What are Supporters are saying . . .
“I absolutely love seeing a student’s face light up after being shown one of their own photographs. I love meeting the group every week; talking with the students not only about photography but also life.  I believe that through programs like Focus on Youth that we, as mentors, are helping promote student confidence, social equality in the schools and academic growth.  I am incredibly grateful to be a part of the student’s lives and this tremendous organization.  Thanks, Donna Lee for all your love and dedication!”
Jenna Biggs, Focus on Youth Mentor – Board Member

“American Society of Media Photographers is impressed with Focus on Youth’s ability to bring at-risk youth and  volunteer mentors together.  They provide a learning experience  that supports curiosity, and determination while providing these young people with a place where their creativity can flourish.”
Gary Wilson,  Mentor – Past Board President – Advisory Committee Member

Our Board of Directors

Larry McDonald, President,  Jakovina Trust Director

Shanti Villarreal, Secretary,  Project Manager Xerox

Leo Remington, Treasurer,  Photographer/Mentor

Sam Hutchison, Project Change, Mentor

Chris Poole Jones, Educational Consultant

Jay Hager,  Manager Ricoh Corportion/Mentor

Brian McCauley, Umpqua Bank

Christropher Cabatabat, Photographer, Systems Analyst

Donna Lee Holmes Focus on Youth Founder/Director

Advisory Committee

Our Advisory Committee members are individuals who offer their expertise and counseling to the board and actively provide support and advice on various issues.

Kelly Carver, Director of Operations, Frame Central

Eric Lester, CPA, Owner Pearl Bakery

Linda Skeele, Windermere Cronin & Caplan Realty Group

Gary Wilson, Gary Wilson Photography/Mentor

Doug Crouch, Doug Crouch Photography &

Friends of Focus on Youth

The Friends of Focus on Youth are diverse members of the community who actively and informally encourage support for our efforts and the young people we seek to assist.

Jana Demartini, Artist/ Blackfish Gallery Member

Robert Dozono, Retired Arts Educator/ Artist/Blackfish Gallery Member

David Greenberg, Executive Director – Planned Parenthood Willamette Columbia

Deka Jama, MD Internal Medicine

Tomas Svoboda, Pianist/Composer

 Our Financial Supporters & Working Partners

Doug Crouch Photography • Frame Central • Wildwood Restaurant • American Society of Media Photographers, Safeway Foundation, Blackfish Gallery, Asuka Books, Autzen Foundation,  Blackfish Gallery, Digicraft, Fred Meyer Foundation, Gann Printing, Genius Marketing Consultants, Gregori Jakovina, Jakovina Trust, Larry McDonald, McCoy Academy, New Avenues For Youth, Oregon Community Foundation, Outside In, Pearl Bakery, Plum Creek, Portland International Community School, Portland Metropolitan Photographers Association, Portland Schools Foundation, Portland Youth Builders, ProPhoto Supply, Q Center, Rose E. Tucker Charitable Trust, Spirit Mountain Community Fund, Templeton Foundation, The Standard, Umpqua Bank, United Parcel Service Foundation, Wentworth Foundation, Mary McKinney and Flay Ezell Fund, The Pacific Northwest College of Art, The Q Center, Business for Culture and the Arts, KBOO, and East Metro Community Media.

Diversity is the cornerstone of Focus on Youth and we are committed to creating an inclusive environment where all individuals are valued and respected.  Our organization seeks to serve a racially diverse spectrum of low-income families, and we strive for a  board composition that is racially and ethnically diverse.  Focus on Youth maintains a policy of electing individuals to the Board of Directors on a basis of their merit without regard to race, color, creed, religion, age, gender, sexual orientation, military status, marital status, political opinion, national origin, familial status, mental and physical disability, gender identity, and source of income or disability status. It is assured that this commitment to equal treatment applies to all aspects of Board membership and our team of volunteers.

“I have had personal experience with the value of learning photography as a young person.  It helped me to develop an understanding of my relationship to my environment and an appreciation of the diversity in natural habitats, in my friends and neighbors, and in the cultures in my community.  I wholeheartedly endorse the mission of Focus on Youth , to empower at-risk youth through photography by providing creative outlets to experience their world in new ways and make positive change in their lives.”
Bill Bradbury, Former Oregon Secretary of State