SSMO

This year’s selected project to receive funding at Sisters of St. Mary of Oregon is their Parking Lot Expansion projected to begin June 2020. These expansion plans will create much needed space for both SSMO and Valley Catholic event guests throughout the year with roughly 145 new parking spots on campus. The number of activities on their campus in Beaverton seems to continuously increase and there is hardly enough space for everyone to participate. In order to enable the community to all feel welcome and included, this parking lot expansion has been put in place.

The Dooney family has had their fair share of activities and events to attend over the years, spending countless CYO games out on the SSMO/Valley Catholic Campus as players, referees, guests, and friends. Allowing everyone on campus, especially the parents and friends of students to be present and share in the event is imperative to the mission of SSMO to provide a welcoming, loving, and service based community. It is an honor to help the Sisters create the necessary space to welcome their students, their families, employees, and wonderful friends to campus and thereby improve their day to day efficiency in serving the greater community.

“Our campus is a busy place with many endeavors in education and healthcare.  The events at the various entities sometimes overlap and parking can be a challenge.  These added spaces will be a definite benefit to anyone visiting our campus.”

~Sister Charlene Henrickx

Intertwined over the years of business and community…

Leonard Adams Company, established in 1933 by Sean’s maternal grandfather, Leonard Adams himself, began as a small insurance brokerage in Beaverton, Oregon. One of the first clients of the brokerage was Sisters of St. Mary of Oregon, now long time friends and possibly the oldest clients of the family owned company The Dooney family has had the pleasure of getting to know and share in the lives of the Sisters and be impacted by their presence and ministries in the community. Sister Jean Marie van Dyke was a constant presence at St. Thomas More, helping facilitate the parish ministries and sacramental education there while the seven Dooney children attended the school. Sister Krista von Borstel’s CYO/Camp Howard organizations have provided the Dooney family years of playing sporting events in Football, Basketball, Volleyball, and Track & Field, as well as many years of refereeing and coaching. They also enjoyed summer adventures up at Camp as a family and as campers. Sean and Sheri chaired the CYO Champions of Faith Benefit Dinner events in 2013 & 2014 working closely with the organization and Sister Krista.

Beyond their presence in organizations the Dooney family has frequented over the years, the Sisters have been great friends to the Dooney family, enjoying a fishing trip or two, trap shooting, and even hanging out with the Dooney’s up at their family cabin over the years. The Dooney kids always loved hearing the Sisters delight over the coolers full of crab they would bring to the Motherhouse after returning from their annual family crabbing trip. Additionally, Leonard Adams Insurance has longtime offered sponsorships of SSMO golf tournaments and the Valley Catholic Gala annually and enjoyed many laughs and wonderful memories with the amazing Sisters that work throughout our local community.

The Sisters of St. Mary of Oregon are committed to serving others through faith and action. The Sisters offer loving, respectful service through prayer; child development, education and lifelong learning; elder care; sacred space for prayer, contemplation, and retreat; and off-campus outreach and ministry. They embrace the values of the past to touch and shape lives in the future. Those values include living valiantly, honoring the unique gifts of each person, striving for excellence and celebrating God and life. Sisters of St. Mary of Oregon is an organization dedicated to the betterment of the communities they operate within. Their ministries throughout the greater Portland area are directed by the Sisters themselves and have had an enormous impact for more than 130 years. It is an honor to be able to reciprocate the same generosity they display in our community through the efforts of this fundraiser.