Helen Gordon to host benefit auction

The Helen Gordon Child Development Center will host its 10th annual auction fundraiser tomorrow, which will feature live music, tapas, desserts and drinks. All the money raised will go toward various projects at the center.  

The Helen Gordon Center is a childcare program located on Southwest 12th Avenue and Market Street. It is run by Portland State with the dual purpose of providing childcare for the children of PSU students and staff and serving as a laboratory for studies in early childhood education and related fields.

Ellie Justice, center director and member of the auction committee, explained that the center relies on fundraising to provide scholarships for children, professional development for teachers and facility upgrades.

According to Justice, both the Student Fee Committee and the tuition revenues earned through childcare services fund the center.

The yearly auction allows the center to establish scholarships for low-income families and to subsidize tuition for families struggling with short-term financial hardship.  

The fundraiser will also allow teachers and staff at the center to attend professional development seminars and workshops by paying for travel expenses and seminar fees. 

In addition, each year the center takes on a new initiative, Justice said. 

“We are currently working to transform our urban playground into a playscape that offers more opportunities for children to connect with nature,” she said. 

Consequently, much of the concrete will be replaced with organic material like plants, rocks and water. This will allow for more kinesthetic awareness for the students and stimulation of all their senses, Justice said.

The outdoor space for infants and toddlers will also be  expanded, as will the covered play space so that the children can still engage in physical activity when it is raining, according to Justice.  

The auction tickets sell for $40, and on average the event raises between $15,000 and $35,000 for the center.

The event will start at 5:30 p.m. and will take place at the Tiffany Center on Southwest 14th Avenue. Call 503-725-3093 or visit www.hgcdc.pdx.edu to purchase tickets. ?