Dougy Center

In December of 2021, Sawyer was halfway through their final year of college in a world that was still reeling from the pandemic. Home for the holidays, Sawyer got the heartbreaking news that their older brother, Jason, had died by su***de - a before-and-after moment that continues to reverberate today.

Sawyer shares their nuanced perspective on grief, delving into how mental health, incarceration, and other systemic barriers impacted Jason's life and death. We also explore how the phrase, "It's not your fault," while well-intentioned, can leave little space for those who are grieving to truly reckon with both guilt and regret.
Listen to our conversation wherever you get your podcasts.

We are thrilled to share we have been selected by Bridge to Kids as a recipient organization for The Bridge – a Pro-Am charity Golf Tournament on June 9th. Thank you Bridge to Kids for your support of Dougy Center and children and families who are grieving! We look forward to this partnership! Learn more about their mission and how you can get involved at bridge2kids.org

We are thrilled to share some incredibly exciting news about a very special effort that has been happening thoughtfully and behind-the-scenes for the last few years at Dougy Center. The time has come to establish a permanent home for Dougy Center services on the Westside, and we are excited to announce that Dougy Center West in Beaverton will open and begin welcoming children and families as early as January 2027!

Don’t worry, we are not moving out of our beautiful SE Portland headquarters; we are adding a second location. In fact, this new space will allow us to double the number of people served in the first five years after opening, with strategic staffing and scaling plans to ensure our capacity and ability to grow without doubling our budget.

Thanks to the amazing generosity of our community, we have raised the threshold of the minimum costs needed to accomplish this project. With $13 million already secured, we are officially in the home stretch of a very successful capital campaign! We are now able to increase our goal, and it is our hope to secure the final funds needed by the end of this year so that we can open strong in early 2027.

In early March, we celebrated the launch of construction with our friends at The Marquis Foundation to honor Dr. Malcolm Marquis, whose generous bequest allowed us to purchase the building in Beaverton. In his memory, the new center will be named “Dougy Center West: Malcolm’s House.” And with that, this new intentionally designed, permanent home for Dougy Center on the Westside is officially underway.

Stay tuned for more updates this summer; we invite you to get involved in a way that is meaningful to you, and we will have more opportunities to share very soon. We’re so excited to bring this long-held dream to life…and cross the finish line WITH YOU! Ready to jump in now? Contact Lani Faith, our Chief Advancement Officer, [email protected], she’d love to connect. You can also learn more at https://www.dougy.org/get-involved/join-in/campaign-for-dougy-center-west

Register today for the 2026 International Summer Institute!
Join Dougy Center’s knowledgeable staff for an opportunity to learn the basics about The Dougy Center Model, a world renowned peer grief support model for children, teens, and their families. You’ll be joined by dynamic colleagues from across the United States and beyond who plan to implement The Dougy Center Model in their community.
Find out more info and register at dougy.org/summerinstitute