The Rosewood Initiative

We are proud to share our 2025 Annual Report, which compiles the stories and numbers that make up our organizational impact from last year.

As we reflect on 2025, it's clear that it was pivotal. Across East Multnomah County, families navigated fear and uncertainty in their daily lives, like threats of ICE patrolling our neighborhood, cuts to essential benefits, and economic instability. During times like these, places that offer stability, connection, and trust become even more important.

The Rosewood Community Hub continues to grow as a center of possibility for East Portland. Together, volunteers and staff create a network of support that extends far beyond the capacity of any single person.

Some impact highlights from 2025:

2672 Community Center visits
257 volunteer hours logged supporting our food forest
$20,000 in transit fares distributed
55 partner organizations at health & wellness events

To our supporters, partners, and neighbors: thank you! Your belief in this work allows Rosewood to remain a place where people gather, learn, support one another, and build a stronger future together. We are grateful to be building this future with you.

And a huge thank you to all the community members who shared their stories for this report, and to FLI Media for capturing many of the photos used.

Read the full report here: https://www.rosewoodinitiative.org/annual-reports

UPDATE: The Rosewood Initiative is closed to drop ins this week, 6/16 - 6/18. All pre-scheduled programming (Digital Literacy Class, English Class, diaper pick ups, and the East County Networking Meeting) is still happening. We will re-open next week for our summer drop-in schedule!

📆 Our summer drop in hours are: Monday - Friday, 10:00am - 3:00pm

Rosewood está cerrada al público esta semana, del 16 al 18 de junio. Toda la programación previamente programada todavía está sucediendo. ¡Reabriremos la semana que viene con nuestro horario de visitas de verano!

📆 Horario de Verano: De lunes a viernes, de 10:00am a 3:00pm.

Here are the partners we are hosting this week at our community hub!

Some highlights:
🟠 Metro can collect hazardous waste like medical sharps, batteries, and light bulbs.
🟠 Multnomah County SNAP Outreach can help you sign up for SNAP and navigate your benefits.
🟠 Weekly English class is always open for drop ins! It's tailored for English language learners at levels 1-3. Beginners are welcome!
🟠 Digital Navigation with - They are available to answer all your tech-related questions!
🟠 Multnomah County is bringing their mobile health clinic van to Rosewood. They provide comprehensive medical care, dental cleanings, lab tests and more. This is a drop in service so no appointment is needed.

And you can find more information in our Spring programs brochure: https://rosewoodinitiative.org/community-hub -brocure

Exciting news! We are a Free Lunch + Play site this summer with Portland Parks & Rec! Five days a week, we'll be hosting free lunch, drop-in games, crafts, and recreation in our green space for youth ages 18 and under! Monday - Friday, 10:00am - 2:00pm.
Programming kicks off June 22nd and runs through August 21st, with no program on Friday, July 3. Lunch is served 11:45am-1:15pm. We hope to see you at Rosewood this summer!

¡Noticias emocionantes! ¡Somos un sitio de juegos de almuerzo gratis este verano con Portland Parks & Rec! Cinco días a la semana, organizaremos almuerzo gratis, juegos de entrega, manualidades y recreación en nuestro espacio verde para jóvenes de 18 años o menos! Lunes - Viernes, 10:00am - 2:00pm. La programación de
comienza el 22 de junio y se extiende hasta el 21 de agosto, sin programa el viernes 3 de julio. El almuerzo se sirve de 11:45am-1:15pm. ¡Esperamos verte en Rosewood este verano!

More information / Más información: https://www.portland.gov/parks/arts-culture/summer-free-all/free-lunch

We are hosting the Multnomah County Mobile Clinic through the summer, with the next date coming up next week! The van will be here on Thursdays, June 11th, July 9th, and August 13th, from 1:30pm - 4:30pm.

They take drop ins only and can provide a wide range of medical care like care for injury & illness, physical exams, reproductive health, vaccines for adults, and pregnancy testing. They accept OHP, Medicaid, Medicare, and some private insurance. Fees are based on what you can pay, and if you can't pay, you still get care. If you are in need of medical care, we invite you to stop by!

Estamos organizando la Clínica Multnomah County Mobile una vez al mes esta verano y la próxima fecha es la próxima semana! La clínica estará aquí los jueves, 11 de junio, 9 de junio, y 13 de agosto de 1:30pm a 4:30pm.

Solo reciben drop ins y pueden proporcionar una amplia gama de atención médica como atención para lesiones y enfermedades, exámenes físicos, salud reproductiva, vacunas para adultos y pruebas de embarazo. Aceptan OHP, Medicaid, Medicare y algunos seguros privados. Las tarifas se basan en lo que usted puede pagar, y si no puede pagar, ¡aún así recibirá atención médica! Si necesita atención médica, le invitamos a visitarla.

More information / Más información: https://healthcenter.multco.us/current-patients/find-more-support/mobile-clinic #331-how-to-visit-a-mobile-clinic

Last month we partnered with Keller Williams Portland Central for the 2nd year in a row to host a group for their RED DAY team day of service. We were grateful to have this group back this year because they always bring a lot of energy into the space and help us get so much done!

With their team of 42 volunteers, we were able to completely demolish the broken-down fence around the blue house on our property, expanding and connecting all of the outdoor spaces. They also filled our raised garden beds with 12,500 lbs of soil using wheel barrows to move the soil and dump it into the beds. Now these beds are ready for community members to plant in them! They also trimmed the overgrown grass on the property, cleaned up trash and removed invasive ivy, and helped us organize our shelves of diapers for our diaper program!

Thank you Keller Williams for supporting us again on RED Day! We're amazed by the transformation we saw in the space after only a few hours of teamwork.

And thank you to Rockwood Common Tool Library for parking on site to provide us with all the tools we needed to get the job done. Check out their tool library for all your DIY project needs!

If these photos are inspiring you to come visit our food forest and get involved, we host volunteer days every Sunday! You can sign up here: https://www.rosewoodinitiative.org/volunteer

📸 by Jumoke Askari

Here are the partners we are hosting this week at our community hub!

Some highlights:
🟠 Digital Navigation with Free Geek - They are available to answer all your tech-related questions!
🟠 Metro can collect hazardous waste like medical sharps, batteries, and light bulbs.
🟠 Multnomah County SNAP Outreach can help you sign up for SNAP and navigate your benefits.
🟠 Weekly English class is always open for drop ins! It's tailored for English language learners at levels 1-3. Beginners are welcome!
🟠 Multnomah County is bringing their mobile health clinic van to Rosewood. They provide comprehensive medical care, dental cleanings, lab tests and more. This is a drop in service so no appointment is needed.

Please note we'll be opening late on Thursday.

And you can find more information in our Spring programs brochure here: https://www.rosewoodinitiative.org/community-hub

We are hosting the Multnomah County Mobile Clinic once a month this spring and we have two dates left! The van will be here on Thursdays, May 14th and June 11th, from 1:30pm - 4:30pm.

They take drop ins only and can provide a wide range of medical care like care for injury & illness, physical exams, reproductive health, vaccines for adults, and pregnancy testing. They accept OHP, Medicaid, Medicare, and some private insurance. Fees are based on what you can pay, and if you can't pay, you still get care. If you are in need of medical care, we invite you to stop by!

Estamos organizando la Clínica Multnomah County Mobile una vez al mes esta primavera y nos quedan dos fechas! La clínica estará aquí los jueves 14 de mayo y 11 de junio, de 1:30pm a 4:30pm.

Solo reciben drop ins y pueden proporcionar una amplia gama de atención médica como atención para lesiones y enfermedades, exámenes físicos, salud reproductiva, vacunas para adultos y pruebas de embarazo. Aceptan OHP, Medicaid, Medicare y algunos seguros privados. Las tarifas se basan en lo que usted puede pagar, y si no puede pagar, ¡aún así recibirá atención médica! Si necesita atención médica, le invitamos a visitarla.

More information / Más información: https://healthcenter.multco.us/current-patients/find-more-support/mobile-clinic #331-how-to-visit-a-mobile-clinic

We had a great time at our first gardening workshop with Portland Placemaking Coalition! We learned the basics of growing food in home gardens, including how to prep your soil and choose where to plant. The next workshop (on May 3rd, 2pm-3pm) will focus on food growing for renters! If you rent and/or are gardening with limited space, this one is for you!

And a reminder that our garden volunteer days are happening every Sunday, 10am-1pm, so if you just want to get your hands into the dirt while supporting our community food forest and garden, come join us!

You can sign up for both of these here: https://www.trackitforward.com/site/900369/events

Introducing Paula Byrd as Interim Executive Director 🌹

Following the announcement of Sabrina Wilson’s transition from Executive Director, we want to reaffirm our commitment to the East Portland community. The Rosewood Initiative is here to stay as a community resource hub and gathering space. We remain committed to building a safe, healthy, and vibrant community where neighbors can thrive together. We are excited to continue building upon the groundwork that Sabrina and other Rosewood team members have laid.

As we move forward, the Board of Directors has asked Paula Byrd to serve as Interim Executive Director beginning April 1st. We are thankful for her willingness to step into this role and provide continuity and stability while we work through the next steps.

“I have had the pleasure of calling East Portland home for over five years while serving the Rosewood Initiative community for two years. I am excited to lead the organization through this transition. The Rosewood Initiative has been a pillar in East Portland for over fifteen years, and we will continue to be committed to our neighbors, supporters, and community partners.” - Paula Byrd

If you have any questions about how you can support our work during this time or partner with Rosewood, Paula would love to hear from you. You can reach her at [email protected]. Questions about our programs or other ways to get involved? Email [email protected], and we will get back to you as soon as possible.

Our spring programs are continuing as planned, and we invite you to check out our Spring Programs Brochure and find a time to come visit our community hub and food forest this spring! Thank you for your continued support during this time of transition.

In Community,
The Rosewood Initiative Board of Directors and Paula Byrd, Interim Executive Director

Sprong programs brochure: https://www.rosewoodinitiative.org/community-hub -brocure