Nike Employee Grant Fund of the Oregon Community Foundation Awards Morrison $5000

PORTLAND, OR – October 14, 2011 – The Nike Employee Grant Fund of the Oregon Community Foundation awarded $5,000 to the Morrison Self-Enhancement Soccer Project for soccer equipment, training and coaching for at-risk and indigent boys 12-17.5 years in age to inspire teamwork, cooperation and sportsmanship.

Morrison provides essential services to this at-risk population such as access to routine and emergency medical care, educational services and individual and group counseling. In addition to these vital services, Morrison also offers pro-social, indoor/outdoor recreational activities; a favorite pastime for this particular population is soccer. Unfortunately the program has only a few soccer balls and no goal posts, and teens have no shin guards and are consistently running low on athletic socks. Also, the unstructured nature of clients’ soccer games can lead to clashes and conflict, in part because of histories of gang involvement, but also because there is no cohesion to the sport – the clients have no strategies or game plans to follow and therefore nothing to aspire to or strive for. Coaches, using proper soccer equipment, will teach clients how to play soccer, conduct drills, scrimmages, build athletic skill and ability, and teach teamwork and good sportsmanship, inevitably leading to profound, long-term client benefits such as self-confidence, trust, pride (in themselves and their peers), and motivation for self improvement.
 
The Nike Employee Grant Fund (NEGF) was established at The Oregon Community Foundation (OCF) in 2010. Through this fund, Nike employees work with OCF to award at least $500,000 per year to local nonprofits. NEGF is a "backyard" grant program, engaging employees in aiding nonprofits in communities where local Nike employees live – Clackamas, Columbia, Multnomah, Washington and Yamhill counties in Oregon and Clark County in Washington.

Morrison Child and Family Services is the leading provider of children’s mental health services in Multnomah County. A private, non-profit organization headquartered in Portland since 1947, Morrison partners with families and communities to provide effective and responsive services for children and youth coping with the mental and emotional issues that result from trauma. For more information about Morrison Child and Family Services, call (503) 258-4200 or visit www.morrisonkids.org.