KairosPDX

In recognition of the need for confident, creative and compassionate leaders today and in the future, and especially the need for leaders of color, BottleDrop and the Oregon Beverage Recycling Cooperative (OBRC) are announcing a new partnership with the Portland nonprofit KairosPDX and the Oregon State Treasury’s Oregon College Savings Plan. Launched in 2014, KairosPDX is a nonprofit organization focused on delivering excellent, equitable education to systematically marginalized children, their families and their communities. Its approach includes a K-5 Learning Academy, an Early Learning Network, and Family Connections programming.

Through the new partnership, OBRC will work with KairosPDX and Oregon State Treasury to open an Oregon College Savings Plan account for each of the 200 plus students enrolled in the K-5 school, and a BottleDrop Green Bag Account for every family that does not yet have one. OBRC will seed each student’s Oregon College Savings Plan account with $25 and make a $5,000 contribution to KairosPDX to support their work. The Oregon College Savings Plan will contribute an additional $50 to each student’s account, for a combined total of $75 of higher education savings. Students and their families will then be able to continue funding their account by using the Green Bag program to redeem Oregon beverage containers, with the proceeds deposited directly into their linked Oregon College Savings Plan account.