They Burned Our Playground. But Not Our Spirit.

In the early hours of Sunday morning, someone set fire to the children’s playground at CAIRO Academy, our new early learning center in Southeast Portland.

The playground was brand new. It had just been finished after more than a year of planning, fundraising, and hard work from our team, funders, families, and neighbors. It was built for children from immigrant, refugee, and low-income families as a safe space to play, laugh, and just be kids.

And then, in the middle of the night, someone tried to take that away.

We’re heartbroken but we’re not giving up.

Thanks to the fast response of firefighters, the classrooms were spared. But the playground is gone. And the families are asking why. Why would someone do this? Why children's space?

We don’t have all the answers. But we know one thing for sure: we will rebuild. Because we are a village our children deserve joy. They deserve to feel safe. And they deserve to know that their community shows up for them.

We’ve launched this GoFundMe to raise money to rebuild the playground so our kids can play again, safely and freely. Every donation goes directly toward recovery and restoration.

If you’ve supported CAIRO before, thank you. You helped us build this space. And now, we humbly ask you to help us bring it back.

Please donate if you can. Share if you can’t. And thank you for being part of our village.

With gratitude,

The CAIRO Leadership & Academy Team