At VOA Oregon, we believe that help is hope. Each service provided and every person reached is a seed of hope planted. This year, as we’ve served nearly 21,000 individuals across our community, I’ve witnessed how VOA Oregon transforms lives through offering high-quality mental health and recovery services, supporting and strengthening families, and fostering safer communities.
The stories in this report embody this transformation and hope. You’ll meet Cesar Valle Lopez, who found hope through our Latino Home Base Recovery program and now serves as a mentor, showing others that seeking help is not weakness but strength. You’ll see how Crystal Ross and our Family Relief Nursery create lasting change – reconnecting a client a decade later to provide wrap-around support when she was ready to rebuild her family’s life. You’ll be moved by how our Men’s Residential Center and Al Forthan Memorial Scholarship inspired Austin Raglione’s decade of support and journey to leave a lasting legacy.
This year brought us groundbreaking initiatives that expand our ability to serve. We’re creating a more responsive and effective system of care thanks to being one of six agencies statewide to implement the Strategic Healthcare Investment for Transformation (SHIFT) initiative through CareOregon. New doors are opening for the women in our recovery treatment centers through an innovative partnership with Multnomah Campus of Jessup University, enabling access to education and training – tools that transform hope into opportunity. Finally, our Home Free Domestic Violence program has strengthened its community impact by joining the Unified Hospital Response for Survivors of Sexual Assault and expanded housing services for survivors of sex trafficking through the Joint Office of Homeless Services.
As I prepare to retire as President and CEO in early 2025, I am filled with gratitude for our 25 years together. These stories aren’t just testimonials. They’re proof that when we say “help is hope,” we mean it; when we say “hope is VOA Oregon,” we live it through every program, partnership, and person we serve.
Though I am stepping away from leadership, my commitment to our mission remains unwavering. The foundation we’ve built ensures that VOA Oregon will continue to be a beacon of hope, making Oregon a place we are all proud to call home.
With enduring love and gratitude,
Kay Toran
President and CEO, VOA Oregon