Portland Thorns announce charity donations following massive controversy

PORTLAND Ore. (KPTV) - The management and owner of the Portland Thorns have been facing a lot of controversy lately, but on Tuesday, the club announced they’ll be donating at least $100,000 to three local organizations benefiting young girls.

Girls Inc. of The Pacific North West is just one of the charities thorns players selected to receive a donation. They create an environment that helps girls 6 to 18 years old navigate social barriers and grow up to be independent.

The Thorns will also donate a portion of Sundays’ ticket sales to Girls on the Run, She Flies. Thorns Manager, Karina Leblanc, says they want to create safer environments for girls and women and champion the youth in the community.

She Flies works with the Sport Oregon Foundation to keep girls playing sports.

We know that girls by the age of 14 are two times more likely to drop out of sports than boys, and that was our fire to create this initiative,” says Hanna Roxas, Event Manager Sports Oregon. “We really try to be all-inclusive of all ages, all genders, all sports, all income levels, all abilities.”

She Flies puts on workshops and panels and try to give tools to girls that will be used for their life the career their sports professional journeys.

Girls on the Run released a statement, “At Girls on the Run, we envision a world where every girl knows and activates her limitless potential and is free to boldly pursue her dreams. We will use this donation voted on by the Thorns players to help deliver on this mission by helping girls throughout Oregon build their self-confidence and find their voice. We are grateful to this team of strong and inspiring women athletes for selecting Girls on the Run. We appreciate the example they set for all girls, including those in our program.”

It’s been a turbulent year for the club recently, but these organizations continue to encourage each other

“We are just so honored and thankful. We really just see it as a two-way street where we support each other and at this time, it’s just kind of what the city and everyone needs just to kind of stick together, says Roxas. "

The Thorns are set to play San Diego FC Sunday, October 23, 2 p.m. PST.

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