KairosPDX

As part of our CAS sessions with community partners on Wednesday, our families leaders can sign up for one-on-one piano, guitar or ukulele lessons with @PDXplayitforward instructors. Their mission is to ensure equal access to Music M.A.G.I.C. They believe — and extensive research shows — that learning a musical instrument fosters Mental Wellness, Agility, Grit, Independence, and Community in children — and that’s MAGIC. Barriers like poverty, racism, and historic marginalization prevent many children from receiving instrumental instruction. Play It Forward provides access to instruments, instruction, and inspiring opportunities to students across the Pacific Northwest. A first grader shares about their experience with @PDXplayitforward piano lessons, "I love to do improve in piano, but I am learning how to read music. It’s super fun. AND if you learn to read the music of these songs, you can play all the songs in the world!"

TODAY, Feb. 20th! Po'Shines Cafe De La Soul will be donating 15% of proceeds to KairosPDX and more! Supporting this local business today helps contribute to our mission. 🍽️

A big thank you to all of our sponsors! ✨ Your generous support enables us to keep working toward closing the racial achievement and opportunity gaps, creating meaningful and lasting change in our community. We are deeply grateful for your partnership in driving this important work forward and making a real impact. 🙏🏾🌟 See you all in 4 days!

🌟 Meet KairosPDX’s 2025 Leadership Awardee, Tony Hopson! 👏🏾🏆 Tony is a true force for change, tirelessly advocating for the education of children of color. In 1981, Tony Hopson founded Self Enhancement, Inc. to provide a positive alternative for African-American teens in Portland, and over the years, it has grown into a year-round program serving 17,000+ youth and families annually with academic, family, and community support. He is a nationally recognized social entrepreneur, his work is reshaping the future for historically underserved youth. From his involvement at the Harvard School of Education to participating in Senatorial hearings, Tony’s impact is far-reaching and transformative. We look forward to celebrating his legacy at our 12th Annual Spread The Love gala on February 7th! 🎟️Get your tickets here: https://shorturl.at/EHl8t #Leadership #EducationEquity #YouthAdvocacy #ChangeMaker

The countdown begins... Spread The Love 2025 is next week! Join us for an evening of celebration on Friday, February 7th! Buy Tickets here: https://shorturl.at/Psgba Let's create more meaningful moments together!

In our CAS session, Tiny Dance Life, kindergarten leaders have begun learning concepts of music, rhythm, movement, and grooves from our community partner, Ms. Molly. So far, this upbeat, encouraging class has supported our young leaders to feel free to express themselves using their whole bodies! We are already seeing our 5 and 6 year-olds growing their confidence to dance in their own style while taking inspiration from others'. We can't wait to see their choreographed moves as they practice through winter and spring! Every Wednesday at KairosPDX, our student leaders attend weekly Community Action Sessions (CAS) that are led by our partners in the community. These classes focus on expanding access to quality enrichment opportunities for our pre-k through 5th grade students in the areas of Health and Wellness, Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics, Arts and Culture, and Service Learning.

Get ready for an unforgettable evening featuring the incredible Chef Kiara Hardy from Kitchen Killa, serving up mouthwatering dishes, and live music from Alonzo Chadwick & Zoulful Muzic that will have you grooving all night long. 🎶🍽️ Don’t miss out on this special night of celebration, community, and love. 💚 Mark your calendars for Friday, February 7th—tickets available now! https://shorturl.at/RsJ49 #SpreadTheLoveGala #KairosPDX

Clark Atlanta's love for animals in their small world play area was brought to the studio table. The teachers wondered along with the kids, "What will happen if we bring the animals to the studio table with clay?" The teachers asked the preschoolers: How might we build a shelter for the animals? What other ideas will we have using these materials with the animals?

Our Annual Spread the Love Gala is Friday, February 7th and tickets are available for purchase! Join us for a night of celebration as we come together to fundraise for our mission. The evening will feature live music, special performances from KairosPDX leaders, the amazing cuisine of Kitchen Killa, a stacked auction, and more! Click here to buy tickets: https://shorturl.at/FCpWe

In Southern University, the doctor’s office in Dramatic play has been active with band-ades, appointments, shots, x-rays, prescriptions and taking care of sick babies. Kindergarteners have been playing the caretaking roles they know from their real lives: doctors, nurses, moms, dads, grandparents, friends… Inspired by this play, leaders have been telling and drawing Band-aid stories and sharing who the helpers were when they got hurt.