areas of healthcare be affordable and equitable, regardless of finances. We are aware that the high cost of healthcare services in America has negatively impacted our community.  We would like to see fewer people in our community struggling to pay healthcare bills and more people living healthy, happy lives.  We also hope to relieve the stress and worry many face because of the cost of healthcare, the lack of access, the stigma of seeking support, and other barriers to treatment.

MISSION STATEMENT 19: The CommuniCare students at Glencoe High School will be granting money to organizations that provide treatment to young adults struggling with drug addiction and substance abuse within the Portland Metro Area. Glencoe students feel passionate about these issues since many have been directly affected by the impacts of drug addiction and substance abuse. We believe addiction in young adults can have long-lasting effects mentally, physically, and socioeconomically. There are reminders of drugs and alcohol everywhere and not everyone who is experiencing addiction has guardian support. We will focus on organizations that humanize the users, provide education and treatment options, and have a track record of long-term effectiveness and support. Our hope is to see more treatment opportunities available to young adults and to spread the message that it is okay to ask for help.

MISSION STATEMENT 20: The CommuniCare Club at Glencoe High School will be granting money to organizations helping with homelessness among youth and young adults within the Portland Metro Area. We believe that displaced youth and young adults can prosper if given help and the correct resources. Our focus will be on organizations that provide job skills and education, mental health services, and/or shelter. We hope to aid the less fortunate youth and young adults who are absent from homes, and to help them transition into healthier lives. Our hope is to see a decrease in the number of homeless youth and young adults in the Portland Metro Area and witness them pursue occupations.

MISSION STATEMENT 21:  We, the CommuniCare Club of Grant High School, aim to support organizations in the Portland Metro Area that support transitional services for the houseless. We will prioritize organizations that provide multi-generational housing, mental health resources, or addiction support. We are interested in groups assisting elderly persons and others excluded from traditional supportive housing in finding these resources. In doing so, we hope to help people transition into stable housing.

MISSION STATEMENT 22: The students of La Salle Catholic College Preparatory High School have a mutual and passionate care for survivors of sexual assault, both in our school and in our neighboring Portland Metro Area cities. We will be using our funds to support organizations that focus specifically on and care deeply for survivors’ mental health and recovery, regardless of age, gender, race, and/or citizenship status. We hope to eventually see an equal awareness from all members of our local community about what assault is, what it isn’t, how to prevent it, and how to recover from it. We believe awareness and advocacy can bring about an end to an issue that is too close to home.

MISSION STATEMENT 23: The students of Lake Oswego High School’s Link Crew Leadership class are deeply concerned with the lack of medical care and mental health support for survivors of domestic or sexual abuse in the greater Portland Metro Area. We will donate our funds to nonprofits who provide support for youth and young adults (ages 0-24) who are survivors of sexual or domestic abuse. Our class is seeking organizations that place a great emphasis on visibility, trust, and collaboration. Lake Oswego High School believes that all youth should be protected and nurtured so they can reach their greatest potential, thrive, and heal.

MISSION STATEMENT 24: The CommuniCare students of Lakeridge High School will be granting money to organizations across the State of Oregon that are actively working to ameliorate and raise awareness of environmental issues. The environment is rapidly deteriorating and we need to create solutions in a timely manner. We want our state’s environment to prosper and we want to spread awareness of local environmental issues. We also believe that sustainability is extremely important and should be examined and improved in all aspects of our community. We will focus on supporting organizations who create and implement environmental solutions and focus on the education of those solutions. Knowledge of environmental stewardship and why it’s important can transfer to other communities, which in turn will help to improve the global environment. We want to see improvements in environmental quality, as well as increased public knowledge and improvements in recycling, composting, and waste reduction.

MISSION STATEMENT 25: HUD estimated that there were 14,600 people experiencing houselessness in Oregon in 2020, with over 8,800 of them unsheltered. COVID-19 has only worsened the impact of these harrowing statistics. We, the Intro to Marketing class at Lincoln High School, are deeply concerned about the number of people we see experiencing houselessness all around our campus in downtown Portland. To combat this, we will be allocating our grants to organizations whose primary objective is to fight the issue of houselessness in Portland through sustainable ways to get people into affordable public housing, safe houses, and shelters. We will also consider grants for nonprofits that go beyond houselessness and provide food security, job training, mental health resources, and reduced drug dependency for men, women, and families sleeping on the streets of our city.

MISSION STATEMENT 26: As students of Lincoln High School, we acknowledge the trash and pollution in our City of Portland. Our mission is to preserve and protect the beauty of our city and public areas. We hope to create a safer and cleaner environment, including our highways, parks, and forests, by contributing to an organization that has ecocentric values and inspires youth to take actions to preserve the environment.

MISSION STATEMENT 27: The CommuniCare students in the FLI Choir class at Lincoln High School will be granting money to a nonprofit organization who provides blankets, food, shelter, masks, and other necessities to houseless youth in the Portland Metro Area. We feel houselessness is one of the biggest issues facing Portland today and that everyone deserves these basic resources and necessities. We also hope to support an organization that provides opportunities and enriching activities, such as education and access to the arts, to houseless youth that might not have access otherwise. With our grants, we hope to change the lives of houseless youth for the better, making it possible for them to move beyond worrying about fulfilling basic needs and improving access to services and opportunities that will lead them to a brighter, more joyful future.

MISSION STATEMENT 29: The CommuniCare students in at Lincoln High School will be granting money to organizations who provide reliable access to mental health support and care to teens in the Portland Metro Area. We believe struggles with mental health are a vastly increasing issue that have a chokehold on not just teens, but our society. We are aware that there are many young people who are suffering in silence, and we want to lend a hand and an ear by funding organizations who can offer the help they need. We will focus on researching and funding mental health resources and helping them become more accessible to teens. We hope to see that our grants will not only help to decrease the number of Portland Metro teens struggling with mental health, but also help teens who are struggling to feel safer and validated with their feelings.

MISSION STATEMENT 30: Lincoln High School is highly concerned about the accessibility of healthcare for homeless youth and families in the State of Oregon. We would like to raise funds to support organizations that increase access to, or which directly provide, free healthcare. We are focused on advocating for youth and families who may have experienced domestic violence, homophobia, discrimination, or financial instability and helping them access what they might need to thrive. We would like to help those who may not have equal access to one of the most important aspects of a healthy life so that they may thrive, have healthy lives, and can avoid future struggles.

MISSION STATEMENT 31: Students at Lincoln High School are deeply concerned about protecting those who have been affected by, and preventing future incidences of, domestic violence and sexual assault in Portland, Oregon. We will be funding and supporting organizations that find safe housing and resources to help domestic abuse survivors and their children recover mentally and physically. Our goal is to make a difference in people’s lives in our immediate area because the frequency and severity of domestic violence is unacceptable and our class is willing to step up and fight hard for the prevention of this violence, and the complete recovery of survivors.

MISSION STATEMENT 32: Lincoln High School is deeply concerned with the excessive amount of trash in the downtown area around homeless populations and in the city’s streets in general. The amount of trash is disproportionately affecting small businesses, downtown tenants, wildlife, and the safety of our youth. We will be contributing our funds towards organizations who can help supply and provide volunteers to clean up the trash and reduce its impact on the streets. We want to focus on cleaning up the trash in the downtown area of Portland, as that is the area that is most affected by this issue. People of this city deserve a clean and beautiful place to live and represent.

MISSION STATEMENT 33: Lincoln High School is deeply concerned about the mental health and well-being of young adults. We want to use our funds to provide easy access to mental health support and suicide prevention in the Portland Metro Area, specifically to youth populations that are in the LGBTQ+ community, as well as those who are affected by disabilities, abusive households, and the effects of poverty. As a community of young adults in the Portland area, we believe all people deserve better access to mental health support to create a safer, happier environment.

MISSION STATEMENT 34: We, the students of Lincoln High School’s Period 2 FLI class, seek to provide sustainable, affordable accessibility to healthy food to those in need, particularly in the Lincoln community and/or those with a particular interest in helping the houseless community. This can be in the form of cooked meals and/or providing food supplies to those in need, or organizations working to improve access to affordable and healthy food.

MISSION STATEMENT 35: The students of Lincoln High School’s Period 3 FLI class recognize that the environment needs our help. The environment is slowly being destroyed and if we don’t do something soon, our environment will be gone. The environment has provided for us and now it’s our turn. We want to grant funds to organizations that focus on climate change mitigation, climate disaster prevention, increasing awareness about climate change, or increasing access to reusable or recyclable materials. Of specific interest are organizations that plan to plant more trees and/or remove waste material from the Portland Metro Area, as well as organizations that focus on climate change mitigation, climate disaster prevention, increasing awareness about climate change, and/ or increasing access to reusable or recyclable materials.

MISSION STATEMENT 36: The students of Lincoln High School’s Period 6 FLI class will be granting money to an organization that offers aid to houseless people in the Portland area. We will focus on providing food and clothing, sustainable job opportunities, or housing for all, including those who have suffered domestic violence. We will strive to achieve a community that allows all people to feel important, valued, and most of all, safe.

MISSION STATEMENT 37: The CommuniCare students at Lincoln High School will work on raising and granting money to nonprofit organizations in Portland, Oregon that help spread mental health awareness and provide access to mental health services. We will also work to provide access to addiction support, medical care, and nutrition to all people. We believe these organizations will help improve accessibility and increase awareness about the aforementioned issues, and that this is crucial to fighting said issues. We will focus on lower-income areas, as these have the least access to the services of focus and are most in need of assistance. We believe our community should be healthy and have easy access to medical support. We want to make an impact, even if just on a small scale, because everyone deserves to live a healthy life, no matter what financial status they have.

MISSION STATEMENT 38: The 9th Grade students at Lincoln High School have partnered with CommuniCare to grant money to organizations whose primary focus is to assist the houseless people in Portland, Oregon. We believe that giving grants to several organizations focused on houselessness around the Portland Metro Area will make a difference and help solve a very local, very real issue. We will support these organizations so that houseless people in Portland will be able to find affordable housing and a more stable financial situation. We would like to see our funds not only help houseless people survive, but also thrive, by using the grants effectively and efficiently.

MISSION STATEMENT 39: The Lincoln community is very concerned about the trash and pollution of our city and the surrounding areas. This issue needs to be solved because it affects not only us but the ecosystems and the wildlife that inhabits them. We have partnered with CommuniCare in order to solve this urgent issue. Lincoln as a community wants to raise funds and awareness to support trash cleaning and environmental cleanup organizations that will make our city proud, safe, and environmentally friendly once again.

MISSION STATEMENT 40: The CommuniCare Club members at Lincoln High School will be granting money to organizations that support the houseless survivors of sexual or domestic abuse in Oregon. We believe that those who are houseless because they no longer have a safe place in their own homes need support and help finding a safe, stable place to live. We will focus on organizations that help the individuals in our community that suffer from or are survivors of sexual or domestic abuse and houselessness. We would like to see the houselessness rate in Oregon decrease, as well as see this problem in Oregon be voiced in bigger spotlights than it has been in the past.

MISSION STATEMENT 41: The McDaniel High School Restorative Justice Club, along with the Peace and Justice Club, will be granting money to organizations serving NE Portland and Oregon more broadly that seek to provide mental health supports and resources to teens who are in the midst of preparing for post-high school opportunities. We believe all students deserve to pursue college or career with all of the supports and resources needed to overcome mental health challenges. Organizations that seek to support high school students in the process of preparing for post-high school opportunities and increasing access to mental health resources for those students should apply for our grant funding. Restorative Justice Club and Peace and Justice Club would like to see more high school students receive the mental health resources and help they deserve when considering options past their high school career. The ideal outcome would be an increase in access to social, emotional, and mental health supports during and leading up to this major transition from high school to whatever comes next.

MISSION STATEMENT 43: The CommuniCare Group 1 at Northwest Academy is raising money for nonprofit organizations focused on mental health treatment in the Portland Metro Area, particularly for young adults and teens. The suicide rate in Portland is three times higher than the national average and Oregon ranks last in access to mental health treatment in the nation. Mental health services are necessary for many, but accessible to few, and we want to support organizations that are working to change that. We envision a future where people can have easy access to mental healthcare and support whenever they need it, wherever they need it, across Portland.

MISSION STATEMENT 44: Northwest Academy’s CommuniCare Group 2 is looking to partner with and award our grants to organizations providing mental health services to disadvantaged youth and young adults in the Portland area. The vast majority of mental health disorders are developed by the age of twenty-five. We believe having access to mental health services for young people who are just beginning to experience mental health issues is important in preventing more severe disorders and allows for better mental health throughout life.

MISSION STATEMENT 45: The CommuniCare students at Open School East will be granting money to organizations providing support to families in need of housing, utility bills, clothing, food, and essentials in the Portland Metro Area. We would like to prioritize programs in East Portland that serve single parents and support housing for youth. We believe that during this pandemic so many people have been positioned to be without and we are really passionate about making a difference.

MISSION STATEMENT 46: The Oregon Episcopal School CommuniCare group aims to support organizations that provide medical care services in the Portland Metro Area. We believe people who struggle with medical and hygienic issues are in need of aid to achieve the comfort and security everyone is entitled to. We will focus on organizations that connect the houseless with medical professionals, provide personal hygiene and medical products, and meet individual healthcare needs. We would like to see an increase in the availability of medical commodities for financially unstable people when they require it.

MISSION STATEMENT 47: The Pendleton High School CommuniCare Club will be granting funds to organizations that focus on domestic/sexual violence services, homelessness support, and mental health & addiction support. We will focus on organizations that serve Eastern Oregon and will give priority to organizations in Pendleton, Oregon. We hope to address the growing need of support services for homelessness and mental health & addiction support in our community which has increased during the COVID-19 pandemic.  In addition, we hope to increase the protection for victims of domestic and sexual violence in our community. 

MISSION STATEMENT 48: The Roosevelt High School Theatre Department CommuniCare Group will be granting money to organizations that are located in North Portland and provide money to support people in low-income housing with rent and other household expenses. We believe low-income households that have been affected by the COVID-19 pandemic deserve the resources and the support to get back on their feet. We will focus on organizations that provide stability to those households, with preferences to organizations that support or are close to arts organizations. We would like to see low-income households that struggle financially benefit from our grants.

MISSION STATEMENT 49: The student philanthropy group at Roosevelt High School will be granting money to organizations that provide a housing-first approach to improving the lives of people experiencing houselessness in the Portland Metro Area. We are specifically interested in programs that prioritize providing stable housing while also providing easy access to wraparound services for mental health, addiction treatment, and employment.

MISSION STATEMENT 50: The Green Chapter of CommuniCare at St. Mary’s Academy will be supporting nonprofits who provide access to mental and physical healthcare services for survivors of sexual and domestic violence in the Portland Metro Area. During COVID-19 lockdowns in the past year, economic and social stressors have exacerbated domestic violence while limiting accessibility to necessary resources that de-escalate hostile situations. We recognize a need for increased public awareness surrounding sexual and domestic violence so that survivors are able to obtain and utilize the resources in their communities. Additionally, we will prioritize nonprofits who work with BIPOC communities and impoverished groups. We hope to see our grants increase the network of support and provide stability for survivors within the Portland Metro Area.

MISSION STATEMENT 51: The Pink Chapter of CommuniCare at St. Mary’s Academy will be granting money to nonprofits providing affordable housing to underserved populations in the Portland Metro Area. We believe the lack of affordable housing is an issue that impacts the strength of our Portland community. Due to the imminent dangers of our current climate crisis, we will prioritize nonprofits that not only implement environmentally conscious practices in their everyday operations, but also provide or are moving towards providing sustainable housing. We also plan to grant money to organizations who specifically serve members of the BIPOC, immigrant, refugee, and/or LGBTQ+ communities, because these populations are disproportionately affected by the economic impacts of COVID-19 and other disasters. We hope that by improving access to affordable housing, Portland individuals and families will see long-term housing stability.

MISSION STATEMENT 52: We are the class of 2024 AVID Tigard High School students. We are passionate about helping families, especially those with children, who have experienced or suffered sexual or domestic abuse. We partnered with CommuniCare and our goal is to work with areas in Washington County and the Portland Metro Area.

We have chosen this service area to help survivors who are stuck in situations where they have little to no support. We want to provide assistance to as many survivors as possible in the form of economic support, through access to housing, shelters, and financial assistance, as well as through medical and mental health support. While we will give careful thought to all nonprofits that support survivors, we will be prioritizing those that help families and children as well as those that help find justice for survivors and educate others on the importance of respect and healthy relationships.

We hope we can help and support people through their trauma and healing process.  It is important to us that we are able to help provide survivors with places of safety and for survivors to know that they deserve dignity and respect. Our goal is to help survivors break the cycle of abuse and for them to not only feel safe and stable, but also to continue on to healthy relationships.

MISSION STATEMENT 53: We are the class of 2024 AVID Tigard high school students. We are working with CommuniCare and will be granting funds to organizations that provide assistance and services to immigrants and refugees in the Washington County and Portland Metro areas.

In our community, many immigrants and refugees seek better opportunities in Oregon and we want to give them a stable, healthy, and happy lifestyle. Many of us are the children of immigrants or have strong connections with immigrants in our communities. We believe immigrants and refugees contribute to and benefit our society so much, but feel they face undue hardships. We believe no one is illegal and want to help stop cycles of racism and discrimination that immigrants and refugees face.

We believe immigrants should feel safe during and after the difficult process of immigration, and we believe they should be provided with the proper care once they are here in Oregon. We will focus on organizations that are actively using their resources to alleviate the day-to-day stresses and obstacles that immigrants continue to face. This includes organizations that give a voice to immigrants so they can share their stories to empower themselves and others.

With our grant money, we will give priority to nonprofit organizations that help support their economic well-being (such as finance, food, housing, medical, and resettlement assistance), access to education and employment services, and provide them with legal support and citizenship. We feel with these services that immigrants and refugees can build a new and better life here and become contributing members of our society, without worrying about issues such as deportation and discrimination. In an ideal world, immigrants and refugees are embraced with welcoming arms and treated equitably and with empathy, compassion, and respect.

MISSION STATEMENT 54: The CommuniCare students at Tualatin High School will be supporting nonprofit organizations that focus on providing access to food within the Portland Metro Area. Currently 1 in 4 Oregonians are food insecure, a ratio that more than doubled during 2020 according to the Oregon Hunger Task Force; communities of color and single mothers experience the disparities of food insecurity at 2 to 3 times higher than the general population (Professor Mark Edwards; OSU). We will focus on organizations who provide access to food for low-income families experiencing food insecurity and we will prioritize organizations who specifically serve communities of color or single mothers. We believe all families should have access to necessary nutrition regardless of income or cultural background.

MISSION STATEMENT 55: The CommuniCare students at Twality Middle School will be granting money to organizations that provide outdoor recreation activities for people who have experienced trauma, especially survivors of domestic or sexual violence, in the Portland Metro Area. COVID forced many people to stay home in abusive settings with limited access to resources. We believe survivors of abuse or other trauma can benefit from and start to heal when immersing themselves in nature and helping the environment. We will focus on organizations that foster support for trauma victims through access to programs that support the environment. We would like to see people take care of the environment while feeling safe.

MISSION STATEMENT 56: We, the CommuniCare members of Warrenton High School, will be granting money to organizations in Clatsop County that provide services to people affected by addiction and its related impacts, such as foster youth, homelessness, and food insecurity. We believe these are the major needs within our county. We will focus on organizations with a strong drive to improve the safety and well-being of our community.

MISSION STATEMENT 57: We, the Ida B. Wells Barnett High School Leadership Team, recognize how houselessness in our city affects the cleanliness of and adds pollution to our community. We will be granting money to organizations in the Portland Metro Area that support the environment through trash clean-up or provide mental health services to the local houseless population. We believe we can help make Portland cleaner and improve the issue of houselessness in our city. We would like to see better lives for houseless people and a less polluted, more well-kept local environment.

MISSION STATEMENT 58: Ida B. Wells-Barnett High School Period 3 CommuniCare will be granting money to organizations that provide mental healthcare in the Portland Metro Area. We believe there needs to be more accessible support for those struggling with mental health. Although we are open to and will consider organizations that provide direct support and care for all communities, we will prioritize organizations that support sexual assault and rape survivors, foster children, and domestic violence survivors. We would like to see these routinely ignored communities receive the help and support they need.

MISSION STATEMENT 59: The CommuniCare students at Jefferson High School will be granting money to organizations who focus on providing mental health resources for POC youth in the Portland Metropolitan Area. As youth ourselves, we’ve witnessed the impact the pandemic has had on the mental health of us and our peers. We believe that youth struggling with mental health should have adequate, easily accessible resources available to help them manage the many stressors they face. We will focus on organizations who help the youth in our community with mental health struggles/issues and offer them resources to strengthen their mental health and overall wellbeing. We would like to see mental health care be more readily available in underserved communities and to help destigmatize the need for help.