We framed the future — together! - Habitat Portland Region

When Asùkùlù stepped up to the microphone at our Frame a Future celebration, he spoke from the heart about what it meant to grow up in a Habitat home.

“This home has seen me and my family through various seasons of life. Though I don’t plan on living with my parents forever, no place can replace the importance of this space in my life’s journey,” shared Asùkùlù. “My Habitat home will forever be important to me, a place that made Portland a home, no matter where I go in life.”

Stories like Asùkùlù’s are why supporters gathered at our West Lake Grove build site in Lake Oswego to celebrate Frame a Future – Habitat’s campaign to raise $460,000 to help frame 23 homes, creating stability for more than 100 people, including 60 children. The campaign continues through October 10, with a special matching opportunity still available.

Every gift raised through Frame a Future, and every gift to Habitat, does more than frame walls. They create stability for parents, better health for families, and brighter futures for children who now have the space to dream.

*Asùkùlù with his mother, Salome. Click on the photo above to watch his full speech on our YouTube channel.*

Asùkùlù, the son of Habitat homeowners in North Portland, joined us to share what growing up in a vibrant Habitat community in New Columbia has meant since his parents purchased their home with an affordable mortgage 15 years ago. He recently graduated from Stanford University with a degree in International Relations and is now exploring a career in sustainable fashion.

“My upbringing nurtured my growth as an artist and as a person. The memories that I created in my neighborhood gave me the confidence to move confidently in the direction of my dreams. I continue to draw on this rich cultural upbringing through my own fashion brand, LUUNDO. LUUNDO means love in my family’s tribal language. This love that I communicate through my clothing was nurtured throughout my upbringing.”

Lake Oswego Mayor Joe Buck also joined the celebration. Mayor Buck introduced Habitat for Humanity to the Lake Oswego property and played a significant role in securing the funding and infrastructure support from the City, County, and State that made this development possible.

“For me, it was a really cool thing to grow up here in L.O. and it really set me up for the future. I’m so excited at the hope a development like this brings for the kids who will live here, who will go to school down the street,” shared Mayor Buck. “It’s this diversity of residents that a vibrant and healthy community really requires.”

The funds raised through Frame a Future are already at work helping families like Asùkùlù’s throughout our region in Portland, Hillsboro, Gresham, Lake Oswego, and King City.

A very special thank-you goes to Tom and Noelle Mehlhorn, whose transformational leadership gift of $101,000 set the tone for this campaign. Their generosity doubled every donation up to that amount, inspiring so many others to give and jump-starting Frame a Future with incredible momentum.

And when the community rose to meet that challenge, EC Electric stepped in with an additional $25,000 match, helping extend the impact even further and ensuring even more families will have the opportunity of having a place to call home.

We’re so close to our fundraising goal! Together, we’ve raised $458,500, just $1,500 shy of our goal. With your help before October 10, we can close the gap and ensure all 23 homes in this campaign are fully funded.

Thank you to everyone who supported this campaign – and to all who give generously throughout the year. Together, we are framing a future where every child has the space to thrive.

But the need in our community is still great, and your continued support makes all the difference. Habitat Portland Region currently has more than 140 homes under construction across the Portland region. Each one is a chance to create stability and opportunity for families like Asùkùlù’s.

He shared how his Habitat home became “a place that made Portland a home, no matter where I go in life.” Your gift today helps ensure more children grow up with that same foundation – a place to thrive, dream, and build their future.

Make a gift today and help build what comes next.

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